September - week 4

The settled weather, saw Blackcap taping continue in the garden, with Jerry on Monday 25th. It was a cold (+2 C) start with mist forming over the Lake when he arrived, gradually spreading through the garden area after dawn. The early catching was slow, though it did include our second Buzzard for the year (and the first time we have had more than one in a year). It was only the second bird Jerry had caught in gn4a, in his five September visits. When the sun eventually burnt off the mist at 9am, the catching picked up a bit, to end the session on 16 + (5).

On Wednesday, it was Jeremy's turn, and with thinner mist, burnt off by 8am, he had a slightly better catch of 22 + (5). His impression was that a species change was starting, with an arrival of "winter" visitors imminent.

Jerry was back on Thursday, to thick mist again, not clearing until 10am. The catching was slow, and included just three of his target species (2 Blackcap and a Chiffchaff), by the end of the session. The total didn't quite reach half of Jeremy's total, at 11 + (1).

Species details - Buzzard 1, Wren 2 + (2), Robin 2 + (3), Dunnock 2 + (1), Blackbird 2, Chiffchaff 10 + (1), Goldcrest 4, Blackcap 11 + (1), Coal Tit 1, Blue Tit 7 + (2), Great Tit 5, Treecreeper (1) and Reed Bunting 2.

The September total was (a very disappointing) 156 birds ringed from 10 visits, the first time we have failed to reach 200, for the month, since 2009. The YTD becomes 1847.