Twinkle twinkle little wader…

 Today dawned reasonably bright with much less wind than yesterday. It was a probably the slowest start we have had but eventually the numbers of birds built up, and we ended with 211 of new birds ringed, of 16 species.

The biggest difference was the number of redpoll. In any normal situation 110 redpoll in a day would be an excellent result but because it was only a third of the number we had yesterday things felt very different. However, the variety and numbers of other species built up encouragingly throughout the morning. One species in particular provided us with a fascinating ageing conundrum.

From the picture you can see, the right wing is adult, whereas the left wing is still in juvenile plumage…. answers on a postcard.



14 Siberian Tits in a day was a local record and 7 Lapland Buntings was an indication of them being on passage. 

Since we have been here the number of waders has been disappointing but today it was clear that there had been an influx. We devised a plan to try and catch some of these waders which turned out to be pretty successful. 


We ringed 29 Dunlin and 4 Curlew Sandpipers. Dunlin’s have various races with different bill lengths, however Curlew Sandpiper are aptly named because they have a particularly long gently curved bill.



Curlew Sandpipers can be further distinguished by their white rump.


Conditions permitting we hope to try again for waders tomorrow because there is a good range of species in the area.

Finally, one of the further benefits of trips like this is to spend time with interested people from other countries. Camilla and Kate joined us today to continue the links we have forged over the past 10 years.





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