Tawny Owlets
Cuckoo
Bit of a quality over quantity morning today with a early capture of a female cuckoo at the #AshdownForest site and onward to the #Gravetyeestate where a brood of three Tawny Owls were in one of the nestboxes monitored by the #SussexBarnOwlGroup.
Have absolutely loved this short time in the Cairngorms and I think the Caledonian Pine Forests have been the best part!
Reindeer
Achieved the elusive Crested Tit ✅ and Golden Eagle ✅ today whilst on numerous hikes in the highlands. An added bonus was a herd of Reindeer on the mountainside!
Pink-footed Goose
Snow Bunting
First day in the highlands was exciting! ❄️❄️❄️, including Pink-footed Goose ✅ and Snow Buntings in the actual snow!
A glorious morning in spring sunshine, resulted in the first Willow Warblers and Blackcaps at the #AshdownForest site yesterday! Crossbills and Woodlarks overhead as well!
Mute Swan
Finally got to ring some Mute Swans today, all 10 of them 😁🦢✅! Great to learn some new techniques for closing swan rings and handling the birds!
Firecrest
A very quiet Saturday last weekend resulted in only three birds at the #AshdownForest site...at least the Firecrest made up for it! 🔥
Bit of sunshine today at the #AshdownForest site, resulted in the first Chiffchaff of the year, spring is finally here!
Goldfinch
Another briefly sunny morning meant I could get out to the #AshdownForest site on Wednesday. Slightly busier morning than the last few sessions but only just! Highlights were a couple of Goldfinches and four Redwings still hanging on!
Note that the Dartford Warbler was a re-trapped male, combined with the re-trapped female last month suggests a pair may be setting up territory nearby!
Dartford Warbler
Reed Bunting
Finally a brief reprise from the rain meant I could get out to the #AshdownForest site this morning. Not much in the way of action, but a couple of nice birds were caught including a Dartford Warbler and another Reed Bunting!
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#sussexbirds
Another break in the awful wet weather resulted in yet another four birds at the #AshdownForest site! 🫠Oh well was nice to get a Robin and a re-trapped Blackbird from last year at least!
A break in the terrible weather meant I could get up to the #AshdownForest site this morning...alas only four birds to be had. But the first Dartford Warbler re-trap for the site was good. The resident pony flushed a Woodcock as well but it didn't end up in the nets!
A second attempt for the Crockham Hill Common Red-flanked Bluetail proved successful this afternoon, although only a brief view. #ukbirding #kentbirding
A crisp final session on the #AshdownForest site gave us the last haul of Redwings needed to creep up to a total of 702 new birds ringed for 2025! A single Dartford Warbler let us finish with a flourish!
Tundra Bean Geese
Great decision to day out for the Tundra Bean Geese ✅ in Amberley today and then down to the WWT reserve for the harrier roost as the light faded! #ukbirding #sussexbirding
Long-tailed Tit
Another slow December ringing session today. Other than a few winter thrushes and a nice Long-tailed Tit flock there was barely anything about. Slowly creeping towards the 700 bird goal for the year!
Reed Bunting
A quiet morning with a break in the weather, resulted in the 2nd Reed Bunting for the #AshdownForest site last week among the winter thrushes!
Redwing
Fieldfare
Winter thrushes are one of the main targets for the #AshdownForest ringing site at this time of year, while plenty around only a handful of Redwings and Fieldfares caught so far among the Goldcrests and Redpolls!
New pair of #Altberg boots! Just in time for getting back out to the #AshdownForest site at the weekend! No doubt these will be on my feet for many years to come 😁
With the 2025 ringing expedition at #RanchoTangaréNatureReserve having come to a close, the results include: 474 new birds ringed of 100 species, of which 29 have not been ringed before! A phenomenal result and a big thank you to the team as well as my boots which sadly will not return. 🫡
Great Antshrike
Great Antshrike
Guayquil Woodpecker
Golden Olive Woodpecker
Some more exciting birds caught and ringed at #RanchoTangaréNatureReserve. Great Antshrikes both male and female, as well as Golden-olive and Guayaquil Woodpeckers.
Choco Toucan
Result! A target species, Choco Toucan trapped and ringed, that's a bit of pressure off our backs! 😅 #RanchoTangaréNatureReserve
Little Cuckoo
Bit of a slow day today at #RanchoTangaréNatureReserve, but quality over quantity with this excellent Little Cuckoo! Now set up at area two for the next few days 😁
Collared Araçari
Brilliant first day at #RanchoTangaréNatureReserve, 27 species including three Collared Araçari! Great to ring this species, that I missed out on last year and to add more to the database!
First tarantula of the trip, seen whilst setting up mist nets at #RanchoTangaréNatureReserve in western Ecuador. Anyone knows the species? 🕷️ #tarantula
Packed and ready for the third ringing expedition to
#RanchoTangaréNatureReserve in Ecuador for the next two weeks! Excited to see the changes and potential new species since reforestation started!
Another decent morning at the #AshdownForest on Tuesday. 36 birds ringed as well as three re-traps, one of which was one of the first Dunnocks ringed at the site in 2023, still knocking about! Otherwise the highlights were the first Redwings of the winter season and another Dartford Warbler!
Results from the control Goldcrest PAN055: ringed in Seggieden, Perth & Kinross, Scotland as a juvenile, re-trapped 632km south at the #AshdownForest! Pretty good movement for a 5 grams bird!