A day in the life..

Sunday, February 27th 2011

With only a few ringers at the reserve today they were kept busy with 239 birds to process. The stars of the day were over 50 Common and Lesser Redpolls some of which had been ringed previously.

This photograph of a Song Thrush was taken by a visitor during the morning. By lunchtime it had become the first of the species ringed on the reserve in 2011. It was seen on the gatepost just behind the boardwalk to the Wetland Hide. There is a period of about four months during the winter when there are no Song Thrushes at Foxglove and they are replaced by Fieldfares and Redwing. This was the first we are aware of that has returned; it was a young bird hatched last year.

Thrush on a post

More Frogspawn was seen by the first dipping platform on the Scrapes. A Frog can be seen to the top left of the picture. Although they are definitely around, none could be heard croaking.

Frog and Spawn

The feeders outside the Field Centre were very well supported with almost a dozen species seen just outside the kitchen window! This Marsh Tit was spotted but only briefly. Seventeen species were ringed including Siskin, Brambling, Reed Bunting, Robin, Goldcrest, Robin, Bullfinch and Wren. Interestingly, exactly 700 new birds have been ringed on the reserve already this year - more than double any previous year at this stage during the last 18. In 2010 only 166 new birds had been ringed by the end of February - what will be the relevance of such an increase if any? Perhaps we might see a bumper breeding season!

marsh tit in tree

(0) Comments:

There are no comments for this blog post yet. Why not start the discussion? - use the form below:

Back to Top

Help Support Foxglove

Friends of Foxglove

The Friends of Foxglove Covert is for those individuals, families and organisations who would like to support the reserve through an annual membership subscription. Friends receive a regular newsletter and invitations to attend our various activities and social events.

More Details

Upcoming Events

Pond Dipping 2

Wednesday 10th August 2022 | Various sessions throughout the day - starting on the hour

Come along and find out which minibeasts are living in some of the habitats at Foxglove. Book a minibeast session for your family bubble. There will be a socially distanced brief to set you off and then you can use the equipment for the remainder of the session. You will be requested to use hand gel on arrival and the equipment will be cleaned between sessions. Please call the Reserve Managers on 07754 270980 to book your allocated slot. You are advised to arrive 15 minutes before your allocated time.

A donation in advance (card payment by phone) of £5 per family bubble is required in order to secure your booking.

All About The Bugs! 2

Wednesday 17th August 2022 | Various sessions throughout the day - starting on the hour

Come along and find out which minibeasts are living in some of the habitats at Foxglove. Book a minibeast session for your family bubble. There will be a socially distanced brief to set you off and then you can use the equipment for the remainder of the session. You will be requested to use hand gel on arrival and the equipment will be cleaned between sessions.

Please call the Reserve Managers on 07754 270980 to book your allocated slot. You are advised to arrive 15 minutes before your allocated time.

A donation in advance (card payment by phone) of £5 per family bubble is required in order to secure your booking.

VIEW ALL EVENTS