An Interesting Day

Monday, February 17th 2014

This morning the sun was rising and could just be seen through the reed bed.

Sun rising behind the reed bed.

Sandra and Brian returned from checking the mink raft at the bullet catcher to say that they had recorded a female Hazel flower.

Female Hazel flower

These Primroses were in flower in January last year, not even a sign of a flower bud so far.

Primrose leaves

Always curious as to what things are Elizabeth noticed these 'dead leaves'. Amazingly when the photograph was downloaded, they were Primrose flowers! Not a good photo, as the flowers were hiding behind dead grasses.

Primrose flowers

As has been mentioned before, IPMR, the programme used to enter all the bird ringing data, contains a huge amount of information. Today recording had to be done on paper and will be entered later, but we were able to check retrapped birds. A Bullfinch was first caught and ringed by Liz in August 2013 and today it was processed by her again. It has not been through the ringing room between these times. Seven new Bullfinches were ringed today, all of them hatched last year.

Femal Bullfinch

This Marsh Tit was caught 4 times in 2012 and not retrapped again until today.

Marsh Tit

During the morning 4 new Blackbirds came through the ringing room. None were caught in the afternoon, although several were seen flying around the reserve.

Male Blackbird

Other recordings today included a Water Vole feeding site, a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming and sticklebacks in a pond. Hazel flowers and Primroses have now been recorded, frogs next?

Thank you to everyone who helped throughout the day, meeting and greeting visitors, making tea and ringing.

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Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve is now OPEN

Monday 4th November 2024 |

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