Autumn Migrants

Monday, October 17th 2011

The usual scrutiny of the weather forecasts had taken place on Saturday evening and the email sent, to say ringing was going ahead and to meet at Foxglove at 7am. Thrush and Tawny Owl were amongst the birds calling as the bird ringers arrived.  Dark clouds were around but for a short time the red sky of dawn could be seen.

Dawn

Over 200 birds were processed today, including Wren, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tits, Reed Bunting and Bullfinch.  However the stars of the show were the arrival of our first winter migrants, Redwing and Brambling.

Two juvenile Redwings were caught and ringed.  The red under the wing can just be seen in the photograph below.

Redwing

Bramblings usually arrive in numbers during midwinter, so catching one today was exciting.  It will be interesting to see if more arrive over the next few weeks.  Look for these birds feeding with other finches; this one was a 1st year male.

Brambling

Lesser Redpolls showed off their beautiful plumage, this one was a striking adult male.

Lesser Redpoll

As the nets were taken down and the last birds brought back to the ringing room there was a surprise - a juvenile Kingfisher.  Although all of the birds above had fantastic colours the vibrant blue of the Kingfisher amazed everyone.

Kingfisher

 In summary it was a busy and interesting day with 232 birds caught with Goldcrest being the most common which doesn't happen very often - 23 new ones were ringed. 


(0) Comments:

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


Leave a Comment:

Please complete this field, it's required. Your email address will not be displayed but it's required.

Your email address will not be displayed but it's required.

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?


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


Reserve Access: Open, Field Centre Closure Tues 17th June

Wednesday 4th June 2025 |

Access is currently as normal and the reserve and field centre are open as usual.

 

The Field Centre will be closed on Tuesday 17th June for one day. The reserve is still open.

The Field Centre will resume normal opening hours on Wednesday 18th June.

Apologies for any inconvenience.



Dragonfly Walk

Sunday 20th July 2025 | 1pm-3pm

Spot dragonflies and damselflies on this guided walk led by dragonfly county recorder Keith Gittens. Enjoy a leisurley walk around the reserve’s ponds and pools, and learn all about the Odonata species found at Foxglove Covert.

Donate what you can.

Bookings close Friday 18th July.

Foxglove Covert is now taking bookings via Eventbrite.

Click Here to Book

Or visit foxglovecovertlnr.eventbrite.com



VIEW ALL EVENTS

Recent Blog Posts

Blog Archive