Laajalahti 30 June 2012

Our first ringing session at the reedbed site for the season was today. The others started in early May already. This was SSP-ringing (Finnish equivalent of British CES) with 14 nets. A & A, Ina and Jussi were present.

The ringing continued from 4.00am to 9.00am. At the start there was +5 degrees Celsius and almost calm, but the wind increased earlier than normal. At 9.00 there was 5-7m/s and +18C -, too windy in fact. The catch was meagre, lowest in this season this far, and it is possible that it will remain the low point. Often at this time of year we catch some numbers of Reed Buntings, but none today. Here are the results:

Species                Ringed    yearlings    older        Retrapped    yearlings    older

Sedge Warbler                            0            2                                    0            3

Trush Nightingale                        0            1                                    0            1

Eurasian Robin                           2            0                                    0            0

Blyth's Reed Warbler                   0            1                                    0            0

Red-backed Shrike                      0            1                                    0            0

Great Tit                                     1            0                                    0            0

Common Whitethroat                   0            1                                    0            0    

 

Adult Blyth's Reed would have been remarkable a couple of years ago, but they have become regular (as young birds have been for a longer time).

This bird is a second-calendar-year male (based on cloacal protuberance, lack of brood patch and iris colour).

This was the only Common Whitethroat. We identified it as a second calendar-year male.

And then the shrike.

It turned out that we have earlier photos of one of the retrapped Sedge Warblers. First, photo from today, and then from 25 July 2010.