Ringing

Saturday 4th November - my birthday for those that are interested in sending me a present - I need a new camera, computer, or scope for those with an open buget.

The entire day was spent ringing from 5-30 am to 5-00 pm at Badaan Farm - Weather wise it was far too hot and sticky to make the time pass with ease but we were rewarded with moving our tally of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters to 24. In handling that number, it was possible to note with some degree of certainty a pattern in the moult strategy for the species, both adult and juvenile. A full paper will be prepared based on these observations.

‘Adult Blue-cheeked Bee-eater showing typical suspended moult'

‘Typical Juvenile Blue-cheeked Bee-eater with no primary or secondary moult'

This session also gave us our second Wryneck - always good for a laugh when you have them in the hand. You never know what the head is going to do, it seems to be attached with elastic. The colouration of this species is remenisant of the Egyption Nightjar.

From a previous afternoon session we bagged (not for the pot) in the dark a single quail from a small flock of four or five

Not so many Chiffchaff or Willow Warblers around these days the main passage having passed