Ringing

Ringing is slow at the moment with numbers down on previous years. However we did manage to catch our first Corn Bunting for the project, a female judging from the measurements (winglength 95, weight 39.6). It is a first for me and a special bird. They became extinct in Ireland in the mid-nineties unfortunately in the absence of any conservation strategy. Perhaps one day we might develop a reintroduction project.

Please excuse the focus. I only had my 150-500 lens with me and used the flash on 160th of a second and manual focus in the dark.

We are catching bluethroats lately in the evenings when we put up nets for water pipits. This adult male was very nicely marked.

This Barn owl seems to like the net poles. He let me approach to within a few meters recently. We still haven't managed to catch him despite several attempts to lure him/her with a mouse.