Suburban birds

I spent the Jubilee weekend and bank holidays at my parents' house while they were away enjoying themselves in France. Eventually it stopped raining and I did a bit of ringing...

Collared Dove

It's pretty difficult to catch Collared Doves in mist nets; being a bigger and faster-flying bird, they tend to bounce out easily or can wriggle their way to freedom. So I was lucky to get my hands on this male.

Male House Sparrow

Juvenile Starling

Adult male Starling

Goldfinch

Juvenile Dunnock

Moulting adult Blue Tit

At the bottom of the garden...

Hurray! I've finally got my first set of rings. My joy was tempered slightly by the cost, but poverty is all part of being a ringer. So I've wasted no time in trying to catch birds...

These ones are in my new garden. I have mostly been catching Blue and Great Tits, but there have been a few other bits and pieces, too.

Birds about to be extracted from the net

Treecreeper (check out the talons). They always look grumpy

Long-tailed Tit

I caught three Great Spotted Woodpeckers in one afternoon. Damage to my eardrums and hands was not inconsiderable, but I've recovered. Ear defenders would be handy, though.

Great Spotted Woodpecker (female)

Great Spotted Woodpecker (male)

Blue Tit with wonky bill, but it was in good shape so still feeding OK

While at my parents' over Christmas, I couldn't resist trying to catch some of their garden birds. It was mostly a fruitless exercise (someone down the road is clearly sucking in birds from miles around) but I caught a few (no, really, a few. Three Dunnocks and a Robin. Woodpigeon, Collared Dove and Goldfinch all wriggled out before I could extract them!).

The first bird to get one of my rings - a Dunnock. Dull brown eye says it's a young bird

Another Dunnock - bright reddish-brown eye says it's an older bird

My first rings

Budding, blossoming, bloomin' hot

Buds, budding

Dunnock collecting food for its brood

Blossom, blossoming

The Chaffinch that got away

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Big 'un

First, some shots with the big camera

Bees can't get enough of Cranesbill

Spotted Flycatcher in next-door's garden. Closer inspection has revealed this bird is collecting insects, presumably for a brood of chicks somewhere...

Flowers at The Lodge

Red-eyed Damselfly

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

A walk in the woods

dead branches

brambles

Siskins: male (top) and female

Dunnock

Chaffinch

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

More garden stuff

Robin

Red Admiral

ladybird

Dunnock, the photographer's friend

Peacock nectaring on rosemary

More bees on blossom

muntjac

blackthorn blossom

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

At The Lodge

Jackdaws looking shifty: 'borrowing' material from a squirrel's drey and then shoving it down a chimney

Chaffinch drinking

I like the blue and green colours of daffodil stems and leaves almost as much as the yellows

Two Commas out and about on another beautiful day

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM