Reed Buntings

Another fairly successful ringing session on The Dales as part of the Suffolk Wildlife Trusts' 'Forgaing Farmland Bird Project' at Wyken Hall.

Nets where open by 07.15, with a slightly frosty start soon warmed by a gorgeous sunrise.

A nice little haul, dominated by Reed Buntings, with enough birds to keep things ticking over nicely throughout the morning.

Birds as follows:

New Birds (Retraps)

Wren 1
Dunnock 1
Robin 1 (1)
Chaffinch 2
Yellowhammer 4 (1)
Reed Bunting 22 (2)

Total 31 (4) = 35 birds handled. A nice start to February!


Up at Little Bofus lake I put up a 3m net in the reeds to assess the extent of the Reed Bunting roost. Birds started to come in at around 16.45, but there weren't that many of them. I caught 3 more Reed Buntings, but would have liked to see some of the 23 Pied Wagtails finding the net. Maybe next time!

Interestingly, one of the Reed Bunting retraps this morning was ringed at Little Bofus a couple of weeks ago, showing that at least some of the birds foraging around the farm during the day come in to roost at this lake in the evening. Back in the summer I had a male Reed Bunting nesting at the lake that was colour ringed by the BTO in winter 2007 in pretty much the same place as my nets are set up on The Dales for the Forgaing Farmland Bird Project.