A Fistful of Redpolls

This morning as I was on my own, I didn’t open the nets, and especially didn’t use the calls. Whilst I was writing the diaries and finding places to set up nets for repair I did have the ground trap running. I managed to process around 9 birds during the day, all of them redpolls. More recaptures in the trap than in the net yesterday despite the vast difference in numbers caught between them. Whilst I was working I had a visit from Michael Ancher briefly, who confirmed it was a good morning for redpolls (so I was right not to have the nets open when I was busy with other activities). Apparently we both recaptured the other sites redpolls today, still surprising that it was single figures considering how much ringing had gone on over the two days. 3 greylag geese flew over as we were chatting, my first for Skagen this year, and a mute swan had flown over during a misty period as I was setting up the trap earlier in the morning.

After a few hours, repairing nets outside was very painful for my fingers so I worked with Flemming and found a place inside where I could safely string up nets, out of the wind and cold! Hopefully this will make the job easier and quicker over the next few weeks. Before I even realised it the day was over, but I managed to spend a few minutes looking into Kattergat for any passing seabirds, though all I really saw was two species of gull and some eider.

After a pretty disastrous attempt at cooking something for dinner (will the frying pan ever be clean?!) I spent the evening entering data into DofBasen for my ringing and observation records. I intend to head up to Grenen tomorrow to get some much needed birding in so I turned in around 9pm.

Birds ringed       Birds recaptured
Gråsisken – 6      3

A mealy redpoll, clearly mocking me by perching on a rolled net . . 

Redpolls were present all day, feeding on the seeds we’d put out for them, even when I was working about 15 foot away.