Zoo Saturday 2 March - More Sparrows

We had a reasonably good banding session on Saturday morning but not so good in the afternoon. In the morning it was near perfect conditions little wind and mostly cloudy overhead. The cloud disappeared early afternoon and it became very hot and the birds also disappeared so we knocked off earlier than usual. A smaller turn out of banders turned up but just a nice number for the flow of birds.

Mary our chief scribe entering data for Ros and Annette.

In all we caught 50 birds of only five species with, as expected, juvenile Sparrows making up the majority.

Species caught were - (recaptures in brackets)
Greenfinch - 3 (1) the recap was banded in Nov 2011
Dunnock - 4 (0)
Silvereye - 2 (4) All the recaps were banded in the previous 2 years. Unusual to get more recaps than new birds at this time of year; perhaps Silvereye have had a poor breeding year although it was a very small sample.
Grey Warbler - 0 (1) a bird banded back in Feb 11 so a reasonable age for this apparently short lived bird.
House Sparrow - 32 (3) the oldest recap was banded at Bridie's on Hornsey Rd in Dec 2010 as a newly fledged unsexed juvenile so we now know it has grown into a handsome male, or he will be again when he finishes his moult.

The underwing feathering of a juvenile Sparrow on the left compared with an older bird

The wings of two juvenile Sparrows of similar age, female on left, male on right.