Bridie's 5 Jan - first birds for 2014

With the skies clearing after this mornings deluge I spent a couple of hours banding this afternoon down the road at Bridie's. Didn't catch a lot of birds but at least it is a start for the new year. Caught a grand total of 11 birds of 4 species.
Chaffinch - 1 (0) unusual to catch one in a cage trap.
Silvereye - 0 (1)
House Sparrow - 5 (3) the oldest recap was banded Feb 2012
Starling - 1 (0) I was surprised to find it had moulted its 3 inner primaries and had a moult score of 9.
Although the forecast is not all that good I hope to get some more banding in later in the week.

Ruth and I had a great time in Auckland over the festive season and I did manage to catch a couple of Tui. Tried the yellow kind for a change.

A couple of "Tui" of the yellow variety

On the North Shore where we were staying Tui (of the feathered kind) appear to have increased in number like they have in Wellington. A few years ago I would have been lucky to have seen 2 or 3 in a week, now they are frequently sighted. Spotted Doves are another species that are showing a big increase there.
The big surprise of the trip was a Myna on the side of the road as we drove through Foxton, by far the furthest south I have ever seen one on SH1.