Queenstown, Tue 18 Feb - almost the last session.

We are down in Queenstown at the moment, this will be our last trip here. Our son who owns the property has decided to sell and with the amount he has been offered I can't blame him.

In between packing up gear etc I managed to get a net up this morning with reasonable results. Processed 13 birds of 8 species with 9 new and 4 recaptures.
Species caught were - (Recaps in brackets)
House Sparrow - 0 (1) I also caught about 30 others, mostly unbanded juveniles but did not process them.

I did make another Sparrow recap but while trying to photograph its red bib it escaped and I relaised I had not recorded its number.

Starling -1 (0)

The Starling made an interesting sight having partly completed its moult.

Silvereye 1 (2)
Dunnock - 2 (0) Both were juveniles and had what appears to be Pox lesions. One a small one on its ankle and the other a large one near an eye.

A poxxy Dunnock

Chaffinch - 1 (0)
Goldfinch - 3 (0)
Redpoll - 1 (0)

A Very Old Recovery

I recieved an e-mail from Sandra in the Banding Office this afternoon about a Starling recovery in Wellington. The bird had been found dead in Hornsey Rd only a few 100m's from where I lived and where in had been banded on 9 Sept 2006. Although I haven't got all my data with me it appears that at 4903 days from banding it is by far the oldest recovery we have ever had of any species. I think we have only had one other bird (a Blackbird) over 4000 days and, from memory, it was only just over.

Halswell Quarry 13 Feb - a very quiet morning with one exception.

We had a session at the Quarry this morning and had a very meagre catch. We caught only 8 birds of 4 species with 7 new and 1 recapture, House Sparrow - 3 new and a recap, Greenfinch 2, Chaffinch 1, and the big surprise of a Cirl Bunting. This is possibly the first banded in Canterbury and definitely the first for the Quarry. Cirl Buntings are probably the rarest introduced species in New Zealand. They were introduced about 150 years ago but have never been very common. There are regular sightings in the Quarry area where there seems to be a small but persistent population.

Kate banding our first Cirl Bunting

And having its wing measurement taken.