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.
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| Kate banding our first Cirl Bunting |
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| And having its wing measurement taken. |
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