We haven't had any sessions recently, giving things a bit of a break while birds are breeding. But I have taken the chance to band a few nestlings. First brood was 4 Welcome Swallows, they were in the usual nest in the Men's Toilet in the Findlay Picnic area at the Quarry the same site we have banded most of our Swallows over the last few years.
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| One of The Welcome Swallows with its new bling. |
Most of the others were in nests around the Village where I live. Two Starlings in a nest box at one of our neighbours. The others were 6 Blackbirds in a couple of nests. It's been a bit surprising and disappointing at the number of nests that have failed. I suspect a gang of Magpies, up to 14 of them that have been hassling birds around the village.
The last 2 nestlings banded were 2 Little Owls that Ruud had located at a friends place near the Quarry. Reports were that they were still very small but I decided to check to get an idea when they might be big enough. When I opened the box there were 2 at what I thought was an ideal size for banding so they were banded. These were the first Little Owls that I have ever banded so it was a bit of a red letter day.
