brewood ringers

This has been the warmest day of the year--so probably no great expectations when we decided to give one of the forestry feeders a try at 1pm. The weather has been damp and cool, and ringers in other parts of the country have suggested that when cool and wet, Redpoll and Siskin feed at feeding stations because their preferred natural food--Larch and Spruce seeds are unavailable as the conditions cause the cones to close. This must have been the case because we caught 19 new Redpoll, plus 2 controls which had been ringed elsewhere--details to follow. To add a bit of spice we also ringed a Chiffchaff and a Willow Warbler. Although very common, and we will catch many more this year ( we hope) catching the first ones is always a thrill since it opens the ' summer door', as well as proving what awesome creatures these are--flying such prodigious distances.