First ringing session this year and my first goldeneye!

The weekend before last I went up to Cissbury Ring for my first ringing session of the year. It was very foggy and you couldn't see into the fields that surround the main path!


Walking up the path I managed to see a glimpse of a Yellowhammer which was surprising as I normally just hear them singing. It was quite a quiet morning however catching a Redwing was a surprise as it was only the second for the site this Winter. Also 2 Long-tailed Tits were nice to see up close in the hand.

Long-Tailed Tit

Redwing
Overall we caught 18 birds, consisting of 15 new birds (un-ringed birds) and 3 retraps (ringed birds). Moving on to this weekend, I went for a walk at the Old Lodge Nature Reserve in Ashdown Forest. It was a lovely walk and I saw 4 Stonechat, a Kestrel, Goldfinch, Chaffinch and Redpoll.


After seeing the sighting on social media on the way back I stopped off at Weirwood Reservoir to see the drake Goldeneye that had been seen there. With help from a fellow birder I managed to see the Goldeneye, a lifer for me, straight away. It was a beautiful bird and the sun really showed its plumage off.

Drake Goldeneye

Along with the Goldeneye, many Great Crested Grebe were on the lake including 2 which were performing their courtship dance.

Great Crested Grebe




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