A week in less than 400 words

Despite some not so nice weather, the last week has been a hive of activity for us here in ringing land. The week can be summed up as “So tired our eyes may fall out”.

A couple of blurry eyed sessions before work at the Bay have had blackcaps and garwas as the theme. Both are moving through, staining our bird bags and hands purple with their blackberry rich shite on their way. The former are beginning to look like a Jackson Pollock so look out for our forth coming art exhibition “Shit on a Sac”.

Sore eyes have accompanied the aroma of horse urine during a few hirundine orientated sessions at the stables. While some female swallows have decided enough is an enough and have started to re-feather their brood patches, others are still laying eggs! We also re-trapped one of the first young of this year, who is still hanging around. A quick sand martin session resulted in… wait for it… 4 birds! With only two evading the net the quietness at the colony is a sure sign autumn is on its way and it was well worth the 4am start... 4 birds nearly became 3 when one bolted out of a whole in the side of the bird bag but luckily there was a conveniently placed net in its path.

A brief visit over the border to ring with Brian Bailey & Co saw the details of 88 birds safely scribbled into a notebook. The highlight of the morning, at least for the Cardiff Ringer in attendance, was a Lesser Whitethroat and the first experience of erecting a “mippit square”. 88 was, apparenlty, an “OK” morning… 

In other news...

JOV and RJF have finally been declared insane trainers by the great and the good of the BTO – you have to feel sorry for the people they train…

And finally, a big and long awaited “Whoop! Whoop!” goes out to JOV, who this week successfully completed his escape tunnel and having crawled through crap, emerged in to the shiny light of ecological research. We are reliably informed that posters of Rita Hayworth were not involved. He rejoins the ranks of academia in October to start a PhD on his beloved Acros - plenty more shit to collect!