Found them....lost them...

After last Sunday's damp squib - seven birds ringed at Crosby Hall in between the rain showers, a dry day was met with great anticipation here in South Sefton. Having been invited to the Oyster-card-carrying-catchers cannon-net at Heysham, we decided to dip out. Rising fuel prices, foggy weather and all that suggested that it would be more productive to stay local. Almost 200 Oycs were caught and you can read about it from Seamus' perspective here.

Myself and Tineke arrived at Brook Vale later that we would usually, a rather lax 8:15am! Heading immediately to the feeding station, we flushed a flock of about 40 Chaffinches that were roosting in the scrub. So that's where the Chaffinches were! Alas, the two Chaffinches that we caught in the first net round were all we would catch.

We were joined by Daniel O'Donnell, no gigs this week (apparently even the Womens Institute can get sick of him after a while!) so he brought his daughter along, Natasha-the-Ninja, for her first taste of bird ringing. I have to say, her identification was pretty sharp for an 11-year old!

Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)

I have kept up my three-times-a-week feeding schedule at Brook Vale for a while now, the feeders have been getting emptied every other day so I think we were justified in expecting a big catch - maybe the fog had something to do with it.

Elsewhere, Moxey headed to Ince and was joined by Charlie Parker but they didn't seem to have much luck either, only thirteen ringed there. Moxey headed to Crosby Hall where the feeders are getting emptied daily now, with the nyjer feeders taking a bit of a battering, so we are hopeful of some finches tomorrow - Siskins preferably!

Ince Blundell

Blue Tit - 5 (7)
Great Tit - 1 (26)
Chaffinch - 3
Dunnock - 1
Robin - 2 (5)
Coal Tit - 1 (5)
Nuthatch - (1)

TOTAL: 13 (44)

Brook Vale

Blue Tit - 3 (5)
Great Tit - 4 (4)
Chaffinch - 2
Greenfinch - 10
Goldcrest - 1
Wren - 1
Reed Bunting - 1
Robin - (1)
L.T.Tit - (2)

TOTAL: 22 (12)