gryllosblog   Gryllo's (aka Ian Lewis') blog. All things to do with travel, wildlife especially birds, history, architecture and anything else that interests me.

Once again we fulfilled our Aquatic Warbler survey commitments by having three ringing session at the study site in a week.

No Aquatics of course, I was in Derby last Saturday on the date of that momentous occasion but negative data is just as useful. I intend to post something on Aquatic Warblers in the near future.

Not so many birds today, but an interesting mix, 2 Grasshoppers, 1 Cettis and another Kingfisher. Anyone visiting the Bay and seeing a Kingfisher on a regular basis would presume it was the same individual but as we have ringed 13 during July and August, with only limited retrapping, shows that there is a consistent migration of birds through the site.

The brilliant blue colour of a Kingfisher is caused by optical refraction, not blue pigmentation.

We try to avoid a target driven culture but this was our 500th Sedge Warbler of the autumn, a new record.

 

 

 

 

Whinchats have declined significantly as a breeding bird and are seldom ringed at Lytchett.The characteristic tail pattern

 

 

The characteristic tail pattern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cettis Warbler is the only European representative of the mainly Asian 'bush warblers'

 

 

Cetti's have only ten tail feathers unlike most passerines that have twelve.