Hotspur
James Spencer
Just started a biology with ornithology degree at Hull university and just started on learning to ring. This weekend i went mist netting in the woodland around Bishop Burton college in East Yorkshire. My tutor, Dr Graham Scott from university is an A permit holder and was giving us a run through on how ringing works, plus we were trying to apply Lincoln's Index to our retraps on Sunday. Trying being the operative word because of the 37 birds we caught on the Saturday a grand zero were retrapped on the Sunday. I was taught how to hold a small passerine and had the pleasure of holding Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tit, Marsh Tit (really easy to tell in the hand with Svensson) and Coal Tit. We also caught Robins, Chaffinchs, Wrens, Goldcrest and Blackbirds. I never knew quite how vicious Blue Tits are compared to everything else! Whilst holding the birds we were taught how to take wing length measurements, id and age most small birds. Graham and his wife Lisa showed us how to weigh and take other measurements of the birds and how to extract them from the mist nets. Was absolutely brillaint and even the most mundane bird becomes amazing in the hand. Taxonomy and topography makes much more sense on a bird in the hand!! Only drawbacks were the COLD mornings and slow starts as the tit flocks only got moving after about 9.30. We had a retrapped Robin from the previous year but i was amazed how many juveniles were about. Only one in 15 Blue Tits was an adult. On the sunday we got 44 birds which was good. Long tailed Tits flew into the net whilst we were removing the rest of their family. Hopefully within the month i am going to be taken on as a trainee by a ringer near York and i can apply for my trainee licence. Cant wait, was brill.
