Ringing in east scrub from 7am-10pm,it was overcast and calm,ideal for ringing,I had one 40ft and one 30ft net up.Birds ringed were Chiff 2,Chaffinch 1,Nightingale 1,Song thrush 1,Blackcap 2 (males) and Blue Tit 1.

I also had 2 retrap Blue Tits(ringed on the 20 01 2009) 1 Whitethroat ringed as a juvenile in the east scrub on the 28 08 2008 (photo) note the dull eye,full adults have a bright reddish brown or orange eye and 1 Nightingale(male) trapped in the same bushes that it was ringed in on the 16 o4 2008,the bird was a 1st summer male in 2008 and is now a full adult (note the clean plumage),1st summer birds have rather worn plumage during the spring until their first full moult later in the season.

While I was there 4 singing nightingales were in the east scrub,with 3 in the west scrub.One was also heard on the north bank of the wader scrape area.


Ringing in Great Britain and Northern Ireland is controlled by the British Trust For Ornithology and permits issued under the WILDLIFE AND COUNTRYSIDE ACT 1981 as amended by the ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT 1990 and the WILDLIFE (NORTHERN IRELAND) ORDER 1985.

Ringers have to undergo many years of training before they can ring on their own.