Capper!

15/09/16

We were back on our ringing site at Nyrud this morning. We had planned on an early start, but overnight rain dragged out into the morning and so we didn’t leave camp until 5:30/6am. We opened 13 nets around the site and stayed on site until nearly midday. As has been clear from our last few ringing sessions here, few birds were active within the woodlands and scrub and the small numbers of birds caught is a general reflection to the density of species at this current time.

Late on in the session a large Siberian Tit flock neared the ringing site, however of the c40 birds within that flock, only one was caught, a retrap from last years trip at the site.

A Song Thrush was a new addition to the birds we have ringed this year, a smartly plumaged juvenile while Reed Bunting again made the bulk of the catch.

Below are the totals from Nyrud today.

Reed Bunting	7
Meadow Pipit	2
Willow Tit	1
Song Thrush	1
Great Tit	1
Siberian Tit	(1)
Totals	13 (+1)

A short session back at our basecamp at Pasvik Camping (http://pasvikcamping.no/ ) this evening gave a total of 2 birds. This was due to the lateness in the day, with most of the activity having died off. Totals below:

Willow Tit	1
Great Tit	1
Total	2

Our visit to Pasvik this year has combined with the opening of the grouse hunting season here in the far north. Even before the official opening of the season, we had noticed low numbers of Grouse, so following a tip off about a good site to find grouse, the team headed to Jordanfoss. Following a couple of hours in superb habitat, we manged to find 3+ Capercaillie, rather ungainly all feeding in the tops pine and spruce trees!

A male Merlin was hunting around the ringing site this morning, as was a Great Grey Shrike, which was hunting Meadow Pipits on the Russian side of the river. Another Great Grey Shrike today was involved in a fight with a Siberian Jay, which made for an amusing sight as they circled through the trees together. A family party of Cranes have become a regular fixture of our day lists, while during the last few days, a few 'Northern' Bullfinch have been seen.

Crane family party (AW)

'Northern' Bullfinch  (AW)

We will be out at dawn tomorrow at the ringing site, hopefully for another bumper day. We then intend to spend the afternoon looking for Hazel Grouse!