April saw an improvement in the weather on the headland allowing us to run 22 session over 4 sites.
This saw us catch a total of 265 birds of which we ringed 178 and processed 87 retraps.
An impressive 27 Yellowhammers were ringed, these buntings are sadly in decline in the UK, now being a red-listed species.
Yellowhammers are a bird of open countryside and on of our most familiar farmland species. Typically seen in hedgerows, and singing their ‘a little bit of bread and no cheese’ song from a suitable song post.
It is believed the decline in Yellowhammers is linked to food availability as outside of the breeding season they are dependent on large grass seeds (which includes cereal seeds).
We have created a new supplementary feeding area at one of our ringing sites to try and help our local Yellowhammers as well as other birds such as Tree Sparrows, Reed Buntings and finches, especially through the winter months.
April saw the start of the warblers returning to breeding sites with us catching 13 Blackcap, 11 Chiffchaff, 5 Willow Warbler and 1 Whitethroat.
Interestingly a French ringed Goldfinch was caught in a village garden, likely this was originally a UK bird that had migrated over into Europe for the winter and is now returning here to breed.
