Schiermonnikoog (August 20 - 23)

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy (and all play and no work made Jack a mere toy..?), so I was off to Schiermonnikoog, a small island located in the Dutch Waddensea, for an educational as well as recreational bird ringing experience at the "Groene Glop", our bed & breakfast & ringing station (with Joop vA (and family) and Jorien vS).




At times it was crowded at the coffee table. Captures can be found on http://www.trektellen.nl







Bycatch: a Great Green Bush-Cricket Tettigonia viridissima







View towards the east, with Rottumerplaat on the horizon (where I once spent a summer looking towards the west...).




Northern wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe

Some midwinter captures from Salreu, Portugal

Dartford Warbler (Sylvia undata) on an icy morning... (but don't bring out your skates quite yet)



The moment when you can start thawing your toes…



For my NW-European friends… A Non-Spotless Startling (Sturnus vulgaris:-)



Think he’s yelling something like “feliz ano novo!”, with an undetermined accent.

A complete list of our captures can be found on JMN's website: https://sites.google.com/site/juliomneto/blog

Ringing Yellow-crowned Bishops in Salreu (September 12, 2014)

Another early morning bird ringing-session in the marshes of Salreu, guided by Julio M. Neto. Results and more information can be found here: https://sites.google.com/site/juliomneto/blog/bishopgalore

The Yellow-crowned Bishops Euplectes afer originate from Africa and are considered invasive in the area. They are currently nesting (we trapped an egg-carrying female) and “pollute” our captures. Luckily, I find them quite easy to get out of the nets.

Great work on little brown jobs in Salreu, Portugal (September 8 & 9, 2014)

More information and the results of two enjoyable mornings of ringing in the marshes of Salreu with Julio M. Neto can be found here:

September 8: https://sites.google.com/site/juliomneto/blog/alatestart
September 9: https://sites.google.com/site/juliomneto/blog/onemorebritishrecovery





European stonechat Saxicola rubicola







Cetti's warbler Cettia cetti




Common waxbill Estrilda astrild







Bluethroat Luscinia svecica
 



Tree pipit Anthus trivialis







Sedge warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus







Weighing a ..?