Been without Internet for the last week again hence no news.

Bit of a mad week and the phase ending in blue arsed fly springs to mind. Spent last weekend in Lincs with Mr Badley and managed to catch up with a few things at Frampton despite a few beers. The reserve is looking cracking and was covered in waders. Loads of LRP, curlew sand, Temminck's stint and 4 drake garganey were the highlights.
A trip down to Rainham Marshes to look at their new hide and how the windows will look when ours is built. A complete surprise and not what I was expecting. Run-down council estates, rubbish tips, railway lines and industrial parks is waht I imagined but instead it was wide open views of wet grassland bordering the Thames. Yes you could see the massive rubbish tip and Canary Wharf of the skyline but it wasn't that bad. Couple of hobbies about but not much else.
1st aid course in Lynn for a couple of days so I have barely seen the reserve this week so thankfully not missed anything.

Birds in the garden have had a mixed week. Only one of the great tits survived to fledge, the collared doves hatched two but they went missing, presumed predated over the weekend, and the robins fledged this morning. Found a very small baby blackbird in the garage a couple of days ago. It had spent the night roosting in the rafters and cra**ing all over the car. Managed to catch and ring it and 'Pooh' is doing well in the garden.

Became 'Uncle Paul' again last weekend - congrats to Mike and Debs.

Garden list up to 81 with 4 gadwall over this evening

Bit of a crazy weekend with an event at work including a dawn chorus walk. After the last one (heavy rain and sting winds) this one was a pleasure. Loads of birds around but the highlights were booming bittern and a spot fly (169) in the carpark. Our 'showing people birds' event was excellent and well attended helped by a good number of birds. Beardies and the bittern kept performing and most visitors managed to catch up with them. A brief spoonbill (170) on the saltmarsh added some excitement but it was the arrival of waders (temminck's, curlew and wood sands) that was the main interest.

Garden ringing goes well with 37 birds ringed in the last week. Jackdaw on Sunday was only the 2nd I have ringed (still got the bite marks) and I caught the first baby blackbird yesterday evening.

On my home last night I saw a large brown raptor drop into the road ahead of me. I assumed that it was a buzzard so was very surprised to flush a red kite! Stopped in a gateway but couldn't re-locate it.

Amazing the difference a day makes. Yesterday NE winds - nowt. Today SW winds - 2 Temminck's stints (166), wood sand, curlew sand (167), 3 common sand, hobby (168) and a spot fly around the Meadow Trail. Loads more hirundines moving throughout the day althoug the drake garganey seems to have moved off. In work all weekend but hopefully there may be a few bits on the move.

Garden ringing on Thursday morning was good with 14 birds in 2 hours. Highlights were 2 starling, 3 greenfinch and a male house sparrow.

Couldn't resist getting a net out in the garden over the weekend for an hour on Saturday and for Sunday afternoon with this goldfinch being the lucky bird to be the first caught.

Caught 13 birds in total over the couple of sessions with house sparrow, 3 greenfinch and 2 goldfinch. The usual Saturday morning ringing produced 17 new and 52 re-traps.

Great tits are feeding young now and a collared dove is now incubating.

Fantastic news today - my BTO 'C' ringing permit came through and I picked up my new nets and poles this evening. Hopefully the weather will be OK at the weekend and I can get them up in the garden.

Watch this space for news...

A good end to the week with another reserve tick in the form of 2 summer plumaged BN grebes (263) on the fresh marsh and with coal tit, makes the year total 165. Dropped in to look for the dotterel on the way home and although we only had distant views it is always nice to see them.

Saturday morning ringing was good again with 26 new and 25 re-traps. 11 blackcap and female bullfinch were the ringing highlights but a cracking male Monties was bird of the day. A very grey and small warbler caused a bit of confusion early on but after a full set of biometrics were taken it turned out to be a willow warbler.

Great tits in the garden are incubating 10 eggs and the robins are incubating a 2nd clutch of five.