Garden ringing...Wales to Costa Rica!

 

Saturday at home, and not only my first Siskin of the year, but our first Greenfinch control for the Group! We immediately knew when we caught it  that we had never used B rings of the TP0 series. Not knowing much about Greenfinch movement it will be interesting to find out where it was ringed.

 

As expected a great proportion of our birds caught were adults, further confirmation of a widespread poor breeding season. As mentioned on some other ringing blogs, Coal Tits are becoming more common.

Following the success in my garden, Richard, who not usually here in January ! made a first attempt at home with one 20 foot net in the garden.
 51 birds the total including 24 Siskins, so hopefully this too can develop as a site for keeping trainees active before our return to the main sites in the Spring.

Back to Costa Rica where we were used to catching rather bigger birds in gardens.
These Blue-crowned Motmots are commonly seen in  public gardens in San Jose. Richard caught this one at Inbioparque.

In Tortuguero one of the banding sites is in the grounds of a luxury hotel.  Rather nice to catch a Trogon here, this a female Black-throated Trogon.

Continuing the garden theme, some Blue and White Swallows were seen in the garden at our base up in the mountains coming out of their roost under the eaves every morning. With few ever ringed, it was good to catch one to record the moult pattern.

 At least when garden ringing in Wales we never come across monster spiders like this

 or four foot long fighting Iguanas!