They taste good

I couldn't resist writing a blog post on this week's events in between the trip report posts. I spent this week ringing at the Ooijse Graaf together with Bram. We had a session every morning and in the night we had nets open for Quails.

Highlights this week were:

Quail 7 (3 on 06-08, 1 on 08-08, 2 on 09-08 and 1 on 10-08)
Spotted Crake 2 (1 on 07-08 and 1 on 10-08)
Common Sandpipier (1 on 09-08)

Water Rail 2 (1 on  06-08 and 1 on 09-08)

Moorhen 2  (1 on 06-08 and  1 on 08-08)
Icterine Warbler 2 (2 on 09-08)

Tree Pipit 2 (2 on 09-08)
Savi's Warbler 2 (1 on 08-08 and 1 on 09-08)

Totals from the some commoner birds:

Grashopper Warbler 15

Sedge Warbler 23

Marsh Warbler 32

Reed Warbler 212 (84 on 09-08, 74 on 10-08)

Daily totals:

06-08:: 53 birds of 11 species  (44 new 9 retrap)
07-08: 12 birds of 5 species (12 new)
08-08: 46 birds of 14 species (42 new 4 retrap)
09-08: 140 birds of 19 species  (133 new 7 retrap)
10-08: 117 birds of 14 species (110 new 7 retrap)

Total for the week: 368 birds (341 new 27 retrap)

Especially the last two days we clearly had good migration at night, as we had good numbers of birds. Despite good weather on Monday and Wednesday there were few birds. On Tuesday the wind was too strong, making the nets vulnerable in the reedbed and there was not much arrival of birds. Every night we caught birds with the wader nets positioned in a meadow. 

Here is a selection of photos from this week:

 Quails (Coturnix coturnix); amazing birds in the hand...

 Obvious size difference in 1cy Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) and 1cy Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)

 Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana); 1cy

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos); 1cy

Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)

 Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus); both 1cy birds, the right bird is very odd cold-coloured

Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis); both 1cy

 Savi's Warbler (Locustella luscinoides); 1cy

Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina)

 Yesterday's busy first round. Luckily we had help from Erik Ernens and Frans Schepers.

 Bram admiring an amazing looking 1cy Moorhen

 Faab is happy with the Quails.

My dad joined us today (10-08). Pictured here with a new species for him in hand.