I spent a lot of time this month studying the local Knot flock. My aim was to try and locate more of the colour ringed / Flag ringed birds. It went quite well with 7 new flag ringed Norwegian birds and another 2 multi coloured ringed Dutch birds. I found myself becomming more in to trying to find these birds and it is learning the history of the birds that is the lure of the find. This now brings me to a total of 15 marked birds. 9 Norwegian, 2 Dutch and 4 unknown as of yet.
I know this is a poor photo but you get the idea, a single bird has retained summer pluamge throughout the winter period. It does look smart in amongst the grey / cold looking winter plumaged birds. Shame I didnt get a better shot...
The first of the roosting Knot fly on to the edge of the saltings waiting for the last part of the tide to drop before they start feeding on the area of Leigh Sands.
Another view of Leigh Sands just after the tide has retreated
This colour ringed Knot with the combination of red colour ring over metal ring right leg and yellow Flag ring with 3 large black capital letters such as CTP left leg confirm that this bird is part of a Norwegian ringing programme. I have had contact with the main guy in charge of this project and these birds are part of over 1300 birds ringed in Porsangerfjord, northern Norway. The location where they have been trapped, ringed and released is the first feeding point for the birds when leaving the breeding grounds of the Arctic and the last feeding point before going to the breeding grounds in the Arctic. Other colour ringed birds I have found in this area are a part of a Dutch ringing programe where the birds were trapped, ringed and released in both the Netherlands and Mauritania. Both guys leading these ringing programmes have been very pleased with the data provided and at present the area of Leigh Sands has the highest number of readings for the Norwegian birds. Also, at present I have had 3 readings in a day which is the highest from any one observer in the UK in a day and up to 8 individual birds all from the Norwegian programme which provides in itself the importance in the area of Leigh sands, Leigh-on-Sea. Watch this blog for more details....So thats February and the bubble of Wader world, March is now upon us and it is officially the start of the spring. Could certainley do with some sun, some travels and of course some more Wader action. The one thing I will say is that I won't dread the onset of winter later on in the year. Now I have to go out and search for finding new and old Flag ringed Knot. On the subject of Knot, I have always thought of Knot as just one of those birds, I always like seeing the first juveniles comming through in September but I now find myself very much drawn to the this species.....
Oh before I forget, other birds seen this month include several annoying Peregrines causing mass carnage amongst the Knot Flock of which I witnessed the resident small male Pergrine actually catch a Knot after several minutes of impressive pursuit, several Med Gulls, over 100+Barwits roosting in one spot in the Thames. A single Greenshank, 4 Whooper Swans were a nice close to the month which were seen over on Bowers Marsh as well as 4 Corn Buntings.
