Chicks and cherries

This year I started a constant effort ringing station in La Corbatera, close to my village. Yesterday I did the third session of the season and I trapped another interesting bird that is breeding there. The most interesting birds in this season are a Wryneck (Jynx torquilla), a Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur), an European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster), an Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) and a Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus).

I've already ringed some chicks. At 1st May I trapped the first Blackbird (Turdus merula) and two Long-tailed Tits (Aegithalos caudatus), and during two last days I also trapped a juvenile Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos), 2 European Robins (Erithacus rubecula), 2 Blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla), a Great Tit (Parus major). Juvenile Winter Wrens (Trogoldytes troglodytes) are flying too, and at the same time, Reed Warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) are just laying eggs and some of them are still migrating.

In previous weekends I was ringing too in l'Aiguamoll de la Bòbila and I trapped also a lot of breeders but only House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) and Starlings (Sturnus sp.) chicks. However, I caugh two very interesting birds in 18th May: a Grasshoper Warbler (Locustella naevia) and an unexpected Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus)!

It is also the season of cherries. It will be easy to see some birds eating them... I will ring close to cherry trees these days.
Yesterday afternoon I picked cherries with Elena, Guillem, Alba, Vicki, Santi & family.

In the evening I tried to ring some Nightjars, and finally I trapped this handsome europaeus male.

But the most interesting bird was a Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) chick!!!