3k

It's hard work getting out of bed when you can hear the wind howling outside — but this morning I was driven by the excitement of catching the 3,000th bird for this spring's standardised ringing... And here it is, the only bird from the first round, a Spotted Flycatcher:

Exciting, right? Appropriate, given that this spring has been a record season for the species (50 birds vs an average of 18).

This 2cy Blackcap has two old greater coverts (with the inner 8 moulted during the post-juvenile moult), just about visible on the closed wing; it also moulted the inner two tertials at the same time.

This adult Common Whitethroat (with the brightest eye in the world) shows a similar pattern in the tertials with the two innermost newer than the outermost; but in this case the contrast is between definitive basic (adult) plumage moulted last autumn and tertials moulted during a pre-breeding moult. The extent of the pre-breeding moult is rather limited on this bird with only one greater covert moulted and no e.g. alula feathers.

Field sightings over the morning included some flyover Common Crossbills, some flyover Hawfinches, and a 2cy male Common Rosefinch singing.