From here to there and back again!

But where exactly?

Another night out in the South Shropshire hills last night, this time with Jane and new Aberystwyth University student (and trainee) Brendan Sheils. Also along for the ride was my brand new Cluson 18.4 amp Li-ion battery pack (a snip at just under £200!!). Seriously though, with its light weight and extended duration its a serious consideration for all hard-core lamping addicts and much cheaper than a physiotherapist! Weather was a bit wild - warm, wet and breezy at the start (which is ideal for catching) then cold, dry and windy (which isn't!). We caught 21 birds in total - 15 Golden Plover, 2 Snipe, 1 Jack Snipe, 2 Meadow Pipits and a Skylark.

Getting Less Common Snipe

Not Common Enough Snipe (aka Jack),  first of the winter.  Could never catch too many of these!

Interestingly one of the Golden Plovers was a returning bird from last winter.

Originally ringed as an adult at the same location on 18th February 2012

Would be brilliant to know where it has been in the meantime? Since last winter we have had just two of 150 colour-ringed birds reported, one breeding on a North Wales moor and the other on passage in the Netherlands. Unfortunately in neither case was the code on the ring read so we don't know which birds exactly were involved (one of them might have been this one!). In conjunction with Ecology Matters http://www.ecologymatters.co.uk and with the aid of a Grant from Countryside Council for Wales we are hoping, very shortly, to satellite track two Golden Plovers from Mid-Wales to chart their  winter wanderings and map their return to unknown nesting locations further north - watch this space!

Records of feeding flocks in Shropshire and mid-Wales and reports of colour-ringed birds anywhere would be much appreciated.