Icelandic visitor? Friday 17th November 2017

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I've said the following so often, "in what looked like perfect conditions..." well this morning was no exception, but no one told the birds! Which is typical when you have a visitor, sorry Julie.

Still Morfa Berwig looked great at 06:00 this morning as I sloshed my way through flooded ringing rides carrying all the kit laden like a donkey... no comments or thoughts please.

A very modest session but always worth it especially when one of the two Redwings was a monster of a bird, well it was certainly different, I knew that because my helper originally identified it as a Blackbird - sorry couldn't resist.

Based on the comments from Mr Svensson the Redwing with its much buffier face, and breast/ sides and darker mantle and wing of 124mm placed it as a likely candidate for the Icelandic race corbuni, it only weighed in at 61.6gms and no fat.
The second Redwing was much more the "norm"  iliacus, a paler bird with whiter, face, breast and sides with a wing of 119mm but a weight of 72.2 and a fat score of 2.

The photographs below, despite the light, hopefully show the obvious plumage differences.

Redwing, corbuni ?

Redwing, iliacus ?

A Cettis Warbler was "controlled", the ring was not easily read, took ten minutes plus some "macro" photos to read it properly, I'm guessing its one of Heathers birds from WWT Llanelli.
The ringing data will be duly submitted to the BTO,
[however local enquiries have established the bird was ringed on 16th October 2017 at OXWICH MARSH, as a bird hatched in 2017 (age code 3)]
A movement 12.3km NNE

 One of the Blackbirds, a female was on the chubby side with a wing of 129mm and a weight of 117gms and a very heavily scalloped breast of grey feathers, - continental type? - no I didn't take a photo!



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