Intrepid Explorers

These two little mallard ducklings reminded me of intrepid explorers as they make their way through the vegetation at Pensthorpe today (best seen large).

G and I visited the Pensthorpe bird fair, the first time it has been hosted at the site and today was the first of two days. They seemed to have made a big success of it. There were guided walks, talks, craft tents and an optics tent. There were some well known names there too, including Bill Oddie and Simon King. 

We went to a display on bird ringing which really fascinated me. Members of the British Trust of Ornithology for ringing were demonstrating their amazing work. They had caught some birds in mist nets for ringing and although the female sedge warbler in the photos in my Extra had already got a ring, she was still recorded, sexed, weighed, measured and then released. The photos clockwise from bottom left show her being displayed to us, sexed by blowing on her belly feathers (females have a brood patch without feathers to help when incubating her eggs), measured and then released. Those watching were offered the chance to release the bird and I did that with the next one, a male sedge warbler. It only weighed 11g and its little heart was going ten to the dozen. What a privilege to gently hold and release him. 

We also did a very entertaining and informative walk with Nick Acheson, the Norfolk based naturalist who also ran my dawn chorus walk at Sculthorpe the other week.

And yes I did buy some things, included a stained glass kingfisher and an Avocet made out of wood which will no doubt appear in future blips! A very enjoyable day.