LEO and a migrant from the Farnes! - 13th July 2011

I've done some awesome things this year, and to be honest today is up there with one of the greatest.
Ciaran is back from the Farne Islands for a couple of days so we took this opportunity to see him before Chris and Kane shoot off to Iceland for a month! Kane picked Ciaran and I up early on and then waited for Chris to join us in the afternoon after a pub lunch and a catch up.
We headed to the Long-eared Owl nest in the late afternoon to go and ring the owl brood.
All 5 chicks were at the right age to ring so we were over the moon. This was a new experience for Ciaran and I so we couldn't be happier.

They were absolutely amazing! Little balls of fluff with piercing orange eyes that never left our gaze. One of the best birds I have ringed by far mainly because the mood in the group was lifted by a certain Northumberland migrant's presence! If it wasn't for the recent Tubenose catching, I'm sure these would be up there with the title of my greatest ringed bird.

Throughout the whole time we ringed the birds, the two adults were in close proximity keeping an eye on us which was superb to see as I very rarely have seen Long-eareds in the flesh apart from when they are doing very little at Marton Mere.

We ended the day catching 2 Grasshopper Warbler and a Collared Dove pulli which were two new species for Ciaran! Excellent!

A superb day and great to see Ciaran again! Hope you have a brilliant final few months on the island and hope you keep well
Also, Good luck to Kane and Chris in Iceland and hope you don't 'grip' me off with the inevitable cornucopia of stories you will tell when you get back!