The Dynamic Duo!

 On Monday, after Twiteing in the valley, I was picked up by Adrienne and went into Snowdonia National Park to visit on of only a handful of inland UK nests. The nest site was remarkable really as we had to basically abseil down into a cave and then climb a wall followed by a scurry on a ledge, then I belay as Adrienne got the birds from the nest. There were 3 lovely healthy chicks to ring in this nest, but boy was it a hassle to get to! Always a great bird to handle

 

Yesterday, Matt and I joined Tony and Adrienne in the Bangor Little Egret colony where we managed to catch 10 Little Egrets of various sizes during the evening and again, these birds are a joy to ring, despite having remarkably sharp claws and an need to constatly grad things such as leg, arm, finger etc.

2 birds that we also caught, may have been a new species for me in the hand, but they certainly weren't a pleasure to ring! I was unaware just how bad a baby bird could smell until a Grey Heron was plonked onto my lap, followed by a whole crab coming out one end and a shower of white coming out the other! They really do have an impressive reach with their neck, so you really need to hold them at arms length it you would rather your sense of smell wasn't to become your main sense! Impressive prehistoric beasts though!

Tony has recently got a new Welsh Collie puppy called Dylan. Needless to say, he soon became my best friend! Except for he had suspicions that my leg was in fact a female dog haha.

Zac Hinchcliffe BSc Hons

Hello everyone!

Over the past three years, I have lived in Bangor, North Wales studying Zoology with Animal Behaviour. Today I found out that I have come away with a 2:1 degree with a first in my dissertation project, which as many of you all know too well, was on Tits!

Thank you for keeping updated on my blog and hope you have enjoyed my tales of Welsh undergraduate birding!

Now onto the Postgraduate birding! Bring it on!