There has been a steady flow of Blackcaps through the garden during April, when the weather conditions have been suitable. A total of 26 have been ringed, 16 males and 10 females. Yesterday, a male was caught which had been ringed on 19th August last year, as a juvenile at Swindon S. T. W.

Hi Dan,  I have ringed 39 Blackcaps in the garden this winter between 1st November and 31st March. They have tended to feed on apples and various berries. Mistletoe is a particular favorite. Later in the winter they do tend to tackle ivy berries , when the berries have softened up a bit,  leaving the evidence in the bird bag ! I do not know if the winter birds have a different food preference from the summer ones. Usually all the wintering birds have left by the middle of April and so there appears to be an overlap with the early summer ones arriving towards the end of March.

Hi John,  I was watching three male blackcaps trying to eat ivy berries this morning in central Frome.  They weren’t good at it, but didn’t go to the bird table 10m away from them for sunflower hearts!  Presumably new arrivals, and starving?  I don’t ring any more, so can’t shed light on arrivals and return migrators, but I hadn’t seen these blackcaps before.

An eventful morning at Five Bells today.

An Osprey flew over the garden, in a westerly direction at 8 a.m. escorted by a flock of noisy Herring Gulls.

Two Willow Warblers were ringed in the garden yesterday and another two this a.m. A supporting cast of Chiffchaffs have been building up with 5 ringed passing through this morning.

The Blackcap situation is interesting. Two males were ringed today and one yesterday, these would appear to be birds turning up for the summer vacation. Two female wintering Blackcaps have been retrapped today, that were ringed earlier this winter. The last wintering male was retrapped on 25th March. I wonder if the wintering males have now started their migration to their European territories ?