“Even in winter, the black, blue and brick-red heads of the males, their green lower backs and intricately patterned wings, were stunning” MY FIRST EXPERIENCE of bird ringing was at university, when I worked on a winter research project studying Chaffinches. We were investigating the effects of feather mites on wild birds, and my job was to inspect the wing feathers of each bird for the tiny mites. However, the birds themselves, so briefly held and then released, were of far more interest to me than the parasites.
Even in winter, the black, blue and brick-red heads of the males, their green lower backs and intricately patterned wings were stunning. For me, as perhaps for others, the amazing details of these common garden birds had previously passed me by, but…
