|
WELCOME TO THE SORBY BRECK RINGING GROUP BLOG FOR 2011
Our group blog includes interesting anecdotes and photos to illustrate the group's ringing activities throughout 2011. Blogs for the previous three years can be accessed via the links below or if you are interested in a particular species, use the links on the 'Index' page.
Quick Links: '2008' '2009' '2010' 'Jan' 'Feb' 'Mar' 'Apr' 'May' 'June' 'July' 'Aug' 'Sept' 'Oct' 'Nov' 'Dec' '2012' Happy New Ringing Year! (01/01/12) Another day ringing instead of being put off by a dreadful forecast.
Bakewell sewage works always has an abundance of flying insects so ringing
a Blackcap there today wasn’t a surprise. Long-tailed Tits, Goldcrests,
Treecreepers and Pied Wagtails made for an interesting morning. The Great
Grey Shrike showing at Ramsley rounded off another ringing morning badly
forecast by the weathermen! Geoff
Renishaw Park (30/12/11) Whilst ringing at Renishaw Park this week, Dave A took some photos of the small party of Whooper Swans which have been on the lake in recent weeks. When not indulging in a spot of photography, Dave along with Geoff et al. caught 80 birds at the site.
Two of the four Whooper Swans on Renishaw Park lake
Renishaw Park (21/12/11)
Renishaw Park lake Saturday was another day when listening to the weather forecast would have meant a day ay home. Fortunately we arranged to meet and arrived at Renishaw Park at 7.30 and put up two nets alongside the feeders we have been replenishing for the past two weeks. By lunchtime we had processed 116 birds, mainly tit species but with Goldfinch, Chaffinch and Goldcrest to add variety. The ice covered lake allowed us to ring Mute Swans too, covering both the largest and smallest British birds in the same morning. We also had the company of Issie back from Lundy Island where she is studying the island's House Sparrows. Thanks to Chris for the photos.
Blue Tit Geoff
Going it alone (17/12/11)
Jill and the Jackdaw. Maybe next time... For the last couple of weeks I have been sat patiently (ok, maybe not
so patiently!) waiting for my new licence to drop on the mat. I have just
got a restricted 'C' permit, which allows me to ring in our back garden
on my own. On Monday it arrived, unfortunately the weather has not been
kind, so again I had to wait until the wind went away. Yesterday, Friday,
the conditions were perfect so I set up our 40ft, 2 shelf net and waited.
The Collared Doves all lined up on the garage roof to watch and it wasn't
long until I had my first bird, a nice male Goldfinch. Soon after a blackbird
dived into the net, but unluckily it bounced straight out again. By this
time there were about 15 House Sparrows also watching (and I think laughing)
from a nearby tree. I was willing them to come down to the feeders, but
they wouldn't come near, they are so intelligent and just know something
is different. In the three hours I had the net up I caught 6 Goldfinch,
3 retraps and 3 new ones. It doesn't sound like much, but that is a good
catch in our little garden and I was happy with the result. It takes our
total number of Goldfinches ringed in the garden to 92 since April. I
am going to experiment with catching at different times of the day. We
usually have a busy period in a morning about 10am, and then again in
the afternoon around 2pm. The sparrows won't come anywhere near until
the net is down, but the tits and Goldfinches just come zooming in. Last
winter we had a lot of Siskin visiting, they occasionally had one or two
Redpoll amongst them, so I eagerly await the colder weather and hope it
brings them in again. The bird I am coveting most though is the magnificent
Jackdaw, they visit frequently but I know I will have to wait carefully
and patiently. Dave caught one earlier in the year so I know it is possible.
They love the lardy cake I make for them, and the peanuts I put out, so
does the pesky squirrel.....! Congratulations, Jill, from all at SBRG on gaining your C licence. Well done! Photo courtesy of David Atkinson.
Bondhay (02/12/11) If ever you only have a 'couple' of hours spare to go out ringing and you doubt whether it's worth it, today proved to be an example of why you should. I went to stock up the ever-depleting feeders at the feeding station yesterday and on my way down the gentle incline of the first field, I disturbed a small flock of 40 Yellowhammers at the base of a pheasant feeder (along with numerous pheasants). Encouraged by this, I persuaded Stuart that it was worth trying for Yellowhammers in the morning. We had work, the school run and various other chores to juggle with, but we managed a late start and were flatly unrewarded with Yellowhammers flying over, but unusually never in, the net all morning. We still managed a good enough number of birds and as we were taking the nets down, a large adult female Sparrowhawk thumped into a net at the feeding station in front of us. Stuart flew, gazelle-like, to the net and we had our reward. Who needs Yellowhammers?
Second year female Sparrowhawk (aged 5). Eleanor
Woodthorpe Hall Farm (16/11/11) Geoff and I had a very enjoyable morning at Woodthorpe Hall Farm on Saturday. The sun was shining, it was very mild and although the number of birds caught was not high (35), we did have 11 species including Tree Sparrow, Magpie, two Great Spotted Woodpeckers and this very handsome adult male Sparrowhawk.
Second year male Sparrowhawk (aged 5). Mark
Thanks (11/11/11) I have now completed my first full year of training and would like to say a big thank you to all who have been involved in my training so far, especially my trainer Steve Samworth for his time and infinite patience and my husband Dave Hallam for his enthusiasm. He has taught me a lot and given me so much support (even if he does call me a spoilt trainee!) I would like to say to all new trainees, hang on in there, it does get easier! When I first started ringing, I thought I would never take in all the information. I would get frustrated that I couldn't remember all the ageing characteristics, but now it is finally sinking in and making sense. I still have a lot to learn but I am really enjoying all the pieces falling into place. We are so lucky in Sorby Breck Ringing Group to have so many experienced ringers we can go and work with, each one of them having something different to offer. I have had some really memorable ringing sessions, such as ringing with Geoff at Renishaw and the sight of him stalking swans! At that session I also got to ring a Kingfisher, which is the most amazing bird in the hand. Ringing Dipper chicks with Steve, going for Nightjar and being successful with Dave and then this weekend we got a magnificent Woodcock! I would also like to say thanks to Kevin Bower. I have really benefited from ringing with him. We have had some good conversations which helped things click for me and made me realise that any worries I had are normal and we all go through the same way of thinking when we are learning to ring. I am looking forward to my second year of training and hope to get to meet more of you this coming year. Thank you Sorby Breck for being such an awesome club!
Jill Hallam
New species for Bondhay (07/11/11) Tree Sparrows haven't been caught at Bondhay for at least the last 15 years, even though localised pockets of them can be found in surrounding villages. So, it was a pleasant surprise when two turned up in the net at the feeding station on Sunday morning. Our catch included 15 Greenfinches and 8 Lesser Redpolls, bringing the annual total of Redpolls to 65 for the site. This beats the total for the last 5 years combined for the species at the site.
Tree Sparrow Eleanor
Trick or treat? (31/10/11) An early morning start yesterday at Blackburn Meadows to catch roosting Reed Bunting didn't quite materialise due to me overlaying, although I did still manage to get there to meet Sean, Michael and Ian before daybreak. Five nets were quickly erected with tape lures playing. Three Reed Buntings were caught on the first catch (would have been more if I hadn't laid-in) from the reedbed, along with Blackbirds, Song Thrush and Redwing in the scrub. After that Goldfinch and Lesser Redpoll dominated our morning along with some Goldcrests, Robins and tits. Lesser Redpoll are a fantastic little finch. Easy to catch and easy to handle, but can be tricky to age and sometimes identify. Today we caught a bird that we were not able to fully name as either Lesser Redpoll or a Common Redpoll, only Redpoll sp.
Although at the very bottom of the Common Redpoll range with a primary wing length of 70 mm, a weight of 10.6g and also showing partial colouration of the Common Redpoll including the rump, it also had a lot of the Lesser Redpoll colouration.
Pale rump Its general smaller size and lack of bullish build pointed towards Lesser Redpoll as well as typical primary length and weight. Its under tail coverts were more like what I would expect to see on an Arctic Redpoll being almost streak free.
Pale, streak-free belly and undertail Another interesting bird was another Lesser Redpoll (V227605) that I
first caught on the 29/11/2006 when I aged it as a 4F at the same site.
Could this possibly be a longevity record? One of the good things about
our early morning starts is sometimes seeing things you don't often see
in daylight. While Sean and Ian were putting a net up in the reedbed they
were treated to the sight of a Bittern leaving its roost. What a good
job I overlaid! Kevin
Woodthorpe Hall Farm (28/10/11) Geoff, Chris and I didn't have many birds at Woodthorpe Hall Farm on Wednesday; only 27 in total but there were 11 species including two Tree Sparrows, two House Sparrows, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a possible Scandinavian Blackbird which was attracted to the Redwing tape lure. The Blackbird was aged as a 3 and the contrast in colour of its greater coverts is clearly seen in the following photograph.
Grey feathers on the possible Scandinavian Blackbird with body feathers
showing brown fringing on its back Mark
Crossbill number three (25/10/11) Ringing at Ramsley on Thurs 20th October was steady with modest numbers of Greenfinches and tits but only a couple of Redpoll. I heard Crossbills calling and spotted four in a nearby tree. To my surprise they flew towards me and landed nearby, out of sight in the line of bushes alongside the nearest net. After a couple of minutes, one flew from lowdown - it must have dropped down for water - straight towards the second net. I quickly checked the net and there it was, a red Crossbill! In the hand it was almost in full adult plumage but as it could have been from a brood early in the year. I classed it as a 2. This was my first Crossbill in the hand and I was surprised to find it needed a B+ ring. Exceptional numbers of Crossbills have been on the move in recent months but they are still not easy to catch, especially away from their preferred habitat of conifers.
Male Crossbill Jon
Here come the birds (16/10/11) Right on cue this morning, the sky was busy with Fieldfares and Redwings moving over Bondhay from east to west. Our first Redwing of the autumn was caught and we had another good day for Lesser Redpoll catching a further 15, adding to the site's best ever annual number for the species. We finished on 52 birds including Bullfinch (3), Greenfinch (4) and Long-tailed Tit (12). We have been catching Chiffchaffs consistently, but not so today.
Redwing Eleanor
Bondhay (12/10/11) Sunday morning's gloomy forecast was a prime example of why it's still worth getting up at 0500 hrs and chancing it. We set up in the dark and lured for Redwing which failed to materialise. Much to our surprise the rain never came, although the breeze early on limited our success. The morning calmed and we began catching better, ending on 40 birds, with a respectable mix of 15 species including Goldfinch, Reed Bunting, Goldcrest and Chiffchaff. All credit to Stuart who was quick to assist a Sparrowhawk with its brief struggle in the mist net at the feeding station. It was trainee Dean's third time out and the smile in the photo reveals his thoughts on the matter.
Dean and first year male Sparrowhawk Eleanor
Redpolls at Ramsley (06/10/11) A visit to Ramsley on Sunday by Geoff, Steve, John, Helen, Mike and Chris revealed wonderful colours in the eastern sky.
First light at Ramsley We caught 58 Lesser Redpoll out of 86 birds overall. Only six of the Lesser Redpoll were aged as 4s (adults) with the rest being aged as 3s (first year birds). Amongst the 4s there was one adult male and one female with a brood patch at BP5 stage.
Above and below: adult male Lesser Redpoll
The head of the adult male (below left) was compared with those of juvenile birds at different stages of moult.
Clockwise from left: adult male (4M), juvenile in post-juvenile moult
(3JP) and juvenile having undergone post-juvenile moult (moult code 3O) Chris
Meadow Pipits and moorland update (05/10/11) George has sent in the following report on his moorland ringing for September, "I had quite a good month for Meadow Pipits, but due to the wind constantly blowing it has been rather difficult to hold birds in the nets with a large amount inevitably having escaped. I have come up with a simple answer to them escaping through the gaps between nets at the poles by lacing the nets together with shoe laces. None escaped on Sunday with this technique, so its likely that I could have caught maybe another hundred birds through the month had I tried it sooner. My total for September was 568 new Meadow Pipits with 19 retraps but no controls. I also caught just 2 Skylarks which is a low figure considering the numbers being attracted into the vicinity by CD lure. The birds do tend to land some distance from the nets.When they are flying about they send out a short chorkle of 1 to 2 seconds duration and with a good recording of this call I aim to do a lot better. Of course there was the Long Eared Owl too, which started the month off well." And another one for comparison! (02/10/11) Following on from Dave’s good fortune last week, we were lucky enough to catch a male Crossbill yesterday, again on the moorland fringe. The target species of Meadow Pipit and Redpoll were present in good numbers but we were very surprised to see a Crossbill in one of the lower shelves of a net. Well done to Michael, my trainee, for extracting it safely despite the excitement.
This cracking male was easily aged as a first year bird due to the pale fringes on the greater coverts and the sharpish and much worn tail.
Wing of first year Common Crossbill showing pale fringes to greater coverts
Sharpish and worn tail of first year Common Crossbill During the course of the morning several other Crossbills were seen and heard close by, affording us excellent views in flight and perched on the heather but we couldn’t entice any into the nets! Photos from Dave Atkinson and Sean.
Juvenile male Common Crossbill Sean
What a stunner (25/09/11) Continuing the theme of good moorland/heath birds for the group lately, I caught this stunning juvenile female Crossbill yesterday morning. We see or hear them most times whilst ringing up in the Agden area. This bird was from a flock that came past very low due to the wind.
Juvenile female Common Crossbill It has moulted nearly all of its primaries: P9 has a small amount of pin remaining and P10 is still old. However, the secondaries are completely unmoulted, indicating a juvenile bird, which had quite possibly fledged in February, undergone a suspended partial post-juvenile moult and is now completing a larger post-juvenile moult.
Common Crossbill Dave
Redpolls at Ramsley (07/09/11) We had an interesting morning at Ramsley Moor on Saturday. We started a little late and although it was a bit too breezy for catching Meadow Pipits in any numbers, the two sheltered nets in the trees caught well. It was good to welcome Geoff back and to see him enjoying being out again. We had a slow start with a few tit species caught but there were a lot of Redpoll around, approximately 150, so we were hoping for a few of those. We didn't have to wait long to capture some. Eleven of the twelve Redpolls were clearly aged as 3Js, either in or having completed their post-juvenile moult. More later about the 12th Lesser Redpoll of the morning.
Nicely pointed tail feathers ensured there were no difficulties ageing
them.
At Geoff's gentle insistance we erected a third net and were soon rewarded with a juvenile Grasshopper Warbler.
It was just finishing replacing its tail feathers.
This is the bird that has caused me some head scratching. See what you think......
Quite a straight forward 3J P Lesser Redpoll?
At least I thought so until I checked it wings, both of which were showing
full primary moult with a moult
The final bird of the day was a ringing tick species for Mark Jeffery: a juvenile Spotted Flycatcher.
Mike
More from the moor (03/09/11) Paul travelled from Uttoxeter on Friday to George's moorland site to be greeted with a ringing tick. George had been playing a Nightjar tape lure when he saw the Long-eared Owl go into the net at 0520hrs. It seems the owl was attracted by the churring/contact call of the Nightjar. George's Meadow Pipit project is going well too with 214 birds caught in three days.
Long-eared Owl. The sexes are similar with males being paler on average.
A noticeably pale Long-eared Owl showing underwing dark 'comma' at wingbend, finely barred wing tip and evenly streaked underbody.
Welcome back (29/08/11) The ringing team at Bondhay had a very welcome addition at yesterday's session. We have heard that he had escaped on short term release, so best not to notify the authorities that he was out and about just yet... Nevertheless, a warm welcome back to Geoff from all at SBRG.
Back in the saddle at Bondhay
From zero to hero (26/08/11) The group's long dry spell of catching no Nightjars for years on end, has turned into a late summer flush, as George reports catching another two birds this week, taking the group's annual total to seven. These two birds were both juveniles. Here George recounts catching the first one, "It landed in the top shelf at 0521hrs as the light was improving. Prior to this, several interesting events had taken place starting with one or more Nightjars calling and flying in the vicinity of the nets. Then what appeared to be a Long Eared Owl repeatedly flew to the nets stopping maybe a metre away. I thought it had actually gone in on one occasion, but it ended up perching on one of the poles and then landed on the moor a couple of times 50 metres or so away. Next 5 or 6 Woodcock passed over at 20-30 second intervals before entering the forest behind me. All this recent activity has resulted from the project which had started out for me to catch migrating Meadow Pipits. I am pleased to report I am still doing this too, with the Mipit score standing at 195 since commencing on 30 July."
Juvenile male Nightjar with buff wing and tail spots. These are white on an adult male.
A long twelve years (20/08/11) Here follows two articles from Dave and George in which they both recount catching five Nightjars. This time, a bit closer to home. Well done to both. Their excitement is palpable! Dave writes first. Just before dawn on Sunday 14th, Jilly and I arrived on site near Agden ready to set up for a ringing session and were greeted by the wonderful sight of two Nightjars hunting right over the ringing area. Hastily we erected a net but the sun rose quickly and beat us to it; the Nightjar had bedded down for the day on the moorland over the road. Frustrated, hot and midge bitten we took the net back down and met up with Steve just down the road at the second ringing site. Fortunately we had a great morning ringing there with highlights including Tree Pipit and Spotted Flycatcher.
Spotted Flycatcher Later that same day, still excited by the sight and sounds of the Nightjar we returned and set up a single 60 foot net. A passing Short Eared Owl encouraged us to try a Tawny Owl mp3 whilst waiting for darkness to fall enough to try for the Nightjars. Two Tawnies showed interest in the recordings but didn't come close enough to be caught. A Nightjar could now be heard churring in the distance so two pieces of tissue paper were placed low down in the net, simulating the white wing spots of a male and the mp3 changed accordingly. Within a few minutes the first bird to show interest hit the top shelf and I was able to dash to it and keep it there! Unbeknown to us at the time this was the first Nightjar to be ringed by our group since 1999.
Male Nightjar. This one was a long time coming... Feeling extremely pleased with ourselves we ventured back again the next night. This time the midges were out in force so staying in the same place for long was not easy! With an hour and a half of sunlight left in the sky I decided to try a Swallow mp3 in the hope of attracting the odd bird that had been seen. Time passed and we had given up hope but the moment I opened the car door to get out a flock of Swallows whooshed over the car. I quickly sat back down and watched the flock disappear over the moor. I went down to the net to stop the player and for the second time the flock caught me by complete surprise. In an instant the birds were flying right over the net, a few birds clipping the top string in the process. I bid a hasty retreat and then we watched with joy as the flock continued to circle the area in large sweeps, bombing the player every time. Several passes later the first birds hit the net, followed by more and then more again. We extracted and processed 15 juvenile Swallows as quickly as we could. Beautiful birds. No sooner had we released them than the Nightjar were up again. Back down to the net and the mp3 player was set going, churring and clapping away. A longer wait this time saw several near misses but no birds were seen entering the net. It was only when I went to move the player and change the call that I realised that another male was in the net, this time low down. Out he came, a new bird for one very surprised and happy trainee to ring.
Nightjar's brightly coloured, moth-catching gape. Bristle-like feathers fringe the beak. Dave So it's not just buses that come along in twos after a long wait, after all. Read on to discover how Nightjars can come in threes. Over to George. Whilst climbing over the gate to the moor at 0500hrs on the 17th, a Nightjar circled overhead but it was getting light and by the time the nets went up it had long gone to roost. However, I decided to get up at 0300hrs on the 18th and get nets up and the CD players going by 0425hrs which resulted in a catch of two male nightjars, the first one within seconds of switching on one CD. One bird was a control, the second I duly ringed. Flushed with success, I repeated the venture on the 19th and caught my third bird (another male) which I ringed. It appears that Nightjar can be caught before dawn if nets are up about 35-40 minutes before light is good. So if Nightjar are about they are there to be caught without the need to go at night. They were caught in one of two 40ft nets, set dog-legged, with the shelves set fairly tight with the bottom shelf resting on the heather. All three birds were caught in the bottom shelf. George
Nightjaring again (15/08/11) A return visit to Sherwood with Andy and Ann towards the end of July gave us the opportunity to ring a young Nightjar. We went in a smaller group this time, as since there would only be two birds ready to ring Andy suggested that we split the group into two giving all of us a chance to ring the young eventually. As we approached the nest the adult female few away when we were 6'-8' away, while the young quickly headed off in opposite directions on the ground. Andy skilfully managed to locate them both, allowing Mark and I to ring one chick each. Once again we set up some mist nets hoping to capture an adult bird, and once again we had no luck even though birds were seen and heard around us. Later in the year when the young are fully grown would probably be the best time to mist net them. Our thanks go to Andy and Ann for a fabulous experience.
Nightjar chicks Mike
Meadow and Tree Pipit update (15/08/11) Since his previous posting below, George has caught three Tree Pipits while moorland ringing. Ironically, he reports this is probably due to wind conditions forcing him to move the netting triangle into the shelter of the trees at the edge of the moor. The photo below shows that the 5th primary is 5mm shorter than the longest primary while primary feathers 2, 3 and 4 are almost the same length. Thanks to Paul for the photo.
Tree Pipit
Meadow Pipit migration begins (07/08/11) Here is a summary of my recent ringing activities with visits to Uppertown and the commencement of moorland visits to target Meadow Pipits. During July Uppertown resulted in a total of 449 birds being caught which included 154 Siskins from 11 mist net operations. I am now concentrating activities on Big Bumper Piece Moor (BBPM) for Meadow Pipits mainly to establish when the build up of migrants occurs. So far, four ringing sessions have taken place on BBPM (30/7, 31/7, 1/8 and 3/8) resulting in 105 birds in total, including 61 Meadow Pipits. The best day for Meadow Pipits so far was 29 birds on 3/8. The method of catching these birds on the moorland is 2 x 60ft and 1 x 40ft nets forming a triangle. There is a 10-15ft gap at the nearest corner for quick access to 'drive' any birds into the nets, but inevitably this doesn't always work! The triangle is positioned about 50yds away from our base. Unfortunately, sheep are grazing at present and occasionally they wander to the netting area which is a problem since I lay each of the bottom shelves onto the ground. Most of the birds are generally caught in the bottom shelf, so quite a bit of effort is needed to keep the sheep away. Some 30-40 yds away from the car along the lane is a 20ft net to catch birds moving along the lane. I am catching a few different species in this short net and this variety keeps proceedings interesting. I have just added a second ride to take a 30ft net a few yards further along. This gives an alternative to actually being on the moor itself, as during migration there are always some birds on the walls lining the road. These two nets are set in gorse along with other bushes and trees.
Meadow Pipit Paul Hooper from Uttoxeter has made four visits and processed 129 birds and I look forward to his continued assistance along with any other of our group members who are keen to come. Any of our group trainees are more than welcome to help during the study period. I am currently conducting two separate biometric checks on the Meapi. Firstly I ascertain how far the beak passes through the 'B' hole of the ringing pliers, to establish bill depth. I code the result N1, N2 or N3, relative to the position of the nostrils. Next, I check the length of primary feathers P2, P3, P4 and P5 in order to establish the length of the shortest of these. I record this data too e.g. 2nd primary =2mm or 5th primary =1mm. I aim to establish any differences that may occur with Tree Pipits, a species as yet this year not surrendering to me unfortunately. George
Another Little Ringed Plover (30/07/11) Little Ringed Plover number 2 was a good bird for session 8 of our CES at Blackburn Meadows. This time we caught a 3J or juvenile, born this year. Note the buff fringes to the wing coverts. Compare this to the adult bird caught on 28/06/11 more here... A 3J Treecreeper in post juvenile moult was also a nice surprise, providing proof of nearby breeding.
3J or juvenile Little Ringed Plover with buff fringes to wing coverts Kevin
At last a Swift (16/07/11) In the last few years the group has caught between 50 and 100 Swifts annually. Not so this year when not one has been caught...until this week, when, not to be outdone, Geoff resorted to ringing a pullus. Well done Geoff!
Swift pullus
Pullus Swift with body, wing and tail feathers edged white
Large unexpected catch (11/07/11) I have had interesting results this month having caught 99 Siskins so
far, amongst other birds. It culminated on Sunday with a very large catch
of 74 Siskins processed, but unfortunately I had run out of rings so I
had to release 8 more birds. The vast majority were aged as 3J so it suggests
a very good breeding season locally to Uppertown. The surprising aspect
of this large catch was that it was not in the feed site area but mostly
in 2 x 60 ft nets which I had placed more or less in the open area aimed
at catching warblers that might have been moving about. There were 65
birds all at once in these two nets. I had to double bag the Siskin and
Willow Warblers and all were ringed and released with no problems at all.
I closed all
Large catch of Siskins in mist net George
Tree Sparrows (10/07/11) I started training on 31.12.10. The first bird I ringed was a Snipe and to date I have ringed more than 200 birds. Thanks to Geoff and Eleanor for your patience and guidance. A few years ago I completed a 12 month survey of birds at the Tropical Butterfly House, North Anston. This is situated on a compact site of a few acres surrounded by fields about half mile from where I live. The owner, Bob Bellis, noticed a pair of Tree Sparrows when he created this attraction and started placing nest boxes on the site. There is now a colony of Tree Sparrows present.
Female Tree Sparrow at the Tropical Butterfly House Harry Vilkaitis previously ringed nestlings on this site and has now
kindly allowed me to continue. Geoff and I used a mist net on the site
for the first time in late June and caught 30 birds of which 15 were Tree
Sparrows. We had previously visited earlier in June and ringed 27 Tree
Sparrow nestlings of the second brood from 6 nest boxes.
Female Tree Sparrow with brood patch code 3 A final thanks to Bob Bellis and his staff, and, if anyone wants to see a photograph of me, take a look at Geoff's article about Williamthorpe CES here... I'm the tall guy helping Mike erect the net! Chris
Crowded House (08/07/11) Five young Kestrels, which Geoff had ringed earlier, look like they're ready to burst... Thanks to Eric for the photo.
A night of Nightjar (07/07/11) An invitation to join Andy Lowe and Ann Ward from Birklands Ringing Group
at Sherwood Forest to learn about Nightjar was a most welcome reason for
staying out late. It felt like a strange time to be arriving at Geoff's:
18:00, instead of the usual 04:45, but thankfully I didn't have to be
up to meet Jack at 5:30 the next day. We picked up Chris Lilley and Will
enroute and set off to meet with Paul Hooper at Andy and Ann's. The route
into the forest felt a little like Hansel and Gretel's fairy tale. I am
not sure we would have ever found our way out had we lost Andy and Ann
in the wood. Sherwood Pines Forest Park offers some fantastic habitat
for an assortment of birds. In particular Willow Warbler could be heard
in good numbers, as well as Yellowhammer, Tree Pipit and Bullfinch. I
could only imagine the other bird life that must have been around unseen
or heard.
Nightjar habitat Although it was to prove a very late night, it was worth every minute. Andy and Ann went to great lengths to explain how they located the nesting birds and took us to see two of the nests, one of which unfortunately had failed. We learned that only around 50% of the nests manage to fledge young due to predators. Some very unlikely candidates had been caught on camera eating Nightjar eggs including Muntjac and Fallow deer, as well as the usual suspects corvids and foxes. Andy explained that Nightjar often nest again when they fail and will nest close to the orignal site. Then as we worked our way back to the car, Geoff located a nest with two eggs.
Nightjar nest with two eggs
Mike
An attempt to quantify mist net casualties (07/07/11) An article that ran in the Guardian newspaper last week... More here...
'White' Puffin on Lundy (03/07/11) Issie, who is on Lundy Island at the moment studying the House Sparrow population, sent us this link regarding a 'white' Puffin which is present on the island. Thanks to Issie for the story and to Grant, who filmed the footage. More here...
Little Ringed Plover (28/06/11) After a very dry spring, the water levels at Blackburn Meadows NR have presented us with the opportunity for catching wading birds. This Little Ringed Plover was caught on session 6 of my CES and hopefully is only the first one of many to go into my net this summer.
Little Ringed Plover
Note the faint wing bar. This is hard to see in the field but is much more obvious on its close relative the Ringed Plover. Kevin
More Peregrines (19/06/11) We ringed some more Peregrines this week. Keen birdwatcher Archie brought along his grandparents and he even got to hold a chick up close. Note the red colour ring on the bird's left leg, denoting it is a Peregrine ringed in Derbyshire.
Archie and the Peregrine
Colour ringed Peregrine chick Geoff
Sand Martins (15/06/11) Rain was forecast on Sunday so we decided to ring at Bakewell and target hirundines. With frost on the grass and 1 degree showing on my car temperature sensor we waited on a calm morning for the hirundines to appear. There were no Swallows or House Martins and the few Swifts we saw were high and passing through. We weren't let down though with Sand Martins from the start and we caught them in really good numbers. There were juveniles amongst them and three controls, the best of them being 6190227 PARIS! With thanks to Mark for the photographs.
Sand Martin adult (left) and juvenile (right)
Juvenile Sand Martin (left) with rufous buff fringes to tertials, wing coverts and rump feathers (left) contrasting the more uniform brown-grey of the adult (right). Geoff
Peregrine ringing (11/06/11) Here are a few photographs to give a flavour of ringing Peregrine chicks.
We especially thank the quarry owners for giving their permissions and
Dave Frost and his climbers. There was a male and female chick in this
nest, both of which were fitted with a metal BTO ring and a red numbered
colour ring. In addition, buccal swabs were taken for analysis to help
understand the population of this dynamic raptor breeding in Derbyshire.
There were nesting Jackdaws alongside the Peregrines and judging by their
remains on the nest platform they had chosen a perilous home base!
Peregrine chick
Abseiling with Peregrine chicks on board Geoff
Colour ringed Mute Swans breeding update (08/06/11) You may remember the story last year of the swan family near Leeds more here. We had a further update this May and have just had the following news, "The eggs have hatched now. There are six cygnets and two unhatched eggs although it is not as easy to see this year as the nest is further from view. The cygnets hatched between 21st and 24th May 2011. All six are out and swimming around, looking healthy. The adults colour ring numbers are female Y568 and male Y478. If possible we would really like to see them having their rings fitted, even if from afar." Thanks for the good news, Amelia. We have passed on your request.
Mute Swan family
Buzzards (03/06/11) It was a gorgeous evening in the wood yesterday and in under two hours work (mostly on the part of the climber) we had ringed four Buzzards from two nests. Here are photos of three of the handsome fellas. Apologies to Stuart and Jack!
Ringed Buzzard Eleanor
More owls (01/06/11) Three men up a tree! Six Little owls in this nest box. The first of many we hope...
Ringing Little Owl chick Geoff
Gulls and owls (26/05/11) Thought you might like to see some photos from this morning! The owls were great - and I spotted a Jackdaw nest on the way back home, which was a ringing tick for Sean.
Black-headed gull chick
Short-eared owl
Ringing Short-eared owl Best wishes Jodie
Joint tenancy agreement (23/05/11) The practice of different species sharing a nest box is not unheard of. Barn Owls have been known to cohabit with Kestrels and Jackdaws, for example. There may be a number of reasons why different species cohabit. These include having multiple cavities in nest boxes, a lack of suitable nest sites or birds unwittingly laying their eggs in the active nest of another species. Having ringed over 230 Blue and Great Tit chicks in Whitwell Wood in the last few days with yet more to go, a shortage of boxes hadn't seemed a problem. Occupancy was good with average brood sizes of 7.4 for Great Tit and 9.3 for Blue Tit, including a brood of 10 Coal Tits and another of 8 Nuthatches. When I first checked the box below, two Blue Tit adults and one Great Tit adult were 'alarm calling' nearby. Today I found out why: three of the chicks were Great Tits and five were Blue Tits. It appears that all four adults are provisioning the chicks, but quite what happened during incubation, is anybody's guess! The photos show the comparative stages of development between the two species.
Great Tit (left) and Blue Tit (right) from same nest box Eleanor
Three's a crowd (21/05/11) It was lovely to go ringing on Sunday – it was such a fantastic day. I had rung a Goldfinch before but it was back in 2008 at Palterton. The Sand Martin was a new species for me though so that was really nice. Good luck with ringing this year. I’m going to miss it, but I’ll try to get out and visit some field sites in the Netherlands.
House Martin, Sand Martin and Swallow. Photo courtesy of Issie. Best wishes
Who's a pretty boy? (17/05/11) Corvids are not the most attractive of nestlings, but two broods of Jackdaws did make a change from the Great and Blue Tits which predominated today's ringing. I have resisted a humorous comment to caption Mark and Jodie's photographs on the grounds that it will get me into more trouble than I'm in already.
Jackdaw Geoff
Only a mother could love it! (13/05/11) The photos below show an adult male Greenfinch ringed at Woodhouse Tip on 23rd April. Apart from the obvious lack of head feathers, the bird was in good condition with a weight of 29.6g and a wing length of 90mm. The baldness was probably brought about by a bad case of feather mites, but this shouldn't be a permanent condition as the feathers will, hopefully, regrow in a few weeks. It will be interesting to see if this is the case if we catch the bird again. Due to the suspected feather mites, the bag was put to one side and sterilised by boiling to prevent the transmission of the mites to other birds.
Adult male Greenfinch Kevin
Sand Martin 'Des Res' (06/05/11) A fellow ringer from a neighbouring county has kindly forwarded these pictures showing us all how to spoil a Sand Martin or two. This impressive, custom built nest block is designed for breeding Sand Martins and we have been given permission to use the photographs to inspire our ringers (and generally be in awe of the effort). Although this particularly nest block is new and is currently being inspected by adult birds, one such model nearby is in its second year of use. We are very grateful to David Keates and Mel Preston for use of these photos and look forward to hearing of nesting success. The site is at Willows Farm, Wanlip in Leicestershire.
Sand Martin nest block exterior
Sand Martin nest block side view
Sand Martin nest block interior
Sand Martin nest inspection hatch
Colour ringed Mute Swans (05/05/11) In September last year we were sent some photos by one of our readers showing the progress of a colour ringed Mute Swan family in Woodlesford, Leeds, which can be viewed here. We have just received the following update: "All three cygnets did very well. We continued to visit them all winter and last saw them on 31st January 2011, before they left for their new home. The adult pair have nested again very close to last year's nest in the bay off the canal, at the back of the oil refinery. The adults numbers are Y478 and Y568. The cygnets are Y565, Y566 and Y567. The adult female Y568 has been on the nest for the past 3-4 weeks. The nest isn't as easy to see as last year so we don't think we will see the eggs hatch like last year! Unlikely to get that timing just right again anyway! We are looking forward to the next brood of cygnets and will still visit regularly." Many thanks for keeping us posted.
Nestbox warning (30/04/11) Here is a timely message for our regional ringers from group ringer George regarding the consequences of a period of such prolonged warm, dry weather. "I checked my nest boxes at Kelstedge a week ago and 16 of the 30 boxes were occupied with mostly 8 to 11 eggs. Some female Great Tits were sitting tight which I left undisturbed. This suggests to me from my records that the breeding season may be as much as two weeks early." So, don't be caught out by your past records and ensure you are vigilant and don't miss out on those valuable nest records. Many thanks to George.
Doe Lea (30/04/11) Due to access problems caused by a burst water main, ringing hasn’t been possible at Doe Loe recently. However, it was good to be back on Friday and although less than 20 birds were caught it was a case of quality rather than quantity. Jim Alder had heard a Grasshopper Warbler calling there during the week and a male was caught within less than 10 minutes of the nets being put up – a first for the site! Yellowhammers had regularly been caught there in past winters but have disappeared over the past two years so it was somewhat of a surprise to find a beautiful male hanging in the net. A good morning was finished off with a Whitethroat, before ringing two Tawny Owls from the nest box there.
Grasshopper Warbler
Male Yellowhammer
Common Whitethroat
Tawny Owl chicks David
Woodcock foray (29/04/11) Woodcock chicks are often found incidentally by ringers, sometimes when they haven't got their rings with them. Going out to target them is something new. Gill and I met Dave Jones to relocate a brood of Woodcock in the Upper Derwent that Dave had found two days earlier. They were small chicks so we expected the female to have moved them but we took the chance. Oh, I didn't mention that we had a secret weapon, Shadow, a Short-haired German Pointer! Not only did "Shad" find three chicks, older than the ones Dave had noticed before, but, she went on to find another brood of two nearby, including a dead chick that had died the day previously. Needless to say we will be out again. We have set a target of twenty! Gill enjoyed the walk, Dave enjoyed the ringing and "Shad" wanted to know where we were going to next.
Ringed Woodcock chick
Geoff
Dippers return to Lathkill (25/04/11) After finding no evidence of Dippers successfully breeding in Lathkill Dale last year, it was encouraging to find two nests at traditional sites this year. Eight nestlings were ringed by Bryn and myself on 14th April.
Dipper pullus Mark
Comings and Goings (21/04/2011) Here are a couple of belated photographs taken on 03/04/11. How many of us can lay claim to catching Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Redwing all from the same net, I wonder? Although most winter migrants were heading northward, in this small window of catching opportunity Geoff and Paul caught an outgoing Redwing alongside some incoming warblers. Thanks to Paul for the photos.
Blackcap
Redwing
Bondhay (17/04/2011) A quiet morning at Bondhay couldn't dampen our spirits when it resulted in our first Grasshopper Warbler of the year. Blackcaps, Whitethroats and Willow Warblers were in full song and five Buzzards were overhead as we packed up. Linnet was a new species for Jack (we caught 8) and Chris was pleased with the Grasshopper Warbler, another new bird for him. Thanks to Chris for the photo.
Typically camera-shy Grasshopper Warbler Eleanor
Red Kite sighting (17/04/2011) Thanks to photographer Ken Smith for this photo of a Red Kite, spotted some 5 miles west of Chesterfield early in April. The bird hatched and was tagged in 2010 in Northamptonshire. It was one of two seen on more than one occasion in the area, but not always together. These Kites form only a small part of the recent wildlife sightings seen by George and fellow watchers at a moorland ringing site to the west of the town. Species include Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Merlin (which escaped from the net), Hen Harrier, Kestrel, Goshawk, Stoat, Red Deer, Hare, Peregrine, Dotteril, Ring Ouzel, Wheatear, Grasshopper Warbler and Red Grouse.
Red Kite
Normanton Springs (07/04/2011) A few hours ringing at Normanton Springs this morning produced Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap, all of which were target birds. A beautiful unexpected second year male Redstart definitely made my morning. It was aged by the old brown greater coverts (see photos on Age + Sex page).
Kevin
Willow Warbler (03/04/2011) We were having a disappointing session at Bondhay with very few birds caught, but plenty seen, including three Buzzards, Green Woodpecker, Reed Buntings, Meadow Pipits and Skylarks displaying. Bondhay usually turns something up and we were pleased to end on a high note when we caught our first Willow Warbler of the year.
Eleanor
Chiffchaffs moving in (30/03/2011) As we approach the end of the month, we are catching Chiffchaffs in earnest. We managed seven this morning, most with pollen “horns” resulting from feeding in warmer climes. This bird was a retrap first ringed as a juvenile on the 4th July 2008! Thank you Mike for the photograph.
Geoff
Spotted Flycatchers at Barbrook Plantation (28/03/2011) Here are some interesting details of retrapped Spotted Flycatchers, a species of great conservation concern.
In 2010 between May 14 and June 21, I caught 10 adult Spotted Flycatchers, 5 males and 5 females. 3 males and 3 females were new birds, 2 males and 2 females had been ringed at Barbook before. The 2 females had been ringed on the same day in 2009, whereas the males were ringed on the same date (coincidentally), June 5, in 2007 and in 2008. I ringed on two more occasions then had to go away for 2 months so did not catch any more or discover whether any bred successfully. This year I will be able to ring for longer and will try to determine the breeding performance of the species at Barbrook.
Thanks to Jon Hornbuckle for the information.
Meadow Pipit Control (26/03/2011) Catching a controlled bird is always exciting, especially so when it is sporting a foreign ring. Meadow Pipit A286642 (Sempa Sea Lisboa) was caught on open moorland near Beeley Moor on 25th March. It was aged as a 6M. Congratulations to our ringer George and we look forward to the details of its Portuguese capture.
Holmesfield (25/03/2011) Tree Sparrows are a species found in localised sites within our area. To discover them nesting in a wall was an interesting find. The farm near Holmesfield has been improved by providing nest boxes and a feeding station throughout the winter, where some Tree Sparrows have been ringed. It has proved to be a good project so far.
Geoff and Mark.
Renishaw (23/03/2011) This Thursday was a beautiful Spring day with 4 Chiffchaffs ringed. Jodie, soon to be a 'C' ringer, caught herself a Mute Swan at Renishaw and let Mike ring it. As this was a new bird for Mike, he is now her best friend! No Blackcaps yet.
Jodie with a Swan
Chiffchaffs are here (12/03/2011) When we set off at 4.30 am for an early ringing session at Blackburn Meadows, targetting Snipe and Reed Bunting we also had half a mind on Chiffchaffs, having caught one here on the equivalent weekend for the last 2 years. None of those present had heard one this year, but as we were putting the last nets up on the nature reserve, one could be heard singing in the distance. We didn't need any more encouragement and placed a sound lure on one of the nets nearest to the singing bird. 30 minutes later the bird was in the bag, a welcome herald of the summer visitors to come.
Our first Chiffchaff of 2011
Gull Ringing (05/03/2011) This was our second trip of the winter to the North Thames Gull Group and was another successful trip. An early start (3.30am) was well rewarded with over 400 birds being caught. The previous trip had yielded 599 birds so this was small by comparison but there was more than enough to go round. The team was split into 2 this time and the birds were brought down to base to ring. As we were part of the base team, we were able to top up our caffeine levels whilst the first catch was taken!
The first catch produced good numbers of Black-headed Gulls, mostly age 6 on this trip although there were a few age 5.
The Black-headed Gulls are bagged up 3 to a sack and are distributed by one of the team. The larger gulls are bagged singly. Although they are separated into species, it is pot-luck as to what age bird you get from the bag. And watch those beaks!
The second catch was a smaller catch, but 2 Mediterranean Gulls more than made up for that, 1 with a dutch ring on it. Although we were too far down the pecking order in terms of ringing the birds, we did get to handle them. They are absolutely stunning in the hand, like a Black-headed Gull in Black Tie!
Mediterranean Gull Gull ringing with the NTGG is an excellent and informative day out, made very enjoyable by their excellent hospitality. Visit their website for more information about gulls and the work they do - NTGG. Sean (Thanks to Dave Hallam for the photos) Green Woodpecker (04/03/2011) Early March is often a quiet time of year and today was no exception as we had to work for oour 16 birds, 2 Yellowhammer keeping our spirits up. However, the last bird of the morning made it all worthwhile, a beautiful Green Woodpecker.
Ringing in the Derwent Valley (02/03/2011) Our ringing on Wednesday at Fairholmes and in the River Derwent.
We had a visiting ringer with us and had good sessions at Fairholmes with Coal Tits and Siskins featuring prominently.
After Fairholmes, we tried (successfully) for Dipper on the river Derwent. I’ve noticed that trainees are still sending out the “older” ringers! Geoff
Dipper A lesson in life (December 2010) Not bird photographs but another experience from our ringing to Kenya
in December. The young Impala suddenly stopped running and the Cheetahs
just didn't know how to react. A lesson in life I think; don't run away
from your problems!
Bag Holder (22/02/2011) I thought that the bag holder below may be of interest to other ringers.
I can't claim the credit for the design as it is an idea I came across
on a recent trip to Kenya.
Training and inclement weather (05/02/2011) Having three visiting ringers hoping to gain their Trainers endorsement has an inherent problem. Will the weather stop you catching any birds? Saturday was certainly a trial with rain for most of the day; in the end Mute Swans and Dippers had to do.
The gale force winds continued on Sunday and a change of plans and a switch to Whitwell Wood was our only hope of doing any ringing. Fortunately, this is a sheltered site and the trees gave enough protection for our ringing and a total of over a hundred provided enough birds to keep my trainees busy.
Whitwell Wood is one of the few places where we catch Marsh Tit, providing valuable experience for the trainees who certainly enjoyed processing them! John was also excited at ringing his first Great-spotted Woodpecker.
My thanks to Rael and Andrew for their tutoring and to Eleanor for her site . Geoff
A successful Ringing demonstration at Blackburn Meadows (29/01/2011) A cold, bright morning with little wind proved ideal for our winter ringing demonstration at Blackburn Meadows NR, now an annual fixture. The event was wel attended and those who had braved the cold were well rewarded with a good mix of species, 89 birds being ringed in total.
Common Redpoll (left) and Lesser Redpoll (right) - note the colder, greyer tones of the Common Redpoll and its slightly larger size. Also note the white rump on the Common Redpoll Star birds for the day were 2 Common (Mealy) Redpoll, bringing the total ringed at the site to 4 this winter. Also of note was a female Siskin, which was the first Siskin to be ringed here in 7 years. The siskin had obviously taken a fancy to the peanuts I had been providing!
Female Siskin Kevin Big Garden Birdwatch (29/01/2011) Whilst other members of the group were out in the sub-zero temperatures, we were snugly wrapped in blankets, drinking coffee and eating biscuits watching the garden birds for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch!
Our Garden
Rocky the Blackbird The Blackbird (nicknamed Rocky!) has had an effect on the Siskin and Sparrow numbers recorded today. A Nyjer seed carpet has developed on the lawn underneath one of the feeders which the Siskins particularly like to forage in, with 30 birds being recorded on one occasion but at the moment they don't have the time to build up to above 10 before the Blackbird barges through them!
One bonus today was seeing a couple of Long Tailed Tits briefly using the feeders for the first time, our 28th species in the garden this winter. Counts
Dave Hallam Williamthorpe NR (20/01/2011) Williamthorpe continues to produce at least 2 Snipe each session with an interesting retrap from the previous winter, but, only one Jack Snipe so far in 2011. This Autumn/Winter has been poor for Jack Snipe in Derbyshire. Not true of Teal though with a bird on each occasion and 5 caught in mist nets this morning.
Teal Geoff Renishaw (18/01/2011) Today felt like the first good ringing day for some time. It was cold, with the lakes at Renishaw Park still frozen, but there was some thoughtfulness about certain species surviving the extreme cold spell we experienced here in Derbyshire before the new year. Well, if Long-tailed Tits are a measure then , so far so good. We processed 49 birds in the morning with some interesting retraps. The best being AVP054 first ringed on 24th October 2004. A date beaten by Great Tit R607957 ringed on the 16th November 2003! A Redwing and an immature Sparrowhawk were good additions with two large skeins of Pink feet. at 11am signing off a good morning.
Redwing
Pink-footed Geese Geoff The Cold Weather Continues (02/01/2011) The end of 2010 produced the Group’s 100th species for the year, a Teal. Along with a Water Rail, 3 Snipe and a Moorhen the year ended as 2011 started with cold conditions. At Bakewell SW on the 2nd January 2011 there were over 200 Pied Wagtails present. We ringed 12 along with 2 Meadow Pipits.
Pied Wagtail The 5 Goldcrest and 5 Wren were encouraging extras given the extreme conditions that have prevailed so far this winter. The picture of my garden and partially buried Alpine house below shows the snow at its worst! Geoff.
Geoff's garden
Wintering Blackcap (29/12/2010) This morning I was lucky enough to catch a wintering Blackcap in my garden. It was a first year female and was in very good condition with a weight of 21.5g (fat score of 5). I have had both male and female birds in the garden over the last month or two but this was a very nice surprise as I had only put a small net up to attempt to catch the Redwing that had been visiting the garden. Sean.
First winter female Blackcap Looking back at the previous totals on the website, this is the only December Blackcap since 2007 although there have been a few November birds that may have been over-wintering. This year has been a good year for Blackcap with this bird making a total of 599 birds ringed. This is much better than the three previous years (see table below).
Waxwings (12/12/2010) Waxwings have been present in large numbers in the High Storrs area of Sheffield for several weeks. Although they are easy to find, they are not easy to catch, prefering to feed on berries in taller trees if possible. However, as these stocks are exhausted they become increasingly confiding, feeding on smaller trees and bushes. I have had several attempts at catching them in a very kind neighbour's garden and patience was finally rewarded when one of a party of four ended up in the net first thing this morning. They really are quite stunning in the hand. Sean.
|
