By a babbling brook ...

The stream eating into the bank alongside the 1st net run

At last! Have managed to cut out three of last year's racks so far. The stream is still high (for summer-time) and the crossing points are 2 feet deep or more, thanks to the re-alignment of the stream following the winter and spring floods. Getting over to the 'orchard' side is currently out of the question, since "Bob", a poorly nag, is occupying the 2 acre entrance field which we have to negotiate in order to cross the 'leat' to get to the other side of the water meadows. The problem will go away shortly as the owners have to take a silage cut in the very near future [the grasses are very tall and seeding right now] and access will then be restored.   

Not wanting to waste all that hard work, I put up three nets in said racks. The weather was not at its best for ringing but, nevertheless, I did manage a few birds, namely 13 new and a couple of retraps. It is noticeable that there is a distinct lack of tits this year and that the finches are particularly late in nesting. The warblers are all beginning to sing again, a sign that they are attempting a second or replacement clutch. The only really noticeable birds are the House Martins, Swallows and Swifts, feeding over the meadows, along the hedgerows and skimming the water.     

Jay - doing what Jays do!  Ouch!

 Once more, a modicum of success, especially as it was an afternoon session. Top bird was surely the Jay that was ringed as an adult in the garden 13 months beforehand. The other retrap was a 6 female Blackbird that was ringed in mid-November. All these short-winged Blackbirds seem to stay with us all year; by short-winged I mean 127/128mm when fresh, females generally a tad shorter than the males, as normal.     

Jay (1)
Blue Tit 1
Chiffchaff 2
Blackcap 6
Blackbird (1)
Dunnock 2
House Sparrow 2     

Recently fledged Chiffchaff  (don't know why it flipped)

It is exactly one year since I started ringing down at the water meadows and, looking at my records, I can see that the pace will not pick up here for another two or three weeks. Definitely a dispersal site, where many young birds come and feed up prior to ab-migration.       

i managed to achieve two significant 'tetrad' upgrades for the local county Bird Atlas (in its last year) during my visit. First was a Garden warbler with food for young that also gave me some serious ear-ache. Second was a male Reed Bunting entering a nest on the edge of the stream, this as part of a food pass to its mate and a 'comfort break' for her.

Next, garden chores to catch up on, now that I am feeling better. Mowing, fence repairs and a good bonfire are on the cards. Then it's off to see my disabled brother and my grand-daughter whose birthday I missed. If the weather holds next week, it'll be more ringing and taking the 50-year old front fence down. See you soon.            

Damned wind and rain

It's been one of those weeks - certainly not summer, although there was the one day when we were able to get out and check the farm buildings for swallow nests. We have had 48mm of rain this week (that's just under 2 inches) and the wind has gusted at 35 mph. During the odd, relatively calm, early mornings I have opened the nets in the garden with a modicum of success. On a couple of mornings there has even been a grass frost! At this time of the year, nearly all of the new birds are recently hatched juveniles, that are either coming to easy pickings at the feeders or dispersing through the site.

Non juveniles ringed were a fat (male) Woodpigeon and the male Pied Wagtail of the pair nesting in the old mill race in a garden opposite; 'mum' was caught last week, also feeding on the lawn. On Tuesday, the best day of the week, we recce'ed the local farm outbuildings and managed to ring some Swallows. One brood, the offspring of the first pair to return back six and a half weeks ago, was in the process of fledging and beat us to it. 

Young Swallows on the point of fledging

The pair of Bullfinches that are nesting somewhere behind the bottom garden hedge are becoming regular visitors to the sunflower hearts' feeder as dawn breaks and are clearly visible from the kitchen window. 

Our efforts this week yielded the following 17 new and 10 re-traps:

Woodpigeon 2

Blue Tit 2 (1)

Great Tit 2

Swallow 5

Wren (2) - nesting pair

Blackbird 1 (2)

Robin 1 (1)

Dunnock (2)

House Sparrow 2

Pied Wagtail 1

Chaffinch 1

Goldfinch (1)

Bullfinch (1)

Adult male Barn Swallow

With three weeks of June now gone, our rainfall total so far this month is 5.25 inches or 134mm. This is two and a half times the norm for the whole month and quite a bit higher that we would expect in January, our wettest month. All this water is preventing us from accessing a woodland on the Levels which is situated on unexploited peat. Walking through this is almost as bad as going through a long established reed bed - hard work for old legs and very tiring. The forecast is for yet more of the wet stuff. 

Hors de combat

The last couple of weeks have been hit and miss, ringing wise. Some kind soul gifted me a lurgi that is baffling the quacks right now. As a consequence, I have dived in and out of sessions in the garden, as and when I have felt able. 

Things have not all been bad and the few birds that I have managed to catch/ring have kept my spirits up - as well as adding to the year's species list. There has been somewhat of a change in the birds visiting the garden whereas others have taken to feeding away from the normal netting area.

So, in essence, I have three weeks of records to catch up on. I am afraid this will include the best day of the period, which was when I caught and ringed the Hawfinch, as per a previous post. Sparrows have risen to the fore of late and members of the crow family have suddenly descended on the garden, especially early in the morning before most people are up. As yet, I've not managed to catch a Magpie as it (there are two) flushes from the fat ball containers. A judiscious switch in the position of a net should do it.      
  

Jackdaw - breeding adult (female)

Although the list only averages out at around 2 new birds and 1 re-trap per day, the species list totalled 16 for this 3-week period. Apart from the above Jackdaw - and that Hawfinch - a Woodpigeon and a Pied Wagtail (female of the local breeding pair) were useful additions in the net. Juvenile Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Dunnock and Greenfinch were all present in the catches.   

Pied Wagtail - 2CY breeding female

     To the totals [16 spp, 45 new, 27 r/t] :

Woodpigeon 1

Jackdaw 1

Blue Tit 5 (5)

Great Tit 4 (2)

Wren (1)

Blackbird 6 (3)

Song Thrush 1

Robin 2 (3)

Dunnock 2 (1)

House Sparrow 6 (5)

Pied Wagtail 1

Greenfinch 7 (1)

Goldfinch 5 (5)

Siskin 2

Bullfinch 2 (1)

Hawfinch 1        
       The only bird so far in moult was a (r/t) 3CY female Blue Tit which had dropped its first two primaries (moult score 02) - and was a bit scruffy around the head.

The attack of the 'Lurgi' has upset my social plans for the weekend a tad. I was hoping to see my disabled brother before going on to my eldest grand-daughter who is celebrating her 8th birthday. The next day I was due in London at a reunion of three dozen of us, plus wives or partners, from the same year at grammar school, all of us already at or shortly due at the seventy year milestone. We have had two of these before (at the same celebrity's house), at 60 and then again at 65.   

Instead, as it was a "mixed traction weekend" at the local station, I popped down and took a piccy of the "Royal Scots Grays" Deltic locomotive (which was only running on one engine and making a lot of 2-stroke smoke).

Deltic "Royal Scots Grays" @ Williton

Turn up for the book

The forthcoming county atlas , that is!

Saw this flapping in the net - what a surprise when I approached. This is not only a garden tick, a ringing tick, a tetrad tick but a 10km tick as well! Having avoided too much skin damage, the next job was to break out the B+ string from the 'stock box'.

Hawfinch 4F

Other birds caught this morning = 9 (5):

Blue Tit 3 - ad female * 1st 2 juvs of the year
Great Tit 1 - breeding female (6)

Robin 1 (2) - 2 youngsters & female

House Sparrow 1 (2) - youngster & 2 old males

Greenfinch 1 - 3jM

Goldfinch (1) - male

Siskin 1 - youngster

Hawfinch 1 

PS. We've had 66mm of rain this week! Today was the first really dry day with less wind.

Brighton origins (pt.2)

In 1988, my grandfather, Daniel, was born in a house at 4 Park Crescent, Portslade, which is west of Brighton and Hove. Father, William, had married a Hannah Goacher and they had seven children, of which Daniel was the youngest son. The children were as follows: Edward (b.1876), Ann (b.1878), Sarah (b.1880), Fanny (b.1883), James (b.1884), Daniel and Eliza (b.1890).

Number 4 (RHS)

Park Crescent; 5-terrace (nos 2-10), 2012 

Edward married Edith Mullard from Witley. Her father was a builder and his workshop now stands in the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum at Singleton. Fortunately my best mate's widow, Jean Aslett, volunteers here so complimentary passes are available for us.

Mullard's Witley carpenters' workshop (2012)

I remember them with fond affection as they brought up my father and uncle after the death of their mother in 1927.

Edward (Ted) & Edith (Edie) - 50th wedding anniversary in 1949 with all ten children and before their marriage (1898)

My grandfather was the postmaster for Ewhurst and served as a volunteer in WW1, first in the Post Office Rifles (1/8th Bn Middlesex Regt.) before being transferred to Princess Louise's Kensingtons (1/13th Bn London Regt.) and fighting on the Somme. He was invalided out and later died of his wounds and complications (TB) on 1 June 1919. He is buried in Hove (old) Cemetery in the WW1 monument plot.

Grandfather's headstone, Hove

GF's headstone is the last on the right, in the row of headstones either side of the memorial under the hedge/bank.

His memory is also commemorated at the War Memorial in Ewhurst, which just happens to be outside "The Old Post Office" (now a private house), as well as the church, and, believe it or not, opposite my very first bit of civil engineering "design and build", the lay-by outside the village school!

Ewhurst War Memorial - contains other family (cousins, in-laws) war dead.

"The Old Post Office"

Brighton origins

Our recent holiday took us to the Brighton area, where I wanted to ascertain if the properties that my forebears lived in were still in existence.


My great great grandfather, Thomas, b.1821, was a smith and worked at the foundry in St. Nicolas. This is very close to the heart of modern day Brighton. The site, a whole block, is now occupied by the District Letter Office and main Post Office. 


In 1851, he was living at 24 Spring Street with his wife Eliza Dimond and their first two children, Jane (b.1846) and Thomas (b.1849).

Number 24

Spring Street, Brighton (2012)

 In 1861, Thomas snr. was now living at 47 Spring Gardens, close to the foundry. He now had six children with him, Thomas, Charles (b.1852), William (b.1854), my great grandfather, Frederick (b.1857), Henry (b.1859) and David (b.1861). I presume Jane was in service and living-in elsewhere. This house no longer exists and is a parking space for one of the local businesses in "the Lanes".

Spring Gardens, Brighton (2012)

                         No. 47 would have stood at the bottom on the left hand side looking down


In 1871, they had moved just one street to 4 Over Street, still adjacent to the foundry. This is a large 3-4 storey terraced house and may well have been shared with a family called the Dickensons. Thomas jnr. had left home by now but the others remained 'at home', including my great grandfather.

Number 4

Over Street, Brighton (2012)

Just down the hill (to the east) from Over Street and the new Post Office lies a busy area of small shopkeepers and pubs, popular with modern day tourists. The area backs on to the Brighton Pavilion.

Pub art

Brighton Pavilion on a miserable day (May 2012)