Garden Visitor?

This yellow bird dropped in for a 40 minute stay. Well, into the paddock behind the industrial unit behind our hedge bank.

No info yet as to the manner of the incident.

More wet and more to come

Christmas and New Year are destined to be the wettest for a while and the bird ringing has not been very good so far this holiday. We're already 25% down on numbers ringed  compared to last year, my first at this location when I hadn't really got sorted out. We are also destined for some windy weather; last night ripped the fences down, pulled the guy anchors out, overturned the bird tables and amputated a few branches.

6M (adult male) Bullfinch

During the first four months of the year I caught 53% less birds than last year. This continued into the four months of the breeding season (May - Aug) with a slight improvement, just 52% down, thanks to a slightly positive May total. In part this was due to the fact that the water meadows were 'out of bounds' most of the time, thanks to the flooding. The final four months of the year really were a salvation, since the totals are 70% UP on last year, all of this taking place in our small orchard. 

3M (young male) Blackcap

Mmmm. Whereas it used to be Blackcaps in East Anglia, it is "King Harry's" (Goldfinches) that dominate down here with me. Apart from the aforesaid and Chiffs (and passage Willies in spring), I hardly see a warbler down here. Those Welsh boys (Cardiff ringers, etc.) don't seem to pass any over the Bristol Channel! It's not that far!

Mmmm. A grab-it-while-you-can week; 14 species, 26 new birds plus 16 recaptures.
Wood Pigeon 1
Blue Tit 1 (2)
Great Tit (1)
Coal Tit 2 (3)
Long-tailed Tit (1)
Blackcap (1)
Blackbird 3
Robin (1)
Dunnock (1)
Chaffinch 4
Greenfinch 1
Goldfinch 12 (4)
Siskin 1
Bullfinch (2)

2 (6M) old male Long-tailed Tit (retrap)

Mmmm. Maybe the last time we'll be able to get any ringing done before the close of 2012. When the wind drops, there is a hive of activity out there - but it's still raining. The only time it "shuts up" is after dusk / tea-time for a few hours - and then there aren't any birds - or many owls round here (few woods, loads of soggy sheep pasture) to nab!

Happy New Year to all you folks out there, whoever you are (I do know a few of you!).
May you enjoy your birding and/or your ringing over the next 12 months! I certainly intend to!

Better wet than never!

As everyone is aware - it's been wet ... and wet ... and wet! Last year was much drier and we only had 660 mm of precipitation here at Fairmead. This year, we have had 1131 mm so far, with 1025 mm of that since the end of April! The ability to go bird-ringing has been severely diminished, mainly because of the direct influence of the weather but also the indirect affect the rainfall has had on the breeding success of so many of our target species.

I suspect that if the forecast drought, that ended the moment it was mentioned, had continued as promised, it would have had even more dire consequences on our birdlife and the farmers' crops than we are seeing now.

Goldfinches have been the order of the week, in and out of the apple trees. The Dunnocks are still chasing each other from bush to bird-table to next doors'. We still have plenty of Cotoeaster berries left, enough to keep the Redwings happy for a while yet. They are the highest ones (18-20 foot up) so a slim chance of a catch. Every time the sun comes out, the local tits are crawling all over the tree branches, apple, alder, ash, hawthorn,  willow, you name it.

I've not had the luck of another local ringer, Denise, who today caught a Moscow ringed Brambling, only the 3rd from that area. Dang!!! Read here

When out for a walk with the dog this morning to get the 'local rag', I came across one of the village House Sparrow colonies. Several birds (4-6) were drinking and bathing in the puddles along the unmade (private) road behind the bowling green. Four others were chirping in the thick hedge of the immediate cottage plus a couple more that I didn't spot until later. Then I saw what I first thought was a thrush heading straight for 'us'. The sparrows panicked back into the hedge/garden and I could only then make out that it was actually an adult male Sparrowhawk coming 'our' way. It kept low to the ground, sweeping up at the last minute in the hopes of nabbing a fleeing 'sprog' and wheeling sharply down the narrow alley/ginnel that leads to the recreation ground empty handed/clawed. The 'sparras's' bird id on gizz is evidently better than mine. Brill!

It's been an 'A' coding, 'tit-finch' 7 days, with birds attracted to the feeders everytime the rain eased off, and with just 27 new and 7 re-traps to my name this week.

Juvenile fringes - Collared Dove

Collared Dove 1 -  truly unmoulted juvenile

Blue Tit 2 (1)

Great Tit 2 (1)

Coal Tit 1

Blackcap 1 - another (male) makes 16 this winter so far

Robin (2) - both local-bred juveniles

Dunnock 2 (2)

House Sparrow 2 (1)

Greenfinch 3 - all males

Goldfinch 11 - they are still coming through after a clear night

Siskin 1 - adult male

Bullfinch 1 - only the 2nd adult male since the breeding season; should be more to come?

Merry Christmas to all of you out there from a rather wet Somerset!

Why Marsh Tits are having it tough

Go and read it here http://stuffthatricharddid.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/the-problem-with-marsh-tits.html written by a good friend of mine who has put a lot of work into finding this out. If he doesn't get his doctorate with this, I'll eat my hat.



I cut my teeth on these and their Wilti cousins in the Huntingdonshire woodlands many decades ago thanks to Julian Limentani.

Wha' d'ya know!

It's Friday and it's piddling down and blowing stiffley and there's no ringing today. Answer - do the weekly blog update. It has been frosty most nights (down to -6C), sunny one day, cloudy the next; not the best ringing/migration weather.

The Coal Tits seem to have passed on, the Goldcrests, too, and there were far less Blackbirds evident around the house. Lots of Blue Tits at the moment - but they're canny wee birds and skip over the tops of the nets. The Redwings continue to visit our neighbours tall Cotoneaster (hence the numbers ringed), having abandoned our Holly, which is now 99.9% devoid of berries.

Redwing (adult, December)

There have been six or more Blackcaps in the garden, five of whom now have bling on their right leg. That's 12 trapped so far this month, all of which have to be immigrants from the continent. This follows the three week gap between emigrants and immigrants that was also evident at my old ringing site that I ran for twenty years in north Bedfordshire where Blackcap was the top (most numerous) species ringed. To assist them through the winter, I put out soaked sultanas on the (three) bird tables as well as the usual seed varieties. 

Need to take these wee things on AE with smaller f-stop

Dunnocks have been 'showing off' lately, with 'beta' males trying to muscle in on the flirting. The Herring Gulls are back and their friends joined them this week on the factory roofs visible from our kitchen and landing windows. At least we haven't got the LBBGs back yet; they have a habit of sitting on our chimney pots and yelling down the flues whilst we're having breakfast! Perhaps they're at Anza, Morocco. See here

A surprise bird was the juvenile Piedy Wag that was low in the net in the orchard. They are usually caught across the lawn during or soon after nesting.

8th-14th Dec. A total of 48 different birds, 28 newbies given bling, plus 20 re-visiting from previous weeks, some more than once (not counted). 

Goldcrest (1)

Blue Tit 4 (5)

Great Tit 1 (1)

Coal Tit (1)

Long-tailed Tit (3)

Blackcap 4 (1)

Blackbird 1

Redwing 4

Robin 1 (2)

Dunnock 1 (4)

House Sparrow 1 (2)

Pied Wagtail 1

Greenfinch 2

Goldfinch 6

Siskin 1

Bullfinch 1

Nowhere to go

Appointments, appointments, appointments; one of those weeks. So when it wasn't raining, and I wasn't busy attending to this, that and the other, it was another week of garden ringing. Fortunately we get some protection from the northerly winds or I'd be scuppered.

Blackcaps are making a show at the moment. I had five new birds through in late October (ringed), two more last week and four this week. Fellow ringer, John, had a whopping twelve during the back half of November. It's no good, I shall have to plant some Fig trees!

First male Blackcap of this autumn

I don't think that I've caught two Collared Doves in a week before; both were hatched earlier in the year - and that may explain it, 'cos the regular adults know how to avoid getting caught (or how to get out!). There has been an influx of Blackbirds locally but the Redwings and Fieldfare groups seem to have passed on, leaving the odd bird or two to the residual food. A pleasant surprise was a small party of Siskins that came to the feeders. Four were caught as they tried to escape our terrier, with a lone bird calling from the top of the apple tree.

Siskin under-tail coverts (adult)

This week saw 16 species, with 36 new birds plus 18 re-captures.
Collared Dove 2 - both young birds (from the spring?)
Goldcrest (1)
Blue Tit 8 (3)
Great Tit (2)
Coal Tit (2)
Long-tailed Tit (2)
Chiffchaff 1 - almost certainly an abietinus
Blackcap 4 - 2x 1CY plus 1 adult female and a 1CY male, 
Blackbird 4 (2)
Robin 1 (3)
Dunnock 2 (1)
Chaffinch 1
Greenfinch 2 (1)
Goldfinch 5 (1)
Siskin 4 - all caught at once
Bullfinch 2 - both young females

Wintering Chiffchaff

          Young Robin 'with the hump' on a cold day

Must go and make 'best use' of this sunshine, today!

Another flood over

I meant to say " another week over", so there.

1CY controlled Coal Tit

The flooding that occurred in the early hours of Sunday has subsided and those affected in the village have finished mopping up but are a long way from getting back to normal. The worst affected had three feet of flood water in their downstairs accommodation. However, I know of one family that has had to move out altogether in the interim; there may be more. Our plasterer could be in for a hectic period once the dehumidifiers are out.

Part of Robert Street, post flooding

This week has been characterised by cloud, 56 mm of rain and a stiff breeze for the first half, and then frost, sunny mornings and light winds for the remainder. Both these conditions have rendered bird ringing a little on the adventitious side, grabbing a few hours when the weather and temperature allowed. Nevertheless, I have managed to ring 30 new birds, including two chance Blackcaps, and recapture a further 20 birds of just 12 species.

The two first year female Blackcaps [30-11-12]

We have had two flocks, totalling at least 20 birds, of different Long-tailed Tits through the orchard. They were on the same day, about three hours apart. The unfortunate few were 'low fliers'. Two of the re-traps were first ringed here in mid March and early June last year. But, two other birds were first ringed by neighbouring ringer, John, at the end of January 2011. Both these birds, accompanied by two of mine, have a long re-trap history of passing between our two sites, which are approx. 2-3 km apart at opposite ends of the parish.

The orchard list (Sat - Fri; 5 sessions)

Collared Dove 1 - an immature from this spring

Goldcrest (2) - includes the adult female

Blue Tit 6 (2) - 4 of the new birds were adults, the rest 1CYs

Coal Tit (1 control) - 1CY bird - Y0874nn - ex Quantocks?

Long-tailed Tit 7 (5 + 2 controls)

Blackcap 2 - both weighty imm. females

Blackbird 3 (2) - all young birds

Redwing 1 - a lone adult, 1st this autumn

Robin (4) - there are at least 8 birds about

Dunnock 2 (1) - 

Greenfinch 3 - all females

Goldfinch 5 (1) - 4 new adult males and 2 juv males

Male Greenfinch (Nov)

As a matter of interest, over the last month (November), there have been at least 38 different Goldfinch in the garden, 35 different Blue Tits, 19 Blackbirds and 15 Greenfinch, as these are the numbers that I have trapped. We never see that number of birds, of course.

The met. people are forecasting more heavy rain for the beginning of next week. Hey ho!