Plenty Spring Chiffin

Well, another week has gone by so I need to put pen to paper - or bash the keyboard in modern parlance.

The Equinox weather is not as kind as last year; we are suffering minus 5 at night and, if the sun shines, plus 5 during early afternoon. The wind continues to come from the east or north-east and only occasionally drops to "light air". We also had 35mm of rain on 21st/22nd and a light drop of snow this morning. Compared to counties further north and east, we are positively 'balmy'. At least the roads are clear, very clear.

Vismig wise, Stock Doves and Meadow Pipits seem to be all that is happening, although I did hear a Curlew calling from the hill. Every day the garden has played host to between 3 and 7 Chiffchaffs, not all of which have found the net (can't put them everywhere!). Over the last few days, Blackcaps have started to appear, too. As far as I can tell, all the birds of both species which are passing through here are males. Females usually appear some 7-10 days later; we'll have to wait and see. I am also expecting to extract the first Willow Warbler sometime next week. The Apple trees want to blossom but it's so cold for the time of year.

I was given a fresh Sparrowhawk that had flown into some garden furniture. No ring.

Things are beginning to even up on the Siskin front. Previously, there has been a heavy preponderance towards adults and a bias for males. More recently the imbalance between full adult and 2CY has reduced (7:5), and it's the same for the sexes (M:F). They had a shocking breeding season last year round here (prolonged rain and felling of much larch affected by Phytophthora), so a shortage of "virgin" birds is to be expected. 100 Siskin in total ringed so far this year compares favourably with 40 last year and 43 the year before. And controlled birds, too!

Goldcrest - 1, a passing male
Blue Tit - (1)
Great Tit - (1)
Long-tailed Tit - (2), obviously a pair
Chiffchaff - 15, all with wing lengths from 61-66mm, no obvious 5's (2CY)
Blackcap - 6 (1) + 1 control, new birds were all males except the one 2CY; re-trap was one of our over-wintering females, control L293404 of as yet unknown origin.
Blackbird - 1 (1), both males, the females are on eggs but visit at dawn for a sultana or two
Robin - (2), both last year's youngsters, the ladies are on eggs somewhere
Dunnock - (3), courtship activity has slackened over the week
Chaffinch - female with 'scaly leg' not ringed
Greenfinch - 1
Goldfinch - 5 (2),
Siskin - 10 + 2 controls, 1 from the other side of the village (2km W) more than once, and 1 as yet unrecognised male L869461
 Total = 40 + 13 re-captures + 3 controls

Male Blackcap - spring

We have frog spawn! Fortunately, the pond is close to the house and doesn't often freeze over.

Stop-start

Torrential rain forecast for the next 48 hours. What will the birds make of that? It's not spring, but it's not winter either. But it is the coldest March for 15 or so years.

It has been a "grab it while you can" sort of week. As it turned out, the species list was one of the longest for some time, meaning summer is on its way, no matter how slowly. We have gone from Brambling to Chiffchaff, coupled with a vis-mig of Meadow Pipits and Pied Wagtails.

Now some pics of the common birds caught lately -

Male Great Tit

Male Chaffinch (3CY+, March)

Male Dunnock

Male Siskin (March)

What's been going on since last week's blog?

Woodpigeon - 1; quite a heavy bird
Collared Dove - 1; number 19 (in 2 years)
Blue Tit - (1); young female starting to get her first brood patch
Great Tit - 1; a new male muscling in?
Coal Tit - 1; new 2CY female
Chiffchaff - 2; both males on wing length (62 & 66 mm)
Blackcap - (1); one of the males now weighing 23 g (fat 40)
Wren - 2 (2); 3 (noisy) males and a new '3CY+ lady'
Blackbird - (3); inc. 3CY female with a good brood patch
Song Thrush - 1 (1); new young male and an experienced female
Robin - (2); the 3CY female (hatched here) had a well developed BP
Dunnock - 2 (3); lost count of how many are around the garden hedges
House Sparrow - 1; male
Chaffinch - 3; 2 ad. females & ad. male - all UK on wing length
Brambling - 2; both females, both fat 20
Greenfinch - 1; opposite sex attracted by the displaying male?
Goldfinch - 1 (1); probably not locals (they know the routine!)
Siskin - 24 (2) +2C; 'prolific' - following the current, national trend.
Total captures = 61 of 18 spp. = 43 new + 18 re-traps/controls

Season's first Chiff; heavily abraded male

2CY Siskin; old secondaries, 1 old tertial, old outer tail

Female Brambling - mid March

Although we are having heavy rain with little let up, the weather is far worse further north, in Wales and north-west England. Perhaps their snow will drive the birds south briefly towards us. Perhaps it won't. We will have to see. Find out next week.

Brrr!

Jeeps, it's cold in this gale. Nothing to what we could get in Norway or SGSSI but my bones are 40+ years older now. We have none but there's snow on the hills all around us.

Not a lot going on these last few days. Down on the meadows, the Egret numbers yo-yo between 4 and 1, the Redwings come and go (on passage), the Jackdaw numbers have increased to 6 pairs - and the pied one that comes in the garden is still without a partner.  Today, 6 Lesser Black-backs were loafing with a couple of Herring Gulls in with the horses. Here, the Blackcaps sing - and fight - and we have had them joining the choir of Siskins and Goldfinches up in the Ash trees. Another visitor to theses trees has been several Rooks, chewing off twigs to refurbish their nests up the nearby lane. The increase in passing Chaffinches has been the only noticeable thing around the feeders.

Someone has recently cleared last year's nest from the asbestos roof next door where the Herring Gulls breed. Currently, there are 3 or even 4 pairs parading daily on the roof and last years 'tenants' are busy replacing their "mattress" up agin the boiler stack. 

Recently, I re-caught an old-time Blue Tit, shewn below. Since ringing, it had contracted leg mange [visible on the ringed leg]. It had lost its other foot completely [bone poking out]. Otherwise, it seemed in good health and coping well. Perhaps a grant from "Help for Heroes"?

Now for some totals for the week:

Blue Tit 1 (3)

Blackcap (1)

Wren (1)

Blackbird (1)

Robin 1 (2)

Chaffinch 3

Goldfinch 4 (1)

Siskin 17

[New 26, re-traps (10), species 8]

Definitely a time of Siskin passage, with one bird re-caught 3 days later. A re-trapped Wren and a re-trapped Blue Tit were originally ringed as 3J's last summer.

Neighbouring ringer, John, caught one of my 4F Chaffinches after 151 days and a 6M Siskin ringed here in mid-Feb. I retaliated with one of his SK's ringed just last week. He also caught another adult SK from Karen, a local C ringer, from last spring (368 days).

There was a Dipper singing here until a Landcruiser came along!

The strong winds combined with low temperatures have stopped play for a few days. The bird tables have blown over and are now guyed to the nearest cover. And refilled! So far, they are still standing. Current SFH consumption is nearing 2kg per day and sultanas approx 100-125 grams. And then there is all the other stuff - Nyger, mixed seed, mealworms, brown bread, fat balls, peanuts both shelled and 'as dug'.

Egrove sheep field - looking towards Exmoor
[WSR Swindon shed in middle ground]

No sooner said than done.

The good Lord must have been listening - He sent me a Redpoll!

We had our first spring Meadow Pipit over north last week. In the sheep field, which now has sheep and lambs in it, the Little Owl has moved out - temporarily, until the sheep go, then he/she will be back. The eight Jackdaws that nest in the farmhouse chimneys use the field instead. However, the local head Crow takes exception to this at times and harries them into leaving. The Daws just make a lot of noisy fuss, return to the rooftop and bide their time until the coast is clear once more. The Magpie nest is finished but there is no sign of incubation yet as the pair can be seen loafing on/keeping a look-out from the hill. ['She' was sat atop the nest today] With the first flush of Hawthorn leaves, the Long-tailed Tits are busy prospecting and hoping to pick up a bit of wool from the field opposite. The Moorhen pair are proving elusive.

In the garden, most of the residents are singing and their lady friends are starting to get brood patches, though none I've seen has yet got a full blooded one apart from a Robin, today. Dunnocks are everywhere. The Blackcaps (at least 3) are still with us, scoffing the soaked sultanas and mealworms between bouts of singing and dancing. I have managed to pick up a couple of Denise's Siskins lately (National Park, 11 miles away) and also a stray Greenfinch (4CY) from John who lives at the other end of our (rather straggly) village. His garden faces a wood and open farmland, while I'm surrounded by large gardens and light industrial. John has just told me he's netted a Brambling from Norway and a host of Siskins coming to drink at his pond, so I'm definitely in the wrong place.

Just broken into another £196 's worth of rings! I hope my pension's going to go up in the Budget! Good job I don't need any nets just yet!

God's gift

Plodding on regardless with a good day invariably followed by a rubbish on. Time to move the nets around. Won't be long now before the first Chiffs arrive.

Blue Tit 3 (1)
Great Tit 1 (1)
Long-tailed Tit (1)
Blackcap (2)
Wren (2) - both male, one not seen since last March
Blackbird 3 (4)
Song Thrush 1
Robin (6) - that's a full house!
Dunnock (3)
House Sparrow 1 (3)
Chaffinch 3 (3)
Greenfinch 1C
Goldfinch 13 (10)
Siskin 2 + 1C
Lesser Redpoll 1
Bullfinch (1)

27 new birds + 2 'local' Controls + (37 recaptures)

A bit different

Wind and rain stopped play - first for 20 days! Nobody mention the word "drought" - you know what happened last time!