The next two days

Two more mornings were spent down in the water meadow orchard (21 & 22 Sept). The Friday was cloudy with the wind easing and Saturday was brighter with the wind picking up again. Altogether, we had 33 new birds with a mere 3 recaptures.

Under-tail coverts of Grey Wagtail (1CY)

The red-letter bird on day 1 was another Grey Wagtail; the rest of the cast comprised mainly of 'King Harry's, a pleasing return to autumn ringing. With a small Mipit passage going on, I 'tape lured' two specimens, both 1CY birds with short (UK) wing lengths.

Simultaneous shedding of greater coverts in juvenile Goldfinch (late Sept)

Day 2 was less successful but we handled yet another Song Thrush and our first Goldcrest of the second winter period. However, the star prize 'today' was to be a 3F Reed Bunting, yet another 'new for year' species. 

The full count was as follows:
Goldcrest 1 - adult male
Chiffchaff 2 (1) - new birds both adults
Blackcap 2 - both males
Blackbird (1) - aged '4M' Aug 2011             
Song Thrush 1 - another juv
Robin 1 (1)
Dunnock 2
Grey Wagtail 1 - 1CY
Meadow Pipit 2 - 1CY

Contrast between greater and primary coverts - 1CY Chaffinch

 Chaffinch 3 - 2 adults & 1CY
Greenfinch 4 - all juvs undergoing PJ moult
Goldfinch 13 - no adult birds!
Reed Bunting 1 - a small imm. female

I spent the next week with our caravan up in NW Norfolk, enjoying the noisy Pink-feet and the swirling Knot flocks! ... and meeting friends and family of "her indoors", my partner Jenny. [I should say she spends much of her time in the garden or walking her dog, so a bit of a mis-nomer!!!]

Just like 'buses

None. Then three come at once. New species ringed for the 1km square.      

1CY female

 On Saturday, the the meadow on the west side of the stream was mown. On Monday it was teddered. On Wednesday (yesterday) it was baled. I was able to get into the site before it was baled, this being the first time this year that I have been able to do so. [Firstly, the area was heavily flooded in April, it then remained very wet and, finally, the hay was so tall and thick I couldn't get my car on there].

Ringing site in middle ground, Rydon Hill in the background

I did get to do some ringing on Wednesday with a little success. This was pleasing as it was quite windy and I finished with 11 new birds and three re-traps, covering 10 species. When I went to bed, the sky was starlit, but when I got up, it was 8/8 cloud and the promised decrease in wind strength had not materialised. Nevertheless, I trogged off down the meadows and opened the nets, all 180' of them, in the small orchard and round the bend in the stream. After one hour, I had caught nothing and was thinking 'what a waste of effort'. But it turned out better than I had hoped; best catch all year down there with 21 new and 2 re-traps, covering 10 species. I also found a "crossing", where it is just possible to get from one side of the stream to the other, right where we put the nets. That will save a long (10+ minute) walk round! What a good dog 'Cerise' is to point me in the right direction!

Cerise - or Belsharose Cote D'Or (a BSD)

By the end of the two days, I had ringed 34 new birds and re-captured 5 of some 15 species. After far too long being unable to get in a really good session (considering the constraints of the site), I was really pleased with the result. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next two days will bring forth.  Visible migration is a bit stop-start at the moment. This depends to some extent here on the tides in the Bristol Channel as many birds feed up again as soon as they hit the shore-line and cliffs, if they have come over the water from Wales - as many do.

Today It started with a couple of Blackcap and a couple of Chiffs calling from the brambles; they had probably dropped with the front but they didn't hang about once it had warmed up a little. A few Chaffinches then appeared, followed by the first wave of Greenfinches. Some Swallows were on the wing by half-seven but a second wave moved through swiftly an hour later, followed by a very large insurgence around 10 o'clock (GMT +1) that hugged the newly cut floor of the field. Some moved on after 15 minutes feeding while others went and rested on the overhead electricity cables as the sun came out. Around 8 o'clock, a few Linnets and Pied Wagtails appeared. "Putting a tape on", I managed to seduce three Linnets into the nets. These became my "new" birds, bringing the total species ringed so far in the 1km square to 49. As usual, the Goldfinches moved from place to place, exploiting the thistles on a daily basis as they ripen. The Meadow Pipits were late this morning and in very poor numbers; none came to 'tape' although I thought one might have been interested at one point.

Pointed tail feathers of a 1CY (female) Linnet

1CY male Linnet

 The final bird turned out to be a "new for year" one, a juvenile Sedge Warbler. This particular bird, with a wing of 64mm, weighed 11.7 gms and was carrying some reasonable fat (ESF 30). We would have had more if only we had been able to access the site in July and August. One other bird of note was a fully grown adult male Blackbird that had lost half its tarsus and foot on the left side. No photo, I'm afraid, as I don't have three hands!

Juvenile Sedge Warbler

 The final tally over 2 days was:
Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 - adult male in moult
Blue Tit 3 (1) - mix of ages
Great Tit (1) - adult female
Long-tailed Tit 4 (1)
Blackcap 4 - 50/50 sexes
Chiffchaff 1 (1)
Sedge Warbler 1 - NFY
Wren 1 - a very juvenile one
Blackbird 1
Song Thrush 1 - juv (6 ogc)
Robin 1 (1)
Chaffinch 4 - all PJ-ing with some fat; 50/50 M/F
Greenfinch 5 - from a spotty young female to a smart adult male
Goldfinch 3 - ??local birds, PJ-ing
Linnet 3 - today's jackpot

"Bring me sunshine..." but not too bright and with some broken cloud!

Autumn passage

This last week we have noticed that autumn passage seems to have got under way down here. This doesn't mean to say that some passage, especially of warblers, has not been going on for the last two months, but merely that some other species are now being heard, seen and caught. Newly trapped birds have been showing evidence of laying down fat for their onward migration, most likely across the English Channel (La Manche for you francophiles).        

Not a lot of ringing has been done this week but the birding has been interesting. There was an influx of Swallows on Saturday, with much feeding over the meadows. Fortunately, the other half of the hay meadow (across the stream) was cut and left in winrows on the same day. This must have exposed or disturbed much of the insect life that the hirundines then exploited. Where the birds went to roost is a mystery, but it may have been in an area of willow and tall Himalayan Balsam to the north of where we usually ring. The birds were certainly apparent early on when I set up for a session on Sunday.

Swallows 'resting' between feeding bouts on the HT overhead cables.

Early on Sunday morning (ca.7am) 54 CANGOs (les Bernaches du Canada) moved quietly south, presumably to Hawkridge, or even Durleigh, Reservoir. About one hour later, a noisy flock of 73 Canadas returned from that direction. Had they come across a shooting party? Another hour later and over 100 returned, split into six parties of approx 20 each, from the direction of Blue Anchor/ Dunster Beach. What was going on?

Including a few hours netting in the garden, the total for the week reached 14 new birds and 9 retraps of 10 species; not a lot, I know, but the result of a poorer than usual season. Trainee Lizzie was unable to come this weekend but has promised to turn up one day this coming week before I disappear to NW Norfolk for some incoming "Pinkies", etc..

Great Tit (2)
Coal Tit 2 (1)
Chiffchaff 1 (1) - with fat10
Blackcap 2 (1) - 2 males with fat10, female fat25 (ESF)
Blackbird (1)
Robin 1 (2) - new bird had fat10; migrant?
Dunnock 2 (1)
Meadow Pipit 1 - on migration, fat20
Chaffinch 4 - on migration, all fat10
Goldfinch 1


The Meadow Pipit photo clearly shows the pronounced 'tooth' on the (3) juvenile median coverts and the inner greater coverts with their 'indentation' compared to the outer ones that have a more diffuse margin.


One of the other migrants, a 1CY female Chaffinch.

The retrap Blackcap was originally ringed here on 10th July last year as a 3J male. All the other recaptures are, not surprisingly, of this years juveniles.

I am hoping that the hay will be baled today, [it was teddered - that means we can drive between the rows instead] so that I can attempt a ringing session in the 'orchard' and set a tape up for some more Mipits!

          
This is the second of these to be found moving across the lawn this month.

Summer's over

I walked the dog down the meadows yesterday and up to the stables, keeping my eye out as I went. It was no surprise to find the 6 family parties of Swallows from Lee's stables (ca. 36 birds) had departed south ahead of the cold front. Just one pair that have large young in the (inaccessible) nest remain on duty in John's garage. More Swallows, in twos and threes, leisurely ambled their way across the mown fields in the direction of the Equator.

The Green- and Chaffinches were more visible, as was a small (4-5 birds) flock of Long-tailed Tits with some Blue & Coal Tit hangers-on. I didn't hear a single Blackcap but the juvenile Chiffs were still 'hooeeting' in the hedgerows. 

For better or for worse?

Another week and four more sessions out of the way. Just the one was with any seriousness as the weather is still not very conducive for ringing down at the meadows. The garden remains dead in daylight hours, although some of the bird food is disappearing, albeit slowly. Just one highlight - a Nuthatch flew from front to back. The Tawny and Little Owls have started calling again, so winter's on its way.

On the 4th it was 6 new birds of 6 species, including a Swallow and a coal Tit. On Saturday the 8th, we had 220' of net up in good weather after a front had gone through. This was to be the best day with 10 new and 3 retraps. The following two mornings were on the windy side and ringing was curtailed after a couple of hours. Nevertheless, 5 new Chiffs plus 1 on the Sunday and 4 new birds of 4 species plus 1 already ringed entered the ringing book.

The 25 new birds and 5 recaptures (in brackets) were as follows:

Swallow 2

Blue Tit 1

Great Tit (2)

Coal Tit 1

Long-tailed Tit 1

Chiffchaff 5 (3)

Blackcap 6

Wren 1

Blackbird 3

Robin 2

Dunnock 2

Greenfinch 1

Twelve species is a good spread for this time of year.

Staring skywards during moments of inactivity or refreshment, bird-watching produced a Hobby, a Wood Sand, the following day 2 Common Sands and on the last two days a Green Sand that is likely to remain for two or three weeks. Sorely tempted to have a go for this one night, now that I've found a spot to set a net. There have been the usual family of not very shy Buzzards, two/three Grey Herons mooching about, a mini vis-mig of Chaffinches and the local 6-family pack of Swallows entertaining me/us as the sun shows over the hill.

To put this year's rotten conditions in context, I checked over the database for monthly totals. Last year in June I worked the site for just the last week and processed 22 (all new) birds, whereas this year, in a full month we only managed 17. July figures are 223 and 18 respectively, August 131 and 33, and already in September we have achieved 67 compared to a full month last year of 79. We might have to call a drought soon as we've only had 1mm of rain so far this month!!! Our only problem at the moment has been the stiff north-west wind that gets up far too often.

Female Chiffchaff completing PJ moult (Sept) 

Juvenile Swallow (Sept)

Juvenile female Blackbird prior to PJ moult (early Sept)

Next suitable day looks like Friday. Will report back again after next weekend.