End of a difficult summer

Ringing activities have been confined to the garden/orchard these last 8-9 days. It has been somewhat different for the time of year when compared to other years. So far, there has not been an appreciable movement of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps hereabouts. In part this may be attributable to the low numbers of Blackberries that have ripened so far, which, apart from providing sugar rich food for migrating birds, also attract significant numbers of diptera and other insects for these travellers to feed on. Also in the boundary hedge, our Honeysuckle has a profusion of berries but they are not palatable yet.

Honeysuckle berries

Back to the species list for this time period. For the sake of a couple of nets open for a couple of hours most mornings (commencing about half an hour after sunrise), it turned in a reasonable total of 28 new birds and 18 re-captures across 11 "garden" species.

Blue Tit 2 (2) - 3 young birds (2 potential males, 1 potential female) plus a 2CY male

Great Tit (1) - ad. male, ringed in the spring

Blackcap 3 - a handsome young male, & 2 females undergoing PJ moult

Wren 3 - all unmoulted juvenile males (on size & weight)

Blackbird 2 (2) - 3 young birds & a 3CY male

Robin 3 (3) - juveniles & post-nuptial females

Dunnock 1 (1) - 1 juv., 1 2CY in moult

Chaffinch 1 - juv. male at the replacing its ogc's stage (2ogc). This bird had replaced a few tail feathers (retrices) on one side. The photo shows the differing shapes between juvenile feathers (pointed) and replacement/adult ones (more rounded)

Juvenile (male) Chaffinch with rounded replacement
tail feathers (LHS) contrasting with the pointed juvenile ones

Greenfinch 4 (3) - 3 females, 2 males & 2 juv. males

Goldfinch 9 (6) - in the last 2 days - 7 moulting adults & 8 youngsters in PJ moult.  The adults all had 2-4 old outer primaries and 2-3 growing feathers. They had all begun to moult their secondaries, too. Previously, almost all recent birds have been juveniles in entirely juvenile plumage (before the PJ moult starts)

Siskin 1 - a juvvy juvenile (i.e. recently fledged!) and female.

This week's juvenile female Siskin

This small group of eighteen re-traps has provided some interesting data. 

Firstly, a female Robin (L601), ringed as a juvenile here in early July 2011, goes missing whenever she is nesting. In mid-April 2012, she was caught three days apart with a vascularised brood patch, indicating that she was starting to incubate. This was just before our big "downpour" (= major flood). She was not re-caught for a further 162 days (or 23 weeks) when she was coming to the end of her complete, post-nuptial moult. But her brood patch was still visible, although feathering up. Between these two dates it is wholly possible that she reared three broods, which is quite normal for a fit member of the species, providing there are no mishaps.

In 2013, however, she was caught in mid-March and mid-April. Between those dates, going by her brood patch, she had laid, incubated and hatched a brood. This struck me as "odd", since the weather had been cold (but dry) up until the end of the first week in April. Perhaps cold-and-dry is preferable to mild-and-wet for starting a brood of Robins. Anyhow, she wasn't to re-appear for another 106 days (15 weeks), time enough for another two broods. Once more she was completing her annual moult, just some body feathers to finish changing, and some 5-6 weeks earlier than last year. 

Next, male Blackbird (LC36), ringed as a 1CY bird in mid-November 2011, is a regular visitor to the garden and can be recognised by his plumage pattern (which is less obvious since his latest moult). Last year he disappeared for 373 days (29 weeks). He was last spotted the day after the big "downpour" and returned about the time the rains eased off. During his absence, we had 711 mm of rain (28 inches), which is 55% more than normal. I wonder what he was doing and where he went to escape the waterlogged soils?

Then there is a Greenfinch (TL94). First ringed as a 2CY female on my birthday (mid-Feb) 2012 and not seen again until this week, 568 days later. The weight was the same and the wing length a tad longer, and she was starting her annual moult. Has this bird been around all the time or does she just come for the winter and the sunflower hearts?

Lastly, the Goldfinches. Six of those adults have a record. X843 is a 2010 male bird that hasn't been recorded since mid-June 2011, a gap of 820 days. His wing length is 1mm shorter than when he was a juvenile; a normal occurence in this species, whereas in some species it increases with age (e.g. tits). X882 is another male, born in 2009 or earlier, that was ringed in April 2011, re-caught in May 2012 and then again this week. He is currently in the 2nd stage (of 4) of replacing his primaries. Male L713 and female L963 were both immature birds when trapped in 2011. Neither have been seen since, a gap of 765 and 671 days respectively. Now in their third year, they were moulting and are 1 gram heavier than when they were young (approx. 7%), in keeping with the other healthy birds. The other two, males Y819 & Y930, were caught during last winter when their weights were higher than they are now; the current night time temperatures are 7C higher and daytime ones 13C higher, which explains the need for carrying extra fat in winter in order to keep warm overnight.

Young male Goldfinch acquiring its red cap

PJ = post-juvenile;   CY = calendar year;   ogc = old greater coverts;   juv. = juvenile

A dreary autumn - I hope not

Back from my visitations and trying to catch some birds for ringing once more. We have managed to get in 7 short, early morning sessions since last time, but only one of these has been at the meadows, the rest in the garden.  This has involved between 60-130 ft. of netting that was open for about 25 hours in total. Last week the local riding school held gymkhana training for the young ladies, including using the stream/fords. Unfortunately a pony had to be put down (shot) and consequently the other horses have been allowed  out of that enclosure to roam; we don't like mixing horses that have free access and our nets - for both our safety's sakes. This is why we only use the site for half a year or less.

Things seem to have dried up, or, at least, come to a temporary stop bird-wise. There are plenty of birds down the eastern side of England but little over here, excepting the usual hot-spots. DJO, a visiting friend, and former county recorder for 14 years, picked up a pair of Ravens over the garden early one morning and spotted a migrating Hobby on another evening. We regularly attract 23-31 species of bird to the garden each week [GBW survey figures]; the garden list currently stands at 77 in or over after just 38 months.

The last Chiff caught was a week ago and the  three Blackcaps have been 5 days apart. Nevertheless, we have managed to trap 15 species (one new), to ring 33 birds and recapture a further 14. This is similar to the two previous year - 42 of 16 (2011) and 31 of 10 (wet 2012) - when the predominate species were Chiff, Blackcap, Blue Tit and Blackbird. This year the mix is somewhat different.

Woodpigeon 1 - one of the breeding pair
Green Woodpecker 1 - an un-sexable youngster, 2nd for the garden, 1st to be ringed here.

Juvenile Green Woodpecker
[sexable once the malar stripe appears at the end of their
 partial (or post juvenile) moult]

Blue Tit 2 (2) - this year's birds
Great Tit 5 (1) - 1 adult male in fresh plumage; all the youngsters were moulting tails

Coal Tit 1 - first post-juvenile of the year
Long-tailed Tit (2) - returnees from the previous post 
Chiffchaff 2 - both in the early stages of PJ moult
Blackcap 3 - 2 females in PJ moult and a sub-adult male
Wren (2) - "our male" (moulting) and a juvenile
Blackbird (1) - ringed as a 1J
Robin 1 (2) - 2x 3JP's and our resident female (in her 3rd year)
The adults have finished their moult but the juveniles are mostly about half way through their partial moult, as can be seen right now by the red breast but with a speckled head.
Dunnock 2 (2) - a male, a new female & 2 juvs
House Sparrow 1 (1) - both female, one at least 3 years old
Greenfinch 7 - 6 juvs of equal sexes & a moulting adult female
Goldfinch 10 (1) - 6 young males & 4 females; r/t a 2011 male

Juvenile Robin undergoing post-juvenile moult

We trust that the weather patterns will be in our favour soon. Previous Septembers have proved to be good for catching Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Meadow Pipit and Goldfinch [in that order as the month progresses]. The next three weeks will make all the difference.

Where have all the Blue Tits gone?

Wake up to Whimbrel

The weather hasn't been all that conducive for ringing of late - and probably not for the birds, as well, while many are undergoing their annual moult in preparation for winter or a long journey south. Seven new birds in the garden/orchard and 12 new birds down at the meadows/stream is not a lot to show for eight days at, what should be, peak migration time.

Today, I noticed more Blackcaps around, 'ticcing' from the trees and hedgerows. Yesterday, we were lucky enough to see 14 Whimbrel just after dawn, in-off the Bristol Channel on their way to some resting and feeding spot further south. The birds were calling and flying in line-astern. The most noticeable event of the week was the number of newly fledged, and, as yet, unmoulted juvenile Wrens, six in all (or 25% of the catch!)

The lists: 

House - Blue Tit 1, Chiffchaff 1, Wren 3, Blackbird 1, House Sparrow (1) & Goldfinch 1. Every bird was a juvenile.

Juvenile Whitethroat

Farm - Kingfisher (2), Blue Tit 1, Long-tailed Tit 1, Chiffchaff 2, Blackcap 1 + a control, Whitethroat 1, Wren 3, Robin 1, Dunnock 1.

Juvenile (female) Kingfisher [retrap]

Again, all juveniles except the controlled Blackcap, which was an adult male and just over half way through its wing-moult. [Y922nnn if anybody's interested]

As I have family duties to attend to over the next three days, it will be the weekend before we get another chance for ringing or birding. I've also been told that the badger cull starts hereabouts next week, with pre-baiting already on the go.

A fortnight later ...

 Time flies when you're having fun. My fun has had to be split between getting the garden back into shape, now that we've had some significant rain, and getting out ringing. Actually, much of my time has been spent in the garden, either strimming and raking, treating the Horse-tail, mowing, light pruning, hedge trimming or ringing some birds.  

The highlights from the latter have been the catching of two parties of Long-tailed Tits. The first contained five new birds, all youngsters under-going a full moult (one of those odd UK species that does this), plus two adults with consecutive ring numbers that were not of my doing. Two days later, I caught four more youngsters, and then, a week after the initial encounter, two more ringed adults, and two juveniles from the original session. It turns out that all four of these adult birds were ringed at the same time, back in late October last year, in friend John's garden the far side of the village (approx. 2 km away)  

So here are the results from an hour or two most days, once the kittens have come in for their breakfasts. There is still not a lot of movement.
Blue Tit 1 (2)

Great Tit 2

Long-tailed Tit 9 + 4 "controls" (see above)

Chiffchaff 2 - local birds?

Wren 2 (1) - the retrap was a "first brood", the others more recent

Dunnock 4 (2) - all juvs

House Sparrow 7 (2) - mainly incidental to trying for the next species 

Pied Wagtail 7 (3) - the main target species, as they are still nesting nearby

Chaffinch 1 - juv

Greenfinch 3 - moulting male & female plus a 'youth'

Goldfinch 3 - freshly fledged juveniles

Young Pied Wagtail (M.a.yarelli)

House totals = 11 species, 41 new birds, 10 re-traps & 4 'controls'.
Oh! And the Sparrowhawk has been in twice. That's according to the heaps of feathers from two unlucky Collared Doves.

I have also been able to get down to the meadows, twice on my own and once with company. Quantity low, quality high. Birds not caught include two Green Sands, a couple of Dippers, more Kingfishers, several Whitethroats, Swallows and martins and the (three) Little Egrets currently there on a daily basis. Would love to catch and ring a full adult Egret. It has been done!

The Himalayan Balsam is flowering well down by the river and the bees are busy pollinating it, making sure there will be a plentiful supply of seed for next year. The Rose-bay Willow-herb is also coming into flower, a plant I much prefer.

Rose-bay

Today's photos are all from this sub-site.

Young female Kingfisher

Young female Chiffchaff (starting PJ moult)

young Sedge Warbler (fat score 30)

Kingfisher 3 (1) - all juveniles; "and still they come!" (10 so far)

Chiffchaff 7 - all juveniles, mostly males

Blackcap 1 - a 2CY male bird that hasn't started moulting; still breeding?

Sedge Warbler 1 - second bird here this year; fat score of 3 (tracheal pit almost full) and 12.6 grams in weight/mass; "on it's way south to Senegal (?)" This bird could easily put on another 10 grams before it is ready to fly out over the Atlantic in a non-stop flight to West Africa.

Wren 1 (1) - young males

Dunnock 1 - a juv-juv

Grey Wagtail 3 - new species for the year; these were all juveniles

one of the 3 young Grey Wagtails

Farm totals = 7 species, 17 new & 2 re-captures.

There are still plenty of birds to come but I won't wish my life away just yet!
Back soon.

Waiting for a surge

Adult male Kestrel - July

Ten birds between two trainees - but what quality! The above adult male Kestrel was a site 'ringing tick', even though the pair is visible around the area all year. He was in heavy moult (MS=31) and not expecting his way to be barred by a mist net.

More quality followed two hours later, when the Green Sandpiper that has been around for three or four days 'collided' with our net over the river. Normally the bird flies well over our heads, constantly calling, dropping in to feed out of sight.

An old friend of mine, Tom Kittle, wrote a paper on this species for R&M back in 1975. The weight of our bird coincides nicely (at 69g) with his graph and it could easily put on 10-15g before it leaves the UK for a wintering spot in the Mediterranean basin or Africa, even as far south as Cape Province.

Green Sandpiper - retrices (July)

The full list for the morning consisted of 7 species: Kestrel 1, Green Sandpiper 1, Blackcap 4 (1), Whitethroat 2, Wren (1), Blackbird 1, Robin 1. The Whitethroats were a breeding pair, the re-trapped Blackcap a breeding female first caught as a juvenile at the beginning of July 2011 and one of the new Blackcaps was also a breeding female, this time a bird hatched only last year. Everything else was a juvenile. A kingfisher escaped from the top shelf of the net over the river and a Dipper passed underneath. Win some, lose some.

A single net in the garden the following day yielded 7 birds, including a 'strange' Long-tailed Tit. As it was ringed on the left leg, I am assuming it's one of John's from the far side of the village,>2 km in a WNW direction. The rest:- Blue Tit starting PJ moult, a juvenile Long-tailed Tit in full moult, a locally bred young Chiffchaff, two second/third-brood young Dunnocks and a retrap 2CY female Pied Wagtail.

We'll wait and see what next weekend brings.