Start of the rainy season

Here in Somerset, our wettest months are October through January as a rule, with at least 4 inches (104-110 mm) of rainfall on average each month. However, it can be nearly 6 inches (140+ mm) in one of those months.

From a ringing perspective, the possibility of catching good numbers does increase throughout these four, traditionally wet, months. The reason for this is two-fold. Firstly, the natural food supply dwindles and birds are drawn more to human habitation, and, secondly, as the food supplies run down in the east of the country (the side that most migrants first land on) the birds move westwards seeking under-used resources. That is how we differ from all those ringers gathered on the North Sea coast. They catch the rarities, we ring the survivors.

Talking of which, here are a couple that I received recently from BTO HQ.

Male Chaffinch - minimum of 4.5 years old

This bird died when it hit a window. It may even have been the kindergarten on the T-junction. Strangely, I have driven passed the spot (10 km N of Gjovik) when I lived in Norway as I was going to my girlfriend's girlfriend's home just the other side of the lake at Nes.

Male Blackcap - found here post breeding, the year after
it left the country for the first time (E. Sussex)

It seems that many summer migrants prefer to move to the south-east of the country before they make the crossing to France. Sensible, really - it's shorter and therefore less hazardous and with more options of making landfall whatever the wind direction.

... and one that came via email from another ringer. [details to follow]

Adult Female Hawfinch
now sporting colour rings

This bird (featured in my header) had travelled 188km in a northerly direction to the Dolgellau area where it was handled in late March. There is one other recovery of a bird ringed in the county; from Wellington to Clumber Park (Notts), a distance of 293km. There is one, relatively local, recovery in Somerset; from Gwent (Monmouthshire as was), the other side of the Bristol Channel.

So far this month, things have been a tad "weak", with a mere 19 new birds and 13 re-traps to date (1st-12th). We have also had our fair share of rain (>60 mm) with a bit of a northerly wind blowing.

Robin 1 (1) - both dispersing immatures

Blackbird 2 - both birds of the year with dark bills

Chiffchaff 2 - young males on size and tail

Long-tailed Tit (2) - 1 ringed as a juv back in August, the other was a fully grown bird back in January 2011.

Coal Tit 1 - this year's youngster

Blue Tit 3 (3) - just the one adult (r/t, 2009 or older)

Great Tit (1)

House Sparrow 1

Greenfinch 2 - both juveniles coming to the end of their limited (first) moult

Goldfinch 7 (5) - 6 of the new birds were females, 4 of the r/t birds were male.

This autumn passage period we have been severely short of out-going Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps to ring and are still waiting for an exodus of Goldfinches.

The Redwing flocks (of 15-30) did not appear here until Saturday 11th. Possibly these were birds that have travelled down from Scotland along the west side of the country until they hit North Devon and then turn east to reach their preferred destinations, somewhere further inland from us.

Let's just see what turns up later in the month!