The first Swift has arrived

Although it is only two weeks since the last blog, several things have been noticeable, not least the sight of my first Swift of 2015 earlier this afternoon, flying over the garden.

We have not done a lot of ringing, mainly because I had to take to my bed with a temperature but also because Steve came to put the management's new, hand-built potting shed up. So, most of these records refer to the week before last. The last few days have been cold and temperatures below average for the time of year. The signs corroborated this with birds of all species ransacking the food I put out like there was no tomorrow. There was to be one, because I was putting out good quantities of the stuff (SFH, suet, mealworms & sultanas) three times a day!

On the other hand, we did get in a couple of early sessions down the meadows. Day 1 was warm with bright sunshine, Day 2 was dull, damp and cold. We managed to catch the local male Dipper (unringed) and both adults of a pair of Kingfishers nesting nearby. The treat was handling the 2CY female Blackcap bearing 'Paris7851989' on both occasions, even though we were using a different net set-up. With a 79.5 mm wing and weighing in at 21.5 grams the second time (up 1.5 g), she was a big girl with no signs of carrying much fat or of a brood patch.

Paris Blackcap

Female Kingfisher

1st Sedge Warbler of 2015 (24/04)

Other birds of note down there were a pair of Bullfinch, the first Sedge of the year, my first Swallows, just one of the Willow Warblers, a female, and a couple of territorial male Blackcaps that were 'lean and mean'. Most of the other birds were trapped in the garden orchard, before I went down with the lurgi. There was little point after the shed was up as the weather had changed for the worse.

Ninety birds of which 59 are new ringings. This includes the next lot of infant Robins, the first 3JJ Dunnocks and the first of the newly fledged Greenfinches (this Thursday 30th). Still no signs of any young Blackbirds coming to our lawns.  

Woodpigeon - 1; a small, underweight but feisty bird in active wing moult (3 centres), the first one to "stick" this year.

Kingfisher - 2; a pair

Blue Tit - (1)

Great Tit - 1 (4);

Swallow - 2; now back at the stables in good numbers

Chiffchaff - 1

Willow Warbler - 4; passage seems to have stopped about a week ago

Blackcap - 6 (2); even split on sex

Sedge Warbler - 1

Wren - 2 (2); one 'eggy' female

Starling - (1)

Dipper - 1; territorial male

Blackbird - 3 (2)

Robin - 6 (2)

Dunnock - 2; young bird on 25th

House Sparrow - (3)

Chaffinch - 2 (2); mixed ages/sexes, male from 2013,

Bullfinch - 2; an unexpected 2CY pair

Greenfinch - 6 (4); 50% adult males, 2 birds from 2012

Goldfinch - 16 (8); two-thirds males, still some passage going on, weights >18 g

Siskin - 1; breeding female on 18th (BP4)

One bird missing off this list is Redstart - a calling individual was heard for about 30 minutes in the tops of the Ash trees while we were putting the roof on the shed.

[406:31]

Lovebirds and Fisticuffs

Here we are again and things have moved on somewhat from my last post. 

Our Robins are now paired up, with the males watching their mates as they feed up or collect nesting material around the garden. The males are looking very cocky. I think we have three pairs but I have only been able to re-trap the ones around the back during the last three weeks; the pair at the front have a different routine.

Our Blackbirds, too are well advanced with the females showing a well defined brood patch. They come separately in their pairs to the meal-worms and suet pellets on the lawn but occasionally they arrive at the same time. This is when the males have a 'set to' and fight like Moorhens, with their feet in the air, clawing at each other. There are four pairings that we can identify by ages and plumage, plus some "stray" virgin (2CY) females that may be 'on passage'.

The main tally of new birds consisted almost entirely of finches. I did spook an adult Redwing from the ivy berries in the side hedge yesterday which ended up in the net.  It will be a couple of weeks yet before the main exodus of our winter visitors will take place. It normally occurs about the same time as the influx of Chiffchaffs and the first Willow Warblers arrive.

How the Redwing gets its name

The Blackcaps are winding themselves up for the up-coming breeding season - the males are getting quite tuneful. I also caught a new male with "fat 4", which is where the fat deposits bulge and reach the end of the clavicles (the bird's collar-bone) and there is a clearly bulging pad of fat on the abdomen. This build up will enable a night flight to the near continent, assuming that it will make towards the direction of Hungary or some other spot in central Europe. I expect our wintering population to leave us in the next week.

First winter (continental) female Blackcap

There are still plenty of Goldfinches attending the SFH feeders. One male, that was hatched locally and who has been through one breeding season, showed a well defined cloacal protuberance, a sign that he is already thinking of another family. It will be a further three weeks before his mate will begin to lay eggs, but a nest site and constructing a nest will be his current priority - and keeping his mate well fed! 

 
 Some Goldfinch tails to ponder over

Although we get Rooks in the garden throughout the year, it is only now, when they are nesting, that they (a few regulars) actively seek out the bird food, especially any suet/fat based products and the meal-worms tossed onto the kitchen lawn. Late May into June sees the best time to catch and ring any in the garden; I don't have any traps large enough for one so rely on netting them then. We also get Jackdaws, one of which is "pied"

Jackdaws thieving the suet pellets

I've started to open up the net rides down the meadows in anticipation of being able to ring some north-bound migrants. Right now it's out of the question, since it's cold and wet outside and the stream is 'brown' and in full spate. I'll have to hurry up if I want to catch some Meadow Pipits should the weather change to "favourable"! 

Here are the 59 new birds that have been trapped over the last three weeks, together with the number of different individuals re-trapped.
Collared Dove - 1
Blue Tit - 1; just seen 2 pass the window unringed!
Coal Tit - 1
Long-tailed Tit - (1)
Blackcap - 2 (1)
Blackbird - 2 (4)
Redwing - 1
Robin - (4)
Dunnock - 2 (1)
House Sparrow - (1)
Chaffinch - 16; 13 females, only 4 adults
Greenfinch - 12 (1); 9 females, just 2 adult females
Goldfinch - 19 (18); 24 of these were males (14=2CY), 2 unsexed
Siskin - 2 (1)

Well, that's filled up a cold and rainy day. 'til next time, "take care".

The Singing Camellia

Well, it's raining today - and probably tomorrow. That means many other things can be done while the net(s) have to stay closed, like shopping and sheaves of waiting paperwork. On the horizon is the prospect of some spring migration, both inbound and outbound but there is some much needed habitat management to do before then. [For habitat management read 'cutting down the trees and shrubs alongside the netting areas to a height to match the extended nets in order to stop the birds going over the top'.]

The 'singing' Camellia (Feb. 2015)

It's now 23 days since my last blog and the preponderence of some species has changed quite noticeably during that time. The birds that have become more numerous are, in particular, the Chaffinch and the Greenfinch. After a slow mid-winter, the colder weather to the north of us seems to have pushed the birds south at last. It also brought many more House Sparrows, Robins and Pied Wagtails to the bird-table and the closest lawn, all in search of a 'hand-out' to keep them in good shape during the frosty period that has existed for much of the time since my last blog.

Back to the Camellia. Oblivious to the squabbling Blackbirds (male v male and female v female) going on below or the combative Robins charging from the bird table to the shed roof above, a small, unobtrusive bird warblers a quiet song from the depths of the evergreen bush. It is the emboldened, 'rising five' Blackcap that has snuck across from the bottom hedge, where he normally gives a far superior rendition of his signature tune. He is endeavouring to irritate his younger fellow Blackcap that warbles against him from the side hedge every morning. What worries both of them, I suspect, is the fact that the third male doesn't join in and the lone, virgin female takes no notice of either of them (so far)!

Here is the sum of my on-and-off efforts since last time. Additional retrapped individuals in brackets.

Collared Dove - 1

Goldcrest - 1

Blue Tit - 2 (2)

Great Tit - 4 (1); beginning to show signs of a brood patch (BP1)

Long-tailed Tit - 4 (3)

Blackcap - 2 (2); new 2CY male & female plus a December 1CY male and the male now in his 5th calendar year.   

Wren - (1)

Starling - 2; makes 5 this year - a garden 'rarity'

Blackbird - 6 (8); an influx, plus what looks like 4 local pairs, inc. 2 females with BP1

Robin - 5 (7); again, a sudden influx and some quite small birds among them. No BPs.

Dunnock - 4 (8); it amazes me where they all come from/hide! I had no less than 58 last year.

House Sparrow - 4 (12); still managing to ring new birds (138 new last year)

Chaffinch - 11 (1); even split between the sexes

Bullfinch - 1 (1)

Greenfinch - 6; mainly birds with longer wing-lengths than we are used to suggests these were migrants

Goldfinch - 27 (25)

Siskin - 3 (2)

Of the 179 handlings, 83 were new birds and 73 were already ringed. 23 birds, or less, were caught, therefore, more than once.

Come the spring equinox (in another 4 weeks), I will stop feeding suet pellets, soaked sultanas and dried mealworms and just put out mixed millet and SFH during the summer. By then, the fruit trees may be in flower and the Ivy berries at their ripest. This is usually the time that we say 'good-bye' to the Blackcaps and 'hello' to the Chiffchaffs. A cold snap may make me change my mind about what I feed, however. We are already noticing an increase in amphibian and insect abundance and the grass is trying to grow where we have walked it flat between the back door and the nets. 

Next time, I hope we can bring you some news from the water meadows, barring another flood.

A wintery month

Well, we thought it was cold for us! The temperatures yo-yoed up and down from day to day, hitting minus 7 and plus 12 at night and daytime maximums between plus 4 and plus 15. Compared to some, we got off lightly. Something tells me it's going to get worse later this week with strong winds adding to the dismay.

Since Boxing Day, exactly one month ago, I have managed to ring 115 new birds of 21 species. A couple of birds stand out: another young Black Redstart was somewhat of a surprise and a male Blackcap in its 5th calendar year made a return visit to the bird table. 

Juvenile Black Redstart number 2

During this period, there have been seven other species in the garden which haven't found their way onto the 2015 capture list (yet); Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Jackdaw, Magpie, Redwing, Rook and Sparrowhawk.

Immature female Blackcap (winter)

I have a new trainee who is taking a year out from his studies at Bangor Uni. to earn some money and get some hands-on, too. He's certainly got the hang of wing measurements and 9 times out 10 gets the same as me - and I'm known as a 'long-winger' [cut the jokes out there, you lot]. Charles shows promise.

The complete list is as follows, subsequent captures omitted:
Woodpigeon 1
Collared Dove 2
Goldcrest (1)
Blue Tit 5 (5) - X105976 is a 2010 (male) bird
Great Tit 1 (3)
Coal Tit 1
Long-tailed Tit 8 (6) - mostly paired up, incl. a pair of birds ringed by JW in November 
Blackcap 3 (2) - X105790 had evaded capture in previous 2 winters
Wren 1 (2)
Starling 3 - the females this time
Blackbird 2 (5) - 7 local birds but only ever see 4!
Robin 2 (8) - 10 birds! Mostly paired up with minor sparring at times. 5 were retrapped 2x. Female L890601 was a 3J back in early summer 2011.
Black Redstart 1 - 
Dunnock 2 (8) - also paired up and singing. Y482086 is a 2011 female or earlier
House Sparrow 9 (9) - 15 of these were males!
Pied Wagtail 1 (2) - Y482785, a male from the 2012 broods
Chaffinch 2 - starting to appear, so more to come?
Bullfinch 2 (2) - retraps were both 2012 hatch year males
Greenfinch 6 (2) - after an autumnal dearth, a sudden influx; 2 adults sent over by JW
Goldfinch 60 (36) - 58 males, 36 females, (2 un-sexed); 81 immature birds & 12 full adults (3 un-aged); 3 males from 2012 broods.
Siskin 2 (1) - the retrap was ringed as a 2CY female in March 2013
Note: JW's garden is just 2km NE of mine; it's also 4x the size! 

Another fat pig

Now, a different sort of red bird spotted from the bedroom window. Unfortunately, unable to lift off with live prey this time.

Devon Air Ambulance - 24 Jan 2015

Santa special

Christmas Robin

A Happy Christmas to all my readers and may 2015 treat you well when it arrives.

Since my last posting on the 14th, there has been a steady trickle of birds through the garden. However, it has not been really wintery, just a tad miserable with grey skies and plenty of westerly winds that have now turned northerly. Right now, the sun is out and the temperature is low. During that time, ninety different birds have passed through the "ringing room", with by far and away the most being 45 Goldfinches (50%).

There have been a few "oddities" that I don't normally catch and that always engenders a warm feeling. In a different part of the country I might look upon them as a more regular occurence at this time of year. There was a Song Thrush (only the 4th of the year), another Blackcap making 20 in the last two months, the other half (female) of the Starling pair and, lastly, a Black Redstart a couple of days ago.

1CY female Black Redstart

A full list of captures is as follows:

Blue Tit 3 (2) - 1 new adult male

Great Tit 1 - adult male

Long-tailed Tit 3 (4) - all this years young (the local adults are all ringed)

Blackcap 1 - immature male

Starling 1 - adult female

Blackbird 1 (1) - immature birds

Song Thrush 1 - 1CY

Robin 2 (4) - 1 new adult, the rest this year's offspring

Black Redstart 1 - a large 1CY female with a wing of 87 mm. [Garden tick]

Dunnock 4 (4) - 2 new adults, 1 a male on CP

House Sparrow 2 (4)

Chaffinch 1 - 1CY female

Greenfinch 3 (2) - new = youngsters; the other 2 were "controls" from nearest ringer, John, one originally ringed not quite 6 years ago, as a 2CY male, in January 2009 - and not seen since.

Goldfinch 29 (16) - made up of 10 adult males, 6 adult females, 13 immature males, 12 immature females and 4 unsexed juvenile birds.

Plans for the next week or so include having a look at a flock of Meadow Pipits on a neighbours field, provided his daughter's horse is elsewhere. Au revoir.

We're on the move

Things have been a little slow of late, hence the long interval between posts, but there seems to be some movement just recently. Over the past three weeks, my new bird totals have been 17, 17 and 34 - and the weekly species total has risen to twelve.

First year male Goldfinch completing PJ moult (October)

Naturally, at this time of year, Goldfinches have returned to Number 1 spot, with 18 new birds and 9 retraps last week, despite the periods of wind and rain that hamper much of our ringing hereabouts.  I am well over 500 new for the year already - with the main influx of newbies still to come (hopefully) - plus 72 individuals from last year, 14 from 2012 and 7 from the year before, my first here.

First year male Blackcap (October)

Same bird - underside (note the pale yellow flush)

The other tell-tale sign of winter is the catching of Blackcaps; the first (a 1CY male) on the 18th was right on cue, then another (1CY female) on the 22nd and three more since. I checked on the number of birds that were ringed in the orchard last winter (November - mid-March); it came to 22 birds, with two of those returning from previous winters.

Fun shot of a male Goldcrest's crown feathers

Another sign of the impending short days was the presence of a few new Goldcrests. The species breeds quite locally to us and I retrap birds from March to June, but after that it's only the odd new bird until the clocks go back when we then expect some winter arrivals, most likely passage birds heading for the Exmoor forests to the south-east of us. 

The bird that is missing so far - is Redwing. I saw one locally on the 14th and then a flock of 18 on the 25th. There was a major arrival on the north-east coast of England overnight on 28/29th so it will be another week or so before we see them regularly and, hopefully, one or two in the net.

Perversely, we saw a Swallow hurriedly heading south over the house on the 22nd in the late afternoon! Our local birds left ages ago.

The composite list for the last three weeks is: 

[same period retraps omitted]

Gt. Spotted Woodpecker 1 - adult male

Goldcrest 3

Blue Tit 1 (5)

Great Tit 1 (1)

Long-tailed Tit 4 (6)

Chiffchaff 1 - hatch year female

Blackcap 5

Wren 3 (3) - all young birds

Blackbird 2 (3) - just the 1 adult (female), retrapped

Robin (3)

Dunnock 2 (5)

House Sparrow 5 (6)

Chaffinch 1

Greenfinch 1

Goldfinch 38 (18)

118 birds of which 68 were new birds

Immature male Great Tit. Note the large, shiny bib.

One piece of late news - the southern end of the meadows has been fenced off, the horses now confined to the northern section. This means we can put nets up again, not just while the hay crop is growing.

Today, it rained.

Nothing new in that; it's a Bank Holiday. It looks as though we will get at least twice the normal August rainfall, in other words, as much as we expect each month from October to January.

This week I've not been able to put up more than one net. The orchard needed some pre-winter attention (it is left to go wild) and there was a 'Pony Week' down on the meadow. However, I did manage 36 new birds and 25 re-captures covering 16 species in the limited time available. A goodly chunk of the new birds were caught by the stream yesterday, when I erected a 60' between some willows and alders. Fortunately, the seven or so ponies were feeding out of sight on the other side of the stream. Their presence does stop me netting the ford, probably the best place.

Other birds that I have seen this week include a lone Swift over the house of an evening, two Ravens being seen off by the local crows, a young Moorhen, a couple of Grey Wagtails, the usual Dipper and Kingfishers and, a sign of winter approaching, two Canada Geese over the house, a precursor to the dawn movements from Dunster Beach to one of the inland reservoirs. The Swallows and House Martins continue to feed young.

The list:

Sparrowhawk 1

Blue Tit 2 (2)

Great Tit 2 (2)

Long-tailed Tit 3 (11)

Chiffchaff 10 (1)

Blackcap 4 (1)

Garden Warbler 1

Wren 1

Blackbird 1 (2)

Song Thrush 1

Robin (2)

Dunnock 1 

House Sparrow 2 (2)

Chaffinch 1

Greenfinch 1

Goldfinch 5

The Sparr was chasing the Sonth and both landed in the net just short of my left ear; don't know who was the most surprised. Grabbed the Sparr first (of course). The chiffs were a welcome surprise, too; several more did not "find" the net and one escaped the bag. Best, though, was my third borin' juvenile bird of the summer, giving credence to the fact that they (Garden Warblers) might nest quite local. The species was recorded as a mere 'possible', the lowest level of proof, for our 10km square on the recent national atlas.

Around here, the birds have been nesting quite late and having second or third broods, which they would not normally attempt. There are still many young birds in wholly juvenile plumage, but underneath we can see that some are already playing 'catch-up', with some new body feathers sprouting. It was particularly noticeable that the Chiffs were in all levels of plumage, as I caught them over a 90 minute period. I also 'controlled' a Chiff that my nearest ringing neighbour had ringed as 3JJ (fresh juvenile) some two months earlier. I was able to sex it on wing-length as a male.

I'm rather busy this week and the weather doesn't look good - either too windy or rain on and off all week. It must improve somewhen; not too much or all the migrants will just fly straight 'high-over'.

Two weeks on ...

... and we had 46 mm of rain in 5 hours. That's the same as the ten year average, all on the first day of the month! More thunderstorms have ensued since. Anyway, back to birds and the last 18 days.

Garden-wise, it's the House Sparrows that have been most in evidence, as they always are at this time of year with this year's youngsters looking for their next meal. They don't go near the feeders, as a rule, but prefer the bird table, either ours or our neighbours. That means I catch them as they cross the open part of the garden, where I don't usually net. There is still an active Blackbird's nest somewhere; both mum and dad collect mouthfuls of suet pellets early doors and scoot off with them.

Cinnabar caterpillars on Ragwort
(click to enlarge)

It's been a very good year for butterflies and moths. We have had many more Cinnabar moths this year and, with a small patch of Ragwort at their disposal, hundreds of caterpillars have emerged. Right now, they are looking for somewhere to pupate.

There has been a lot of Herring Gull activity post fledging, all ages readily coming to the broken up Hovis crusts I deliver. One pair are still attending their nest site, which they haven't used, just played about with a few bits and bobs of rubbish to form a base. The building's owners usually take the old nest away each autumn, as do many owners/occupiers. Still doesn't stop the birds from returning to their allotted spot each spring, though. 

There was a flurry of Swallow activity last week with 26 birds hunting over the garden one evening. Down on the meadows the number of individuals hawking for insects has decreased noticeably. The meadows are fully cut and part has been "mown" ready for the inevitable gymkhana that the owner's sister puts on for her young female riders. The better news is that the owners are going to fence off and gate the southern two meadows (that includes the ford) and resolve to contain the various horses in the larger northern section (that also has a crossing). Most of the site that I use could be available for ringing all year round next year.

Despite various restrictions, mainly on the domestic front, I have still managed to ring 98 new birds this period and re-capture another 26 individuals, (I discard any same period re-traps), of 19 species as under. The list is dominated by juveniles, before, during or after their post-juvenile moult.

Collared Dove (1) - long-winged, adult female of indeterminate age (>4 yrs), with BP
Kingfisher 1
Gt. Spotted Woodpecker (1)
Goldcrest 1
Blue Tit 6
Great Tit 3 (2) - 2 post-breeding females re-trapped
Long-tailed Tit (3)
Chiffchaff 7 - incl. adult male & female
Blackcap 10
Whitethroat 2 (1) - re-trap breeding female & a new 2CY male
Wren 8 (2)
Blackbird 8 (3) - includes the late breeding female (2x) although I try to avoid her.
Robin 5 (1)
Dunnock 1 (3)
House Sparrow 27 (8) - a new adult male & female
Grey Wagtail 1
Greenfinch 5
Goldfinch 11 (1) - adult male from beforehand

Grey Wagtail - juvenile

Goldcrest - juvenile

Blackcap -juvenile male
Note single, new, black feather emerging above eye

 Today I spotted (pun) my first local flycatchers. They, a pair, were carrying food for some youngsters tucked away somewhere around the old water-wheel site that served Egrove Farm mill. Couldn't stop - other half about to leave for Norfolk.

Off-site I did manage to meet up with two old Beds birding mates (DJO & DK) for a pint and a curry like the old days. Hilarious.

Another beginning on the meadows

The sun shone without any rain in the air for 17 days during the last 3 weeks. Now the weather has broken and the hay that hadn't been brought in is flattened. So far it had been a bumper year of top quality hay. There may be a chance for a recovery this coming week. It'll make life easier for us to get around the meadows, that's for sure.

I digress. We, I say we because I can now get out with a trainee as I'm feeling up to it at last, made our first visit of the year to the local meadows yesterday. The work needed to open up some racks, both new and old, is daunting for these old bones though so we started simple - two nets in the trees and one across the stream.

But back to the beginning. I managed some garden ringing, both before and after our week-long trip to Penwith (the tip of Cornwall). Things started very slowly but by the time we got back, there were a lot of young birds independently on the wing. Naturally, quite a few of these succumbed to being ringed or though one or two thought otherwise.

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpeckers are easily recognised; two pointers are visible with the naked eye from a distance. They all have a "red top", whereas the adults are black-capped, and the under-tail coverts are a delicate shade of pink, not 'post office' red. Close up, you can notice a dull eye and small, white tips to the primaries, too.

Neighbour John, from the far end of the village (but a different parish), caught a Kestrel of mine  earlier in the week that was ringed as a full adult male (t'was nesting nearby). It had only shifted 1.8 km in the 331 days since its release. As I haven't seen it hardly at all this year (on my daily, repetitive walk), I assume it has chosen either another nest site or a new bride. On the same day, he ringed 'a large number' of young Blackcaps, one of which was in my hand by the stream on our first outing here 3 days later. The only species we handled that day were Kingfisher, Chiff., Blackcap, Grey Wag., Blackbird & Goldfinch. We did see a Jay and a Little Egret and heard a Dipper.

Aggregated list of 86 new birds ringed plus 13 ringed individuals, excluding the local inter-changes above, covers 19 species.

At long last - a juvenile Siskin

Kingfisher 2 - juvs

Gt. Spotted Woodpecker 2 - a 2CY female and a juv

Rook 1 - see below; 1 of several that come for food daily

Blue Tit 5 (4) - 1 moulting  2011 male; 3 juvs now in post-juv moult

Great Tit 7 (1) - juvs

Long-tailed Tit 17 - mix-and-match juvs

Chiffchaff 2 - juvs

Blackcap 5 - juvs + 2CY male

Wren 6 - juvs; part of a brood?

Blackbird 5 (1) - juvs; 4 girls, 2 boys

Robin 1 (2) - new bird was a juv just starting PJ moult (breast)

Dunnock 3 (1) - new juvs and a breeding female 

House Sparrow 10 - all this week - it's that time of year again! 1 ad. male

Pied Wagtail (1) - juv

Grey Wagtail 1 - a juv.

Chaffinch 1 (1) - juvs

Greenfinch 11 - 6 boys, 4 girls and a grandad

Goldfinch 6 (3) - the r/ts were all 2CY males

Siskin 1 - juv
Just 9 of these birds were adults. I doubt if any of the juveniles has had a chance to move more than a couple of miles yet so far this season. Even the Lottis!

Adult female Rook
This bird was in full wing moult and still had a bare but wrinkled brood patch

I/we look forward to a few decent sessions down on the meadows before the horses are turned loose from their summer paddocks. Although the site is divided into six fields, there are no gates and two fords! This is limiting in what we can usefully do. We'll have to hurry up and catch those young Kingfishers then! We'll let you know.

Someone's first Kingfisher?

A big push north

For some time now, in fact from about the 28th of last month, the Goldfinches have been coming through in noticeable numbers. It becomes apparent when the unringed birds start to carry an "abnormal" fat load compared to birds which are with us for most of the year. The other noticeable effect is that one tends to trap them from midday onwards until a couple of hours before sunset. Birds that are re-trapped during their stay are putting on 0.7-0.8 grams a day. Conversely, immediately after dawn and prior to dusk are when the "locals" pop in for their SFH - and you won't catch them if it's a bright day!

Easily sexed Goldfinch - a female
(reduced red above & below the lores)

Having said that, the only other birds that one is likely to catch are returning juveniles, especially males. Caught as 3Js, perhaps more than once, and unsexed at the time (it's dodgy sexing juveniles; it's too easy to get 'caught out' later), I can only presume that they must have migrated some distance, if only to the south Devon or Cornish coast, to see out the coldest time of the year. The toughest time is right now, when any seeds are in short supply except weed seeds on tilled ground. But soon relief will come with the many dandelions currently flowering.

Nice turn-up - a male Lesser Redpoll

On the non-ringing front, the Robins, all three pairs, have young in the nest and are raiding the bird table like no tomorrow. One pair must be nearing "chucking out time"! The Blackbirds appear twice, sometimes three times, a day, indicating that they are still sitting. The Bullfinches must also be nesting as the females have been replaced by Joseph coated males. The Chiffchaff, whose "spring" is running down, is still parading ours and the other local (tall) hedgerows. It's a job to say what the Dunnocks are up to as there are so many individuals present here, but I suspect they have laid or are laying.

Weather wise, it was wet and breezy at the beginning of the week, then warmer and drier for the next three days, before reverting to cloudy with a cold wind. Today (Sat) the Swallows have been moving through, going west, plus a singleton House Martin. More Blackcaps have arrived but very few Willow Warblers. Ringing has been 'on-and-off', partly because of the need to get on with some gardening while the weather is in our favour. The lawns have suffered badly with the extremely wet weather we endured. 

Thieves at work - two Rooks helping themselves

The Sparrowhawk didn't just have this Collared Dove for lunch;
it also killed a Wood Pigeon the day before

Nevertheless, here's what did get caught in the last seven days (re-traps in brackets):

Goldcrest (3) - local (breeding) pair ... and a spare (male)
Blue Tit 1 - adult female with makings of a brood patch.

Chiffchaff (1) - territorial male

Blackcap 3 - all 2CY, 1 female

Robin (1) - no effort made to catch these as they are all feeding young

Dunnock (2)

Chaffinch 3 (1) - all 2CY, 1 female

Greenfinch 1 (1)

Goldfinch 34 (6)

Siskin (1) 

Lesser Redpoll 1 - 2CY male

Bullfinch 1 - 2CY male

More of these, please - male Barn Swallow

Holy Week ahead. Perhaps get down the meadow/stream if I'm in less agony. Even the owner wanted to know if it was on yet. Hey ho!
[Ed. SFH - sun-flower hearts, the preferred food of many species]

Another GO

(That's word-play for you old-time, CBC workers)
Written on 8th February 2014.

As it is, I did have another go. Actually, it was four goes after the Goldfinches and another for the Siskins, which seem to have descended on the property in the last fortnight. As a by-catch, I think I caught all the local Blackbirds, Robins and Dunnocks, too. Well, almost.

It was a bit "hazardous", especially under-foot, as we are still in that run of Atlantic lows that have brought us repeated heavy rains and high winds since the middle of December. Since I last blogged (19th Jan), we have had another 170 mm of rain ... and some of that was hail, driven at 40-50 mph! Its "persisting down" outside right now as I type! Over the last eight weeks (up to last night, 7-8th) we have now had 471mm; or over 18.5 inches in old money and more than half the average annual rainfall recorded over the last 30 years!!!

Male - per Svensson

With all this wet weather, the horse paddocks are a haven for the Little Egrets. We can't aspire to the ten of last month but we have managed six together this week. I also saw a flock of twenty or so Chaffinches up the lane but just a pair around the garden. There are still a few Fieldfares and Redwings around, picking through the hedgerows, but the high water levels, and the brick red colour of the discharge, have kept the Dippers, Kingfishers and Grey Wagtails away. Yesterday, I did see a flock of over twenty Pied Wagtails feeding in one of the sheep fields now the sheep have been packed off to market. [Best place, or they'll end up with bad feet or even foot rot] .

The male and female Blackcap that have visited us every year since the winter of 2011-12 are still visible most mornings, snaffling sultanas and suet off the bird tables. They see most birds off except for the two cock Robins, who turn the tables. The Collared Doves just look bemused when one of the Blackcaps pops out of the Camellia and hops onto a tray. The "resident" Pied Wagtails keep looking at the top lawn for the meal-worms I put out especially for them. I have to change tack every so often because the No.1 cock Blackbird is also rather partial to them.

Adult female - per Svensson

The sex ratio of Goldfinches has evened out a little and is nearer to parity. The females still hold sway overall (4:3), but males dominate in the cohort of birds returning for a second or third winter by 2:1. A large tranche of those recaptured belong to birds ringed after last season's post-breeding / post-juvenile moulting. I've noticed that there are usually three main periods of feeding activity - the first approx. 30-40 minutes after I can make out birds (usually Blackbirds) at the bottom of the garden on brighter days or after dawn on a cloudy day. The second is half an hour either side of sidereal noon, with the third some two to three hours after that; then it goes "cold". Neither rain nor wind seems to reduce their activity at the moment, only mine. For interest, the temperatures have been ranging between 3C pre-dawn and 8C early afternoon, although one day it did reach 10C. During a couple of the storms, the temperature has dropped dramatically, as evidenced by the hail stones rattling on the windows.

Hard-won results:

Woodpigeon 0 (1) - presumed male, shot after 204 days

Blue Tit 2 (1)

Coal Tit 0 (1)

Long-tailed Tit 0 (2) - pair

Blackcap 0 (3) - 2x males, 

Blackbird 1 (4) - I know there are 4 of each sex hanging around; potential pairs?

Redwing 1 - fine adult

Robin 0 (2) - probably the females of the 2 pairs

Dunnock 2 (4)

House Sparrow 1 (1)

Chaffinch 1 

Greenfinch 2

Goldfinch 54 (35) - see above; oldest - a 4M from Oct 2012 (480 days)

Siskin 12 (5) - oldest retrap was a 5M from May 2012 (637 days)

Bullfinch 0 (4) - all females, 2 of which were full adults

Total - 15 Species, 76 newly ringed, 62 individuals re-captured. 

Imm female - per Svensson

The weather forecast is for more of the same for the foreseeable future (month?), so again it's wait and see. I doubt if I'll be able to top prune the apple trees this winter - more birds escaping over the nets! See you soon.