Sixteen days of dark

Hi again. We are nearly at the point when the evenings (theoretically) start to get lighter! I'm a SAD old git! and won't be waking up properly until mid Feb. Such is life.

A bit low on pics but I either forget to take one that will illustrate a point I want to pass on, or forget to get the camera out. [It's only a Fuji compact]. Ringing, or, more correctly, id in the hand is not always as straight forward as some will have us believe - nor as difficult as a few sceptics would either. The exchange of photos of "good" and "bad" birds can but help the less experienced to learn a bit more and avoid pitfalls.

Male Goldcrest - orange crown just visible

Ringing at home was a bit hit and miss, partly because of the weather and also because I was away 'up country', delivering Xmas presents, seeing old pals elsewhere and attending the 80th BTO Conference in north Derbyshire (mainly ringing, of course!) BUT, it's been good when I tried with just the two (semi-permanent) nets. I cleared the leaves twice and talked to the trees - but they didn't listen.

Immature female Goldfinch
with retained median/greater coverts

The biggest hit were the King Harrys (Goldfinches) which have only just started coming to the feeders in any number. 

Immature female Goldfinch
that has moulted all its coverts

They brought a few Siskins with them, too. The Redwings and Fieldfares are still taking berries but the occasional one sits in an apple tree, picking at the apples that are still left hanging on, up there where I can't get them. 

Redwing

My efforts up to the 11th succeeded in catching:

Collared Dove 1 - f.g. female

Goldcrest 1 (3) - 3 males

Blue Tit 5 (6) - birds of the year, except for 2 first-time breeders

Great Tit 1

Coal Tit 1 (2) - 1CY's

Long-tailed Tit 19 (5) - 16 together in one net!

Blackcap 7 (1) - the re-trap was feeding up for 'the off' (F1>F4)

Wren (2)

Blackbird 10 (1) - 4 adult females, 5 imm. females, 2 imm. males.

Fieldfare 2 - ad. male & 1CY female

Song Thrush 1 - adult

Redwing 1 - immature bird (123 wing)

Robin (3)

Dunnock 1 (1)

House Sparrow 2 (2) - caught during a chase (3 males!)

Chaffinch 3 - females, 2 adult

Goldfinch 59 (16) - 75 different birds, oldest from March 2011 and its first recapture; of the rest - 21 adults, (10 males, 8 females, 2 unsexed), 54 immatures, (25 males, 25 females, 4 unsexed); the females were prevalent in the earlier catches.

Siskin 3 - all adults

NB. I've taken out all the same period re-traps from the figures to give some idea of the number of birds present/ passing through. I always do this and put the recapture totals in brackets after the newly ringed birds.

Adult male Fieldfare 

Influx of East Europeans (and other immigrants)

It is still quite quiet here (mid-November). A couple of days ago I noticed a large number (~200) of Redwings and Fieldfares on the grazing meadows a short distance down the road. Prior to that, we had only noticed small flocks made up of 5-15 individuals, feeding in the hedgerows as they moved through the area. Normally these sheep/cattle fields play host to a flock of over 100 Jackdaws and c.50 Rooks, as they seem to be "full of worms" and invertebrates throughout most of the year. 

We have had almost a foot (285 mm) of rain in the last seven weeks and the birds that rely on the local streams moved out as the levels and flow speed increased. They either went to shallower parts upstream or to the sea (which is less than 2km away). The stream is slowly returning to more normal winter conditions (fast, almost clear & 40-45 cm deep) and the Dippers and Kingfishers have returned but not the Grey Wagtails. The Dipper is even singing from a favourite perch. 

I have had to bring the feeders in and clean them and also dry the seed (in the micro-wave) before refilling. [I do discard that which is going off.]  The damp had gotten into them with the almost daily downpours. Saying that, I've not had to top them up very much either. The Collared Doves have eaten the most, but they take the SFH from the bird tables. I am trying out some suet pellets alongside my usual winter fare of mealworms (for the Robins) mixed small seed (for the Dunnocks) and soaked sultanas (for the Blackcaps). Here are two of the latter "immigrants".

Female Blackcap (above) and a male (below)

The Lottis go on the fat balls, as do the woodpeckers, and the finches utilise the Nyger & SFH almost exclusively. We also have very many windfalls, thanks to the insect pests, and some of these apples will find their way down a thrush's throat, while the Chiffs and 'crests pick their way through the lichen and next year's buds.  

Young female Gt. Spotted Woodpecker with brilliant red under-tail coverts

 Since my last blog-posting, I have caught and ringed 33 birds and recaptured a different 31 birds that altogether cover 16 species.

Totals from 28/10 to 16/11; recaptures in brackets (no duplication)
Gt. Spot. Woodpecker 1 - a young female
Goldcrest 5 (1) - a sign winter's on it's way

Blue Tit 5 (5) - that's much better! Was getting withdrawal symptoms!
Great Tit 1 (3) - an old pair & a young pair?
Coal Tit 1 (1) - a male & a female, so probably "teen-age newly-weds"

Immature male Coal Tit
Note large black bib and 4 OGCs

Long-tailed Tit (9) - one "oldie" from Jan 2011
Blackcap 3 - all over 19.5 grams but little fat.
Wren 1 (2) - why do we only catch them in half-light?
Blackbird 3 - not long-winged individuals but not "ours"
Redwing 2 - an adult & an immature
Robin (3) - "the pair", plus a new, young female
Dunnock (4) - just one bird of the year
House Sparrow 1 - female
Chaffinch 1 - adult female
Greenfinch 1 - an adult male; no others seen!
Goldfinch 8 (3) - one new adult, the rest = 1CY

Back view of immature female Goldfinch
Note white discs on RR5&6 only and pointed tail

We have been promised some colder weather in the coming week, which may possibly turn up some more birds. I expect to see many more Fieldfares, in that case. Today was the coldest day we've had since the very beginning of April, with a max. of 8 degrees Celsius. Long-Johns weather!

PS. The East Europeans in the title could well be the Blackcaps. They may well be from southern Poland, the Czech, Slovak or Hungarian Republics, or slightly nearer, i.e. eastern Austria or Bavaria. [See page 532 of the Bird Atlas 2007-2011 for their current winter distribution]

It turned a bit parky

The weather this week has stayed poor with temps around the zero mark. I still walk the dog down the lane past the meadows every morning and do a spot of birding. This week has turned up 6 Little Egrets, a Stonechat, a Red Kite and a Grey Wag. I have seen the thrush numbers go up and then go down with the snow cover. 

Fieldfare arrived in strength after the first snows - just 50 or so at first then 100, then 300, feeding in one of the paddocks. It remained like that for another day before dropping off  to 100 when we had the second snow and finally to just 15. Redwings, on the other hand, have been around in low numbers for quite a while, but built up gradually after the first snow to 50 in the one field before jumping to 60, then 100 then 150 during the second snow period. They are still in the same field. There were also 40 Lapwing, a scarce bird for me, in between the snows.

East paddock pre-snow (nice and soggy) and after the second snow (thawing, still soggy)

I catch about 50 House Sparrows every year, quite a few as 3J/3's, but seldom retrap any. The reason for this is that they feed two or three doors up from us and overfly at 'full speed' on their way to the "tip" and council yard. This week, however, I re-caught 5 of the little 'so-and-so's". I have also been fortunate to catch another new, wintering Blackcap, this one another 3CY/6 female. It soon found its way around the fedeers - and nets - and seemed happy playing chase around the ivy, too, that is beginning to ripen.

Last, but not least, a 2CY Redwing launched itself into the net as I was gauping out of the kitchen window.

Male House Sparrow (winter)

Immature Redwing (winter) - 6 ogc's

So, cutting to the chase, 18 new and 22 re-traps of 13 species over the last seven days.

Latest adult female, wintering Blackcap

Goldcrest (1) - resident adult female, maintaining weight

Blue Tit (2)

Great Tit (2)

Blackcap 1 - 6F (pic)

Wren 1 - tiny female with 8 ogc's

Blackbird 1 (2) - new 2CY male & 2 adult females, weights = 98-106 gm

Redwing 1 - decent cp suggested a male; good weight @ 68 gm

Robin (3) - all 2nd calendar years on upper mandible

Dunnock 1 (3) - oldest a 4M on 12-01-11

House Sparrow (5) - oldest a 4M on 01-03-11

Chaffinch 6 - star species of the week; 50/50 on sex, 4 adult birds

Goldfinch 5 (1) - 1 new male, the rest females

Bullfinch 2 (3) - 3 adult & 1 imm. female , plus adult male

The weatherman tells us that we are in for the best part of a week of rain. How satisfying! Will be away for three days next week, anyway, on family business, so don't expect too much next time. But you never know.

Slow, slow, stop!

Not much of a week as it turned from "bland & cold" to "wintery & colder". On Friday, we copped the snow and it dumped between 3-4 cm of the wet stuff over the village during daylight. This turned into 14 mm of 'precipitation' in the rain guage. Everywhere is well and truly sodden at the moment and the grass turns to mud as you walk on it.

View from study (winter ringing room) am, Fri 18-01-13

I kept a couple of nets open - when I could attend to them - and finally ended up with 10 species, comprising 16 new and 14 'previous' for the 7-day slot. Fortunately, there was very little wind, although the coming days promise something different (stiff and cold easterlies).

Woodpigeon 1 - a big, fat (>600 gm) male

Great Tit (2)

Blackcap (2) - 1 of the males & 1 of the females of those 5 present daily

Blackbird 1 (2) - incl. a female not seen since last spring

Dunnock 1 (2) - another pair avoids the netting area

Chaffinch 3 (1) - at least 3 other unringed birds present

Greenfinch 2 (1)

Goldfinch 6 (2) - still they come!

Siskin 2 (1) 

Bullfinch (2) - and friends; probably eating the buds on our apple trees

As well as the above, the garden played host to the local pair of Herring Gulls (already tarting up their nest), a lone Black-headed Gull, two pairs of Collared Dove and their off-spring, a pair of Goldcrests, Blue Tits, Wrens, a Fieldfare in the snow and two pairs of Robin. Walking down to the meadows there was very little on show, but a couple of Fieldfare made a vanguard appearance. I also noted 6 Little Egrets feeding together in one of the sodden paddocks.

Looks like we'll be getting a different flood next week - of thrushes avoiding the forecast snow up country.

TW3

Migration has certainly slowed down now. There are two reasons for thinking this. One, is the daily passage westwards of a flock of up to 100 Starlings shortly after dawn from their roost on The Levels to their daytime feeding areas, somewhere Minehead way. Two, there was a flurry of Redwings and Fieldfares on Monday, that built up to more impressive flocks on Tuesday and then waned on Wednesday. These latter birds were all moving north-east over the Quantocks in groups varying around the twenty mark, sometimes coalescing into flocks of c. 100. Up the lane, the owner has planted many berried trees and shrubs that attract them; it was quite impressive in the mornings, but tailing off before noon. Several thousand must have passed through.

John, who lives "the other side of the pylons", managed to catch a few of these thrushes recently, namely 12 Redwing and a single Fieldfare - plus loads of Blackbirds. I should add that the pylons skirt the north of the village and John lives in an area detached from the main village by an area known as 'Danesfield' where there was a battle with the Viking invaders, many, many, many moons ago. That also makes us twice as far from the coast as he is.

This week, I have again managed to catch 48 birds, as last week, but only 36 of them were new, all requiring BTO bling. As last week, the species tally was also 14. At long last, the painters have left and the scaffold has been taken away. Just leaves another week for the jobbing builders to come and do the 'snagging' and the unfinished jobs. Peace and quiet will then reign and perhaps the birds will deem to grace the feeders, etc. in the usual manner.

Top dog, sorry - bird, was the Tom Tit, followed by King Harrys, much the same as last week, with Blackie replacing the Golden-crested Wren. [These are the country-side names]. New Coal Tits are still coming through as are Blackcaps. Just the other day, I noticed a singing Chiffchaff that had taken up residence where there were two breeding territories in the summer.

The all important list:
Gt. Spot. Woodpecker (1) - ad. male first caught this Sept.
Goldcrest 1 (1)
Blue Tit 9 (3) - 5 of the new ones were 'adult'
Gt. Tit 1 (1)
Coal Tit 2 (1) - 
Long-tailed Tit (1) - from early Jan this year
Blackcap 1 - a female this time
Blackbird 6 (1) - more females than males
Robin 1 (1) - the new bird was still in PJ moult
Dunnock (1)
House Sparrow 2 (1) - all males
Chaffinch 3 - all females, 2 adult
Greenfinch 1 - a 3F
Goldfinch 8 (1) - no adult females

Male House Sparrow (1CY) November

Male Gt. Spotted Woodpecker (2CY) November

Female Blue Tit (adult) November

Female Blackbird (1CY - 4ogc) November; immigrant?

Male Blackbird (1CY - 4ogc) November; immigrant?

Female Goldcrest

  

For those of you young ones, TW3 (TWTWTW) was a satirical TV programme called "That was the week that was" with David Frost, John Cleese and many others of that genre .

Post-Valentine's agony

Half term! The grand-children arrived on Tuesday and my priorities had to change. The garden is looking bleak after the frosts but there are signs of spring, with a few Snowdrops out and the crocuses pushing up but not yet open because of the wintry weather. The buds are showing on the Pussy Willow, too. Twelve Redwings have been sitting in the Ash trees and swooping across the garden, looking for the remaining Pyracantha berries as well as any fruits on the Ivy that the Woodpigeons and Blackbirds have missed.
It being half-term, the steam trains on the West Somerset "branch" line have started running again after the mid-winter lay-off, when essential maintenance takes place. Of course, we had to take in the station as part of our walks. This is one of Pete Waterman's locos.
During one of our local tours, we popped in to Carhampton church to view the magnificent rood screen. I was more interested in the large churchyard. This is only cut at the 'back end'; the rest of the year it is allowed to grow naturally and it contains a large variety of common and not so common plants, about 100 in all. The dozen Yew trees are magnificent and were playing host to a group of noisy Siskins and Chaffinches.
The family were leaving on Friday, so I was able to put some nets out. This gave me a chance to show Erin (8) birds close up in the hand. She liked the 'big' Redwings and the 'wriggly' Blackcap; and she was able to name them.
Here's the list of what was caught and ringed (re-trapped):
Blackcap 1 (1)
Blackbird 1
Redwing 4
Dunnock 1 (1) - still they come
House Sparrow 3 (1)
Greenfinch 1
Goldfinch 5
Bullfinch 1 (1)

Total 17 (4)

Yesterday, Denise and I recce'ed an orchard with a view to catching some Fieldfares before they decide to up and go. The wind was against us, billowing the nets, and the sun was also bright. We did manage to suss out the most sheltered part for a future attempt. This will probably be sooner rather than later, as the 400 or so birds could well depart as the temperature is forecast to reach the mid-teens later in the week.
Fingers crossed!

In anticipation

The weather has been "on and off" lately, with both wind and rain a frequent occurence. However, at times things have quietened down sufficient for a few interludes of ringing in the garden. It just so happens that I managed three sessions over the weekend with fifty/fifty success.

While walking the dog on Friday I came across the first 'big' flock of Fieldfare this winter hereabouts; it contained 28 birds that were feeding on Hawthorn (Crateagus sp.) berries in the lane leading to my meadows site. The following day, 7 Redwing appeared in the Ash (Fraxinus) trees at the bottom of the garden just before dusk. The following morning, a group of them were busy eating their way through the Holly (Ilex) berries on the 15m high tree that adorns our frontage. The missus is worried that they won't leave us any for Christmas decoration!

Is this the beginning of the "winter invasion" that we look forward to, when birds are driven, at last, to feeding in our gardens? Ringers always look forward to birds being attracted to our feeding stations in winter. Trouble is, every third household feeds the birds round here!

Back to the birds caught. As expected many of the new and retrapped ones were birds of the year. A bright male Blue Tit was from last January when ringing commenced, a female sized Robin was also an adult and had only arrived in the garden earlier this month, the Chaffinch, which spends a lot of time under the front shrubbery, was an adult female on tail shape and all the other finches were adults apart from a 1CY female Goldfinch with 2 ogc.


Adult male BULLF; 22nd= species (with COLDO) of 40 ringed by me in ST04

The Greenfinches arrived as a party of 7 birds on Sunday, the first winter 'flock' that I have noticed in the garden to date. The male Blackcap is now the 9th this winter period.


Totals: 13 species, 12 new, 12 re-traps.
Blue Tit 4 (1)
Great Tit (2)
Long-tailed Bushtit (3)
Blackcap 1
Wren (1)
Blackbird (2) - both male
Robin (1)
Dunnock (2)
House Sparrow 1
Chaffinch 1
Greenfinch 2
Goldfinch 2
Bullfinch 1

The weather forecast for the coming week is "not good", with the gale force winds due to batter the south of England this time. I hope we don't get the destruction seen in Scotland last week. Fingers crossed.