Two weeks have passed

In those two weeks things have moved closer to the shortest daylength, now just five weeks away, and there has been a small amount of movement. During weeks 45 & 46 in other years (all three, big deal), I have caught 21 different species and averaged 26.33 new birds per week. The only species that has been trapped but not turned up as a new bird is the Long-tailed Tit. This year, I have achieved 32.00 new birds per week covering just 14 species. Below I've tabulated all 21 species, with the average number of new birds over the last three years alongside this years.

1CY female Chiffchaff

1CY male Chiffchaff

These are the two Chiffs from this period. Athough the same species and approximately the same age, they look much different (and not just because of my photography skills). This female was greener and yellower than the male. It was a pity that my new trainees were not around when these were caught, but there will be plenty of opportunity for that at a later date, rest assured.

As you may be aware, I love my 'Stillits' (that's Norwegian for Goldfinch) and I'm having a good year for them. Of the 14 retraps, 5 were males, the oldest 467 and 348 days from ringing, the others ringed as juveniles this year. The other nine were females, three of which were returning adults, the rest all juveniles with the oldest ringed back at the beginning of July. Female Goldfinch X105685 was ringed 1397 days previously as a 3CY bird. She will be about five and a half years old by now. It happens to be the 92nd Goldfinch that I ringed, in my first ten days here, while there was snow on the ground. [See http://masterringer.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/king-of-kings.html] With a long history of being caught in different months, I suspect that she breeds and remains locally.

Note: average new for weeks 45/46 shown in square brackets [-] thus. As always, current retraps, counted once only if more than one re-capture during this period, in brackets (-).
Collared Dove [0.67] - 1; a 1CY bird from early in the year
Gt. Spot. Woodpecker [0.33] - 0; a cracking adult male, noisy too!
Magpie [0.33] - 0
Goldcrest [2.33] - 2 (1); both males, one an adult renewing part of its tail that "came adrift" elsewhere
Blue Tit [10.00] - 7 (4); two adults, the rest youngsters
Great Tit [1.00] - 1 (1)
Coal Tit [0.67] - 1
Long-tailed Tit [0.00] - 0
Chiffchaff [0.67] - 2; 1CY of opposite sexes
Blackcap [3.67] - 2; both males, the first a full adult (Euring age 4)
Wren [1.00] - 0
Blackbird [4.67] - 2; both young males (probably fairly local, going by wing legth)
Song Thrush [0.67] - 0
Redwing [0.67] - 0
Robin [1.00] - 2 (2)
Dunnock [1.33] - 0 (2)
House Sparrow [2.33] - 1 (1)
Chaffinch [2.00] - 1
Greenfinch [4.33] - 1
Goldfinch [14.67] - 39 (14)
Siskin [0.33] - 0

However, the following period started with a Sparrowhawk, a Gt. Spotted Woodpecker, a Goldcrest and another Blackcap (makes eight so far this season), all of which would have improved the figures. I get the impression that autumn has been about two weeks late this year (compared to recent years) and as yet we haven't seen any Redwing movements and many of the trees are still carrying a lot of leaf. More about them in a fortnight's time, fingers crossed.

A week later ...

... and the sun has returned. However, the last few days have been blustery, mainly from the north-west or west, and interspersed with showers. Bird-life has dwindled apart from the sparrows raiding the bird table alongside the camellia. Not many to show for it because I didn't put up the net between their favourite "entry bush" and their dinner. [You need to read also the post prior to this one, below]. I did keep the net between the SFH feeders in the orchard with much better results yesterday. Bingo! lots of 3J King Harrys; my favourite species at the moment.

The meadows were disappointing this weekend; perhaps I chose the wrong day. There just weren't the birds about. In two-plus hours I caught two birds and saw a Kingfisher. The only other birds were some Chaffinches moving noisily between the tops of the alders.

I've added in some photos from last week as well as this.

On of the three female Sparrowhawks that are
all too apparent at the moment

Juvenile Chiffchaff in heavy PJ moult
(with 3 ogc's)

Young Coal Tit
(showing the white nape patch)

Progress over the past six days: 77 new and 11 re-traps. All birds trapped were juveniles apart from a 2010 vintage, male Blue Tit on his fifth encounter with the human hand.

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 (male)

Blue Tit 3 (6)

Great Tit 2 (1)

Coal Tit 2 - 2nd & 3rd for the year

Long-tailed Tit (2)

Chiffchaff 1

Blackcap 1

Whitethroat 1

Blackbird (1)

Robin 1 (1)

Dunnock 4 - still they come after a "disappearing act"

House Sparrow 4 (1) - see above

Greenfinch 3

Goldfinch  54 (1) - now over 400 for the year (all in the garden)

Prince Harry?
(Juvenile Goldfinch in advanced PJ moult)

The weather looks fair for the coming week - will it be too good, and the birds overfly us? We will have to wait and see.

Another week of green 'n yellow!

Immature male Siskin with a few un-moulted greater coverts
(those fainter feather tips at the front of the wing bar)

A week strong on Siskins, 37 to be precise - plus a few other finches, mainly of the King Harry type, which came in second best at 32. Greenfinches made a better showing with 6 individuals. This all goes to show that there must be a bit of spring passage going on over our heads. 

Immature male Goldfinch
(moult limit not easily discernible)

Immature female Greenfinch
(with quite a few old (paler) greater coverts

These numbers have been accumulated over five early morning sessions. Ringing, or rather catching, drops off fairly smartish after the first two waves of hungry visitors. The wind picking up doesn't help much either, especially from the south.  Although we have a large garden, it is surrounded on two sides by light industry and its subsequent noise and motion pollution during work hours and causal lack of green vegetation apart from the odd conifer.

This week - 58 new plus 19 re-captures & 2 from elsewhere (local ringers' birds):

Adult male Blue Tit
(we haven't seen many of these around this year)

Blue Tit 1

Dunnock (1)

Chaffinch 1

Greenfinch 5 (+1C)

Goldfinch 17 (15)

Siskin 33 (3, +1C)

Bullfinch 1

I have checked the meadows out just recently, now that the water levels have receded and the ground is firmer underfoot. There is need of a fair bit of work in order that we may start catching there again with any success. The only birds of any note were a pair of Buzzards (on the deck) and a pair of displaying Kingfishers. The water, although clearing slightly, is still too deep and fast for the Dippers and Sandpipers.

Adult male Bullfinch, ready for another breeding season
(this bird has no juvenile feathers left - 
and has no green or yellow in its plumage!)

The weekend promises to be fine if a tad windy; perhaps next week will see some new visitors. Here's hoping!

3 years and 10 days

That's how long I've been ringing this site in West Somerset. And yesterday I ringed my 1,000th Goldfinch here.

During that time, I have had one recovery (outside a 15km radius of here, within which there are 4 local ringers) and that went 435km NNW in 7 weeks to County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.

I also have a pending control; a November bird bearing a French ring.

This works out at somewhere around £100 worth of rings for each of these two birds. It's one of the reasons we do this (to get these long-distance movements), on top of the other information that we gather, which helps to understand how populations behave (fluctuate) and what may be driving that.

Happy New Year - from the Wet Country

Two thirds through the month of January and we've aleady had 125 mm of rain on top of the 176 mm that we had in December between the 15th and year-end. That's a FOOT of the wet stuff in 5 weeks! Four dry days, that's all! Rant over.

Dawn. "Sh1t - the rain it cometh ... again!"
(looking SSE at dawn, 08:20)

EOY "paperwork" sorted and submitted; permit renewal, ready for posting, lost in the upheaval of decorating our large, rambling hallway; downloaded another copy; plumbers replaced our corroded water main; didn't win the Lottery; need to, to pay for rings.

Nevertheless, I have managed to open the main net through the old part of the apple orchard on the odd occasions, if only for a couple of hours. Getting on for 80% of the catch of unringed birds  has been finches coming to the feeders. Mine have four feed outlets and this is just as well because the bottom pair clog up pretty quickly when it rains heavily. I am for ever having to take them in, clean them, discard the 'soggy stuff', dry the decent stuff (in the microwave), and refill them. Good job I don't pay top whack for my SFH and have spare feeders to boot.

2CY male Greenfinch with renewed P6
(the wide & bright yellow one)

2CY female Bullfinch with 4 ogc
(they all have 4 this year; last year it was 3)

Last year, in January I caught 29 new Goldfinches, and 32 the year before. In 2011, when there was snow on the ground, I ringed 131. This year, although wet, looks as if it will surpass the two previous years; fingers crossed. This January there are many more females utilising garden feeders than males. So far, it happens to be 72.5% females (to 27.5% males [one un-sexed]) or roughly 3 to 1. This is a reversal of what one would expect, certainly in East Anglia, where the females abmigrate, leaving the males behind. From a study I did in Bedfordshire the males "out-shone" the females by some 4 to 1 in January, and females only surpassed males at feeders in June/July/August, during the period that young were fledging. Perhaps this winter abmigration is not just to France & Iberia, but, whenever conditions are much milder than normal (such as we've been having recently) substantial numbers decide to remain in the South-west. [I'll look at previous years here and report back]

Adult female Goldfinch
(probably 4 years old - note broad, rounded PC)

Back to business - here's what has been achieved so far this month.
Blue Tit 2

Coal Tit (1)

Long-tailed Tit 2 (3)

Blackcap (1) - male, first caught on Xmas Day (17 days)

Wren (1)

Blackbird 2 (2) - new birds were both 2CY males; re-traps = semi-resident, young females

Redwing 1 - adult weighing 68 g, fat 10

Robin 2 (1)

Dunnock 3 

House Sparrow 1 (1) - "a couple" 

Chaffinch 5 - 5F, 5F, 6F, 6F, 6M

Greenfinch 4 - all 2CY, single female

Goldfinch 30 (11)

Siskin 4 - all 2CY, singleton male

Bullfinch 5 - all 2CY female

Totals = 61 new & 21 re-traps of 15 workaday species. No more recoveries to hand just yet.

May 2014 bring a steady flow of happiness to my fellow bloggers - plus a few, gentle surprises. Take good care.

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]

February starts green and gold.

The wintry weather since my last blog has not done much for the art of bird-catching. The enemy has been the strong winds and their friend, the rain.

I made use of this poor interlude to visit family in Bedfordshire and to meet up with Martin Garner and Tormd Amundsen on their UK tour. Not having been to a Beds Bird Club meeting for over two years now, it was inevitable that I would be teased by my many friends of times past, all in good humour. It has been less wet since returning home but, boy, has the wind been a problem combined with the low temperatures. 

The hundreds of thrushes have left the horse paddocks by the river, leaving the dozen or so Blackbirds in possesion and in peace. More recent notable sightings have included a Red Kite, a Green Woodpecker, the Magpies lining their nest (which they built a month ago), a silent Chiffchaff, the usual Egrets and the return of a Grey Heron working the river, now that the waters are receeding. The real "red letter" was a noisy Kingfisher, which, between us, we have only seen once since last April; the floods have created some suitable, if rather soft, banks for a possible nest. Perhaps they will return this spring and raise young again.

Nonetheless, I have been able to open a sheltered single 60', with the 1st and 3rd being the better catching days. Otherwise, it's been grab a couple of hours after sunrise or after lunch - and hope for the best.  During this period, I did manage a "first" for me; I controlled an adult male Siskin, albeit from Denise just 14km to the west under the edge of Exmoor. Previously, I have had just two recoveries, both long-distance, of the species many moons ago, so this was a real bonus. Perhaps there will be more.

Two species took overwhelming precedence, just two others were also ringed, plus a further five species "fell in" as retraps. All revealed now. (All different birds)

Blue Tit (1)

Blackcap (2) - the 'left-leg pair'; the 'right-leg' pair' also present

Blackbird (1)

Robin (2)

Dunnock 1 (2)

Chaffinch 2 - 'big' birds

Goldfinch 21 (3) - 50/50 on age; 20 male, 4 female (significant).

Siskin 21 (1) - 73% were 2CY; 12 males, 10 females

Bullfinch (2) the 2 adult females, both showing the beginnings of a brood patch

New = 45, recaptured = 13

2CY male

The ratio of Goldfinch males to females at this time of year falls in line with previous work I have done on the species in a different part of the country. Three of the four females were full adults. February seems to be Siskin catching time, while new Goldfinches should feature heavily until the end of April (mean egg laying date 27 April).

3CY Female

Top ten (so far)

Just a quick look at how things are going to date on the ringing front. It's always good to know what has been caught and compare this with other years.

The top ten are, with last year's position in brackets:

1 (1) - Goldfinch 233 (22.7%)

2 (2) - Blue Tit 86 (8.4%)

3 (4) - Blackcap 77 (7.5%)

4 (6) - Greenfinch 65 (6.3%)

5 (3) - Chiffchaff 62 (6.0%)

6 (11=) - House Sparrow 49 (4.8%)

7 (5)- Blackbird 45 (4.4%)       

8 (8=) - Great Tit 41 (4.0%)

9= (13) - Chaffinch 37 (3.6%)

9= (11=) - Robin 37 (3.6%)

These ten represent 71.2% of the total; the remaining 31 occupy the rest of the list.

Last year, in 7th place was Long-tailed Tit, currently in 15th place, in 8th= with Gt. Tit was Dunnock, now relegated to 11th= with Willow Warbler, and 10th, Brambling, with 52 birds, but none as yet, along with ten other species with 'zilch' this year! 

I don't expect a lot of change - unless we have some unprecedented weather here in the south-west. Waxwing and thrush invasion?

Allez oop

Despite the weather it has been a good week in most respects. I have been able to do some ringing every day, though Tuesday only saw 1 new Blue Tit in the bag before the wind got up.           

The garden produced 96 new birds (10, 1, 16, 11, 12, 26, 20) and 13 recaptures of 10 species using one 60' in our small orchard. Thursday morning at  Highbridge meadows yielded 21 new plus 3 re-traps including a new species, Grewo, originally from Five Bells, a couple of km to the north-west. There was a passage of Chaffinches but no Mipits or Swallows. Saturday at the meadows saw the temperature down to 0C with clear skies and just 4 new AA rings plus 2 re-traps. 12 Jays moved overhead from the direction of the Crown Estate (mainly coniferous) towards the Quantocks (large tracts of deciduous) at 08:30 and 4 Meadow Pipits took an interest in the "tape" but decided to avoid the net and moved on. Just 2 lone Swallows were seen hastening south. There was a noticeable increase in the number of Siskin feeding high in the Alders, which coincided with their attraction to the garden feeders.

Siskin - male 2CY (October)

*** Birds trapped at the meadows = 25 (4):
Green Woodpecker - control
Blue Tit 1 (1)
Great Tit 4
Long-tailed Tit 7 (3)
Chiffchaff 5
Wren 1
Blackbird 1
Robin 1
Dunnock1
Chaffinch 4

The main event at the house was the number of Goldfinches that appeared from Tuesday onwards. Until now, it has just been the local birds - that know their way around the feeders without getting caught too often.

1CY Goldfinch - After PJ moult

1CY Goldfinch - During PJ moult

 *** Birds caught at the house = 96 (12) [excludes any same week re-traps]
Blue Tit 10 (6)
Great tit 3 (1)
Coal Tit 8 (1) - 2 adults
Chiffchaff 2 - both 'long-winged' @ 64mm
Robin (3)
Dunnock 1
House Sparrow 1
Chaffinch 1
Greenfinch 1
Goldfinch 59 (1) - a dozen adults, F=M
Siskin 10 - influx Fri/Sat (6/7th Oct); 8 adults, 2 juvs

Coal Tit - 1CY

Just thought that I'd show some "rear views" for a change. I will be going to be away from the village for much of the next two weeks and therefore ringing at the house will have to be snatched "as and when". However, my pliers will be in use elsewhere!

Tails. You Loose.

Felt very much like it this last week. It has been very mild for the time of year - up to 14deg C! believe it or not. It's been like that for three weeks now. The wind has come and gone, making netting a bit hit and miss. The main problem has been the utter lack of birds, presumably because they are still finding food in the countryside and their calorie expenditure has been minimal (if they keep out of a draught at night). I did see a Siskin today, though, and the Dipper flies back and forth every morning at sunrise. The next four days may well present the birds with a different scenario - namely, FROSTS! and low (6deg C ??) daytime temperatures. The feeders have been cleaned and refilled ready.

The main excitement has been another Blackcap, this one an adult female. I include its portrait below and that of its diagnostic, wide and rounded tail feathers.



The most surprising, if only for their colour, were two male Bullfinches together at the end of the orchard. They were probably after plundering some of our apple buds.

The other significant event occured when two of the four or five Redwings stripping the last of the Holly berries, from the 'big un' out front, fell into the net. One was a immature bird, the other an adult, whose tail, wide and rounded like the adult Blackcap's, is also posted below.


And so to the grand total of all my efforts in the garden since the last blog post - it hasn't really been worth going over the meadows as they remain very wet under-foot.

Goldcrest (1) - an adult male
Blue Tit 1 (1)
Long-tailed Bushtit 1 - must be an 'incomer'
Blackcap 1
Wren 1 - an adult female
Blackbird 1 (2)
Redwing 2
Robin (2)
Dunnock 1 (5) - that makes it 12 different "Shufflewings" in the garden in the last month
House Sparrow 1
Goldfinch 2
Bullfinch 2
12 species, 13 new, (11 retraps), over five of the last nine mornings.

At last!

This week has been somewhat of a transition, from 'poor' to 'signs of improvement'

Having said that, the weather has not been conducive for ringing as the wind has been strong and gusted 50mph for most of one day.

Monday's early morning session yielded the ordinary garden birds that nest hereabouts, the only adult bird being a retrap Goldfinch from last April.

Today's quick morning session produced a retrap juvvie Blackbird and 8 Goldfinches, including 2 adults. This is the first day that the Goldies have been at the feeders apart from at first light when "the locals" nip in for a pre-foraging top-up, avoiding any net that may be open. At last, this must herald the start of the winter programme of garden ringing as opposed to wind-swept outings to the water meadows.



Total for the week (so far):
Blue Tit 1 (1)
Coal Tit 1
Blackbird 1 (1)
Wren 1
Dunnock 1
Goldfinch 7 (2)

I'm doing this in Aylesbury, 150 miles from home, as we are ringing the New Wood in the morning and I've got to keep on top of these Cs & Ts!