Sauntering up to the Summer Solstice

This post covers the three week run-up to the longest day.

Things are busy in the garden - grass to manage, hedges to cut, borders to weed, soft fruit to pick, black-fly to purge, vegetables to tend, water and harvest, and so it goes on. At least the new potting shed is finished and the greenhouse glass repaired.

The birds have been busy too, mostly feeding their young on either natural food or that which I have provided. So far this year, I have gone through 120kg of SFH, 25kg of suet, 15kg of 'finch seed' (fine stuff) and 10kg of dried mealworms. Haven't counted the packets of sultanas! And dread to think of the cost, too. However, time to replenish stocks!

From now on, the amount of bird-food that I will be putting out will drop off considerably, allowing the birds to return to their natural diet in the countryside/farmland/housing estates. Come November, when the fog and first frosts should appear, I will start feeding more heavily. I find that the greatest demand is either during periods of snow or lengthy frosts and immediately prior to and during the breeding season. By easing off, usually by putting out food just the once 'early doors', the birds are driven to follow their natural instincts for the rest of the day. This weeds out "the chaff from the straw", leaving the fittest to make it round to next year's breeding season. 

For Goldfinch aficionados, have a look at Peter Alker's blog here; you might want to tear out the id pages from Svensson after reading this.

Now for some pictures of very young birds that have been caught recently. With still a lot of growing to do, especially of their flight feathers, it's a marvel that they manage to fly so strongly. We quite often find them high up in the nets.

recently fledged Greenfinch

juvenile House Sparrow about to join the world

unusual growth bars on a juvenile Blackbird

juvenile Nuthatch

And some not so young birds.

breeding Herring Gull (argenteus) at least 8 years old

primary wing moult in a 1st year Collared Dove
(hatched early in the year, probably early February)

A really good total for the time of year - often we are away for a week in June, so the fact that we weren't this year might have helped!

200 new birds and some 40 birds from previous.
Herring Gull - 1; a beautiful adult in moult
Woodpigeon - 0; couldn't get to it in time!
Collared Dove - 3;
Gt. Spotted Woodpecker - 2; a pair busy provisioning their young from the feeder
Jackdaw - 1; a youngster
Rook - 1; a too enthusiastic female
Blue Tit - 16 (1); a male from November 2011 (4M)
Great Tit - 12;
Swallow - 3; a first brood about 10-12 days old
Long-tailed Tit - 19 (3); all in one go!
Blackcap - 4 (2); mum & dad first, then four youngsters
Nuthatch - 1; a juvenile was an unexpected first for the garden (doesn't breed in our tetrad, a 2x2km grid square)
Wren - 2;
Starling - 5;
Blackbird - 13 (4); two birds from autumn 2013
Robin - 13 (5); our old female yet again (born here in spring 2011)
Spotted Flycatcher - 2; a pair caught together late morning on the 7th, another first!

male & female Spotted Flycatcher, June 2015
(not separable on plumage)

Dunnock - 11 (4);
House Sparrow - 32 (8); oldest a 2012 youngster
Pied Wagtail - 1; "old peg-leg", an adult (3cy) back in July 2012
Chaffinch - 6  (2);
Greenfinch - 28 (2); the real surprise - lots of new young birds
Goldfinch - 22 (8); just 3 adults - that were all male
Siskin - 5;

Over the half-way mark (750) for new birds this year and hopefully about ten more species to get as well, going by previous years. Nothing's  guaranteed in this game though!

PS. I buy much of my bird-food in bulk direct from the importers/processors/wholesalers to reduce costs. It is stored in plastic dustbins to deter the Wood Mice.

So far, so good

We are now into spring proper and heading for the breeding season of our summer migrants. Our resident birds are well and truly into their breeding season and I have already ringed a fledged (1J) Robin on the 12th.

This report deals with April to date. The garden is a picture, full of flowering primroses and polyanthus and other spring flowers. On the non-avian front, the slow-worms are basking under the tin sheets, the majority of the frog spawn hatched, giving us several hundred tadpoles, (signifying a stock of mince in the freezer), and the toads re-appeared. Bumble bees and other insects made hay with the Ribes blossom, Peacock and Small Tortoishell butterflies were on the wing and the plum trees blosomed and the Camellia flowers wilted. As yet, we await the Bluebells and the main apple and pear blossom season ... and the Redstarts.

All attention has had to be devoted to the garden as I am suffering with prepatella bursitis, or 'house-maids knee' for those of a non-medical persuasion. The local resident birds are mopping up the bird food as quick as I can put it out, both on the tables (3), in the feeders (6) and on the kitchen lawn. To this end, I have had to expend £180 to replenish stocks of SFH, suet pellets, finch seed and mealworms, totalling 65 kg. I will  pick up the millet when I go to Bedford on Sunday. Thank goodness the Wood Mice seem to have buzzed off for the summer.

The three pairs of Herring Gulls are assiduously guarding their nest sites from others and the Jackdaws. A few base sticks and fleshy bits have been put down but none are anywhere near complete. The Lesser Black-back pair have now returned; I don't as yet know where they intend to set up home. This should be their 'parenthood' year if things go to plan.

First Willow Warbler of 2015
(a whiter shade of pale)

Chiffchaff - with pollen horn

The first Swallow, a male with long streamers, appeared on the 6th, the same afternoon that an Osprey flew resolutely north. Yesterday, there were at least 3 Swallows and the first House Martin wheeling overhead. Three new species have been ringed this month - namely, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Rook and, of course, Willow Warbler. The first 'Willy' arrived on the 8th and sang "out front", and I caught a different male the following day. None of the males has been carrying much fat (0-1), whereas the more recently arrived females have all been heavy for their smaller size and fat 2-3.

The first fledgling to be ringed was a Robin that I found in the net on the evening of the 12th.

Fledgling Robin (1J) 12-04-15

All together, I ringed a further 74 birds of 19 species, plus handled 52 individual retraps. So far in 2015, I have ringed just 350 new birds, of which 127 are Goldfinches (36.3% of birds ringed this year to date). There have been 229 handlings of them all told, consisting of 200 'new for year' individual Goldfinches. Some of these have been new or returning migrant birds that drop in for a day or two to feed up before pushing off further north. Our local breeding birds are much leaner and don't just use the feeders but inspect all the plants in the garden and even try to get in the fruit cage. They also appreciate the fine, groomed hair from my Belgian Shepherd.

2CY female (5F) Gt. Spotted Woodpecker

2CY Pied Wagtail (yarrellii) with 4 old greater coverts

With just one 60' net, the list of new birds ringed, with other birds ringed previously in brackets, is:
Gt. Spot Woodpecker - 1
Rook - 1
Goldcrest - 1 (2)
Blue Tit - 2 (1)
Great Tit - 1 (2)
Long-tailed Tit - 1 (2)
Chiffchaff - 5; the only female on the 13th
Willow Warbler - 10; males first, females from the 12th
Blackcap - 6 (1); lingering male on 6th, new birds from the 9th
Wren - 3 (1)
Starling - 2; no unringed birds seen - 6 pairs known
Blackbird - 1 (4); all now feeding young in the nest
Robin - 3 (5);
Dunnock - (4); not as showy as last month
House Sparrow - 2 (6); a few are nesting, others are still thinking about it
Pied Wagtail - 1; minimum of 3 pairs present, poss 4 pairs.
Chaffinch - 4 (2) + 1 adult male (2x) with severe FPV
Greenfinch - 4 (11); 9 males + 6 females, 6 aged 5 (2CY)
Goldfinch - 26 (12); 8 of the retraps were 2CY, only 2 of the new birds were adults (3CY+)
       Finches still dominate in the catches, but Collared Dove (up to 7), Jackdaw (5), Starling, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock and Pied Wagtail are most likely to be seen feeding in the garden at any time of day.

A 'normal' (yellow) spring Willow Warbler

No fools in sight

The gales are subsiding now; fortunately we escaped without damage this year. Last spring, we lost part of the roof and a very old Rowan that took the fence with it.

The garden is full of bird activity. There are also quite a few Wood Mice around, munching into the bird food on the bird table. We have to translocate these to a neighbouring small-holding some 4-500 metres away. The butterflies are starting to wake up, too. When we took the old potting shed down, we discovered a fat, female Slow-worm under a discarded piece of corrugated iron sheeting amongst the Bluebells.

The Robins are busy collecting either nest material, lining or worms almost non-stop. They also nip onto the bird tables for the old sultana or suet pellet. At least one has a wrinkled brood patch, indicative of sitting on eggs in one of the hedges. We have at least three pairs of Blackbirds, also foraging in the garden. The females are less frequent now and are more likely to visit alone, a sign that they are probably sitting, too. The Pied Wagtails can all be distinguised by the direction that they head for when they are either fed or disturbed by a bigger bird. Obviously nesting on/in different buildings. "Peg Leg", who has a 'club foot', is still with us; I first ringed him in July 2012 as a 6M. 

The Starlings roll in every morning in their twos. I've ringed ten so far this year but not re-trapped any from previous years (which amounts to a mere seven in three years). When we came here we hardly ever saw a Starling in the village, except during winter. I noticed two more unringed ones this morning - trap set!

Adult male Greenfinch (spring)

Chiffchaff with pollen horn

Over the last two or three weeks, the main movement into the feeders and the tall Ash trees beyond the bottom hedge has been of Chaffinch and Greenfinch. Some of this is of returning birds as there seems to be much displaying and singing around the tree tops. They do drop down sometimes, low enough to connect with the orchard net. (see below).

The Goldfinches have been inspecting the herbaceous border and the vegetable garden for nesting material including my Belgian's fine hair, which I put out for them after she's had a brushing. Again, there seem to be three pairs attempting to nest close by, with several more that shoot off from the feeders in the direction of the hedges by the railway or at the rear of the 'industrial estate'/ local tip - sorry, I mean the recycling centre.

The veteran male over-wintering Blackcap was seen singing this morning and also when he came to the bird table. I wonder when he will push off for his 'unknown-to-us' homeland and traditional nesting territory. The incoming migrants should be with us within the week, fingers crossed.

The meadows are ready for some attention but the poor weather prevents us from attending. I did hear the Dipper this morning and a lone Chiffchaff but the bushes/trees are barely breaking bud at present, providing no cover. A Wheatear passed through on the 13th, the day after a small Redwing passage. As long as it doesn't rain hard for any length of time, we will make our first visit of the year after Easter.

This period, I managed to find 20 species, covering 38 new birds and 45 re-captured individuals, in the net(s). The weather has been a problem from a safety point of view and there's not much on the migration front yet either, except some Chiffs.

Woodpigeon - (1); heavyweight at 619 gm

Collared Dove - 1; a fledging that got taken by a Sparr. 2 days later

Jackdaw - 1; adult female with brood patch (B2) on 23rd

Goldcrest - 1 (1); a pair, caught on subsequent days (together)

Blue Tit - 1 (4); they are an "unknown quantity" and not common hereabouts

Great Tit - 1 (2); 2 known pairs

Chiffchaff - 4; all males, the first 2 on 16th/18th were full adults, the other two on 18th & 30th of uncertain age - but the latter most likely 2CY 

Blackcap - (1); the over-wintering 5 female, showing fat3

Wren - 1 (1); both adult males

Starling - 5; two adult pairs & a 2CY male

Blackbird - 4 (3); 4 new adults; on the move?

Redwing - 1; another adult; definite shortage of 1st year birds here

Robin - 1 (7); omni-present!

Dunnock - 1 (2); there are more than this here at the moment!

House Sparrow - 3 (7); all males bar a lone female

Pied Wagtail - (2); and regular, old pair

Chaffinch - 4; all 'age5' females

Greenfinch - 3 (3); males with a single female

Goldfinch - 5 (10); 

Siskin - 1 (1); both males, possibly nesting locally (no fat)

One recovery received -  a 5M Siskin to Callandar (Stirlingshire), a distance of 567 km in 87 days (spring 2014), controlled by a ringer (= probably nesting)

That's it. More news in a couple of weeks or so, Deo volente.

PS. For Poldark fans, or their spouses, here is "Wheal Leasure" in action!

Somewhere in Penwith, 2014

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.

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?

Middle March

It's been longer than a week, but the current weather is holding things back right now after what promised to be a mild and gentle beginning to spring. Progress has been slow,in part due to the extremes of bright sunshine or blustery winds first thing in the morning. The weathermen must have realised that I was due a dose of shingles. Got to have something to occupy ones mind when the catching is slow!

Male Lesser Redpoll

This is what ten days from 15th to 24th have accomplished:

Collared Dove 1 - a second escaped (as they do)

Blue Tit  (3) - no brood patches apparent

Great Tit 1 - a female with the beginnings of a brood patch
[Note: Great Tits generally nest 7-10 days earlier than Blue Tits]

Chiffchaff 2 - first on 19th, next on 21st; low fat scores indicate "local" birds

Wren 1 - 2CY female

Blackbird 1 (2) - another new full adult female

Robin 2 (2) - nesting in progress. 4th & 5th new birds of the year also

Dunnock 1 (3)

House Sparrow 1 (2)

Chaffinch 3 - plus one released unringed ("scaly leg")

Greenfinch 1 - cracking male

Goldfinch 13 (10)

Siskin 1 (2) - all males

Lesser Redpoll 1 - only the second of the year

29 new birds + 23 recaptures of 14 species  

There was not much sign of passing Goldfinches. One female was carrying a large amount of fat deposits (ESF 40) sufficient for a migration of perhaps 200+ miles, with another two birds with less (ESF 25), enough for 100 miles or so. Half of the birds showed no or little traces of fat so they must be intending to remain locally for the time being. We know that they cross the south-west peninsula, seeking the warmer English Channel coast during winter, before returning north to areas around the Bristol Channel.

Goldcrest
(heard but not caught - yet)

 My apologies for a late posting - due to my current, painful affliction. Should be able to catch up later this week, I hope.

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!

Whoosh!

Well, we've had some more torrential rain - and our third severe gale of the winter. Trees down, tiles off, glass smashed ... but the nets stood firm! February rainfall now 168mm, that's more than twice the monthly recorded average for the time of year, and we're only half way through the month. Any way, it's started raining again. The forecast does look to be improving at long last, though. That should help the pumps down on The Levels (locally re-named "Lake Paterson"). 

I managed to get out and set the net for the best part of a day on three occasions this week, whenever the wind had died down to a safe level. I do have some shelter in the orchard if the wind is in the right vector. Ryan, a trainee, came yesterday and cut his teeth on a new species for him, Siskin.

Male Siskin

The 21 re-captured Goldfinches comprised - 1 from the 2010/11 winter period, 3 from 2011/12, 4 from 2012/13 & 13 from previously this winter. The oldest bird would have been hatched in 2009 (or earlier). One of the Siskins was a control from 8km west, ringed as an adult male last spring; the other re-trap was also from the last winter period, while it was still immature. The suspicion is that the wet weather and the gales have ruined the remaining Alder tree seeds for the Siskins, bringing them back into the gardens at last.

How we got on:-
Great Tit - 2; first of the year
Chaffinch - 1; a large, adult male bird
Greenfinch - 6 (1); an awaited increase in numbers
Goldfinch - 36 (21); still coming through, (see above)
Siskin - 16 (2); a sudden, noticeable increase in numbers coming to the feeders
Bullfinch - (1); a 2011 female
Others - 5 spp. (8)

The sun's come out, albeit briefly!

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

They think it's all over

The sun has come out and stays out from dawn 'til dusk. Shade temperatures in the garden have touched 20deg C. and the first of the Apple trees has decided to flower. Not good news for a bird-ringer in two ways - the birds either move off to pastures new, i.e. their breeding territories further north and east, or really get on with the business of nesting in our hedges, trees and shrubs, and, secondly, the nets become very visible in the sunlight, even with a background, except for a short while at each end of the day. 

Bullfinch, adult male

Five different Bullfinches were caught, comprising two pairs and a lone/spare 2CY female. They always reappear when the buds are swelling, just before the Apple trees come into flower. This was also the time period when the Whitethroats appeared; for this (coastal) part of Somerset, they were two to three days later this year than normal. They  seem to disappear in spring but show themselves again in July. The Willow Warblers seemed to stop abruptly on the 27th; the one pictured in the previous blog (re-shewn below) was a late male (25th) that looked quite different from our more normal, yellowy-green birds. 

Common Whitethroat (male)

Well defined head markings and paler rear underparts
(and late date) suggest
  Phylloscopus trochilus acredula

Given the current weather situation (SUN!), one could put in a lot of effort for very little reward. The only times that catching is viable is early morning and late evening. Even so, things can be pretty dire. We will have to think of alternative methods.

The last week's assortment is on record as:

Woodpigeon 1 

Collared Dove 1 - a young bird [Euring 2I] that hatched either at the end of last year or early in this. The only bird ringed so far this month (May).

Chiffchaff 2 - females on the move

Willow Warbler 5 - females, none after 27th

Blackcap 2 (2) - female ringed on 13th weighed 20.4g on 27th 

Garden Warbler 1 - my one and only for the year?

Com. Whitethroat 4 

Starling 1 

Blackbird (3)

Robin 2 (1) - all males on CP

Dunnock (2) - the garden is "over-run" with them

House Sparrow 1 (1)

Pied Wagtail (1)

Chaffinch (1)

Greenfinch 2 (1)

Goldfinch 14 (1) - birds on the move but with little/no fat reserves

Siskin 7 - suspect they are mainly local breeders

Bullfinch 1 (4) - 2 pairs & a spare female

Total (excluding double counting) - 44 new + 17 re-captures of 18 species. 33 species were seen in or over our garden during this period, including the Com. Swifts.

Between myself and John, who rings at the other side of the village, we ringed over 550 new birds of 37 species last month (April). He "grabbed" a Collared Dove, Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, (Goldcrest), (Jay), Com. Crossbill (4) and Yellowhammer. For my part, he was "missing" Herring Gull, Woodpigeon (3), Pied Wagtail, Garden Warbler, (Coal Tit), Magpie, Starling (2), Brambling (2), and Linnet. I'm usually the one who misses out on the Linnets.

Egrove Lane - May 2013

As far as the trees are concerned, they've got a lot of catching up to do. Blackthorn not flowering until late April - ridiculous!

I'm am hopeful of returning to the water meadows next week for the summer months and also to go and catch a few Swallows at the stables, if the wind permits. We'll have to wait and see.