The garden could do with some rain after this run of fine, warm weather that we have enjoyed. This welcome state of affairs is not always conducive to our ringing efforts though, as it has served up two of the three detrimental elements, namely full sun and stiff breezes (the third being moderate to heavy rain).
It has been 17 days since I reported in last and during that time many more young birds have fledged and are busy finding their way in life without their parents being there all the time. The grown-ups have also started re-nesting and at least one Robin and one Blackbird pair are on eggs once more. The gaping of more tiny mouths is expected shortly.
Some new species for the year have been ringed and some "old friends" have been tempted into the nets and an old trap that I dug out.
John and I usually manage to catch around four Redstarts between us in our gardens each spring. The dates can be as early as mid April or as late as June.
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| Male Pied Wagtail first ringed as a juvenile on 12-12-2012 |
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| Juvenile female Greenfinch, one of two ringed |
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| Fledgling Dunnock, one of four trapped |
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| 2CY female Common Redstart, a locally common breeder |
The results of two weeks limited ringing in the garden.
Rook 1 - female didn't quite make it safely off the bird table
Blue Tit (3) - a young female and 2 older males, one born 2010, the other is that or older
Great Tit 7 (1) - a new pair and 5 offspring, the other a brooding female
Chifchaff 1 - a new 2CY male (that was singing against the 'resident' male)
Blackbird 5 (5) - 4 youngsters and a new, mature male; 2 mature males, a female and a "new" 2CY pair were recaptured. We know we have 3 pairs nesting.
Robin 3 (5) - 3 new and 4 re-trapped juveniles and a "dad".
Redstart 1 - 2CY female (above)
Dunnock 4 (3) - 4 new fledglings plus 2 males and a female
House Sparrow 3 (3) - 2 barely fledged and a new male plus 3 females coming to millet to feed their young in nests in the nearby industrial estate buildings
Pied Wagtail (2) - a probable pair that feed on the lawns. Up to 6 birds present, 1 unringed female.
Chaffinch 1 (1) - first 3J (juvenile) of the season and a 2012 male
Greenfinch 6 - 2 juvs, 3 males and a 2CY female in egg
Goldfinch (3) - all old males from 2011 and 2012
Siskin 6 (1) - 4 females and 3 males, all nesting locally
Bullfinch 2 (1) - a new pair and a re-trap male, all 2CY
15 species, 40 new, 28 re-traps. [2CY = in second calendar year, i.e. "maiden"]
Still having a mix of bad days and good days; shingles starting to ameliorate at last.
A disaster befell us, too. We noticed that there weren't any tadpoles in the pond. There had been a thousand or more wee ones previously. The pond was a very dark green with lesser duckweed on the surface - but no taddies. Either there was no food or insufficient oxygen or the one night of frost might have done the damage. You know who got in and drained it, scrubbed it and re-filled it with rainwater from one of the butts.
Still having a mix of bad days and good days; shingles starting to ameliorate at last.
A disaster befell us, too. We noticed that there weren't any tadpoles in the pond. There had been a thousand or more wee ones previously. The pond was a very dark green with lesser duckweed on the surface - but no taddies. Either there was no food or insufficient oxygen or the one night of frost might have done the damage. You know who got in and drained it, scrubbed it and re-filled it with rainwater from one of the butts.
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| The empty and clean pond Bye for now! |
