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".

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.

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 

It's a lovely day, today, ...

... that is, if you are looking out through a double glazed window and don't have to venture out into the stiff northeasterly and crazy wind-chill. 

As I walked around the village I noticed that there were lots of Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Siskins and the rump of Redwings cowering in the well stocked gardens of the larger properties, trying to 'eek out a living', mirroring the situation in my own premises. The wind has been too strong over the last few days to risk any mist-netting, not just from the birds' safety and well-being point of view but also on a pecuniary level (ripped nets caught on 'vegetation').

Over the Easter weekend holiday period, I did manage to present a few birds with a memento of West Somerset in the form of some BTO bling.

Male Chiffchaff (one of many)

Female Blackcap (first for 2013)

Magpie 1
Coal Tit 2 (1)
Long-tailed Tit 1
Chiffchaff 4 (4) - passage still on-going with birds remaining for 2-7 days. No definite signs of any females arriving.
Blackcap 5 (5) - 4 of the "winter regulars" (now getting fat, in preparation for the "off") plus a rake of newly arrived migrants.
Blackbird (3)
Song Thrush (1)
Redwing 3 - all adults (Euring 6)
Dunnock 1 (2)
House Sparrow (1) - a last year's juv male
Pied Wagtail 1 (1) - the second pair that visits for mealworms
Chaffinch 1
Greenfinch 1 (3) - much singing in the tree tops
Goldfinch 2 (1)
Siskin 13 (1) - and yet they still come, but few 2CY birds

Adult female Pied Wagtail

Adult Redwing (male)

Still no Willow Warblers spotted in this neck of the woods; perhaps next week? My stinking cold is, hopefully, abating in time for some better weather from this weekend onwards. If it warms up (stays above 5C) I might consider a spot of grass-cutting.