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

Santa special

Christmas Robin

A Happy Christmas to all my readers and may 2015 treat you well when it arrives.

Since my last posting on the 14th, there has been a steady trickle of birds through the garden. However, it has not been really wintery, just a tad miserable with grey skies and plenty of westerly winds that have now turned northerly. Right now, the sun is out and the temperature is low. During that time, ninety different birds have passed through the "ringing room", with by far and away the most being 45 Goldfinches (50%).

There have been a few "oddities" that I don't normally catch and that always engenders a warm feeling. In a different part of the country I might look upon them as a more regular occurence at this time of year. There was a Song Thrush (only the 4th of the year), another Blackcap making 20 in the last two months, the other half (female) of the Starling pair and, lastly, a Black Redstart a couple of days ago.

1CY female Black Redstart

A full list of captures is as follows:

Blue Tit 3 (2) - 1 new adult male

Great Tit 1 - adult male

Long-tailed Tit 3 (4) - all this years young (the local adults are all ringed)

Blackcap 1 - immature male

Starling 1 - adult female

Blackbird 1 (1) - immature birds

Song Thrush 1 - 1CY

Robin 2 (4) - 1 new adult, the rest this year's offspring

Black Redstart 1 - a large 1CY female with a wing of 87 mm. [Garden tick]

Dunnock 4 (4) - 2 new adults, 1 a male on CP

House Sparrow 2 (4)

Chaffinch 1 - 1CY female

Greenfinch 3 (2) - new = youngsters; the other 2 were "controls" from nearest ringer, John, one originally ringed not quite 6 years ago, as a 2CY male, in January 2009 - and not seen since.

Goldfinch 29 (16) - made up of 10 adult males, 6 adult females, 13 immature males, 12 immature females and 4 unsexed juvenile birds.

Plans for the next week or so include having a look at a flock of Meadow Pipits on a neighbours field, provided his daughter's horse is elsewhere. Au revoir.

Not summer, anyway.

It's been a funny old four weeks since I last blogged about bird-ringing. Although I've been able to ring most mornings, the impending Christmas rituals and the presence of a plumber in the bathroom has frustrated my efforts to present this piece to the world.

Over this period, I handled 22 different species. Let's look at some of the more interesting ones.

1CY Blackcap, male

5CY Blackcap, male.

Notice the juvenile, dark brown, crown feathers admixed with the black ones, acquired during the post-juvenile moult, in the young (1CY) male Blackcap above. The lower Blackcap is in its 5th year. It has a much broader, big alula feather than the young bird. The bird itself has an olive-grey mantle compared to the olive-brown of the young bird. Overall, it's a "neater" bird.

Adult Grey Wagtail, showing the broad primary coverts

Under-tail of adult male Grey Wagtail

This Grey Wagtail can be seen most days either on the rocks down at the stream or flitting around the rooftops of the nearby houses, the coach garage, Travis Perkins' outlet or the railway station buildings. It was a complete turn-up to catch it in a net in our orchard instead of a net across the stream.

The downside of being a ringer - Blue Tits!

1CY Siskin, showing the 3 white-edged, unmoulted, greater coverts

Below is a shot of an unusual Greenfinch. It has 5 primary coverts with grey tips, indicative of an adult male. Further inspection shows that the outer 5 primaries (the outermost is tiny) are somewhat different from the inner five. The yellow of the outer edge is brighter on the "adult" feathers. This bird had done more than the usual post-juvenile moult; a few youngsters do moult out primaries 6 and 7 and rarely 8. I have never seen primaries 6 to 10 moulted in sub-adult Greenfinches before.

1CY greenfinch with primaries 6-10 replaced

I now know that the local population of Dunnocks equals or exceeds 14 birds at the moment. One bird, a juvenile, had "emigrated" from neighbouring ringer John's place about 2 km away. They have all put on weight lately, some 3 grams heavier than during days with longer daylight. One adolescent bird has acquired these rather unsightly growths on its feet but it doesn't seem to affect it at the moment.

Cysts on the feet of a juvenile Dunnock

We now come to the "results page". Two new species for the year were caught and ringed in the last week. The cummulative totals, excluding multiple re-traps, are as follows:

Sparrowhawk - 1; young male.

Collared Dove - 1; this year's, male on size.

Jackdaw - 1; this year's, female on size. A new species for 2014.

Goldcrest - 4 (2); five were males.

Blue Tit - 14 (7); six were adults, three of which were new.

Great Tit - 2 (7); two were adults and one of those was a new male.

Coal Tit - 1 (1); both 1CY birds.

Long-tailed Tit - (6)

Chiffchaff - 1; 3rd week of November. None since.

Blackcap - 11 (1); one adult, plus a "control" not seen since February 2011.

Wren - (3); one adult female, ringed two years ago.

Starling - 1; adult male. A new species for 2014.

Dipper - 1; a full adult. 

Blackbird - 5 (4); just one "near continental" type.

Redwing - nil;

Robin - (5); all 1CY, except a female ringed as a juvenile in July 2011.

Dunnock - 4 (10); oldest bird was a female from January 2012.

House Sparrow - 5 (11); just five females.

Grey Wagtail - 1; an unexpected adult male found in the bottom shelf.

Chaffinch - 5;

Greenfinch - 14 (1); 9 male / 6 female. Five adults, 

Goldfinch - 91 (44); incl. one 'control', ringed by a neighbouring ringer.
        There were 2 adults from 2010/11 winter, 1 from 2011/12, 4 from 
2012/13  and 6 from last winter.

Siskin - 2; both in the last week of November, none seen/heard since.

With the Christmas holidays now upon us, I should be able to make the most of two potential trainees and get in a few sessions down at the meadows, by way of a change.

There's always the chance of another new species for the year still. Just look what turned up in neighbouring ringer's garden on the 4th December!

Dartford Warbler trapped by John Webber (C)
An addition to his garden list!

The nearest site to see them used to be over 10 miles to the west. What next?

All shipped out? Not quite!

It's been a week since my last post and a good week it's been. The weather has been bright and sunny for much of the time, if a little breezy. The trees are just thinking about sprouting leaves and, surprise,surprise, the Blackthorn is flowering (6-8 weeeks later than normal)

On Friday last, it was very clear and we finished with cloudless skies that evening and a light westerly; ringing had been slow and so it was to prove the next day as well. Migration had been going on at high level but, conversely, must also have been taking place to the south of us. Sunday and Monday proved the point with an influx of Willow Warblers, after four days of virtually none. It also signalled the "change-over" between the sexes, this time females dominating the catches. 

Willow Warbler

Blackcaps have also seen an increase in the numbers of females coming through, but there are still some very heavy (high fat scores) males passing by, obviously "tanked up" for a long journey ahead of some 200 - 300 miles non-stop  - or possibly more.

"Extra large" male Blackcap

We have also had a steady trickle of Siskins, probably of local residence, coming to the Nyger seed tray and feeders. There have been a couple of females showing good signs of developing a proper brood patch, but on the other hand, a couple of males with full tracheal pits, surely a sign of on-going migration.

Siskin - 2CY male

The main attraction for me, as you all know by now, is the build up of King Harrys (Carduelis carduelis). This started in the middle of last week and is starting to gather pace. It should continue for another couple of weeks. This year, migration is likely to be condensed into just three weeks, instead of a more normal five to six week spread, purely because spring has been delayed somewhat this year [we reckon by about three weeks].

Adult female Goldfinch

The one surprise - a male Starling. There are a few pairs nesting in the village but not many. They visit the garden either to collect nest material or to raid the bird table or the vegetable plot for food for their mate/young. This was only the third to receive some bling here. Many moons ago, we used to visit winter roost sites at night and pluck a sample, and any bird with a ring on, by hand from their perches. Messy job. They're not called "flying s**t" for nothing. 

Adult male Starling in breeding plumage
(ready for the off)

To sum it all up, here's the list for the week:
Woodpigeon 1

Blue Tit 1 (2)

Coal Tit (1) - a broody female

Chiffchaff 1

Willow Warbler 32 (+ 1 control)

Blackcap 16 (6)

Starling 1

Blackbird 3 (2)

Robin (3)

Dunnock 1 (3)

House Sparrow 7 (1)

Chaffinch 1 (+ 'pegleg')

Greenfinch 5 (1)

Goldfinch 29 (5)

Siskin 13

Bullfinch 1 - a 2CY female

Total - 112 (24), 16 species

Other birds seen in the garden included Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Collared Dove (nesting), Magpie, Rook, Jackdaw, Swift, Great Tit, Swallow, House Martin, Wren (2 singing males), Song Thrush, Pied Wagtail (min 2 pairs), as well as the neighbouring Herring Gulls (2 pairs nest building) now joined by a pair of Lesser Black-back Gulls.

Bee Fly spp.
(found clinging to the net)

Down the lane, I also picked up my first Sand Martin, Common Whitethroat, Little Owl and Kestrel. A lone Little Egret reconnoiters the stream daily.

It's predicted to turn much colder next week with northerly winds again, so 'fingers crossed'.