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?

The beginning of Autumn?

During the week, small parties of Starlings have been spotted moving west to the moors. Numbering 6-10 for the most part, they have increased to noisy groups of up to 20 strong in the last two days. This is always a sign of approaching autumn and the closing stages of the breeding season. Another sure sign is the adult Robins beginning their annual, full moult.

However, many birds, including the Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Whitethroat are still in full song and preparing for more broods of young,  to add to the young that are already on the wing. These migratory species have a lot of catching up to do as "their spring" was very much delayed this year. They are all "thin on the ground" this year, as it is, thanks to last year's torrential rainfall.

Net across the ford

Good news. The Kingfishers have bred and produced independent young. Bad news (in a way). Another Herring Gull, them that breed on next door's roof, got caught in the garden mist net; the damage - just the loss of 8-9 net meshes (phew!). Oh, and a bad laceration to my left thumb!

Juvenile Kingfisher

On the garden front, we had a 'in tick'. No doubt attracted by the sheep in the field opposite, a 'pair' of Ravens popped in at 5.30 in the morning. We see them around the general area from time to time but not so close to the village proper. One of the local Buzzards has taken to visiting the orchard, and, if it tries to sit in the large Greengage tree (which is half dead), the nesting Herring Gulls harass it into the belt of Ash trees. They continue their racket, which usually alerts us, until it eventually gives up and moves elsewhere.

Totals for the week are:

Herring Gull 1 - the other one of the 'old-timers' pair

Woodpigeon 1 - in moult & not that heavy for a pig

Kingfisher 2 - juvs

Blue Tit 1

Great Tit 1 (1)

Chiffchaff 2 - juv female & adult male

Wren 1 - breeding female

Blackbird 1 (3)

Robin 2 (1)

House Sparrow 10 (1)

Pied Wagtail (1)

Chaffinch 1 - 2CY male

Greenfinch 3 (2)

New - 26, recaptures - 9, 13 spp.

Everlasting Pea flowering in our garden hedge

When I've cut out a few more racks, it's back down the meadow for another session before the European visitors arrive. Perhaps there will be more in the way of fledged youngsters?

P.S. (for Phil)
Here's the thumb damage, courtesy of HERGU.

Wet, wet, wet

I'll get it off my chest now - it's been wet and windy, most of all, yesterday and today. We've only had an inch and a quarter or so (32++mm) in 18 hours, not as bad as further south. The Doniford Stream is running high already and still has to reach its peak. I don't know when that will be as it's still raining!      

Today is the Village Fete. I was thinking of entering the BSD in the bitch classes as she had a bath earlier in the week. She'll be wet through again by the time I walk up there! Wonder if Diane (organiser and next door neighbour) has called the whole thing off?

Juvenile GSW

First up was this Great Spotted Woodpecker of the juvenile kind - easily told by its red cap [adult males have a red nape]. I knew that I had replaced the old peanuts with some fresh ones for a good reason.

Juvenile (female?) Blackcap

It was a relief to catch a couple of young Blackcaps around the garden, too. The male had started singing again but I had not got on to any offspring to date. Until this week.

Adult male 'King Harry' outside the kitchen window

I haven't caught any Goldfinches for some while now; it must be about 3 weeks since one hit the nets.

Small Tortoiseshell

Painted Lady

Last Saturday, the sun did come out and it got quite hot. A few butterflies emerged from wherever they had been sheltering and I managed some shots of two of them. There was also a Red Admiral but 'it' was very active and wouldn't settle for long.

I've been sneaking in bits of ringing in the garden at 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning, when it's not been a stiff blow. Not much to report other than it turned up a different set of birds, as you can see.   

Juvenile Robin

There are lots of young Robins around at last, and one or two of them are just beginning their PJ moult, showing a modest few red feathers in the top corners of their breasts.

The tally for the week was:

Gt. Spot. Woodpecker 1 - juvenile

Blue Tit 5 (1) - all juvs except the re-trap, an adult female

Wren 1 - a youngster

Robin (3) - all this year's offspring

Dunnock 2 (1) - two juvs and a 'daddy'

Blackcap 2 - juvs

WHITETHROAT 1 - this year's bird

Blackbird (1) - female with a good BP; third clutch?

House Sparrow (1) - last year's juv, a female with wrinkly BP

Siskin 2 - another local breeding pair

Total 14 new, 7 re-traps, 10 species

I managed a short spate of gardening on Thursday afternoon. It was very pleasant with a background of Siskin song in my ears - until the dustcarts raced round the corner, returning to base at shift end.

Male Siskin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summat's up!

Well, with the weather, it is. 14 degC today and 9 degC overnight, too. The Camellia has just flowered, next door's Pyracantha is still laden with berries and there's berries remaining on the big Holly also. Needless to say, there's no birds about the garden; well, feeding any way. There are some singing birds belting it out - Mistle Thrush (as you would expect), plus Song Thrush, Robin, Blue Tit, Dunnock, Wren, even Redwing. I ended December with 63 new birds of 18 species for the month.


My 2011 total for the garden and, for the second half of the year only, for the water meadows comes in at 1600 new birds with 518 retraps, covering 41 species.

New birds ringed here - Sparrowhawk 3, Woodpigeon 4, Collared Dove 7, Kingfisher 6, Great Spotted Woodpecker 2, Swallow 1, Meadow Pipit 14, Pied Wagtail 3, Dipper 2, Wren 26, Dunnock 64, Robin 51, Blackbird 119, Song Thrush 15, Redwing 2, Mistle Thrush 2, Sedge Warbler 4, Reed Warbler 1, Lesser Whitethroat 2, Whitethroat 20, Garden Warbler 1, Blackcap 135, Chiffchaff 141, Willow Warbler 22, Goldcrest 17, Firecrest 1, Long-tailed Tit 88, Coal Tit 12, Blue Tit 165, Great Tit 64, Treecreeper 1, Jay 1, Magpie 1, Jackdaw 1, House Sparrow 51, Chaffinch 50, Brambling 52, Greenfinch 97, Goldfinch 301, Siskin 43, Bullfinch 8.

I ringed another 200 or so elsewhere in UK, making 2011 a really enjoyable year; but, in contrast, it looks as if 2012 will get off to a slow start, unlike the year just gone. Am going to have to spread my wings a little this coming year by finding new sites closer to the trainees' homes. And, we're still messing around with the house and garden. A big improvement after 12 months - but will it ever be finished I ask myself?

I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy, Safe, Prosperous and Enjoyable New Year and I look forward to reading some of your comments on my "ramblings".

A cold and frosty evening

Tonight was the first of the Carol Trains that run for three evenings. One comes up from Bishops Lydeard and the other from Minehead. They meet and exchange engines at Williton. The passengers alight together with their particular brass/silver band and sing carols, the up passengers in the car park and the down passengers on the platform.

We arrived shortly after 7pm, anticipating the first arrival at around 7:30. At first we were told that it would be 7:40 but the volunteer staff soon found out that it would be 8:40. So we sat in the warm 'Waiting Room' with a coal fire and a cup of coffee.

It turned out that the up train arrived before half-eight and before twenty minutes of carols were over, the Minehead train arrived, having been delayed by 10 minutes due to an incident. The engines then switched tracks, ready to pull a different set of carriages back to where they started. It was quite cold by now and we were beginning to feel and so we left for home. It was nearly 10 o'clock before the trains departed; I heard the down train puffing its way up the 1:99 incline to Stogumper from my bedroom as I typed this.

Today's garden birds featured a good number of Brambling again, 8 to be exact, together with 25+ Chaffinch, about 20 Greenfinch (although not all at once) and 8 King Harrys (Goldfinch to you), plus the usual Blue, Great and Coal Tits, Robins, Dunnocks, Pied Wag, Jackdaws, Rooks, Wood Pigeons and Herring Gulls.