Rainshine

That just about sums up the week just gone, week 44. We've had an inch of rain (25 mm), heavy at times, with several rainbows visible. The low sunshine, when it's been there, has been very brilliant. So, all in all, a scourge as regards the nets, which have alternated in their usefulness by being highly visible, blowing like mad or full of autumn leaves versus hanging limp and full (I use that word loosely) of birds. I haven't reached 1,000 new birds for the year yet and the meadows have become 'out of action', now that the horses are back in for the winter. Their persistent inquisitiveness puts the nets and themselves in danger.

As it happens, the week wasn't a complete disaster. Birds were on the move as the temperatures dropped close to freezing. There wasn't an evident overnight passage at all that I could determine, just a steady trickle some mornings as the skies brightened up.  The Robins sang to greet the day. Another week like this one and I will just surpass the 'magic' 1,000 new birds for the year.

Eurasian Robin

The species tally was a pleasant spread of 14, contributing to 41 new and 7 re-captured birds over five of the seven days. Nothing out of the ordinary but nice to see the LTTs making an appearance. There are still some "summer migrants" about, but these could well be the "wintering type" from across the continent.

Male Blackcap - winter

Goldcrest 4 - all males, 2 of which were adult (age class 4)

Blue Tit 6 (3)

Great Tit 1 - adult female

Coal Tit 2 - 1 adult bird, probably male

Long-tailed Tit 5 (1) - r/t was one of the 1st birds caught on the site

Chiffchaff 1 - long-winged adult male (4M)

Blackcap 2 - both 1CY males

Wren 1 (1)

Robin 1 (1)

Dunnock 1

House Sparrow 3

Chaffinch 1 - adult female

Greenfinch 1 - adult male

Goldfinch 12 (1) - 7 new birds were adults

Overhead, we find the early morning Starlings travelling off west to some unknown feeding ground or other, shortly followed by a squad of Black-headed Gulls in from the coast. Neither of these species are common during the breeding season. The Herring Gulls have found reinforcements to fill the gap left by the Lesser Black-backs that have long since moved to warmer winter quarters. The Mistle Thrushes have taken up sentry duty on the two berry laden Holly trees and a Nuthatch is calling from the lane.

November Goldfinch - completing moult, carrying a tick

Domestically, we have been 'off-line' for much of the week (half-term) and without a land-line all week. The telephone company (BT) came yesterday and spent all morning renewing the line (which was broken in two places) into our property and, subsequently, our broadband speed has jumped twofold now that the hub also has a direct connection.

Allez oop

Despite the weather it has been a good week in most respects. I have been able to do some ringing every day, though Tuesday only saw 1 new Blue Tit in the bag before the wind got up.           

The garden produced 96 new birds (10, 1, 16, 11, 12, 26, 20) and 13 recaptures of 10 species using one 60' in our small orchard. Thursday morning at  Highbridge meadows yielded 21 new plus 3 re-traps including a new species, Grewo, originally from Five Bells, a couple of km to the north-west. There was a passage of Chaffinches but no Mipits or Swallows. Saturday at the meadows saw the temperature down to 0C with clear skies and just 4 new AA rings plus 2 re-traps. 12 Jays moved overhead from the direction of the Crown Estate (mainly coniferous) towards the Quantocks (large tracts of deciduous) at 08:30 and 4 Meadow Pipits took an interest in the "tape" but decided to avoid the net and moved on. Just 2 lone Swallows were seen hastening south. There was a noticeable increase in the number of Siskin feeding high in the Alders, which coincided with their attraction to the garden feeders.

Siskin - male 2CY (October)

*** Birds trapped at the meadows = 25 (4):
Green Woodpecker - control
Blue Tit 1 (1)
Great Tit 4
Long-tailed Tit 7 (3)
Chiffchaff 5
Wren 1
Blackbird 1
Robin 1
Dunnock1
Chaffinch 4

The main event at the house was the number of Goldfinches that appeared from Tuesday onwards. Until now, it has just been the local birds - that know their way around the feeders without getting caught too often.

1CY Goldfinch - After PJ moult

1CY Goldfinch - During PJ moult

 *** Birds caught at the house = 96 (12) [excludes any same week re-traps]
Blue Tit 10 (6)
Great tit 3 (1)
Coal Tit 8 (1) - 2 adults
Chiffchaff 2 - both 'long-winged' @ 64mm
Robin (3)
Dunnock 1
House Sparrow 1
Chaffinch 1
Greenfinch 1
Goldfinch 59 (1) - a dozen adults, F=M
Siskin 10 - influx Fri/Sat (6/7th Oct); 8 adults, 2 juvs

Coal Tit - 1CY

Just thought that I'd show some "rear views" for a change. I will be going to be away from the village for much of the next two weeks and therefore ringing at the house will have to be snatched "as and when". However, my pliers will be in use elsewhere!

Prunesville

Not much going on in the ringing line but plenty of other activity. Have tried my best to catch a few birds the last two days but the weather conspired against me. Friday it was relatively calm (for coastal West Somerset) but mighty sunny, with a brilliant, clear light - piss poor for disguising the nets. Today the forecast was all wrong; the S/SW gentle winds promised were in fact moderate SE at ground level thats blows into all my net lanes, followed by some rougher weather mid-morning. It was also our coldest night so far this autumn at +1C.

The most noticeable thing over the two days was the steady increase in Starlings, most heading west to the hills (Exmoor, Bodmin, Dartmoor). Parties increased from the earlier 10-25 to a more vigorous 40-150, and I counted over 500 in the space of an hour from 8:00 to 9:00 (we're still on BST/CET until tonight). Other birds around this morning included a Green Woodpecker, a Little Egret, a Raven, the usual 100+ each of Rooks and Jackdaws, a resident party of ~20 Siskin augmented with twice as many passing over, 5 Skylarks, at least 3 Meadow Pipits, a Grey Wagtail, several Moorhen and a couple of squealing Water Rails in the stream bed (which has steep sides and not the best place to try and trap them). There were several Blackbirds scattered around the site, going by the noise as they exited their roosting spots; so far, no collective roost. The Black-headed Gulls are now back and some 150 joined the local Herring Gulls across the fields.


It wasn't all bad - if you exclude the UK ringers' "bread 'n butter" of Prunella modularis

Birds caught:
Blue Tit 1 (1) - both birds of the year
Coal Tit (1) - a bird of the year
Long-tailed Tit (1) - a fully moulted juvenile
Blackcap 1 - adult female (above)
Wren 1 - adult male
Blackbird 1 - juv female, shorter wing = local??
Dunnock 2 (2) - a male from last March and ...

Nothing doing tomorrow as I've got to cut the hedges (interferes with net guys so the whole set-up has been taken in for now). The next window of decent opportunity looks like a week away. Maybe the thrushes will have arrived by then? Slik er livet

No stripes, no cigar

... but there is supposed to be a Yank (Semi-P) 50 miles up the road on the Brue. Ringing has again been slow due to the weather. Down here we've had stronger winds from the soth-east, not a good direction for 'traffic'. Saying that, when I was out tempting fate last Thursday, I did have my first Fieldfare in the orchard by the stream; none since. A few Mipit stragglers passed over in ones and twos, the four Little Egrets were 'on the patch' and were spooked by a Red Deer hind, in turned spooked by 'us' (me and the dog, Cerise). A couple of passing flocks of Siskin eventually amalgamated in one of 28-30. before flying SW over the village.

I haven't heard or seen any Redwings but one or two new male Blackbirds have arrived/stopped off. They look alot cleaner than our local juveniles and, all bar one, congruously with the shorter wing-lengths of the 'south-western locals'. Goldcrests have returned after a two month absence and the Coal Tits are noisesome again. The thing that is most noticeable is the number of Blue Tits coming to the garden orchard. On trapping, these are mainly birds that were ringed at the end of the winter or immediately post-fledging, none having been seen since they obtained a BTO ring.

I found a dead Badger at the end of the road. It was clean and had no marks and may have been a true road-kill; you can never tell round here as some unscrupulous farmers leave them beside the road to look as if they died an accidental death. Two days after, I noticed a couple in a Landie carefully picking it up; why they wanted it, I do not know, perhaps to just remove and bury it.

Apart from the Mipits, there has been a strong passage of Skylarks, probably a couple of hundred every morning. there have also been the odd day with a trickle of 'alba' and grey wagtails. No Robins or noteworthy thrushes yet. Today, another Sparrowhawk - only I was on the wrong side of the net at the time and it rolled out and back the way it came. Bugger. The Bullfinches are now out and about in the hedgerows, talking of which, this year's poor crop of Blackberries is almost over. Must admit, I enjoyed two suppers of blackberry and apple pie with ice cream this weekend though!

To catch up, birds ringed from Thurs. to Sun. -
Goldcrest 1
Blue Tit 14 (5)
Coal Tit 2 (2)
Long-tailed Tit (9)
Wren (1)
Blackbird 2
Song Thrush 1
Robin (1)
Goldfinch 3 (1)

As the WSR comes to the end of the season (trains stop from November to February, apart from Xmas specials) there are no scheduled trains on Mondays and Fridays. This allows 'driver training' on both steam and diesel. This often means a mix of wagons made up especially for the "new" drivers under instruction. Below, and three fields away, is one such, a GWR mixed goods behind a more modern diesel loco. [Looks like a Class 33]