What a week; a few more immigrants from the east

No sooner had I finished the last blog than there was a ring on the doorbell to tell me that my neighbour had hit and killed our cat, "Twix", outside with his van. She is buried under the forty-foot net she used to keep an eye on for me (currently not erected - having a bonfire nearby later).

Half a dozen (or more) Blackcaps have graced the garden this week. There were an equal number of males & females that received some BTO bling, with just the one male being a full adult. Another male had obviously been in some sort of bother since it was renewing a large area of its rump and all of its tail feathers.

Blackcap regrowing UTC & RR

The adult male was identified by its lack of juvenile brown on the forehead, the large outer alula feather, the broad primary coverts and its less pointed retrices (tail feathers). They were all heavier than our summer individuals, probably because they were carrying more muscle, because they certainly weren't carrying much pectoral fat (F0-F1, ESF).

Head of immature (1CY-2CY) female Blackcap showing the
ginger brown cap (Adults (2CY+) are orange tan)

Since last time, we have had (1) heavy drizzle, (2) light rain, (3) strong W'ly winds and showers, (4) very strong N'ly winds and squally showers, (5) strong winds from the NNE (that's better!) with low overcast, (6) the same but cloudy-bright and less wind, then (7&8) two days of frost/sun and light NE winds. My orchard is somewhat sheltered from the worst of the winds when they come from either the NW (tall hedge & line of trees) or the NE (neighbour's house/leylandii hedge tight to our boundary). Towards the end of this period, the sixty-foot net (18m Superfine) was brought into use with good results. 

Down the way, across the meadows and by the stream, there have been Kingfisher, singing Dipper and 2 Little Egrets, with clouds of mainly Fieldfares with a good number of Redwings passing to and fro. A Mistle Thrush has been seen/heard several times on a couple of adjacent apple trees and a Little Owl was calling from a dense Holly. No Chiffys. The local Crow family have been much more in evidence during the colder weather; I suspect their appetites were somewhat heightened. Pheasants (naturalised, not put-down) are in good numbers, with them even venturing into ours and neighbour's gardens. The two local pairs of Herring Gulls, that utilise the roof of the unit visible from our garden, are back together and guarding their respective sites on either side of the ridge. All in all, there has been an increase in both the number of birds and the amount of activity, due, no doubt, to the chilling winds and low, night-time temperatures.

Although I haven't caught any Siskins lately, parties of them have been passing over the garden for some weeks now. They are moving between the various belts of Alder trees (we have four mature ones opposite our driveway) to harvest the seeds. At present, we have just the one resident male Chaffinch and we did see a male Greenfinch the other day, now a scarce bird at this end of the village.

Adult male Blackbird

With just one net in our tiny orchard, the main effort has been over the last four days. However, here are the combined totals for the last 9 days (re-traps & controls in brackets):

Goldcrest 3 (1)

Blue Tit 5 (3) - includes a non-local control [D609...]

Great Tit (2)

Coal Tit (1)

Long-tailed Tit (4)

Blackcap 6

Wren 2 (1)

Blackbird 7 (3)

Redwing 1

Robin 1 (3)

Dunnock 1 (2)

House Sparrow 3

Goldfinch 32 (3) - includes a controlled, French-ringed bird [6685...]

Goldfinch with French ring

Total = 61 new, (21 re-traps) & (2 Controls); 13 species

"Non-standard" adult male Goldfinch
[golden-red cap finishing 'before the eye']
(on bill, nasal hairs, yellow on P6, wing length, number of discs on tail, CP)

The barometer is reading high at 1040mb. The forecast is for the temperatures to return to normal by the end of the week and for some more rain come the weekend. Suspect there will be two or three duff days until a front approaches (unless it goes sub-zero; fat chance!)

Influx of East Europeans (and other immigrants)

It is still quite quiet here (mid-November). A couple of days ago I noticed a large number (~200) of Redwings and Fieldfares on the grazing meadows a short distance down the road. Prior to that, we had only noticed small flocks made up of 5-15 individuals, feeding in the hedgerows as they moved through the area. Normally these sheep/cattle fields play host to a flock of over 100 Jackdaws and c.50 Rooks, as they seem to be "full of worms" and invertebrates throughout most of the year. 

We have had almost a foot (285 mm) of rain in the last seven weeks and the birds that rely on the local streams moved out as the levels and flow speed increased. They either went to shallower parts upstream or to the sea (which is less than 2km away). The stream is slowly returning to more normal winter conditions (fast, almost clear & 40-45 cm deep) and the Dippers and Kingfishers have returned but not the Grey Wagtails. The Dipper is even singing from a favourite perch. 

I have had to bring the feeders in and clean them and also dry the seed (in the micro-wave) before refilling. [I do discard that which is going off.]  The damp had gotten into them with the almost daily downpours. Saying that, I've not had to top them up very much either. The Collared Doves have eaten the most, but they take the SFH from the bird tables. I am trying out some suet pellets alongside my usual winter fare of mealworms (for the Robins) mixed small seed (for the Dunnocks) and soaked sultanas (for the Blackcaps). Here are two of the latter "immigrants".

Female Blackcap (above) and a male (below)

The Lottis go on the fat balls, as do the woodpeckers, and the finches utilise the Nyger & SFH almost exclusively. We also have very many windfalls, thanks to the insect pests, and some of these apples will find their way down a thrush's throat, while the Chiffs and 'crests pick their way through the lichen and next year's buds.  

Young female Gt. Spotted Woodpecker with brilliant red under-tail coverts

 Since my last blog-posting, I have caught and ringed 33 birds and recaptured a different 31 birds that altogether cover 16 species.

Totals from 28/10 to 16/11; recaptures in brackets (no duplication)
Gt. Spot. Woodpecker 1 - a young female
Goldcrest 5 (1) - a sign winter's on it's way

Blue Tit 5 (5) - that's much better! Was getting withdrawal symptoms!
Great Tit 1 (3) - an old pair & a young pair?
Coal Tit 1 (1) - a male & a female, so probably "teen-age newly-weds"

Immature male Coal Tit
Note large black bib and 4 OGCs

Long-tailed Tit (9) - one "oldie" from Jan 2011
Blackcap 3 - all over 19.5 grams but little fat.
Wren 1 (2) - why do we only catch them in half-light?
Blackbird 3 - not long-winged individuals but not "ours"
Redwing 2 - an adult & an immature
Robin (3) - "the pair", plus a new, young female
Dunnock (4) - just one bird of the year
House Sparrow 1 - female
Chaffinch 1 - adult female
Greenfinch 1 - an adult male; no others seen!
Goldfinch 8 (3) - one new adult, the rest = 1CY

Back view of immature female Goldfinch
Note white discs on RR5&6 only and pointed tail

We have been promised some colder weather in the coming week, which may possibly turn up some more birds. I expect to see many more Fieldfares, in that case. Today was the coldest day we've had since the very beginning of April, with a max. of 8 degrees Celsius. Long-Johns weather!

PS. The East Europeans in the title could well be the Blackcaps. They may well be from southern Poland, the Czech, Slovak or Hungarian Republics, or slightly nearer, i.e. eastern Austria or Bavaria. [See page 532 of the Bird Atlas 2007-2011 for their current winter distribution]

The storm has passed

Little or no damage locally; cannot be said of other parts of our 'large' county. 

Barometer down to 975mb, winds around 35-40 mph from 4-5 am and 1 inch (25.5 mm) of rain. The Monksilver Stream is chocolate brown, fast but not that high, so flooding unlikely  - even though we have had in excess of 160 mm of rain this month already.

Male Goldcrest

Back to birding/ringing. During the last week we saw signs of winter approaching. This was evident from the sudden appearance of certain species in the garden. These were Goldcrests, Blackcap, continental Chaffinch (long-winged female), Song Thrush and Siskin, with other species picked up by sight or sound while walking the dog down by the meadows. They included an influx of Pied Wagtails, a Curlew, generally more Blackbirds in evidence,  passing Fieldfares (they head for the tops, e.g. Dunkery Beacon at nearly 400 m high), singleton singing Skylarks drifting south on most days and the flocking of the Goldfinches. Blue Tits are making more forays to the feeders; for some while now the feeders have hung silent. We are also being entertained, briefly, by the whirring gangs of Starlings, passing over the garden an hour after dawn and a couple of hours before dusk.

Immature Song Thrush

DJO has returned to Bedford with an improved Somerset list. He found a Jack Snipe in a ditch at Capton, French Partridge on Exmoor and some wintering Stonechat. He also picked up some more Barn Owls. Because of the weather patterns lately, little ringing has been possible but I have managed some brief interludes on the calmer days. Two weeks have yielded 30 new birds and 11 re-traps covering 13 species. Nothing out of the ordinary but, with lots of eastern and trans-Atlantic vagrant birds about, from Shetland to Scillies, you never know what may turn up.

Goldcrest 4 - 3 males

Blue Tit 2 (4)

Great Tit 1 (2)

Coal Tit 1

(Blackcap - freed itself as I went to handle it, female)

Chiffchaff 2 - males at 62 & 64 mm wing chords

Wren 2 (1) - a new adult (>2CY) male

Blackbird 3 - 2 females & a male, immatures of probably local origin (short wing lengths)

Robin 1 (1)

Dunnock 1 (1)

Chaffinch 1 - 1CY female with a wing of 90 mm is most likely 'Continental'

Greenfinch - 1 - released unringed as it had Trichomonas symptoms

Goldfinch 11 (2) - r/ts from Jan 2012 (a 2010 or earlier female) & 1CY in Dec 2012

Immature Coal Tit

From now on, all activities will be weather dependent, even getting to the annual Ringers' Conference in Derbyshire. "So long", until next month.

Start of the rainy season

Here in Somerset, our wettest months are October through January as a rule, with at least 4 inches (104-110 mm) of rainfall on average each month. However, it can be nearly 6 inches (140+ mm) in one of those months.

From a ringing perspective, the possibility of catching good numbers does increase throughout these four, traditionally wet, months. The reason for this is two-fold. Firstly, the natural food supply dwindles and birds are drawn more to human habitation, and, secondly, as the food supplies run down in the east of the country (the side that most migrants first land on) the birds move westwards seeking under-used resources. That is how we differ from all those ringers gathered on the North Sea coast. They catch the rarities, we ring the survivors.

Talking of which, here are a couple that I received recently from BTO HQ.

Male Chaffinch - minimum of 4.5 years old

This bird died when it hit a window. It may even have been the kindergarten on the T-junction. Strangely, I have driven passed the spot (10 km N of Gjovik) when I lived in Norway as I was going to my girlfriend's girlfriend's home just the other side of the lake at Nes.

Male Blackcap - found here post breeding, the year after
it left the country for the first time (E. Sussex)

It seems that many summer migrants prefer to move to the south-east of the country before they make the crossing to France. Sensible, really - it's shorter and therefore less hazardous and with more options of making landfall whatever the wind direction.

... and one that came via email from another ringer. [details to follow]

Adult Female Hawfinch
now sporting colour rings

This bird (featured in my header) had travelled 188km in a northerly direction to the Dolgellau area where it was handled in late March. There is one other recovery of a bird ringed in the county; from Wellington to Clumber Park (Notts), a distance of 293km. There is one, relatively local, recovery in Somerset; from Gwent (Monmouthshire as was), the other side of the Bristol Channel.

So far this month, things have been a tad "weak", with a mere 19 new birds and 13 re-traps to date (1st-12th). We have also had our fair share of rain (>60 mm) with a bit of a northerly wind blowing.

Robin 1 (1) - both dispersing immatures

Blackbird 2 - both birds of the year with dark bills

Chiffchaff 2 - young males on size and tail

Long-tailed Tit (2) - 1 ringed as a juv back in August, the other was a fully grown bird back in January 2011.

Coal Tit 1 - this year's youngster

Blue Tit 3 (3) - just the one adult (r/t, 2009 or older)

Great Tit (1)

House Sparrow 1

Greenfinch 2 - both juveniles coming to the end of their limited (first) moult

Goldfinch 7 (5) - 6 of the new birds were females, 4 of the r/t birds were male.

This autumn passage period we have been severely short of out-going Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps to ring and are still waiting for an exodus of Goldfinches.

The Redwing flocks (of 15-30) did not appear here until Saturday 11th. Possibly these were birds that have travelled down from Scotland along the west side of the country until they hit North Devon and then turn east to reach their preferred destinations, somewhere further inland from us.

Let's just see what turns up later in the month!

September comes to a dead end

Well, September wasn't like other years. Partly my fault, I know, having been away for best part of a fortnight. Now the weather has set in and ringing is off the cards.

Bumped in to old Jack (ex Skomer warden that lives up the road) and he told me he had had a 1CY male Woodchat up on St. Peter's fields earlier last month (that's by the church at the other/western end of the village) while I was away. This is my No.1 UK "bogey bird"! B*****! These are 'once a decade' in this large county. I did manage to see the Lesser Grey near Leiston, (Suffolk) though, and add it to my list, as we just happened to be in the town. This was thanks to a tip-off from my first ringing trainee, Paul Oldfield, who I was to spend a couple of days with during the holiday. Later, at Languard Bird Observatory, I met another two ringers who I had helped to train at Sandwich, Nigel Odin & Tim Bagworth, the latter being this year's warden at the Obs. 

Inside Landguard Fort

Dave Odell stayed over after we got back.  He was the county bird recorder for 14 years for Bedfordshire and was lacking Dipper for his year list. A short walk down the road turned this into a positive, and the bird was there the following two days as well. They are always elusive here during August and September (post-breeding moult & dispersal of the young).

Now, back to local goings-on. October has started extremely quiet indeed. The final days of September settled for some outward bound Chiffs and a miscellany of the offspring of what were most probably local breeders. No Blackcaps and no Goldfinches, and a background of Robins advertising their (hoped for) winter territories.

ICY European Robin

Ringing results from the last report to the end of the month:

Blue Tit 7 (1) - a pre-ponderance of small-winged 1CY birds (females??)

Great Tit 1

Chiffchaff 2 - 'dark olive green' males with a 62 wing on the 28th

Wren (1)

Blackbird 1

Robin 1 (3)

Dunnock 3 (1)

Greenfinch (1) +

Goldfinch 18 (11) - all caught over 3 days before we left. X105685, a 4M in post-nuptial moult, was from a snowy January 2011 (unaged). 

Total 33 new birds and 18 re-captures of 9 species

1CY Chiffchaff showing the short primary projection
(compared with the tertials)

One last bit of news - an incoming email and subsequent 'phone call delivered a Hawfinch recovery, some 188 km away in a northerly direction (details not yet received from BTO).

Now to make the most of the bad weather and dye some nets.