Kev B, Josh and I set up the feeders for the coming winter. It needed some strimming and heavier clearing and the small feeder suspension wire repairing but we managed to get it all finished before the forecast rain started. We also set up a peanut feeder away from the usual CES feeders to try and attract the ever-present (but net shy) Nuthatches to join in!
Kev
Managed to get in a visit here with Mick P before the calm weather was forecast to break. We set just 2 pairs of 18m nets aiming to lure in Redpolls and Redwings using MP3s. From reports seen from other ringers this is turning into a good autumn for Redpoll. The first net round produced a few Redwing and tits, the second round some more Redwing and about 25 Redpoll, the next round forced us to turn off the MP3s and concentrate on processing! We ended on 101 birds including 10 Redwing and 68 Lesser Redpoll. Two of the latter were subsequent encounters, one from the same site last October and the other a control.
Kev
I visited this site for the third consecutive year from 3-13 October. Colin McShane from the Belvide R.G. has been organising ringing at this site for many years and had got a team of 12 together to operate there from 25 Sept - 4 October. I had to get a team up for the second half of the visit, this year I was the only SNRG member making the trip. However, Kate Moore who came with us last year wanted to return and between us we got up a team of 7 ringers plus Christine who would act as scribe again. The team consisted of Kate, Heather, Christine and myself from the midlands and Terry (ex-SNRG), Rebecca, Iain and Lauren from the Clyde R.G. in Scotland. Despite most of us having never met before we turned into a great team which made the trip so successful. The grand total was 2504 birds ringed, split closely between the two teams. We had a number of foreign controls including Reed Warblers from Germany and Belgium, Bluethroats from France and Belgium and a Blackcap and Chiffchaff from the UK.
Other highlights from the two teams' efforts were 16 Quail, 11 European Nightjar, 7 Red-necked Nightjar, 25 Hoopoe, 11 Wryneck, 124 Bluethroat, a Dartford warbler, a Paddyfield Warbler, a Bonelli’s Warbler, a Yellow-browed Warbler and 3 Penduline Tits. Other less exotic but surprising birds caught were a Wren, a Long-tailed Tit and 3 Tree Sparrows!
On Wednesday 8 Oct we had to close the nets early as the wind got up to be quite strong. So a leisurely afternoon lay ahead, some of us went to the beach, most for a swim but Rebecca and Terry went looking for colour rings on the many Lesser Black-backed Gulls there. Within a short time they had recorded the colour rings on 9 gulls, so far details have come back for 2 of them, a youngster from Flat Holm, Wales and one from Texel, Netherlands ringed in 2022.
Thanks go to Colin for making these trips possible and to ex-pats Carl and Julie, who, as usual, we had superb support from throughout.
The photos below were all taken by Rebecca Dickson.
Kev
This young male Sparrowhawk did a good job of keeping other birds away during my catching efforts this morning near Bestwood, particularly the small flock of Redwing (which I think it was particularly attracted to) and Redpolls. Things improved a bit after I released it and it left the area.
Mick P
Having noticed plenty of Redpoll flying over at Colwick Park and my garden, I thought a trip to Gedling CP would be a good idea. I didn't get on site until 9:30, due to other commitments, and as I set up it seemed rather quiet. I mixed things up a bit with a 12m net in a ride I haven't used for a while and the 9m net moving to where the usual 12m goes (as the 12m net I had was misbehaving...)
I set one tape off with Redpoll playing and the other with the Phyllosc/crest tape. After a couple of checks, the Redpoll tape had only attracted two birds so I swapped them round to see if they would be attracted to a more open situation.
This seemed to work as both nets became very busy, with lots of Long-tailed Tits and friends in one, and plenty of Repolls in the other.
I ended the session on 67 birds from 21m of net, which kept me very busy. 25 of these were Redpoll and otherwise it was good to get a few late Chiffchaff with 5 birds caught, along with 18 Long-tailed Tits and a couple of Goldcrest. The second Coal Tit for the site was also ringed, but the third managed to escape as I opened the bag!
A pleasant autumn session, in perfect conditions. Certainly seems worth another visit soon.
Tom
As at Holme Pierrepont, the extent of the scrub is also diminishing rapidly as the trees get bigger, which is affecting the site's productivity. In the period covered we made 4 visits, getting 216 total captures. As you would expect species such as Willow Warbler, along with Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat are much scarcer now. Again the only warblers maintaining reasonable/good numbers are Blackcap and Chiffchaff.
13 July – 48 birds caught, mostly Blackcap and Chiffchaff along with a few other Warblers and a Linnet amongst a few residents caught.
2 August – 56 birds caught, again Blackcap and Chiffchaff dominated but 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Common Whitethroat and 5 Willow Warblers added a little variety. Limited nets this time as I was operating the site alone.
6 September – 73 birds caught, Blackcap and Chiffchaff making up the bulk of the catch but along with a few resident species caught was the first Nuthatch caught at the site.
21 September – 39 birds caught, mostly Blackcaps and Long-tailed Tits with just 3 Chiffchaffs. Limited nets again as I was operating the site alone.
Kev
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| Nuthatch, Ramsdale, 6 Sept (KJH) |
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| Goldcrest, Ramsdale, 21 Sept (KJH) |
The willows get bigger, the scrub diminishes rapidly and the sites productivity is now a shadow of what it was. In the period covered we made 11 visits, getting only 417 total captures. In comparison only a few years ago we would have achieved that total in probably 4 visits. As you would expect species such as Reed, Sedge and Willow Warbler, along with Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat are much scarcer now. The only warblers maintaining reasonable/good numbers are Blackcap and Chiffchaff.
27 July – 31 birds caught, mostly Blackcap and Chiffchaff along with a few Reed Warblers and party of Long-tailed Tits and a few resident species. One of the Long-tailed Tits had originally been ringed in April 2022.
10 August – 51 birds caught, again mostly Blackcap and Chiffchaff along with a few Reed Warblers and a couple of Cetti’s and a few other resident species.
14 August – 33 birds caught, again mostly Blackcap and Chiffchaff but 2 Sedge Warblers were a surprise. Quite unusual to catch any thrush species here nowadays so today was exceptional with 2 Song Thrush and 4 Blackbird finding the nets. Both of the Song Thrushes were already ringed the oldest from 2022.
30 August – 42 birds caught, again mostly Blackcap and Chiffchaff but only 2 Reed Warblers, they have mostly all moved on now.
2 September – 16 birds caught, yes you read right just 16. Perfect conditions, all the usual nets, 4 experienced ringers and five MP3s playing! Just to make things worse, Mariana from the Zoological Society of London had set out from Essex at 0300 to join us to take blood samples from various species to investigate mosquito-borne viruses that affect wild birds such as Usutu virus, which has led to declines in the Blackbird population. Thankfully the majority of the tiny catch we had were Blackcap and Chiffchaff, which are both a target species for testing.
14 September – 62 birds caught, the best catch of the year for the site, amazing after the 16 birds caught on the last visit. Again mostly Blackcap and Chiffchaff, also 2 Cetti’s Warblers and a single Reed Warbler along with a few residents. A Dunnock captured was originally ringed in 2022.
25 September – 56 birds caught. the second best catch of the year for the site and with 2 nets less than usual, bizarre! 5 Blackcaps, 18 Chiffchaff and 1 Cetti’s were the only warblers the rest being mainly tits and a few residents but 2 Lesser Redpoll attracted to the sound lure were the first of the Autumn. A Dunnock captured was originally ringed in 2019.
Kev
My twice-yearly pilgrimage to the Portland Bird Observatory with Mick Thompson is always a highlight, and this trip from 19-22 September 2025, was no exception.
Day One: A Warm Welcome
We arrived early on Friday morning, and the sight of hirundines streaming down Chesil Beach at Ferrybridge was a clear sign of what was to come. After the long drive, we headed straight for Culverwell to help local ringer Mark "Slasher" Cutts. The weather was surprisingly warm and humid for late September, which seemed to encourage a continuous southbound flow of hirundines and pipits. By the end of the day, an estimated 10,000 hirundines had passed through.
Our morning ringing session was incredibly productive, with 58 birds caught. The majority were Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, but we also got our hands on a good mix of others, including Swallows, Grey Wagtails, Meadow Pipits, Lesser Whitethroats, Whitethroats, and a Stonechat. While we were busy, an Osprey glided overhead, heading south toward the Bill. A walk around the south of the island later in the day gave us great views of numerous Wheatears and an early Dartford Warbler. We even tried our luck for owls at the Verne in the evening with Jim’s "magic tape lure," but they remained just out of reach.
Day Two: Wind and Rain
Saturday brought a colder, breezier change. We were back at Culverwell, but the winds picked up quickly and forced us to close the nets by 10 a.m. Still, we managed to ring 48 birds, again mostly Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps, but with some Willow Warblers, Meadow Pipits, and Grey Wagtails mixed in. In the afternoon, we moved to the Observatory Garden, where we caught more Chiffchaffs, along with a Reed Warbler and a Spotted Flycatcher, before the rain and heavy winds stopped play completely.
Day Three: An Unexpected Visitor
Sunday was another day of ringing at Culverwell with similar species as before. The afternoon brought the most excitement, though, when a shout of “swift!” went up from the Obs patio. We were seawatching at the time, and only one person with binoculars was quick enough to confirm it was an Alpine Swift. Unfortunately, it headed northeast before anyone in the ringing shed or kitchen had a chance to see it. A great bird for those who were lucky enough to get a glimpse!
Day Four: A Grand Finale
Our plan was to head off by 10 a.m. on Monday, so we weren't expecting much. However, the cold northeasterly winds had other ideas. They pushed a large number of Chiffchaffs, Meadow Pipits, and a small group of Firecrests into our nets. With so many birds arriving, Mick went to support Mark at Culverwell, and I joined a team of Cornish ringers in the Obs garden. By the time we left, we had added Sedge Warblers and more Firecrests to our totals, with well over 200 birds rung for the day.
It was a busy but incredibly rewarding few days. Between us, Mick and I ringed over 200 birds of a great variety. The supporting cast included Passenger and Convolvulus Moths and a Bluefin Tuna that was spotted offshore. We'll be back in the spring!
Alex P.
After the passage of Willow Warblers in August, the first couple of weeks of September sees Chiffchaffs becoming the main species passing through locally. Some days there seem to be birds in any given bit of cover, their distinctive and constant contact calls being a fixture of the season.
There had been loads around at my local patch of Colwick Park, and most days they had been heard in the garden so I headed up to Gedling CP for a couple of ringing sessions to see if many were passing through the site.
My first session on the 5th was a short morning session, not starting til around 8am. In the couple of hours I had my two nets up I caught 22 birds which was manageable, and due to the absence of big tit flocks hitting the nets. Of these, 16 were Chiffchaff and it was good to try and identify old greater coverts on the young birds, which was sometimes easy, sometimes a challenge. A few tits and singles of Goldcrest and Blackcap rounded off an enjoyable session.
I headed back for a slightly earlier session on the 9th, catching 30 birds. The first round was fairly busy, with the site's first Garden Warbler caught, but the catch quickly dropped off with the wind and sun getting up a bit. Another juvenile Green Woodpecker was good to catch, and tit numbers remained low so the catch was restricted to more of the target species. 17 were Chiffchaff, including a retrap, and another Goldcrest and 3 Blackcap were best of the rest.
Totals for the two sessions were:
Chiffchaff 32, Blue Tit 5, Great Tit 4, Blackcap 3, Goldcrest 2, Green Woodpecker 1, Garden Warbler 1, Goldfinch 1 and 3 retraps, a Blue Tit, a Chiffchaff and a Long-tailed Tit.
Tom
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| juvenile Green Woodpecker, Gedling CP 9-9-25 (TS) |
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| Garden Warbler, Gedling CP 9-9-25 (TS) |
Having planned to have a few earlier session, for one reason or another I had not been able to get out to Gedling CP until August. It started well on the 10th when I set the usual 2 nets from last season in the scrub to the west of the park. The first couple of rounds were very busy with the smaller 9m net in particular picking up a big tit flock early on. There was a good proportion of warblers however, with a decent number of Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler, along with Blackcap and Whitethroat. A Tree Pipit was a surprise catch, the site has produced records of this species in the past and I have targeted them previously with no success, but it certainly looks good for them. On my final round I approached the same net, and the first thing I saw was a Redstart in the bottom of the net. This is a species that often eludes me on passage, but August is a good time for them locally, and it is the first full-grown bird I have had the pleasure of ringing.
I returned a few days later, anticipating another busy day, but had to be satisfied by a smaller catch of 25 birds. This was much more manageable on my own but it did feel a little quiet compared to a few days ago. There were still a few Pylloscs captured but only one Blackcap and a couple of Whitethroat. Perhaps passage had been slowed a bit by the few days of very hot weather?
My final session of the month was on the 22nd. There seemed to be a lot of Willow Warblers around during the week, observed around and about whilst I was at work, so I was hopeful of a decent catch. I was a little disappointed by the lack of warblers however, with only a small number of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff ringed, and no Sylvia warblers. It was pleasant to ring a juvenile male Green Woodpecker however - the first I've handled in over a decade!
I'm generally quite pleased with the site, although the catches are often dominated by Blue Tits and Long-tailed Tits at times. It does seem a good area for Willow Warbler and visits in the spring are full of their song, so I am happy with that as they are not especially common elsewhere in the local area. It does seem a little quiet here for other warblers though, more Blackcaps have been around this year, but still in small numbers, but I have yet to capture Garden Warbler, and Acros have been completely absent although they are present in other areas of the country park.
It will be interesting to see whether birds continue to move through during September. Hopefully I'll manage to squeeze in at least another couple of sessions over the next few weeks.
Totals for August (new/retrap):
Blue Tit 43/4, Willow Warbler 17/-, Chiffchaff 16/1, Long-tailed Tit 11/1, Great Tit 11/-, Blackcap 7/-, Whitethroat 4/-, Goldfinch 2/- and singles of Goldcrest, Green Woodpecker, Redstart, Robin, Tree Pipit and Wren.
Tom
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| Tree Pipit |
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| Redstart |
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| Redstart |
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| Goldcrest |
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| Green Woodpecker |
One of our birds has been in the news for breaking the UK longevity record:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4ne7kg387o
I had noticed that the tern platform on Church Pond had a few pairs of late nesting Black-headed Gulls. Having counted birds from the bank the previous weekend when I saw 4 or 5 chicks, I arranged with Emmeline to make visit today. Despite the engine being repaired there is no slipway into Church Pond so the inflatable was needed again. As we got closer the number of chicks kept going up and we ringed 11, one nest with 2 eggs still to hatch – must go to Specsavers!
Kev
Just 3 of us again for this visit, not so much vegetation adjustment this time in the mostly clear and slightly breezy conditions. A bit better catch with 40 birds including 4 retraps, all Dunnocks with one from 2019. The majority of the catch was Reed Warblers and most birds were juveniles. It is looking, unsurprisingly, that this breeding season will end up being much better than 2024.
Kev
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| adult Whitethroat (KJH) |
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| juvenile Whitethroat (KJH) |
NWT had received funding for some new Common Tern platforms in 2025. They were sited at Skylarks, Besthorpe, North Muskham and Netherfield. The Trust asked if we would ring any terns that nested. The Skylarks platform was, unfortunately, the only one that attracted terns. Three chicks were visible so I arranged a visit on what turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far. We arrived on site, inflated the Trust boat and paddled out to ring the terns. After doing this we looked on an adjacent island that had some gulls and terns nesting. Strangely the majority of nests still had eggs at this late stage of the season but we did manage to find and ring 5 Black-headed Gull chicks. We were greatly assisted by Miriam, AJ and Millie from NWT. All the other new platforms had attracted Black-headed Gulls to nest but the birds on the Besthorpe and North Muskham platforms were too advanced to attempt a visit.
Kev
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| Black-headed Gull chick (KJH) |
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| Common Tern chick (KJH) |
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| Common Tern chick (KJH) |
The third visit of the year to this site and first since the end of May meant another battle with the ever-encroaching vegetation for the 3 of us that were out. We set the usual 9 nets in very warm but mostly overcast conditions. We ended with a catch of 31 birds, mostly juveniles and all new birds. The best of the morning were 3 juvenile Bullfinch caught together, an increasingly scarce bird now locally.
Kev
