Cannon-netting Wigeon at Dunham

Mick and I are bi-curious in that we also ring with North Notts Ringing Group. Early today, Libby & Duncan joined us at Dunham for a cannon net catch of Wigeon along with the Blackburns and other ringers. The last time we were there, Mick and I were twinkling til after one o'clock. So, it was great to take a firing just after eight o'clock with a catch of 70 Wigeon (including four retraps) and a solitary Coot.

An excellent morning in good company.

JIM

Raptor petition

A worthy petition that's quick to sign:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/23089

Granby, Tuesday 22 November

What with the damp and drizzle, Duncan, Libby, Nabegh and I did not approach the first visit to Granby this morning with any great optimism. But in the event, the intermittent drizzle cleared up by about 10 and then brightened a little. The catch was dominated by Chaffinchs & Great Tits, with most of the birds being caught late morning. Though a pair of Goldcrests and a couple of Treecreepers added some welcome variety. The full catch was 53 birds (37 new and 16 retrapped). All the retraps were from last winter, bar a Chaffinch from 2006, and a Yellowhammer originally ringed in January 2003 as an adult female. This bird is more than 10 years old, which is a very good record considering the oldest Yellowhammer from ringing is under 12 years old.

Full catch numbers were (new/retrap): Robin 3/1, Goldcrest 2/-, Blue Tit 2/3, Great Tit 7/10, Treecreeper 2/-, Tree Sparrow 1/-, Chaffinch 18/1, Greenfinch 2/-, Yelllowhammer -/1.
Jim

Rushcliffe Country Park, Sunday 20 November

A foggy and still morning at the Park, it never did clear all morning but we had another good session and ended with a catch of 87 birds. The number of retraps is increasing though with 48 this time, again most of them from last week or the week before. The best of the few older retraps being a Blue Tit from 2007 and the first Yellowhammer of the winter from 2009. A new Goldcrest was nice, this was only the fourth for the site and the first ever for Nabegh. The full breakdown of the catch was (new/retrap): Dunnock 1/0, Robin 1/1, Goldcrest 1/0, Blue Tit 2/14, Great Tit 7/21, Chaffinch 6/5, Goldfinch 12/2, Greenfinch 8/1, Bullfinch 1/0, Yellowhammer 0/1, Reed Bunting 0/3.
We are not planning to visit next week because there is a big event at the Park but will be back the first Sunday in December.
Kev

Rushcliffe Country Park, Sunday 13 November

We started in dark overcast conditions with a little light drizzle but the forecast was for it to soon clear up and it did. The first net round was a little disappointing but it picked up from then on and we ended with a good catch of 80 birds but this did include 35 retraps, most of them from last week! The best of the few older retraps being a Chaffinch from 2008. The full breakdown of the catch was (new/retrap): Robin 2/0, Long-tailed Tit 1/0, Coal Tit 0/1, Blue Tit 4/9, Great Tit 8/15, Chaffinch 7/4, Goldfinch 15/3, Greenfinch 7/1, Bullfinch 0/1, Reed Bunting 1/1.

Kev

Clive Minton wins prestigious Eisenmann Medal

Several group members have ringed with Clive - a founder member of the Wash Wader Ringing Group and pioneer ringer in Australia. Here's a press release from Birds Australia:

Birds Australia is pleased to congratulate Clive Minton on being awarded the 2012 Eisenmann Medal by the Linnean Society of New York.

The Eisenmann Medal is awarded to people not only for their great achievements in ornithology, but to those who have also provided outstanding guidance, assistance and encouragement in working with volunteers, amateurs or students as a personal mission (not as part of their employment) to interest them in ornithology.

Clive's countless hours of work with both the Victorian and Australasian Wader Studies Groups for so many years on so many different levels has made him an obvious and deserving candidate for this prestigious award.

Granby re-opens for season 12 at the fridge!

Duncan and I spent this morning cutting back the vegetation at the Granby feeding station, and the thorn bushes along the track. Growth wasn't too bad after the dry summer and autumn, but we still worked up a sweat in the gloom. The hoppers are now back up and baited. There was the odd Yellowhammer about and a few mixed thrushes, but otherwise pretty quiet bird wise.

I will see if birds are coming to the bait in a week or so. Plus, need sloes for the gin! Aim will then be to start ringing there on either Friday 18 or Sunday 20 November.

Jim

Rushcliffe Country Park, Sunday 6 November

We opened up the site for the winter on a nippy but sunny morning. The sun soon warmed things up and the number of birds caught kept us busy throughout. We ended with the best opening catch for a good few years with 83 birds caught including 6 retraps and a nice catch of Goldfinch. The oldest retrap was a Reed Bunting from February 2008 and not seen again since March 2009. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was a new bird for Ian, luckily it had blunted its bill drawing blood from Gary when he extracted it so was no problem later to Ian. The species caught were (new/retrap) Great Spotted Woodpecker 1/0, Blackbird 0/1, Blue Tit 14/1, Great Tit 18/2, Coal Tit 1/0, Chaffinch 14/1, Bullfinch 2/0, Greenfinch 5/0, Goldfinch 22/0 and Reed Bunting 0/1. Let's hope it continues to catch well throughout the winter.

Kev

Recent Recoveries

15 of the recent batch of 19 recoveries were Barn Owls. Many were initially ringed as chicks in 2008/2009 with the 'oldest' initially ringed in 2005. Most birds seemed to move no further than 6-8 km from their original site, but some spread a little further including a bird ringed as a chick in Sleaford back in 2007 which was picked up 35km away at Brock Hill, Leicestershire in June this year, and a 26km movement for a chick from Barton in 2008 which turned up near Elton this summer. One heavy bird ringed at Old Dalby still seems to be eating all the pies as it weighed in at 430g this June at Upper Broughton.

It was good to hear about the female Cetti's Warbler caught in June at Attenborough which was originally ringed as a juv in Pembrokeshire in October 2010 as well as the male Blackcap also caught at Attenborough which made its way to us after being ringed as a juv in North Yorks in the summer of 2006.

Other recoveries included a Shelton Little Owl found at Lambley, a Hucknall Goldfinch ringed in April this year and found dead not too far away 2 months later. Sorry Mick!

Ian