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
