Herons & Cormorants at Attenborough

So far we've made two visits to Attenborough Nature Reserve to monitor, and colour-ring the Grey Heron and Cormorant pulli. The herons are having a very mixed breeding season due to the very late and cold spring, with many failing at the egg stage and some abandoning large chicks. The winter flooding may have also affected their food supplies. Good news though is that we've ringed nine Grey Heron chicks, and quite a few pairs have re-laid. The Cormorants are quite varied too, with some sitting on eggs and others with large chicks. So far, seven Cormorant chicks have been colour-ringed. We'll be making several more visits to monitor what looks to be an extended breeding season.

Jim

Holme Pierrepont, Sunday 21 April

Duncan, Tom and I made the first visit of the year to the Grange side of Holme Pierrepont on Sunday. Someone else had obviously decided it would be a nice place to spend some time and after doing so had left their makeshift tent, burnt out fires, cans, bottles and other assorted rubbish. On the ringing front the day started calm and sunny with a variety of warblers singing and a few finding the nets. The wind got up about 10.00am and the catch dropped of quickly from that point. We finished with 29 birds including 10 retraps, 13 of the birds were warblers including a Cetti's and some Sedge, Willow, Blackcap and Chiffchaff. The Reed Warblers had obviously not yet arrived in numbers as we only caught 1 and some of the Sedge Warblers we had were carrying fat so were probably just stopping of on their way north. A surprise in the net was a Snipe which made Duncan happy, particularly as it was one that Chris had missed in the winter and so needed a ring!

Kev

AGM, Friday 19 April

Having been delayed by the bad weather, our AGM was later in the year than usual and was attended by a select few on a balmy spring evening at Rushcliffe Country Park. We enjoyed a good spread of food and after all the business Ruth gave us a great presentation about her trip to Delaware Bay to ring waders.

Lesser Redpoll Movements

Regular readers of this blog may be aware that several Lesser Redpolls ringed in Bestwood (during the Autumn/Winter months of September to February in 2010 - 2013) have been retrapped elsewhere in the UK. Whilst 5 movements from 260 birds ringed is a small sample, there appears to be a general south/south-easterly bias to the movements.

• Y075574 ringed on 7/10/2011, retrapped in Surrey on 10/3/2012 after 155 days and 208Km
• Y075613 ringed on 13/10/2011, retrapped in Kent on 23/1/2012 after 102 days and 247Km
• Y754233 ringed on 13/10/2012, retrapped in Bedfordshire on 28/10/2012 after 15 days and 113Km
• Y754238 ringed on 13/10/2012, retrapped in Surrey on 2/1/2013 after 81 days and 202Km
• Y754334 ringed on 30/11/2012, retrapped in Nottinghamshire on 9/1/2013 after 40 days and 19Km

It's not all been one way traffic though as one bird retrapped at Bestwood on 10/11/2012 had originally been ringed in East Sussex on the 20/10/2011 after 387 days and 269km.

Mick P

Colour-ringed Cormorants

Birders at Attenborough Nature Reserve have noted a wintering colour-ringed Cormorant several years running and recently its origins have been traced to one of the Normandy Islands in the Chausey Archipelago in France where it was ringed on 15 May 2004. It was subsequently seen in July 2004 on Jersey before making its first appearance at ANR in October 2009.

This shows the value of colour-ringing Cormorants and lends weight to our decision to start colour-ringing the chicks which hatch at ANR in the next few weeks. We fitted metal BTO rings to 18 chicks there last year and already managed a recovery to a reservoir in Wakefield 70km away.

Jim

Recent Recoveries

The latest batch include a Kestrel chick ringed at Bunny in June 2009 which became a road casualty in Cambridgeshire in February 2013. Another ringed at Cropwell Butler in June 2011 was controlled at Cropwell Bishop in January 2013 and recorded as a female. A Barn Owl chick ringed at Gotham in June 2011, was found dead in a barn building in Roughton, Linconshire in January 2013. Another ringed at Caunton in June 2011 was found dead at the same location in March 2013, a third ringed at Hathern in June 2012 became a road casualty 16km away at Thrussington in March this year and a final chick ringed at Whatton in July 2012 became a road casualty 11 km away at Long Bennington in March.

Ian

Brackenhurst, Monday 1 April

Emma, Gary, Ruth, Duncan and I were the April fools at Brack on Easter Monday. Again, very dull with cold easterlies. A good account of the morning can be read on Ruth's blog along with some pics.

The oldest retraps were Blue Tit (2009, 2010), Chaffinch (2008, 2010) and Yellowhammer (2008). Totals were 14/27 (new/retraps): Goldcrest 1/0, Chiffchaff 1/0, Dunnock 2/0, Robin 0/1, Blackbird 0/1, Long-tailed Tit 1-2, Blue Tit 1/6, Great Tit 0/6, Tree Sparrow 1/1, Chaffinch 4/2, Yellowhammer 3/8.

Sightings included Woodcock and Peregrine.

Jim

Granby, Sunday 7 April

Just Duncan and I were at Granby this morning. A very bright, cold dawn met us, but it soon warmed up and we were removing several layers of clothing. The warmth brought out the first Brimstone and Peacock butterflies we'd see this year. It was quiet first thing with just the odd Redwing and Yellowhammer calling. As elsewhere, no singing warblers, but the last bird trapped was a solitary Chiffchaff. We caught birds steadily through the rest of the morning finishing on 57 birds processed, with two-thirds being retraps. The oldest retraps were Blue Tit - 2008; Great Tit - 2010; Chaffinch 2008 & 2010; Yellowhammer 2008 & 2009.

Totals were 20/37 (new/retraps): Sparrowhawk 0/1, Chiffchaff 1/0, Dunnock 1/5, Robin 1/3, Blackbird 1/2, Blue Tit 0/2, Great Tit 0/4, Chaffinch 7/9, Yellowhammer 9/10, Reed Bunting 1/0.

Jim

Granby, Saturday 30 March

Gary, Emma and I braved the cold at Granby today. It was overcast, with a north-easterly that got in to your bones, and the odd snow shower.

We caught birds steadily with 76 birds processed, with more than half being retraps. The oldest retraps were: Dunnock - 2009; Robin 2010; Blue Tit - 2010(2); Great Tit - 2010; Chaffinch 2004 & 2010; Yellowhammer 2008 and 2009. The obvious highlight being the nine year old Chaffinch, and as is often the case it re-appearing as the breeding season approaches.

Totals were 34/42 (new/retraps): Dunnock 3/4, Robin 0/3, Blackbird 4/2, Blue Tit 0/6, Great Tit 1/8, Brambling 1/0, Chaffinch 11/6, Yellowhammer 10/10, Reed Bunting 4/3.

Jim

Recent recoveries

A Reed Warbler ringed as a young bird in Suffolk in August 2009 hit a window in Attenborough in July 2012. A Sedge Warbler ringed as a young bird at Holme Pierrrepont in July 2011 was controlled at Icklesham in August 2012. Two young Reed Warblers which were ringed at Holme Pierrepont during August 2012 were controlled a few weeks later, gaining weight at Icklesham, it seems there may be a migration highway direct from Nottingham! 

The Icklesham connection continues with a Lesser Redpoll ringed there in October 2011 later being retrapped at Bestwood in November 2012. Even more Leser Redpolls featured this time round with a young Lesser Redpoll ringed at Bestwood in October 2012 controlled fifteen days later in Bedfordshire.
An adult Lesser Redpoll also ringed in October 2012 at Bestwood was controlled in Surrey in January 2013. Finally, another in Bestwood November 2012 was controlled by Birklands Ringing Group in Warsop also in January 2013.

Ian

Brackenhurst, Sunday 17 March

We didn't celebrate St Patrick's day at Brack yesterday, but it was wet enough for us to be in the west of Ireland with water oozing out of very pore in the ground. We had a good turnout from the Group including Ruth, Gary, David, Pete S and Emma for the second student ringing demonstration of the winter at the feeders (in my day they occupied buildings, now they just watch).

The weather, to begin with, was better than we feared and was nice enough til the rain kicked in from about 11:00 am. The birds were steady and averaged c10 per round which was about right in demo terms in that there was time to show the birds to the students & explain about their moult and ageing. In all we processed 58 birds, about a third of which were our target sp Yellowhammer. It looks like the Long-tailed Tits are at it as we caught three 'pairs'. We often recapture older birds as spring approaches as birds return to their breeding territories, and retraps included Robin, Blue and Great Tit from 2010, Chaffinch 2008 and 2010 and a 2009 Yellowhammer.

Totals were 38/20 (new/retraps): Dunnock 1/1, Robin 2/2, Blackbird 3/-, Long-tailed Tit 5/1, Blue Tit 2/2, Great Tit 3/6, Tree Sparrow 1/-, Chaffinch 7/4, Yellowhammer 15/3, Reed Bunting -/1.

Other observations included a pair of Peregrines on the powerlines and a flock of about 20 Siskins.

Jim

All pics by David Hodkinson.

Wales, Sunday 17 March

This was SNRG's annual checking and maintenance trip to the Pied Flycatcher nest boxes in Wales. Unfortunately, for the first time since the project began in 1993, project leader Kev Hemsley couldn't make the trip. However, Kev still organised and arranged everything as usual and Chris, Duncan, Steve and I made the trip to a snowy Wales to complete this important job.

It all went well but extra care was needed on the very slippery hillside. Squirrels seemed to have had a field day on many of the boxes and quite a lot of maintenance was needed. Hopefully this ground work has paved the way for a successful Pied Flycatcher breeding season!

Mick P

Granby, Sunday 10 March

Before leaving home I had to scrape 2 inches of snow off the car and I did so happily as ringing in the snow always seems to bump up the totals so it was a little surprising to find that Granby, only 10 minutes from my house, was completely snow-free. The distant snow covered Belvoir hills remained so all day too but whilst we had a few flurries through the morning, nothing settled.

Jim and I caught a total of 47 birds, comprising (new/retrap): Dunnock 0/1, Robin 0/1, Blue Tit 0/5, Great Tit 0/12, Chaffinch 5/6, Yellowhammer 9/6, Reed Bunting 2/0.

As usual, the late morning and late season retraps tend to be more interesting. We caught a Yellowhammer from 2011, Great Tits from 2010 and 2011(2), a Blue Tit from 2008 and Chaffinches from 2006, 2010 and 2011. It's perhaps worth noting that all the tits caught were marked!

Good to catch a couple of Reed Buntings, but compared with last winter there have not been many. The fact that both today's birds were female may be because males are starting to drift towards territories and in fact we did hear one almost singing.

Not much else was noted flying about. Winter thrushes are fairly thin on the ground now and the only other notable numbers were gulls and Wood Pigeons overhead. I heard a call twice that was almost certainly a Chiffchaff, but I became hopelessly entangled in an overhanging dog rose before I could get a look so we'll never know. Nevertheless, the thought made me feel a bit more springy as the numbness crept further up my fingers. Only 3 weeks until the first swallow...

Pete

North Notts cannon netting, 3-5 March

Duncan, Gary, Mick and I were part of the North Notts Ringing Group's cannon netting mini-weekend over the last three days. Work started with setting two nets nr Sturton-Le-Steeple by the River Trent on the Friday afternoon. The presence of c500 Wigeon was highly encouraging and so it proved as we fired early on Saturday morning for a record-breaking catch of 168 Wigeon, together with Mute Swans and Greylag Geese. We then reset for Sunday. That went less well, with an eight hour wait for the birds to get themselves into the catching area producing just 19 Wigeon. Still, with an average catch producing 30-60 Wigeon, everyone was well happy with 187 birds over the two days.

Monday was on to a landfill site near Retford, and it was gulls this time. Sorting the necessary health & safety training etc meant we weren't ready to fire until late morning. However, we did not have to wait too long as the very helpful 'spiky' driver moved a fresh load of household waste in front of the cannon net. As there were not that many big gulls about we took a quick catch of mostly Black-headed Gulls.

The best of the retraps were Wigeon from 2005 and 2006, plus control UK and Finnish Black-headed Gulls and a UK control Wigeon.

Total number of birds processed (new/retrap) were:

• Saturday - Mute Swan 2/0, Greylag Goose 4/0, Wigeon 163/5, Mallard 1/0, Coot 1/0
• Sunday - Wigeon 15/4
• Monday - Black-headed Gull 294/13, Common Gull 6/0, Herring Gull 4/0, Lesser Black-backed Gull 1/0

Jim

Thanks to Gary for the photos.

Langar Lesser Redpolls

Since receiving my mist net endoresement this year I have caught a Blue Tit or two during a 'practice session' in the garden, and thought it time to branch out. So this morning I cast my net a little further afield and made a trip to the young plantation owned by Naturesecape wildflower farm at Langar.

I had noticed large Goldfinch flocks at the site in previous years, usually towards the end of winter, as they come down for the compost and remains of old seed stock from the Naturescape nurseries over the road, which the owners handily scatter liberally throughout the rides.

I was pleasantly surpised to hear calling Lesser Redpoll amongst the circling flocks overhead as I arrived on site at dawn and noticed they were congregating, as finches do, in a 'look-out tree'. So I otped to set my one thirty foot net directly opposite this, literally on top of one of the feeding areas.

When I returned twenty minutes later I was rewarded with a good number of Lesser Redpoll, and more flew into the net as I started to extract! I was particularly pleased to catch this species as I have only handled a few as a trainee, and to have fourteen all in one go allowed me to compare differences and subtleties from bird to bird.

Bird of the morning was a handsome adult male, displaying characteristic 'blushing' plumage on head, cheeks, chest and rump. It was one of three adult birds, the rest were first-years.

I was encouraged to see that the site is continually being managed with wildlife in mind and a number of areas have been created throughout the site which will hopefully help the Grizzled Skipper, which myself, Chris and Pete enjoyed last year.

Ian

 

 Adult male Lesser Redpoll

First-year Lesser Redpoll

 Conservation work in progress