Brackenhurst, Saturday 19 January

It's always worth going out in the snow and we knew the morning was going to be good when birds started appearing near the feeders in the half light. We only put up the three feeder nets and within 15 minutes of putting them up we had almost 40 birds.

Yellowhammers were caught in particularly good numbers (50) and Blackbirds were also a feature of every round, though many learnt to escape under the nets. A new species for the site was an adult Stock Dove. We finished on 123 birds processed, broken down as follows (new/retrap): Dunnock 5/2, Yellowhammer 40/10, Blackbird 15/4, Robin 4/7, Chaffinch 5/6, Great Spotted Woodpecker 0/1, Blue Tit 2/8, Great Tit 2/6, Reed Bunting 1/0, Stock Dove 1/0, Tree Sparrow 4/0.

All the retraps were from the last two winters with the exception of a Yellowhammer from 2008, and single Chaffinch, Robin & Blue Tit from 2009.

We didn't have time to look out for much else as we were kept so busy, but a few Fieldfares were around and about 20 Lapwing flew over.

Pete

Rushcliffe Country Park, Sunday 13 January

Gary, Tom, David, Steve and I made a visit to RCP on Sunday. The cold start to the day with light snow cover made me think we might have a better catch but that thought soon diminished after the first couple of net rounds. We finished on 28 birds, 19 of which were retraps. The best of the retraps were a Chaffinch and Great Tit from 2008. The full capture list was (new/retrap): Chaffinch 0/2, Blue Tit 4/1, Great Tit 0/10, Blackbird 3/0, Reed Bunting 0/2, Robin 1/4, Woodpigeon 1/0.

Kev

Granby, Sunday 13 January

Ian, Duncan and I battled through the snow flurries to Granby this morning. It was nice for the field margins to be firmer and my fears of getting stuck receded. The snow soon stopped and we had watery sunshine for a couple of hours before the fog closed in. It was noticeable we only caught finches & buntings prior to the fog. For the first time that I can recall we caught more Reed Buntings than Yellowhammers. Perhaps another sign that the former is making a bit of a recovery, whereas not encouraging with the Alabamas*. They may still be on the stubbles etc and up to now the weather's being mild. With a week of sub-zero temperatures coming up it'll be interesting to see if we get more Yellowhammers next weekend.

Bar the buntings, we steadily caught 55 birds from the usual suspects. It was half 'n half between new and retrap birds. The only retraps of note were a 7 year old female Chaffinch that had not been caught since it's original ringing on 22/01/2006, and a Blue Tit from 2008. Totals were (new/retraps): Blackbird 4/0, Robin 3/3, Dunnock 4/1, Blue Tit 2/6, Great Tit 3/15, Chaffinch 7/1, Reed Bunting 4/0, Yellowhammer 1/1.

Jim

* In case you were wondering . . . the Yellowhammer State. During the Civil War a company of Alabama soldiers decked their uniforms with yellow trimmings that resembled the wing patches of the  yellowhammer, the state bird (Northern Flicker).

Rushcliffe Country Park, Sunday 6 January

Gary, Tom, David and I made a visit to RCP on Sunday. We thought we were having a slow morning but now realise we were doing quite well compared to the catch Jim and Pete had at Brack. We finished on 26 birds, 14 of which were retraps. The best of the retraps was a Reed Bunting from 2006. The full capture list was (new/retrap): Chaffinch 2/1, Blue Tit 2/1, Yellowhammer 0/1, Great Tit 4/8, Blackbird 2/0, Reed Bunting 1/2, Robin 0/1, Goldfinch 1/0.

Kev

Brackenhurst, Sunday 6 January

A bit like anglers, ringers always have an excuse. We had two this morning: it was too mild and too foggy. Having said that, catching only 7 birds was still only just one per ringer... Nevertheless, the company was good, the sunrise pretty, the hands not too cold and the few birds we caught were interesting. First out of the nets was an adult Redwing and soon after a young Jay - the third of the season. Before that the last was in 2004 so it shows the unusual numbers that are around this year. Full listings as follows (new/retrap): Redwing 1/0, Jay 1/0, Bullfinch 1/0, Blackbird 2/0, Great Tit 1/0, Robin 0/1.

Away from the nets we counted over 200 Pink-footed Geese heading NW-ish above the mist (has the warm weather prompted them to leave Norfolk?) and a flock of about 10 Siskin stubbornly refused to go near the nets. A single Redpoll, a few Meadow Pipits and a regular trickle of Redwing and Fieldfare were overhead and two Woodcock were flushed in Orwin's. Wrens, Dunnocks, Robins and a Coal Tit were all singing and as we've all noted, the mild weather has encourged quite a few insects out.

Pete

(all pics PML)

Recent Recoveries

A good number of recoveries and controls this time round with a variety of species. Controls included:

• a juvenile Chiffchaff ringed by Sorby Breck RG in August 2012 was caught one month later at Bestwood
• a juvenile Reed Warbler ringed at Icklesham in August 2010 was caught at Holme Pierrepont in July 2012
• a juvenile Blackcap ringed in Wanlip, Leicestershire in July 2010 was caught at Holme Pierrepont in September 2012
• a juvenile Blackcap ringed at Icklesham in September 2010 was caught also at Holme Pierrepont in September 2012
• a Yellowhammer ringed as a 5 in Flintham in February 2011 was caught in March 2012 at Granby
• a juvenile Reed Warbler ringed at Holme Pierrepont in July 2012 was caught one month later at Rutland

As usual, Barn Owls featured heavily:

•  a chick ringed in Lincolnshire in July 2009 was caught again in the same area in July 2012
•  a chick ringed in Caunton in May 2011 was caught at 6km away in Newark in June 2012
• a chick ringed in Normanton in July 2011 was caught 18km away in Hathern in September 2012 along with a nestmate ringed on the same day which turned up 21km away in Southall, also in September 2012
• a chick ringed in Calverton in May 2012 was found dead in the same area in September 2012
• an adult ringed in Girton in June 2011 was hit by a car 6km away in Carlton in November 2012

The remaining recoveries were as follows:

• a Great Tit ringed as a youngster in Nottingham in May 2012 was taken by a Sparrowhawk the following month
• a Moorhen ringed as a 5 at Rushcliffe Country Park was discovered dead 10km away in Sandiacre in September 2012
• a Goldfinch ringed as a 5 at Rushcliffe Country Park in November 2011 was hit by a car in Ruddington in November 2012
• a Tawny Owl ringed as a youngster in Newark in May 2011 was found dead in a nearby building in November 2012
• an adult Reed Bunting ringed at Holme Pierrepont in April 2011 was discovered dead by myself and Chris when we spent some time nestfinding at the same site in May 2012
• an adult Greenfinch which I ringed in my garden at Cropwell Butler in May 2012 was found dead on the other side of the village only a few days later (not sure if it was significant, but many of this species I handled this summer sadly appeared to be showing signs of trichomoniasis)

As always, it is really interesting to see where our birds come from, where they go and where they end their lives.

Ian

Granby, Sunday 30 December 2012

Duncan, Ruth, Jim and I arrived at Granby with a spring in our step as the rain had finally stopped. Unfortunately the wind hadn't and this had quite an impact on our catch with only 18 birds processed as follows (new/retrap): Dunnock 2/1; Chaffinch 2/1; Blue Tit 2/2; Great Tit 2/2; Robin 1/2; Sparrowhawk 1/0.

The Sparrowhawk was a late goal in extra time as we were about to take down when it went in. The retrap Chaffinch was perhaps the most interesting, having been ringed as a 5M on 30-01-05, making it more than 8 years old.

Other sightings included a Peregrine drifting over, 2 Ravens, a Heron and about 8 Cormorants overhead (well the whole country looks like a chain of gravel pits at the moment...) but not much else and winter thrushes and Yellowhammers were all thin on the ground. 

Pete

(all pics PML)

Brackenhurst, Thursday 27 December

It was nice to get in a decent session at Brack this morning - at the third time of asking in the last month. It was mild, calm and overcast at first, but there was a frost in Orwin's. A good sized team of Tina, Simon, Emma, Gary, Ewan, Duncan & myself, meant we could also put up nets in Orwin's.

The total catch of 71 birds of 12 species was spread across the morning til midday when we packed up. No Tree Sparrows this time, but they may have been put off by the first Sparrowhawk of the winter. Most of the Chaffinches were netted in Orwin's in response to the sound lure; something we'd not tried in the daytime before (thanks Ewan). All the retraps were from the last two winters bar two male Chaffinches, which would have been born no later than 2006. Also, a Blue Tit that was ringed in nestbox 89 on the estate this year was caught at both sites during the morning.

Totals were (new/retrap): Sparrowhawk 1/0, Goldcrest 1/0, Blackbird 1/0, Wren 1/0, Robin 0/2, Dunnock 1/1, Long-tailed Tit 0/10, Blue Tit 1/12, Great Tit 3/8, Chaffinch 18/4, Yellowhammer 5/1, Reed Bunting 1/0.

It was quiet on the bird front, but there was a flock of 100 Fieldfare knocking around and Ewan picked up some Waxwings passing overhead. Also, there were two deer that thankfully kept away from the nets.

Jim

 Emma holding the first bird she ever put a ring on. A pretty good start... (top Simon Taylor, bottom Gary Goddard)

A remarkable male Yellowhammer with virtually no dark markings on its head. (top Simon Taylor, bottom Gary Goddard)

A particularly fiery male Goldcrest. Females show only yellow in the crown. (Gary Goddard)

SNRG Christmas Party

We celebrated in style this Christmas Eve by gathering in the dark at Brackenhurst and standing around in a dark, muddy, rainy field until the sun didn't come up. Good biscuits, much needed coffee, a Woodcock flushed from Orwin's but no nets up...

Happy Christmas ringers everywhere!

Pete

PS this is what it's all about:

Garden Ringing 2

Waxwings did not take a lot of finding this morning, they came to me. With over 40 in a tree near the back garden thought I had better get a net up.

The birds dropped onto the Honeysuckle and Pyracantha berries in the garden several times and I was lucky enough to catch just one, a new bird ringed in the garden.

By 3pm the flock had grown to over 100 birds sitting in the trees on Queen's drive just a short distance
from the garden and as Waxwings usually keep coming back to the same bushes to feed until all the berries have gone tomorrow could be an interesting day.

Gary

Garden Ringing

Spent quite a lot of the day looking for Waxwings with no joy. So put a net up in the garden as there were quite a few Blackirds on the berries, caught a Greenfinch and as I was taking it out of the net could hear Waxwings calling close by. Got my bins to have a look at them just across the road and then this hit the net and luckily stuck this time. That's the second I have caught in the garden.

Gary

Brackenhurst, Sunday 9 December

I suppose with a team of seven ringers one could have almost predicted a lack of birds at Brack today. We arrived in the dark to greater than predicted blustery winds and showers. Once the rain had passed we set the nets but the wind was clearly putting the birds off and was also increasing, so we called it a day at 09:00am.

Totals were (new/retraps): Robin 0/2, Blue Tit 0/1, Great Tit 0/1, Tree Sparrow 2/0, Chaffinch 1/0.

Jim

Granby, Sunday 2 December

Another frosty morning at Granby, but the bright, calm weather took the edge off the cold for some of us. Trapping was steady through the morning, and then dropped off when it got brighter and we finished 12ish. Despite no longer using peanuts in the bait Great Tits, again, accounted for about two-fifths of the catch. We caught the first three Yellowhammers of the winter, and it was nice to see Redwing & Greenfinch in the hand again. However, the star bird had to be the Jay which is only the second for the site and the first since 2004!

The best of the retraps was a Chaffinch from 2006, Blue Tit from 2008 and a young Great Tit from an adjacent nest box.

Totals were (new/retraps): Robin 0/4, Dunnock 1/0, Blue Tit 4/5, Great Tit 1/18, Jay 1/0, Blackbird 2/0, Redwing 1/0, Greenfinch 1/0, Chaffinch 7/1, Yellowhammer 3/0.

Jim

 The Jay happened to be the first bird Peter has fitted a ring to. (photos x3 Simon Taylor)

Waxwings

Mick P and I managed to open our Waxwing ringing account for the winter today.

I've been tracking them for the last 3 weeks and finally found some that I thought were worth netting, so after a quick phone call, Mick joined me and we gave it a go.

Despite the heavy rain at times we managed to catch 5 birds. That's a start for the winter, I will keep tracking them and have another go soon.

Gary

Rushcliffe Country Park, Sunday 2 December

Just Tom and myself made it to RCP on Sunday morning when the tempreature was minus 3.5 and there was a hard frost. A big thankyou to Mick T who had put the heater on in the hut for us and we waited for a few minutes in the warm for it to get light and went and set the usual nets.

First net round produced 19 birds but I knew it would get slower after that, however we did keep dragging ourselves out of the warm hut to check the nets.

We finished on 46 birds caught (21 new and 25 retrap) and did get the first Siskin and Coal Tit of the winter.

The catch was (new/retrap): Chaffinch 12/8, Reed Bunting 1/3, Great Tit 4/8, Blue Tit 2/4, Siskin 1/0, Coal Tit 1/0 and Robin 0/2.

Gary