Late June, Holme Pierrepont

We paid a visit to the Grange end of Holme Pierrepont on Thursday 27/06/19 and to the Blotts end on Sunday 30/06/19.

On 27 June the weather was bright but a little breezy and we had a bit of a job tidying up the net rides after not visiting for about 8 weeks. The team consisted of Gary, Holly, Sarah, Alice, Mick and myself. The catch rate was steady throughout the morning and we finished with a good total of 78 birds including 14 retraps made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 1/1, Robin 2/0, Wren 3/0, Dunnock 0/1, Willow Warbler 3/0, Chiffchaff 12/1, Blackcap 16/2, Garden Warbler 1/0, Reed Warbler 13/7, Cetti’s Warbler 1/1, Treecreeper 1/0, Blue Tit 4/1, Great Tit 4/0, Reed Bunting 3/0. The oldest retrap was a Reed Warbler from 2017.

On 30 June the weather was generally sunny but with a stiff breeze blowing which no doubt adversely affected the catching rate. We had bumper team out consisting of Gary, Holly, Sarah, Sophie, Richard, Kate, Alan, Tom, Duncan, Mick and myself. There were plenty of birds around and despite the stiff breeze we still ended with an excellent catch of 93 including 11 retraps made up of (new/retrap): Song Thrush 1/0, Robin 2/1, Wren 3/1, Dunnock 2/0, Willow Warbler 5/1, Chiffchaff 8/2, Blackcap 23/3, Garden Warbler 5/0, Whitethroat 6/1, Reed Warbler 4/0, Sedge Warbler 1/0, Cetti’s Warbler 1/0, Willow Tit 1/0, Blue Tit 13/1, Great Tit 2/0, Long-tailed Tit 1/0, Bullfinch 1/1, Greenfinch 1/0, Chaffinch 1/0, Reed Bunting 1/0. The most surprising bird of the day was a juvenile Willow Tit, the first at Holme Pierrepont for 8 years. The oldest retrap was a Bullfinch from 2017. We were also a little surprised to hear a Cuckoo calling this morning.

Kev

 

Willow Warbler & Willow Tit (Alan Hurst)

Great Spotted Woodpecker, Thursday 27 June

I caught this juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker at Bestwood this morning. As stated in the “Identification of European Non-Passerines” by Jeff Baker, juveniles undergo a partial post-juvenile moult (which begins in the nest) including body feathers, primaries, some or all upperwing coverts, and tail. Primary moult begins in or just after the fledging period.

Mick P

Attenborough CES visit 6, Sunday 23 June

We carried out the sixth and final CES visit of the year at Attenborough today. An overcast sky with a light breeze to start but the sun did come out for the second half of the session and the breeze picked up. The team consisted of Gary, Duncan, Holly, Mick, Alex, Alan and myself. The catch rate was steady throughout the morning and we finished with a total catch of 46 birds including 14 retraps made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 0/2, Song Thrush 0/2, Robin 2/1, Wren 9/1, Dunnock 3/0, Chiffchaff 2/1, Blackcap 8/5, Reed Warbler 2/0, Treecreeper 0/1, Blue Tit 4/1, Great Tit 2/0. I have not delved into the records yet but I think this must rate as one of our best (if not the best) ever year for captures on the CES at Attenborough. The oldest retraps were from 2017. A Hobby circled overhead as we walked from the site at the end of the session.

Kev

 Blackcap, Treecreeper, Song Thrush, Blackbird (Alan Hurst) Blackcap release video below by Alex Phillips.

Attenborough CES visit 5, Sunday 16 June

We were due to hold a ringing demonstration for the Notts Wildlife Trust today at Holme Pierrepont to coincide with a ‘wild camping’ event they were holding there over the weekend. Unfortunately the event was cancelled on Friday after the week of rain that we have just endured. So we decided to carry out CES visit 5 at Attenborough instead. Heavy rain the previous night meant the vegetation was dripping with water first thing but the sun was out and there was a slight breeze. The clear skies only lasted for a couple of hours then ominous looking cloud and a strengthening wind took over. However, for once, we were spared and the rain only started as we were about to leave the site at the usual time. The team consisted of Gary, Duncan, Holly, Mick and myself, we were also joined by Kath and Alan who had come along for a taster session.

I thought the wet vegetation would subdue the birds a little but we started steadily and as the vegetation dried out a little the catch picked up. The total catch was 69 birds including 9 retraps comprising (new/retrap): Great Spotted Woodpecker 2/0, Robin 6/0, Wren 10/0, Dunnock 0/1, Chiffchaff 4/2, Blackcap 10/2, Reed Warbler 2/0, Sedge Warbler 1/0, Cetti’s Warbler 2/0, Treecreeper 3/0, Blue Tit 3/0, Great Tit 3/2, Long-tailed Tit 14/2. The oldest retrap was a Dunnock from 2017. A Cuckoo was heard calling again.

Kev

 Blue Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Sedge Warbler and Wren (Kath Ward)

 Blackcaps, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpeckers (Alan Hurst)

Recent Recoveries

The first recovery round-up in a while - this covers the first 5 months of this year!

A Mute Swan, ringed at Markeaton in Derby in August 2010 was seen at Attenborough in April this year. Another bird, ringed in 2007 at Rushcliffe Country Park, was also seen at Attenborough on the 6 January.

Also at Attenborough, a couple of Egyptian Goose recoveries. The first had its ring read in February, having originally been ringed on site in 2009. The other was unfortunately found dead in May, and was ringed on the reserve in 2015.

An Attenborough Common Tern chick, ringed at the nest in 2014, was caught in September last year at Marismas del Odiel in Huelva, Spain.

The Attenborough Sand Martin Colony continues to produce recoveries and controls. A bird ringed as a chick in June 2016 was controlled at Redhill Marina in June this year. Another bird, mist-netted at the colony as a juvenile in July last year, was controlled by ringers in France at Marais-des-Moisin in September of the same year. A bird ringed as a chick in Rutland last June, was also netted at Attenborough in May this year.

Bestwood Tree Sparrows remain a staple of the recovery round-up, showing that they are relatively mobile between colonies in the region. However some local recoveries are also received. A Birklands-ringed bird, caught at Bestwood Country Park in September 2018, was controlled at Mick's Bestwood site in April This year. Birds from further afield that have been controlled here recently have come from Retford Sewage works, Overend (Derbyshire) and Cropwell Bishop.

A ring found in January at Holme Pierrepont by metal detectorists, had originally been placed on a Blackbird there, over 12 years previously, in September 2006. Another Blackbird met its fate in the claws of a cat in April this year in Ilkeston. The bird had been ringed in Alex's Garden the previous Spring.

A Starling, ringed in the Meadows in 2016, was found dead in Clifton in April, whilst another ringed at the same site in 2018 was taken by a Sparrowhawk in Calverton in March.

A Reed Warbler, caught in August last year at Holme Pierrepont, had originally been ringed at a site near Coimbra, Portugal in September 2011.

A Chiffchaff, ringed in the Autumn of 2017 at Stanford Res in Northants, has been controlled by the group at Ramsdale Golf Club in May.

A Long-tailed Tit, ringed at Manor Floods, Ilkeston in October, was found dead in the town, killed by a cat in April.

A Greenfinch, ringed in Sibthorpe in March 2018, was found dead in Potterhanworth near Lincoln in February.

And finally, a Sutton Bonington Yellowhammer, ringed in March 2016 was found dead nearby in May this year.

Tom

Holme Pierrepont, Sunday 9 June

The first visit of the year was made to the Blotts end of Holme Pierrepont on Sunday by Duncan, Mick T, Gary, Sue, Sarah, Helen, Holly and me. We managed to get a brief window in the poor weather and set up the site ready for next weekend's ringing demo. A calm and sunny start to the morning later gave way to a gentle breeze and some cloud. We finished with a respectable catch of 100 including 13 retraps, made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 4/1, Song Thrush 2/1, Wren 1/2, Dunnock 7/2, Robin 6/0, Cetti’s Warbler 0/1, Blackcap 21/0, Garden Warbler 3/0, Whitethroat 5/1, Lesser Whitethroat 1/0, Chiffchaff 7/0, Willow Warbler 2/3, Reed Warbler 2/0, Sedge Warbler 2/0, Blue Tit 4/1, Great Tit 9/1, Long-tailed Tit 7/0, Greenfinch 3/0, Chaffinch 1/0. The oldest retraps were a Dunnock and Wren from 2016.

Kev

A first summer Lesser Whitethroat showing contrast in the tail between original and replaced feathers (K. Hemsley)

Attenborough CES visit 4, Sunday 2 June

CES visit 4 at Attenborough was carried out today in mainly calm and overcast conditions but a rain shower at 1030 made us close a couple of nets for 20 minutes. The rain then came back stronger as we were about to take down at 1200. A bumper-sized team of 10 this week consisted of Gary, Duncan, Alex, Sarah, Sophie, Alice, Holly, Helen, Richard and myself. Despite what were predominantly good mist-netting conditions the catch was smaller than I thought it would be but we did have the first juvenile warblers of the year, a couple of Blackcaps.

The total catch was 35 birds including 15 retraps made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 0/1, Song Thrush 0/1, Robin 3/1, Wren 1/0, Dunnock 3/7, Chiffchaff 0/1, Blackcap 5/3, Reed Warbler 1/0, Goldcrest 2/0, Treecreeper 1/0, Blue Tit 1/0, Long-tailed Tit 2/0, Bullfinch 1/1. The oldest retrap was a Dunnock from 2012. A Cuckoo was heard calling again.

Kev

Nest box monitoring - Sunday 19 May

Nest boxes at Brackenhurst & beyond proved very productive on Sunday. At one point, Vicki and I found seven different species in seven boxes around Brackenhurst – Tawny, Barn and Little Owls, Kestrel, Stock Dove, Blue Tit and Nuthatch. The Nuthatch pulli (see pic) were the first ringed by the group since 1997! They were in a bat box, which took some working out to safely access the chicks. Elsewhere, at NWT’s Duke's Wood we ringed our last Tawny Owl chicks, the female (see pic) was ringed as an adult in the same box in 2006, and was also caught breeding in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Current Group members – Gary & Pete – have met her. Nearby, at Kirklington we also caught another female Tawny for the seventh year running. Duke's Wood and adjacent woodlands have good shrub and plant layers, and this is likely to be providing plenty of prey - small mammals and birds - for the Tawnies.

Jim

 Nuthatch pulli (JL)

 The O.A.T.! (JL)

Attenborough CES visit 3, Saturday 25 May

We carried out CES visit 3 at Attenborough today in decent weather, a light breeze and sunny conditions. The team consisted of Gary, Mick T, Sarah, Sophie and myself. We were also joined by Holly on a first taster session and Richard who is an A permit holder who has recently moved to Derby and is looking to join a ringing group.

We had a catch of 37 birds including 14 retraps made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 3/2, Song Thrush 1/1, Robin 5/1, Wren 5/1, Dunnock 2/1, Chiffchaff 0/3, Blackcap 4/1, Reed Warbler 2/0, Cetti’s Warbler 0/1, Blue Tit 0/1, Long-tailed Tit 0/2, Bullfinch 1/0.

The oldest retrap was a Blackbird from 2016. All the new Robins and Dunnocks were juveniles as this year's youngsters are now well into fledging. A Cuckoo was also heard calling again.

Kev

Ramsdale Park Golf Centre, Sunday 19 May

With a gap in the CES schedule this weekend and a triathlon closing roads around Holme Pierrepont, we held the first ringing session of the year at Ramsdale this morning. The weather was good with no wind and variable cloud cover. The team consisted of Alice, Gary, Duncan and myself. A little bit of ride clearance was required to put up the seven 18m nets in the positions higher up the hill that we started using towards the end of last season.

The catch rate was steady throughout the morning and we ended with a total of 42 including 8 retraps made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 1/2, Dunnock 3/0, Wren 1/0, Robin 1/1, Blackcap 6/2, Garden Warbler 2/0, Whitethroat 1/0, Lesser Whitethroat 1/0, Chiffchaff 2/2, Willow Warbler 3/0, Blue Tit 4/0, Great Tit 4/1, Linnet 4/0, Chaffinch 1/0.

The oldest retrap was a Blackbird and Blackcap both from 2015. Numbers of resident species were higher than on the first visit made last year no doubt because of the milder winter. Nice to get a few Linnets at the only site we regularly catch them. We also had a control Chiffchaff.

Kev

Male & female Linnets (K. Hemsley)

Lapwings

Last winter, Kev and I followed up on a lead from Alex and investigated the possibility of ringing at Erewash Meadows Nature Reserve.

Erewash Meadows forms part of the largest area of floodplain grasslands and wetlands in the Erewash Valley. It straddles the Derbyshire-Nottinghamshire county boundary and is jointly owned by the two county Wildlife Trusts. The reserve is in three parts. The southern part is known as Aldercar Flash and Meadows and the central part is Brinsley Meadows. Leading off from the north west corner of Brinsley Meadows is a 3/4 mile section of the old Cromford Canal. During our site visit with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's Erewash Valley Regional Manager, she mentioned that Brinsley Meadows held good numbers of breeding Lapwing.

On 3 May I carried out a recce of Brinsley Meadows and counted 10 Lapwing chicks and 5 adults sitting on nests, so today Kev, Gary, Duncan, Sarah and I made a visit. We had a productive morning ringing 12 Lapwing chicks and finding a nest with 4 eggs.

Hopefully it's something we can repeat next year.

Mick P

Recent ringing

Updates to activities in the southwest of our area have been lacking since we finished winter operations at Sutton Bonington, so here is a catch-up.

We had a few sessions and a ride clearance visit to the Grange end of Holme Pierrepont in March and April. Of the birds caught the most interesting were a Reed Bunting and Long-tailed Tit from 2013; surprisingly the latter had not been caught at all since the original capture. We also had the first returning warbler recaptures that were ringed in previous years: Chiffchaff, Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler. A Cuckoo calling in the distance on the last visit was the first we had heard this year.

We also had a pre-CES visit to Attenborough on 14 April to clear the rides ready for the start of the CES proper and we set the nets after clearing. The team consisted of Alice, Alex, Duncan, Gary, Helen, Mick T, Sarah, Sophie and myself. This resulted in a catch of 43 birds including 6 retraps made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 2/2, Song Thrush 1/0, Wren 1/0, Dunnock 1/0, Chiffchaff 4/0, Willow Warbler 1/0, Blackcap 5/1, Cetti’s Warbler 1/0, Blue Tit 10/1, Great Tit 5/2, Long-tailed Tit 4/0, Bullfinch 1/0, Reed Bunting 1/0. The oldest retraps were a Blackbird and Blackcap from 2017.

This took us up to May and the start of the CES season at Attenborough. The first visit was made on Monday 6th May in fairly calm and mainly overcast conditions. The team consisted of Duncan, Gary, Iona, Mick T, Sue, Sophie and myself, it was good to see Sue well enough to come out again. We had a catch of 42 birds including 9 retraps made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 2/0, Song Thrush 0/1, Robin 1/0, Wren 5/0, Dunnock 1/1, Chiffchaff 7/1, Blackcap 3/1, Coal Tit 1/0, Blue Tit 3/0, Great Tit 3/1, Long-tailed Tit 6/1, Treecreeper 0/1, Bullfinch 1/2. The oldest retraps were a Bullfinch and Treecreeper from 2016. The Coal Tit is only the second caught at the site, the first being in 2011. A Grasshopper Warbler sang all morning very close to the nets but managed to evade them! This is a very unusual species on this part of the reserve.

The second CES visit was made on Sunday 12 May in very calm and very sunny conditions. The team consisted of Alex, Duncan, Gary, Mick T, Sue, Sarah and myself. We had a catch of 38 birds including 11 retraps made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 0/1, Robin 4/2, Wren 1/0, Dunnock 1/0, Chiffchaff 1/1, Garden Warbler 1/0, Blackcap 9/1, Reed Warbler 1/1, Cetti’s Warbler 0/1, Blue Tit 3/2, Great Tit 3/2, Long-tailed Tit 1/0, Nuthatch 1/0, Bullfinch 1/0. The oldest retrap was a Robin from 2014 that had not been caught since it was originally ringed. The Nuthatch was a nice surprise and is only the second caught at the site. A Tawny Owl called part way through the morning (they did not use the nestboxes this year) and a Cuckoo was also heard.

Kev

 Coal Tit (Sue Lakeman)

 Nuthatch (Kev Hemsley)

One for Joy

A combination of poor weather, new job and two year old twins has meant that I have not been out ringing with group as often as I would have liked this year. So my garden has been the focus of my ringing and a warm spring has helped. In the last few days a pair of Magpies have been visiting my garden and hoovering up the dried mealworms I put out for the Starlings.

Magpies are not everyone's cup of tea, but I have a soft spot for corvids. I love how intelligent they are, and despite the Potter traps being baited they had avoided them – until yesterday. Despite being a relatively common bird, it is one that we rarely catch due to their cautious nature. This 6 (adult) male was only the second I have ever ringed and the first for the group since 2017, and as a bonus I neither got bitten nor clawed!

Alex

2018 Report

The 2018 ringing report is now available. If you would like a copy, please email the address at the top of the 'Reports' page - see tab at the top.

Photogenic Heron

Ringed at Attenborough NR as a chick on 23 April 2015, Grey Heron 'JH' (ring 1509503) has now been posing for Keith Walkling's camera trap at Weldon near Corby since 2017. The most recent picture below was on 3 April this year. Thanks for the photo and the sightings Keith!

Jim