Eurasian-African Migration Atlas

This amazing resource has just been launched: https://migrationatlas.org/

The BTO sent recently out the following introduction to the project: 

Developed by the EURING Migration Atlas team over the last four years. The core of the Atlas provides interactive, online maps of the migration routes and movement patterns of 300 species. In addition, for around 100 species the maps incorporate tracking data via a live feed from Movebank.

For each species, there is a series of interactive maps showing movements of birds ringed in eight different regions of Europe, movement patterns for each region by month, age and sex differences, patterns according to the cause of recovery and animations showing seasonal movements across the year. All maps include interpretive texts written by an international team of experts, tables and graphs showing the types of data used and supporting references. In contrast to printed atlases, which can become out of date relatively quickly, the online Atlas has been built in a way that will allow it to be updated as new data become available from both EURING and Movebank.

In addition to the core mapping tools and species accounts, the Atlas includes research modules on the spring migration seasons of hunted species, killing of birds by man, migratory connectivity and long-term changes in migration patterns, together with an Executive Summary that draws together its main conservation conclusions.

Peregrines

Another collaboration between an undisclosed site, North Notts RG, South Notts RG and Access Techniques Ltd (who provide the expertise in accessing the nest), resulted in four Peregrine chicks being ringed on the 25 May 2022, all under the relevant licence requirements.

I am the latest person to monitor this natural nest site and have been doing so for about 8 years. Being a natural nest site its pretty difficult to monitor with any certainty, so much so, and the site are so keen, that a few years ago, during the Winter, they installed a camera to view the nest ledge. This proved invaluable for monitoring the nest and creating a nest record. It also captured a few upsetting episodes, like when a female adult peregrine died on the nest and another year when the eggs and freshly hatched chicks were predated. The adult bird was retrieved and sent away for analysis, though the results were inconclusive.
This was the start of a terrible run of failed nests, including another year when I saw chicks being fed but when returning to ring them a few days later they were not there.

Unfortunately, for me, the birds now nest on a different ledge, so I'm back to fleeting views, when the vegetation moves in the wind, and guesswork from quite a distance away. Take this year for example, I had seen the heads of three chicks so was surprised when there were four. A great result though.
Hopefully now the birds nest on this new ledge we will have a few successful breeding seasons!

Many thanks to the site and Access Techniques Ltd.

Mick P

Tawny Owls

Followers of the blog, and our activities, will know that at this time of year much of our time is spent monitoring nest boxes of several species to gather information on breeding outcomes. Many of these nest boxes have been put up following contact by a home-owner who has a keen interest in the natural world and who has a suitable location for a box. 

I checked such a box on 29/4/22 and ringed these two Tawny owl chicks, along with their mother. As you can see they are now keen to explore the outside world. Thanks to the home-owner for the photo which was taken some time after I visited.

Thanks to people like this, who buy and allow nest boxes to be put on their land and give us permission to visit every year, we are gathering a lot of valuable information about such birds. 

Mick P

Ravens

On 6 April 2022, trainee bird ringers from North Notts & South Notts Ringing Groups got their chance to ring Raven chicks at a Notts location that NNRG has been monitoring since 2014. The Ravens bred c10 days earlier than last year, but the earliest the chicks have been ringed there is 29 March.

This collaboration between the site (undisclosed), North Notts RG, South Notts RG and Access Techniques Ltd, who provide the expertise in accessing the nest, has resulted in 23 Raven chicks being ringed. There have been broods of 2 (x1), 3 (x3) and 4 (x3) chicks.

This effort has resulted in some interesting recoveries. One of the chicks (ringed on 9/4/14) was found dead at Holmbridge, W, Yorks on 1/1/16. Three other sightings all relate to the same brood which was ringed on 5/4/19. One was sighted on 18/12/19 at Duffield, one on 3/11/21 at Rotherham and the third on 5/5/21 at Bardney, Lincs. All were identified by their colour-rings being read in the field. The fourth chick ringed in this nest has, to date, not been re-sighted. 

The map shows the ringing site in Nottingham and the locations of the sightings and thanks to Jim for the photos.

Mick Pearson

2021 Report

 The 2021 SNRG report is now published and available. If you would like a copy, please email the address at the top of the 'Reports' page - see tab at the top.

 

Recent Recoveries

In many ways, it’s been a quiet winter ringing season, with small captures dominating most of the winter ringing sites and gardens. This could be down to a mix of factors, but certainly a poor breeding season for some species may have something to do with it, and the mild weather may well have reduced many birds dependence on artificial food supplies. The recoveries haven’t been particularly busy either, so perhaps this is down to similar reasons.

A Kestrel, ringed as a chick in Halloughton in July 2021, hit a window in Barrowden, Rutland in October the same year.

A Blue Tit, ringed in Thrussington, Leics in April 2021, was controlled in Toton in December, a fairly unusual movement for this rather sedentary species.

Redpoll recoveries continue to come in, with a bird ringed in the influx of 2020, in November at Bestwood controlled in Golspie in the Highlands in May 2021. Another Redpoll was ringed at Ramsdale in October 2021 and caught a month later in the Forest of Dean.

A Chiffchaff, caught at Ramsdale in September 2021, was caught a week later at Stanford Reservoir in Leics. Ringers at this site regularly control warblers that SNRG have caught at their summer sites at Holme Pierrepont and Ramsdale.

Also at Ramsdale, a Chiffchaff was caught in September 2021 which ad previously been ringed at Gibraltar Point on the Lincs coast in July the same year.

And finally, a Reed Warbler, caught at Holme Pierrepont in July 2020, was controlled in August the same year by ringers in Hainaut, Belgium.

Tom

Grey Herons & Cormorants at Attenborough NR, Friday 1 April

We visited the breeding colony on the reserve for a second time this year to ring and colour-ring chicks. We managed 10 Cormorant and 3 Heron chicks before the weather began to turn. The fortunes of the Herons didn't look too promising with some mortality noted and none of the chicks vomiting on us, suggesting they did not have full stomachs. Small chicks and eggs could be seen in a couple of inaccessible nests, but overall it looks as if it will be another poor year for Herons.

Mick P

Grey Heron (top two) and Cormorant (bottom two) chicks, Attenborough NR, 1 April 2022 (K. Hemsley)

Brackenhurst, Tuesday 29 March

Among the birds processed at the feeders was a retrap female Great Spotted Woodpecker. The Fringilla papillomavirus remains prevalent in the local Chaffinch population and we continue to release this species unringed. Occasionally it is noted in other species and about once a year we catch a Yellowhammer with symptoms. We can only hope that this does not become a more common sight. 

Jim

 

Photos by Victoria Shone

 

2022 - the first quarter in the south of our area

The year started with our efforts centred on the Sutton Bonington feeding site. There were no Covid ringing restrictions in place but an Avian Flu restriction zone came perilously close! Catching at the site was poor and we can’t work out why. Plenty of bait was being taken, including 150 fat balls but very few birds. Yes, there were pigeons and squirrels taking the seed but we had baffles on the seed hoppers to restrict the pigeons and still large quantities of seed were going without resulting in good passerine catches. This resulted in the decision to call an early finish to feeding there on 26 February. We made 5 visits in January and February, poor weather for a number of weeks prevented more visits being made. There were very few Blue and Great Tits at the site with just 6 individuals of each caught in January and February and none at all on the last visit. Another unusual event being not just zero Yellowhammers being caught, but zero sighted. Not sure what we do about a feeding site for next winter, new squirrel and pigeon proof feeders or a new site?

Left without a feeding site in March and with some potential new trainees to take taster sessions we made a couple of early visits to the Delta at Attenborough. These resulted in steady catches of the expected species but also a Mallard. The Mallard took off from a ditch near the nets as we approached and hit the next to top shelf of an 18m North Ronaldsay super-fine, amazingly it did not get out before I reached it.

Let's hope the next quarter of 2022 produces more birds.

Kev

 

Adult male Mallard, Attenborough NR, 27 March 2022 (K. Hemsley)

 

Heron sighting

A Grey Heron, ringed as a nestling at Attenborough Nature Reserve on 23 April 2015, was seen again by Samy Rendall on 7 March 2022. This individual has been seen on the reserve six times now, so is probably breeding itself on the reserve. Natal fidelity such as is this is fairly typical for this species. 

Grey Heron 'KL', Attenborough NR, 7 March 2022 (Samy Rendall)

Late season Barn Owl news

Lewis and I checked a few boxes towards the end of September for outcomes and possible second breeding attempts. In one Kirklington box we found a bird of the year (that probably fledged in July) seemingly paired up with a male. It had been ringed on Mansey Common in June 11 km away.  

On the same day we ringed 10 chicks from 3 late broods. One of these had a one-eyed female that had both eyes when ringed with her chicks less than a kilometre away in May. 

We also had a brood of 6 very small chicks at Barkestone-le-Vale that should fledge in November - weather allowing. On the downside, two clutches had been abandoned as is often the case with late barn Owl breeding.

Jim

 

Chicks of the one-eyed mother (Lewis Aaron)

 

 Releasing a male caught near Southwell. There are two boxes 75m apart here and we suspect he had fathered broods in both. (Lewis Aaron)