Tom, Gary and I made the second visit of the year to the Blott’s end of Holme Pierrepont. With a small team again we limited the number of nets that we put up. The conditions were a bit too bright with full sun from the start but no breeze. The catch was again relatively small as expected with the limited number of nets but started well, tailing off quickly as the sun got higher.
I had been asked a while ago by Lynda Milner, our local BTO rep if we could help with a request she'd had from Patricia Gammons in West Bridgford. The Father at her local Catholic Church was celebrating 40 years in the priesthood. He is quite a keen birder and she thought that, among other things and as a surprise and a present from his flock, he would really enjoy and be interested in watching a group of ringers at work. I was happy to oblige and we were joined for a while today by Father Michael. Fortunately we managed to catch a good range of birds whilst he was with us, he was very interested in what we did and had the opportunity to handle a few species of birds. It was nice to receive this email from him later:
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Kevin,
Thank you so much for allowing me to join you at the Bird Ringing this morning. I found it absolutely fascinating! I was so impressed by the knowledge and patience that you, Gary and Tom showed as well. It is a beautiful spot and I really could have spent hours there watching you work! Also to be able to handle the Woodpecker and the Goldfinch was quite amazing as well.
Thank you again, and carry on the good work!
With every kind wish,
Fr. Michael
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Thanks also to Patricia, who kindly made a donation to group funds for helping out.
We ended with a catch of 50 including 2 retraps, made up of (new/retrap): Great Spotted Woodpecker 1/0, Blackbird 2/0, Dunnock 3/0, Wren 5/0, Robin 3/0, Blackcap 7/0, Whitethroat 2/0, Garden Warbler 2/0, Chiffchaff 2/0, Willow Warbler 4/0, Reed Warbler 8/2, Cetti’s Warbler 1/0, Blue Tit 1/0, Goldfinch 2/0, Bullfinch 5/0. The retraps were both recently ringed Reed Warblers.
Kev
Tuesday, 26 July 2016
Attenborough breeding birds, Thursday 21 July
Phil, Pete S, Mick P and I had another session catching Sand Martins at the Attenborough colony today. We caught 19 Sand Martins, all but 1 were adults and 8 were recaptures – of these 8 there were:
At least 3 other Cormorant nests still had eggs that were being incubated.
Kev
- 1 of this year's pulli
- 2 of last year's pulli
- 2 adults ringed earlier this year
- 1 was a bird originally ringed at Newthorpe Sewage Farm by Mick in 2014 as a juvenile
- 1 British control.
- 1 French control.
- 2 Cormorant pulli,
- 1 Black-headed Gull pullus on Coneries Pond
- 19 Common Tern pulli on Main Pond
At least 3 other Cormorant nests still had eggs that were being incubated.
Kev
Monday, 18 July 2016
Holme Pierrepont, Sunday 17 July
Sue, Gary and I made the first visit of the year to the Blott’s end of Holme Pierrepont. With such a small team and all the rides to clear we put up just 6 nets but did clear the rides for all the other nets.
The conditions were a bit bright with the patchy cloud cover clearing to full sun and an increasing breeze. The catch was relatively small as expected with the limited number of nets. We ended with a catch of 36 including 1 retrap, made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 1/0, Dunnock 2/0, Wren 4/0, Robin 4/0, Blackcap 6/0, Whitethroat 1/0, Lesser Whitethroat 1/0, Chiffchaff 4/0, Willow Warbler 2/0, Reed Warbler 9/1, Blue Tit 1/0. The only retrap was a Reed Warbler from 2013.
Kev
The conditions were a bit bright with the patchy cloud cover clearing to full sun and an increasing breeze. The catch was relatively small as expected with the limited number of nets. We ended with a catch of 36 including 1 retrap, made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 1/0, Dunnock 2/0, Wren 4/0, Robin 4/0, Blackcap 6/0, Whitethroat 1/0, Lesser Whitethroat 1/0, Chiffchaff 4/0, Willow Warbler 2/0, Reed Warbler 9/1, Blue Tit 1/0. The only retrap was a Reed Warbler from 2013.
Kev
Photos by Sue Lakeman
Ramsdale Park Golf Club, Friday 15 July
Gary and I made the first summer visit to Ramsdale setting the usual line of 8x18m nets. Conditions were good with a light but increasing breeze and generally overcast skies, with a few minutes of drizzle at one point.
Catching was steady but the nets at the top of the slope caught more than those at the bottom, the opposite of what generally occurred last year. In total we ended with a catch of 45 including 5 retraps, made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 4/1, Dunnock 4/0, Wren 5/0, Robin 1/0, Blackcap 4/1, Garden Warbler 1/0, Chiffchaff 5/1, Willow Warbler 4/0, Whitethroat 1/0, Blue Tit 3/0, Great Tit 2/0, Coal Tit 3/0, Bullfinch 2/1, Greenfinch 1/0, Linnet 0/1. The oldest retraps, as you would expect from a site first operated a year ago, were last year's birds.
Kev
Catching was steady but the nets at the top of the slope caught more than those at the bottom, the opposite of what generally occurred last year. In total we ended with a catch of 45 including 5 retraps, made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 4/1, Dunnock 4/0, Wren 5/0, Robin 1/0, Blackcap 4/1, Garden Warbler 1/0, Chiffchaff 5/1, Willow Warbler 4/0, Whitethroat 1/0, Blue Tit 3/0, Great Tit 2/0, Coal Tit 3/0, Bullfinch 2/1, Greenfinch 1/0, Linnet 0/1. The oldest retraps, as you would expect from a site first operated a year ago, were last year's birds.
Kev
Tuesday, 12 July 2016
Holme Pierrepont, Sunday 10 July
We had another visit to the Grange end of Holme Pierrepont on Sunday. The forecast suggested it would be too windy but the morning started quite calm, the wind picking up later and forcing an early finish. The team consisted of Gary, Tom and myself, Duncan also joined us later on. The catch was small until we took down, when one net site produced a Long-tailed Tit flock along with a few other Tits and warblers adding 23 to the days catch.
In total we ended with a catch of 56 including 13 retraps, made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 0/2, Dunnock 1/1, Wren 3/0, Robin 1/2, Blackcap 8/0, Garden Warbler 1/0, Chiffchaff 2/0, Willow Warbler 3/1, Reed Warbler 6/2, Blue Tit 6/0, Great Tit 2/0, Long-tailed Tit 9/4, Treecreeper 1/0, Reed Bunting 0/1. The oldest retrap was a Blackbird from 2013.
Kev
In total we ended with a catch of 56 including 13 retraps, made up of (new/retrap): Blackbird 0/2, Dunnock 1/1, Wren 3/0, Robin 1/2, Blackcap 8/0, Garden Warbler 1/0, Chiffchaff 2/0, Willow Warbler 3/1, Reed Warbler 6/2, Blue Tit 6/0, Great Tit 2/0, Long-tailed Tit 9/4, Treecreeper 1/0, Reed Bunting 0/1. The oldest retrap was a Blackbird from 2013.
Kev
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Holme Pierrepont, Sunday 3 July
We were back at the Grange end of Holme Pierrepont on Sunday after finishing at Attenborough last week. Thankfully there had been little disturbance at the site. The weather was quite calm and mostly sunny but the breeze did pick up slightly later. The team consisted of Gary, Alex, Sue, Dave, Nabegh (on a passing visit) and myself.
The catch was fairly steady but it did take quite a bit of ride clearance to get the nets up first thing. We ended with a catch of 65 including 12 retraps, made up of (new/retrap): Green Woodpecker 0/1, Blackbird 1/0, Dunnock 2/2, Wren 1/0, Robin 7/0, Blackcap 6/1, Garden Warbler 4/0, Chiffchaff 1/0, Reed Warbler 13/6, Sedge Warbler 1/0, Whitethroat 1/0, Cetti’s Warbler 1/0, Blue Tit 3/0, Great Tit 1/0, Long-tailed Tit 10/0, Bullfinch 0/1, Reed Bunting 1/0.
The oldest retrap was a Dunnock from 2011. The Green Woodpecker was ringed as a juvenile last year. There were very few Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers around but Reed Warblers seem to be in better numbers than last year. A Hobby passed by early on and Buzzards were around all morning.
Kev
The catch was fairly steady but it did take quite a bit of ride clearance to get the nets up first thing. We ended with a catch of 65 including 12 retraps, made up of (new/retrap): Green Woodpecker 0/1, Blackbird 1/0, Dunnock 2/2, Wren 1/0, Robin 7/0, Blackcap 6/1, Garden Warbler 4/0, Chiffchaff 1/0, Reed Warbler 13/6, Sedge Warbler 1/0, Whitethroat 1/0, Cetti’s Warbler 1/0, Blue Tit 3/0, Great Tit 1/0, Long-tailed Tit 10/0, Bullfinch 0/1, Reed Bunting 1/0.
The oldest retrap was a Dunnock from 2011. The Green Woodpecker was ringed as a juvenile last year. There were very few Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers around but Reed Warblers seem to be in better numbers than last year. A Hobby passed by early on and Buzzards were around all morning.
Kev
Photos by Dave Walker
Monday, 4 July 2016
Recent Recoveries
Just two Barn Owl recoveries this time round,
with a bird ringed at the nest in Gotham in June 2014 being found up
near Doncaster in February this
year as a road casualty on the M1. Another bird killed on the roads was found in Norwell at
the end of June. This bird had originally been ringed as a juvenile, in
nearby Caunton, in October 2008.
A good scattering of passerine recoveries have come through:
A Robin, ringed during the CES at Attenborough in 2015, was taken by a cat in Beeston in May. A Chaffinch met the same fate in Lowdham at the end of June, having originally been ringed in January 2015 at Brackenhurst.
Another CES bird, a Bullfinch, ringed in June 2015, also met its end in Beeston, flying into a window in June this year.
In more positive news, a Great tit, ringed in Jim's garden in Sibthorpe on New Year's day, has been seen attending a nest of 7 young in the village, on a nest-cam.
A Chiffchaff, ringed at Holme Pierrepont in August 2015, was controlled by ringers at Spurn in April this year.
A Reed Warbler from Holme Pierrepont, ringed in July 2014, has also been controlled recently, being trapped at Marsh Lane NR in the West Midlands at the end of May.
A Goldfinch, originally ringed in October 2015, in Menston, W Yorks, was controlled by the group at Shelton in January.
A Mute Swan had its colour rings read at Attenborough at the end of April, and had originally been ringed in 2010 by Sorby Breck ringers in Markeaton, Derbys.
Finally a couple of old records...
An Oystercatcher, ringed by the group on a trip to the Loch of Mey in 1988, has been resighted in Norway, 28 years later, a decent recovery, but still 12 years off the longevity record!
A Grey Heron, ringed in 1992 as a chick in the now-defunct Heronry at Branshill Wood over the river from Attenborough, has been found dead in floodwater on the River Soar in Leicestershire this May. This does break the longevity record at a little over 24 years.
Tom
A good scattering of passerine recoveries have come through:
A Robin, ringed during the CES at Attenborough in 2015, was taken by a cat in Beeston in May. A Chaffinch met the same fate in Lowdham at the end of June, having originally been ringed in January 2015 at Brackenhurst.
Another CES bird, a Bullfinch, ringed in June 2015, also met its end in Beeston, flying into a window in June this year.
In more positive news, a Great tit, ringed in Jim's garden in Sibthorpe on New Year's day, has been seen attending a nest of 7 young in the village, on a nest-cam.
A Chiffchaff, ringed at Holme Pierrepont in August 2015, was controlled by ringers at Spurn in April this year.
A Reed Warbler from Holme Pierrepont, ringed in July 2014, has also been controlled recently, being trapped at Marsh Lane NR in the West Midlands at the end of May.
A Goldfinch, originally ringed in October 2015, in Menston, W Yorks, was controlled by the group at Shelton in January.
A Mute Swan had its colour rings read at Attenborough at the end of April, and had originally been ringed in 2010 by Sorby Breck ringers in Markeaton, Derbys.
Finally a couple of old records...
An Oystercatcher, ringed by the group on a trip to the Loch of Mey in 1988, has been resighted in Norway, 28 years later, a decent recovery, but still 12 years off the longevity record!
A Grey Heron, ringed in 1992 as a chick in the now-defunct Heronry at Branshill Wood over the river from Attenborough, has been found dead in floodwater on the River Soar in Leicestershire this May. This does break the longevity record at a little over 24 years.
Tom
Monday, 27 June 2016
Attenborough CES Visit 6, Sunday 26 June
We carried out the last CES visit of the season on Sunday. The weather forecast was totally wrong: having said it would be dry all morning, rain started before we had got the last of the nets up and showers continued until mid-morning. There was a light wind first thing and it did pick up slightly later. The team consisted of Gary, Pete, Alex, Tom, Sue and myself.
The catch was slow to start, no doubt because of the wet conditions, but things picked up as the morning progressed. We ended with a catch of 32 made up of: Blackbird 1/0, Dunnock 1/2, Wren 2/1, Robin 1/0, Blackcap 6/0, Chiffchaff 2/1, Reed Warbler 2/2, Blue Tit 4/0, Great Tit 1/2, Treecreeper 0/1, Bullfinch 2/0.
The oldest retraps were a Reed Warbler and Great Tit from 2012. This year gave us our best ever totals in the current CES nets but despite this, we did not catch any Garden Warblers. We started to ring on the Delta in Attenborough in 1994 and this is the only year since we started that Garden Warblers have been absent from our catch.
Kev
The catch was slow to start, no doubt because of the wet conditions, but things picked up as the morning progressed. We ended with a catch of 32 made up of: Blackbird 1/0, Dunnock 1/2, Wren 2/1, Robin 1/0, Blackcap 6/0, Chiffchaff 2/1, Reed Warbler 2/2, Blue Tit 4/0, Great Tit 1/2, Treecreeper 0/1, Bullfinch 2/0.
The oldest retraps were a Reed Warbler and Great Tit from 2012. This year gave us our best ever totals in the current CES nets but despite this, we did not catch any Garden Warblers. We started to ring on the Delta in Attenborough in 1994 and this is the only year since we started that Garden Warblers have been absent from our catch.
Kev
Treecreeper (Tom Shields)
Stanford Buzzards, 21 June
Today, I joined Kev to ring some Buzzard chicks at a traditional nest site near Stanford. David Stock, who used to work at Stanford Hall, has been finding nests and arranging for us to ring the chicks at the site for 10 years, with Buzzards being ringed there every year since 2008 (except for 2011).
Having climbed to the nest, I looked in to see two healthy chicks and a toad. The toad was alive and apparently uninjured, though it was very cold to the touch and not very active. This made me wonder if an adult had delivered it alive in order for the chicks to practice their predatory skills. I did have a conflict of conscience over whether to leave the toad to its fate or to return it to ground level. In the end I decided not to interfere with nature and leave the buzzards their meal.
Mick P
Having climbed to the nest, I looked in to see two healthy chicks and a toad. The toad was alive and apparently uninjured, though it was very cold to the touch and not very active. This made me wonder if an adult had delivered it alive in order for the chicks to practice their predatory skills. I did have a conflict of conscience over whether to leave the toad to its fate or to return it to ground level. In the end I decided not to interfere with nature and leave the buzzards their meal.
Mick P
Monday, 20 June 2016
Attenborough CES Visit 5, Sunday 19 June
We carried out the fifth CES visit of the season on Sunday. The weather was sunny to start, with occasional light clouds but it gradually clouded up as the morning progressed. There was virtually no wind first thing but it did pick up slightly later. The team consisted of Gary, Pete, Amelia, Dave and myself.
The catch was steady throughout and a Kingfisher and the first Nuthatch for the site added interest. We ended with a catch of 50 made up of: Kingfisher 1/0, Song Thrush 2/0, Dunnock 1/1, Wren 4/0, Robin 7/1, Blackcap 3/2, Chiffchaff 1/0, Reed Warbler 5/5, Long-tailed Tit 0/1, Blue Tit 2/0, Great Tit 10/0, Treecreeper 1/0, Nuthatch 1/0, Bullfinch 2/0. The oldest retrap was a Reed Warbler from 2012 that was originally ringed at Holme Pierrepont.
Kev
The catch was steady throughout and a Kingfisher and the first Nuthatch for the site added interest. We ended with a catch of 50 made up of: Kingfisher 1/0, Song Thrush 2/0, Dunnock 1/1, Wren 4/0, Robin 7/1, Blackcap 3/2, Chiffchaff 1/0, Reed Warbler 5/5, Long-tailed Tit 0/1, Blue Tit 2/0, Great Tit 10/0, Treecreeper 1/0, Nuthatch 1/0, Bullfinch 2/0. The oldest retrap was a Reed Warbler from 2012 that was originally ringed at Holme Pierrepont.
Kev
Photos by Dave Walker
Saturday, 18 June 2016
Wales, 11 June 2016
Group members escape the East Midlands a couple of times a year to help monitor nestboxes in Wales. Having entered all the data from this year, the total number of birds ringed were as follows:
Pied Flycatcher: 164 pulli, 3 new adults and 2 retraps from 2013 and 2015
Redstart: 21 pulli and 1 new adult
So despite the soaking we all had we had the best totals of Pied Flycatcher since 2010 and the best Redstart totals since 2012.
Kev
Pied Flycatcher: 164 pulli, 3 new adults and 2 retraps from 2013 and 2015
Redstart: 21 pulli and 1 new adult
So despite the soaking we all had we had the best totals of Pied Flycatcher since 2010 and the best Redstart totals since 2012.
Kev
(all photos taken by T. Shields)
Nestboxes
Good to ring my first Barn and Little Owl chicks of the year today - and it looks like there will be a few more of each, making a nice change from last year when I ringed none!
Pete
Pete
Thursday, 9 June 2016
Attenborough CES Visit 4, Tuesday 7 June
We carried out the fourth CES visit of the season on Tuesday. The weather was sunny with occasional light clouds passing and virtually no wind. The team consisted of Gary, Duncan and myself. We had a better catch than we did on Visit 3, the total being 28/15 (new/retrap) made up of: Blackbird 3/1, Dunnock 3/2, Wren 0/2, Robin 4/0, Blackcap 2/1, Chiffchaff 2/1, Reed Warbler 2/4, Cetti’s Warbler 0/1, Long-tailed Tit 7/2, Blue Tit 2/0, Great Tit 1/0, Tree Creeper 2/1. The oldest retrap was a Blackbird from 2012. The drop in Garden Warblers at the site seems to continue, with only two visits left this year we have yet to catch one!
Kev
Kev
Monday, 30 May 2016
Attenborough CES Visit 3, Sunday 29 May
The third CES visit of the season was carried out on Sunday. The weather overcast with a light wind. The team consisted of Gary, Pete S and myself. We were also joined for part of the session by Amelia, a potential new recruit. Tim Sexton also dropped in with his son Jake.
Unfortunately the catch was small for no obvious reason, the total catch was (new/retrap) 22/7 made up of: Blackbird 2/1, Dunnock 1/1, Wren 2/3, Robin 3/0, Blackcap 2/0, Chiffchaff 6/0, Reed Warbler 4/1, Long-tailed Tit 1/0, Bullfinch 1/1. The oldest retrap was a Reed Warbler from 2013.
Kev
Unfortunately the catch was small for no obvious reason, the total catch was (new/retrap) 22/7 made up of: Blackbird 2/1, Dunnock 1/1, Wren 2/3, Robin 3/0, Blackcap 2/0, Chiffchaff 6/0, Reed Warbler 4/1, Long-tailed Tit 1/0, Bullfinch 1/1. The oldest retrap was a Reed Warbler from 2013.
Kev
Sunday, 29 May 2016
Ramsdale Park Golf Club, Friday 27 May
We held the first ringing session of the year at Ramsdale this morning. The weather was good with little wind and clear skies. The team consisted of Gary, Duncan and myself. The catch was quite slow throughout the morning and the number of warblers caught and heard singing was disappointing considering the numbers caught there last year. However, last year's visits did not start until after the first juvenile warblers were on the wing.
Total catch was (new/retrap) 29/6 made up of: Blackbird 4/0, Song Thrush 1/0, Dunnock 3/1, Wren 2/0, Robin 4/1, Blackcap 2/0, Garden Warbler 3/1, Whitethroat 3/0, Lesser Whitethroat 1/0, Chiffchaff 2/0, Willow Warbler 1/1, Bullfinch 2/2, Linnet 1/0. As would be expected the retraps were all from last year. A Tawny Owl was heard calling during the morning over towards the site of the Barn Owl box!
Kev
Total catch was (new/retrap) 29/6 made up of: Blackbird 4/0, Song Thrush 1/0, Dunnock 3/1, Wren 2/0, Robin 4/1, Blackcap 2/0, Garden Warbler 3/1, Whitethroat 3/0, Lesser Whitethroat 1/0, Chiffchaff 2/0, Willow Warbler 1/1, Bullfinch 2/2, Linnet 1/0. As would be expected the retraps were all from last year. A Tawny Owl was heard calling during the morning over towards the site of the Barn Owl box!
Kev
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