Juvs and returning Reed Warblers for CES 3

Bank holiday Monday saw the group at work on the Teifi Marsh for CES 3. Last year we only caught 25 birds for the equivalent session so we were pleased with 64 birds but some species are still well down including Long-tailed Tits and Wrens.
Not having heard a Lesser Whitethroat singing on the reserve yet this year it was a surprise to catch two females with brood patches. Other species ringed included  14 juveniles of 5 species - Treecreeper, Robins, Chiffchaff, Blackbird and Great Tits. Of the adults ringed we were pleased to add another Reed Bunting to our colour ringing project.

As well as the Reed Bunting you can see the habitat of part of our CES site - regenerating scrub on old slate quarrying waste. Also home to Adders, Slow Worms and numerous species of insects. Lots of Speckled Yellow moths were flying around this week.

The 23 retrapped birds included 7 Reed Warblers returning to the reedbed to breed. On the reserve as a whole, out of 38 Reed Warblers caught this spring, 26 are site faithful birds ringed in previous years.

As well as CES we are busy with other ringing. Two of us joined Tony Cross to ring some Choughs along the Ceredigion coast.

This is one of three young Chough from one nest. The color rings enable it to be identified without recapture.
Nest boxes are being checked regularly and some Great Tits have been ringed and 2 nests of Pied Flycatchers will soon be big enough to ring.
In the garden, juveniles of several different species are appearing on the feeders including Dunnocks, Chaffinches and Great Tits. This juvenile Siskin was the first to be ringed in my Llechryd garden so good news that they are breeding locally.

Meanwhile Richard has finished his 6 weeks ringing at Long Point Bird Observatory. I'm sure the highlight of his trip will be the ringing of Long Points first Eurasian Tree Sparrow, the 397th species for them.

More Canada news when he returns.