CES 2015 ends with variety..

August has been a difficult month for ringing with windy, showery weather but today we managed our last CES for the year.
A total of 66 new and 23 retraps but it was notable for the variety of birds. A new species for the group, a juvenile Spotted Flycatcher although we have ringed 2 broods of pulli in the past.

A Wood Pigeon was a surprise too, only the 4th ringed on the reserve. The largest species so far for our newest trainee, Dai, to ring

and learn about moult. Here the difference between old and new primaries is shown.

4 Cetti's Warblers in one day is unusual. This one a moulting juvenile..

A very young Lesser Redpoll and a Lesser Whitethroat were the other uncommon species with Blackcaps and Chiffs making up the bulk of the rest of the new birds.

We are still catching Sedge and Reed Warblers on the other side of the reserve in short morning and evening sessions. The most notable bird this week has been a Sedge Warbler which gained weight from 10.8g to 17.5g (fat 6) in 9 days!

A lot of the Reed Warblers are showing marked growth bars indicating sporadically insufficient food supplies during feather growth.

We are currently looking at our data for summer acro ringing and are seeing a trend noted in other ringing groups of a higher than expected percentage of adult Sedge Warblers. A summary of that to follow.

Aside from birds, some of the group like a bargain and/or the latest gadget which might be handy for ringing. Here Arfon is showing his usual bemusement at our latest purchase - magnifying reading glasses with LED lights (Aldi £2.99)!!

Two of the group have been ringing on Skokholm Island for the last week so hopefully a blog from them soon.