April news, Sedge Warbler...from Lough Neagh

Lough Neagh to the Teifi - finally

The Sedge Warbler migration season on the Teifi Marshes has started with the retrap of a bird ringed in Northern Ireland.

ACE5804  ringed as an adult Lough Neagh, Tyrone Northern Ireland 27/07/2019

                 Subsequent encounter    Teifi Marshes, Ceredigion 20/04/2021

         633 days 305 km SSE

This bird would would have covered a lot more distance than 305km having been to Africa at least three times.

Looking at the excellent blog of Causeway Coast Ringing Group, 

this Sedge Warbler was one of 167 ringed on 27th July 2019. It is always interesting to read about the sites and activities of other groups whose birds we encounter and particularly nice when the ringing session at which the shared bird was ringed is written about.

Return to Lough Neagh 2019

The first Sedge Warbler on the Teifi Marshes caught this spring was a returning bird ringed in 2017.

Early Reed Warbler singing for 3 days from the 1st but one not heard again or caught until the 22nd. A nice start to Reed Warbler RAS, this was a bird originally ringed in July 2018. In most years the first Reed Warblers we catch are returning site faithful adults. 

Once again this spring the Teifi Marshes are an important roost site for migrating White Wagtails. Up to 60 on some nights have been over the reed bed at dusk.

 

As of today we have ringed 46 White Wagtails this April. Often in the evenings on the Marsh we have large numbers of Hirundines feeding, eg on the 20th c500 Sand Martins. These adult birds - unlike birds in the late summer rarely get caught in the nets. In fact wthis year none ...so far.

Following the wipe out of the Marshes Cetti's Warblers in 2019 due to the Beast from the East, and apparently  no on site breeding since, great to have caught 4 new Cetti's this spring and to hear them day and night. Where are the six presumed passage Cetti's we ringed last autumn...?

Reed Bunting RAS.  The colour ringing is proving a great success, even the ad hoc feeding station in the car-park has already helped us to 24 sightings in April. 

Reed Bunting by Tommy Evans

The colour ringing of these birds is an on-going annual ringing and re sighting project now in the 7th year.

The above is a short summary of activities on the Teifi Marshes.

A post to follow with updates from other projects from other sites we study.

(Wendy J and Rich D)