April begins with a Brambling and a Goldie

Last night on Y Frenni it was a sub-zero start to the month. We caught our first ever April Golden Plover.

A couple of hundred Goldies were on the top but only one Woodcock was seen last night.
We also ringed a Skylark - another first for April.

The day had started with some garden ringing and a male Brambling was the first bird in the net. A third April first! Two more unringed Brambling were seen in the garden later so they haven't moved on yet.

(Nearly) April gold.........

A couple of nice Goldies caught last night on Y Frenni, c50 seen and 3 Woodcock still here too.

We will have another look tonight-Monday.

First Wheatears, and the final Redwing ....?

Yesterday our first venture of the season to Mwnt with spring traps for chats and pipits. We were well rewarded with our first Wheatears to be ringed in March.

This the first, a not very bright 2nd calendar year male, with very few adult pre-breeding feathers, just a few in the median coverts, some of these other median coverts are post juvenile too

The later two birds were brighter adult males, having undergone moults producing all black adult feathers.

A few meadow Pipits were trapped too, making a good start to the bright but cold day.

This morning looked promising for a few Chiffchaff.
Last night CJ and I put some nets up on the marsh ready to furl overnight. One retrap Chiffchaff, this one of last year's juveniles from the reserve. Also our first March Redwing, a great end to the day !

But will it be our last wintering thrush..... ?
We are out on the Frenni tonight, probably our last Woodcock survey of the winter ! !

TRG on TV - Natur: Y Gwanwyn

For those who missed Kelvin Jones from BTO Cymru ringing in the garden with Bethan, one of our trainees, on Iolo's Natur:Y Gwanwyn here is the link.
Episode 5 (available for 34 days)

It starts at 17.19  minutes and you can click on the S for English subtitles.
It was a subzero start to the day with frost, a bit of a breeze and bright sun so catching conditions weren't ideal. Typically as soon as the TV crew had gone a nice variety of birds turned up - we do catch more interesting species than the Blue Tit shown in the programme!

Stormie goes to Scotland

In the latest batch of recoveries from the BTO we had news of a Storm Petrel

 ringed in July 2011 at Strumble head

that was retrapped on Sanda Island, Kintyre, Argyll and Bute in August 2012 by Clyde Ringing Group. 370 days later and 361km away.

Also a young Blackbird ringed on the Teifi Marshes nature reserve last October, survived the winter only to be killed by a cat 18km away in Carmarthenshire 2 weeks ago.
Our Sedge Warblers are often caught on their migration route through Western France and we had a recovery from a new location, Le Tertre Rouge in Loire -Atlantique of a bird we ringed in May 2011 which was caught in August 2012.

Potter trap mechanisation, wandering birds and S4C

With the present windy weather preventing the use of mist nets, inventions are the order of the day. The Potter traps triggered by the bird were failing to catch so now the door is closed by a latch drawn back from the warmth of the kitchen via fishing line - it works!

 

 

 Further improvements are currently underway to enable closing the door by remote control!

 The proof of movement between mine and Richards garden 4 miles away is being reinforced with another 5 of his Siskins caught in mine and one of my Goldfinches caught in his. The good Brambling year continues - having never seen one in the garden before, we have now ringed 9 with just a 3 metre net.

This Pied Wagtail with a ring was down on the beach at Ceibwr yesterday. The end numbers could be made out so by entering **6717 in IPMR a Pied Wagtail was listed as ringed on the Teifi Marsh on 20th October last year. Although we can't be sure without seeing the whole sequence it seems a high probability.

 

The end numbers could be made out so by entering **6717 in IPMR a Pied Wagtail was listed as ringed on the Teifi Marsh on 20th October last year. Although we can't be sure without seeing the whole sequence it seems a high probability.  

 

 Also yesterday, Tommy saw this Chiff on the reserve. With an EAH ring it is highly likely to be one of our own Chiffs returning back. 

We have ringed 274 Chiffchaffs with EAH  rings since 6th August 2011 with 119 of those during peak Autumn passage last September.

Finally don't forget to watch the new S4C series Natur:Y Gwanwyn  starting tonight at 20.25. Cameras were in the garden filming last week with Kelvin Jones from BTO Cymru and Bethan, our latest trainee.

 

Cetti's Warbler yesterday, Brambling today.........

Yesterday our first visit this year to our main Teifi marsh site, rides to check, poles and guys to place. Five nets were opened and nice to report birds as expected, c20 birds in a couple of hours, 50% retraps including this Cettis which was a juvenile ringed  in July 2011.

Today an early open of a 20' garden net and on the first round (if you call one net a round) this female Brambling with a Chaffinch and Goldfinch the result. Then off to Mwnt our premier coastal migration site !

We parked the car and straight away a lovely male Wheatear, closely followed by views of Meadow Pipits feeding along the top ridge. A walk up past the old chapel and around the head produced more pipits and 3 Stonechats, maybe migrants or residents? On our return to the chapel and the bird of the morning ! A Black Redstart on the headstones.

This headland site is where we find our spring traps are the best method for catching Wheatears, Stonechats, Pipits etc...This year's wave of Greenland Wheatears must only be a few weeks away. We have caught several in previous spring migrations.