Training

I joined the Teifi Ringing Group on 1st September this year. Whilst Richard and Wendy are away in Costa Rica I was asked if I could work with Chris to do some training with the Groups trainees either at my sites or those of the TRG. C permit holders can get out and do their own thing within the endorsements they have on their license but trainees are unable to ring unless someone goes with them. With two of the groups senior members ringing abroad it means trainees could be restricted. I invited all the Groups trainees to come to my site at Fygyn Common which is in Carmarthenshire. For some this is a shorter distance to travel than to the Teifi Marshes and it makes sense for trainees to spread their wings a little and get to different sites with different people gaining different experiences along the way. I had two sessions, Dai Stacey came to the first and Andrew Hughes came to the second. I will add I have met both Dai and Andrew before on a couple of occasions but since the time they have spent with me I know them much better.

Results for Dai

Dai Stacy	Full Grown	Pulli	Retraps	TOTAL
Wren	4	0		4
Dunnock		0	1	1
Robin	4	0		4
Redstart	1	0		1
Chiffchaff	2	0		2
Goldcrest	1	0		1
Coal Tit	1	0		1
Chaffinch	3	0		3
Goldfinch	5	0		5
Reed Bunting	2	0		2
Grand Total:	23	0	1	24
Total Species:	9	0	1	10

Bird of the day for Dai was this Juvenile Redstart which he aged and sexed confidently. The 10 species gave him the opportunity to handle and process the different birds and in particular 3 species he had done before but not in any great numbers namely Goldcrest, Reed Bunting and Coal Tit.

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Results for Andrew

Andrew Hughes	Full Grown	Pulli	Retraps	TOTAL
Meadow Pipit	11	0		11
Dunnock		0	1	1
Robin	1	0		1
Chiffchaff	5	0		5
Coal Tit		0	2	2
Blue Tit	4	0	2	6
Chaffinch	4	0		4
Goldfinch	8	0		8
Reed Bunting	2	0		2
Grand Total:	35	0	5	40
Total Species:	7	0	3	9

Andrew wanted Meadow Pipit having not ringed one before so I thought I would set the scene to catch a few. The day before he came he caught 2 birds with Chris and me at Mwnt. At Fygyn Common we caught another 11 which was good for him and helped to consolidate his ageing of this lovely bird which notoriously can be difficult at times.

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Two days in the Caribbean

Here we go with the last 48 hours of our banding in the Caribbean .......starting with yesterday at our Tortuga Lodge site.

This tiny Brown-capped Tyrannulet was the surprise of the trip. A species of the canopy, very closely related to the Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet which is not known in our area. 6.9g of Flycatcher and when Sutch was written, the nest of the species had never been found in Costa Rica.....What a bird..

This adult male Chestnut-backed Antbird was a surprise too...

We haven't recorded the species at this site for three years. We were amazed that the bird was also a recapture, a bird we ringed four years ago..!

This is an American Pygmy Kingfisher, a species we can catch at all of our five Tortuguero standard banding sites.

Other wildlife adds to our enjoyment at Tortuga Lodge. Our best site for poisonous  Strawberry Dart Frogs.

This Three-toed Sloth was a treat too....

Disturbed from the ground where the Sloth was relieving himself - as they do. He rapidly climbed up the tree next to our mist net pole.

Very little is passing at sea - a sea with a large swell for this coast as Hurricane Michael is starting have an impact on our weather.

Sanderling are the shorebird of the moment. These were feeding in the crater left by the emergence of Green Turtle hatchlings. Insects everywhere in the newly abandoned nest.

Now for today at our Sea Turtle Conservancy site. An early start for Thrushes produced this likely important recovery of a juvenile Veery with an American ring, 2581 67323

We are hoping  for an update on the original ringing during this week. Our first Gray-cheeked Thrush appeared today too.

This is a good looking male Prothonatory Warbler. One of two recaptures of this species ringed last year or in previous years. Three new Prothons' caught today too.

This Great Crested Flycatcher made an appearance today, as did the first Alder Flycatcher of the Fall. We visit our Cano Palma standard banding site in the morning, hoping for Short-tailed Nighthawks from the boat as we travel through the Cano canal at dawn.....

All photos by Wendy

Highland highlights before the Caribbean

Back in San Jose on our way to the Caribbean coast and time for a look back at the last few days of ringing and birding at Madre Selva in the Highlands of Costa Rica.
Birds have been coming to our garden feeder. Flame-coloured Tanagers are the most common.

Tropical Kingbird the most unusual and never seen in the garden before in 5 years.

Clearly the best garden bird was this adult male Slaty Flowerpiercer, a retrap originally ringed by Richard a couple of years ago. See this blog from 2014 showing the same leucistic feathering

Equally sought after for its unusual bill structure was this Peg-billed Finch, not caught in the garden but in one of our standard nets adjacent to Highland dairy pasture.

This pasture edge scrub is also home to Flame-throated Warblers, one of our less common Highland Warblers.

The migrant Thrushes haven't started returning yet but the first returning Warblers have been caught in small numbers.
Black and White Warbler

and Wilson's Warblers

 We are just seeing our first young resident Catharus Thrushes, both Black-billed Nightingale-Thrushes

and Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrushes. The pattern of the growth bar in the tail supporting the ageing of this juvenile

We expect to catch our first migrating Thrushes within hours of arriving in Tortuguero on Tuesday.

Back in Costa Rica...CES style

Wendy and I are back here in Costa Rica - standard banding with CRBO -  Costa Rica Bird Observatories. A couple of days in the Highlands, and some birds to show for our efforts...

 Collared Redstarts  are as common here as Chiffchaffs are in the UK at the moment.

We have spent time with some members of the Scientific and General Boards of  CRBO who were staying here with us in Madre Selva.

Saying goodbye this morning to Greg Butcher, C.John Ralph US Forest Service and CJ's wife Carol. It was a real pleasure to spend time with CJ again, having first met him at Long Point Bird Observatory and hear of the early days of setting up the current CRBO sites.

....deep in conversation with Greg too

The first migrants are with us, Louisiana Waterthrushes and Wilson's Warblers caught,  Black and White warblers seen.

Today has been great for endemics (to Highland Costa Rica and Panama) including this Large-footed Finch.

Not an endemic but ..a great name....Streak-breasted Treehunter.....

Bird of the Day....Barred Becard. ..!!

This an adult female caught during standard banding at our Home site this morning. The first that I have caught in 5 years.
Recaptures today included 2 Ruddy-capped Nightingale Thrushes, a Black-cheeked Warbler and a Yellow-thighed Finch - all were juveniles when we ringed them last Sept /Oct.

Back in Wales, some of the group are now visiting Mwnt, Linnets, Meadow Pipits, and general migrant birds the targets. Some numbers soon.

(photos by Wendy )