A summary of the last three months - Summer 2019 !
One of nine Kingfishers ringed this summer... an average summer for the species.
Here are the ringing totals for the Group, covering all sites from the Teifi Marsh sites to a variety of new sites developed by Andy and Arfon. A few new high totals for the Group and attractive species we rarely catch and recent recoveries not yet discussed.
This
Pied Flycatcher was a nice start for Arfon and Naomi at the new site in Cross Inn forest. We ring far more pulli in the nest than fledged birds or adult Pied Flycatchers.
New birds ringed......
The period covered June - August inclusive.
This isn't a comparative exercise due to the changes with the loss of Charlie's sites and the gains due to new sites set up and run by Andy and Arfon with help from Group members.
I am sure the ringers who "own" sites will produce their own posts later in the year with their results and findings of interest.
A few highlights that stand out to me are....
- - The impressive post breeding results from Blaenduad, Andy's plantation site.
Good variety, great phyllosc numbers especially the 298
Willow Warblers and the three
Lesser Redpoll controls in nearly as many days.
- - Arfon has managed to access a couple of river nesting
Sand Martin colonies and has ringed c100 this summer and caught a French control. He is also developing a plantation site similar to Andy's, this one at Cross Inn forest.
The other totals are mainly from CES and the other Teifi marsh sites and gardens. Group ringers properties are valuable sites for training activities and for some species eg House Sparrows and Siskins. Other specific trapping activities eg Storm Petrels and waders add interest to the variety of species and catching techniques we use.
Recent news of movements of some of our birds.....
Reed Warbler S914114
Ringing date: 15-AUG-2018 Squire's Down, Dorset
Finding date: 23-JUL-2019 Teifi Marshes, Ceredigion
Duration: 342 days Distance: 200 km Direction: 308deg (NW)
Sedge Warbler S508957
Ringing date: 04-MAY Teifi Marshes, Ceredigion
Finding date: 08-AUG-2019 Squire's Down, Dorset
Duration: 461 days Distance: 200 km Direction: 128deg (SE)
These movement to and from
Squires Down near Gillingham in Dorset are not the first for the group. This interesting site seems to be on a route for some of our migrant warblers. It was originally just a stubble field but since 2007 it has been managed to encourage wildlife and the increase in species and use as a stopover migrants shows what can be done.
Reed Warbler ABB8775
Ringing date: 05-MAY Teifi
Marshes, Ceredigion
Finding date: 19-JUN-2019 Llyn Ystumllyn, Gwynedd (as well as 25-MAY-2019)
Duration: 410 days Distance: 100 km Direction: 18deg (NNE)
Sand Martin S574823
Ringing date: 22-JUL-2017 06:00:00 Teifi Marshes, Ceredigion
Finding date: 29-JUL-2019 Pollardstown Fen, Kildare
Duration: 737 days Distance: 194 km Direction: 310deg (NW)
Lesser Redpoll AVC3915
Ringing date: 22-OCT-2018
Hazeley Heath, Hampshire
Finding date: 15-JUL-2019 Blaenduad, Carmarthenshire
Duration: 266 days Distance: 247 km Direction: 288deg (WNW)
Lesser Redpoll S872297
Ringing date: 23-JAN-2019 Brandon, Norfolk
Finding date: 09-JUL-2019 Blaenduad Carmarthenshire
Duration: 167 days Distance: 342 km Direction: 261deg (W)
Lesser Redpoll ANF8601
Ringing date: 22-MAR-2019 Chilworth, Surrey
Finding date: 07-JUL-2019 Blaenduad, Carmarthenshire
Duration: 107 days Distance: 276 km Direction: 288deg (WNW)
A male Blackcap, a species we are encountering in good numbers as we enter autumn, particularly at TeifiP - (the administrative name for the CES site on the Teifi Marshes reserve when not CES)
Tristian posted previously a great summary of the first Group visit to Skokholm Bird Obs in June.
Later this month six of the Group will be making another visit to Skokholm, Manx Shearwaters and autumn passage the theme....
The first week of September is now over and passage ringing is well underway.
What will the autumn bring....?
An early surprise.... a
Leach's Petrel
Read about this impromptu ringing demonstration at he Ocean Lab in Goodwick
"A Bird in the Hand" by Cliff Benson