Windy weather has hampered much ringing but various other trapping methods as described in the last blog have been used successfully. The most interesting species was the capture of 3 Yellowhammers in a field adjacent to my garden near Llechryd.
In recent years they have been seen very occasionally a few miles away but with no arable farms anywhere near they were a real surprise. They came to a seeded area for catching with a whoosh net.
The land is probably too wet for a planted cover crop to work well but something to think about.
Chris has been visiting Mwnt regularly over the winter but until recently the usual wintering Linnet flock had been missing. A successful first catch of the year last week with a flock of about 50 seen and 42 new and 2 retraps from last year.
Charlie and Andy have managed some good training sessions. We now have 6 enthusiastic trainees. Many Siskins are visiting Charlie's garden at the moment. 123 caught on the 5th Feb kept Sion and Alison busy. The adult males are looking very smart now.
Reed Bunting ringing has been a success this winter with 78 new birds colour ringed. The part of the Teifi Marshes where we catch the Reed Buntings is also where we concentrate our efforts for migration monitoring. A commercial cut by a Thatcher in this area make it ideal for passage White Wagtails in April, Snipe and Jack Snipe are still around to be caught and Water Pipits occasionally venture into the new wet stubble too.
This year's cut is in progress this week.
Recent news from the BTO of a few recoveries and controls of various species
Dunlin ringed on Poppit Sands on 23-SEP-2016
Subsequently captured by Scan Ringing Group on 19-Jan 19 nr Beaumaris, Anglesey
848 days 136 km (NNE)
Storm petrel ringed at Mwnt on 17-JUL-2017
Subsequently captured on 06-AUG-2018 at Porth Iago, Llangwnnadl, Gwynedd.
385 days 78 km (N)
Woodcock ringed at Boncath on 15-MAR-2018
Found freshly dead (shot) on 13-APR-2018 at Kresty, Mosalskiy district, Kaluga O., Russian Federation
29 days 2646 km (E)
Sedge Warbler ringed at Teifi Marshes on 17-JUL-2018
Subsequently captured on 16-AUG-2018 at Terres d'Oiseaux,
Braud-et-Saint-Louis, Gironde, France
30 days 810 km (SSE)
Another Sedge Warbler ringed at Teifi Marshes on 12-MAY-2018
Subsequently recaptured on 15-AUG-2018 (at Tour aux Moutons, Donges, Loire-Atlantique, France
95 days 559 km (SSE)
A movement within the group from Chris to Andy
Siskin ringed on 27-APR-2016 at St Dogmaels, Pembrokeshire
Subsequently recaptured at Bancyffordd, Llandysul on 06-JAN-2019
984 days Distance: 27 km (ESE)
Siskin ringed on 12-MAR-2017 at Gleadthorpe Grange, Warsop, Notts by Birklands Ringing Group subsequently recaptured by Charlie on 25-JAN-2019 at his Llanfynydd site, Carmarthenshire
684 days 248 km (SW)
