The Summer of 2019

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

Charlie Sargent remembered

Charlie Sargent

Following a short illness Charlie passed away on the 22nd August 2019

Charlie was inspired to ring by Steve Sutcliffe whilst on work party visits to Skokholm.
He joined the Teifi Ringing Group having started his ringing career in the West Midlands with a group of  ringers and friends with whom he travelled extensively. Charlie's activities with ourselves are posted on these pages and will be with us forever, his activities, his highlights, his life with the Teifi Ringing Group.

I know from national and international interest his most read pieces were these posts about his trip to Mongolia with Colin Mcshane, a mentor for his ringing career.

His written words are a wonderful memory for us all. 

The amazing trip to Mongolia ..Khurkh Bird Ringing Station  

 Part 2 of this extra ordinary ringing trip ..Mongolia, the journey continues 

Charlie this summer, assisting with the ringing at a Sand Martin colony,