Early Spring ringing

We anticipate our passage of Sedge Warblers to pick up from now - timely, as we caught 29 yesterday in the Teifi Marshes. 

Chris is progressing with his Linnet project- likely to become a RAS, currently weekly Whoosh netting.

We took the Curlew nets down on the 27th of March. Disappointing  not be able to make a catch of Curlew due to wind, rain, tides and floods. As the new reed rapidly grows, this open habitat is great for  feeding Wagtails snd Warblers around the edge.

Our 1st Sedge Warbler was caught on the 25th April

Our 1st Reed Warbler was caught on the 26th April, which surprisingly wasn't a returning ringed bird. A high percentage of early returning birds are carrying our rings from previous years.

We have caught 44 White Wagtails this Spring, passage is coming to an end, with most birds carrying some fat for their continuing journey to Iceland.

This Lesser Whitethroat was caught on the 29th April...also our 1st Grasshopper Warbler of the year ringed on the 29th.

Nest recording has now started with several of the Group visiting their sites. Here Hannah with Wendy in Pengelli checking boxes for the very long standing Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales Pied Flycatcher project

Andrew has been busy, mainly with Dippers at the moment. His work takes him to some picturesque hidden bridges and old industrial sites.

A nest under an old coal weighbridge

We are grateful to Carmarthenshire County Council ecologists for their interest in this Dipper work.

Another record of Starling movement between Lithuania and West Wales

Starling  KE76747

Ringed  Silutes, Lithuania 17/06/2022 

 Re-encountered  (ring read at a garden feeder by Andy)  Bancyffordd, Carms 04/03/2023 260 days 1718km WSW

Starling from Lithuania

Although this is a 2022 record, news of this Reed Warbler re-encountered in France has just been received.

Reed Warbler  ABY0030 

 Ringed   Teifi Marshes, Ceredigion 11/07/2022

Re-encountered  Mars-Ouest, Loire-Atlantique 09/08/2022 29 days 592km SSE

Reed Warbler to France

With the historical peak period for Sedge Warbler migration coming up, we are hoping for a busy week in the Teifi Marshes reed beds and will write more about our returning birds and migrants in the next blog.

 

(Rich D and Wendy J)