Spring ringing and plans

During the first week of March we have returned to the Mallard reedbed. This follows the annual reed cut...

By the end of March, White Wagtails should be feeding and roosting in the reeds. We plan to position a couple of wader nets too, with colour- ringing Curlew the objective.

A new track has been built into the marsh to enable access for the reed cutting machine, this has also provided a feeding area where the reading of Reed Bunting colour rings has become easier. Hannah and Liz recording 24 individuals whilst some of us were away at Kartong Bird Observatory in The Gambia. The oldest resighted was a male ringed in December 2018.

Reed Buntings - Hannah and Liz

Since our return some early mist netting - including re positioning Railway net...

A couple of nets opened as we set the net rides for the Spring season, 2 new Reed Buntings colour ringed, new Chiffchaff and 3 new Pied Wagtails coming to roost. All looking good !

A 6 year old Reed Bunting - Hannah and Liz

We plan in the next fortnight to get the Pentood nets set too. The Teifi Marsh net set then ready for the migration season - White Wagtails and Sedge Warblers the main migrants, Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings both RAS studies here.

Cetti's Warbler at Mallard Pond - Jen Evans

Following 42 different individual Cetti's Warblers in 2024 - an interesting year ahead...

Near the river view point in the Pembrokeshire part of the reserve, the Teifi P site has been ringed a couple of times this year,  new Chiffchaffs and Firecrest the highlight this year so far.

Firecrest - Jen Evans

This ringed Firecrest present at Kingfisher hide on the 9th March, one of at least two wintering on the reserve

Lleine - Chris runs the Linnet RAS whoosh net site which we hope to have running in the next couple of weeks

The coastal habitat of the Linnet RAS site

Cors Caron (Arfon) and Dyfi Osprey site (Naomi) nets should be running too. 

Again the main nest box focus will be on Dippers and woodland boxes - mainly for Pied Flycatchers - over 200 Pied Flycatcher pulli ringed last year..

Pied Flycatcher pulli in Ffynone Wood

Other sites to get involved..

Ty Rhyg - coniferous plantation - see Alison or Karen

Clun Fach is a National Trust area of wet scrub situated just outside the village of St Nicholas in North Pembrokeshire next to a small sewage works - see Kevin

The Emporium at near Tregaron - only Autumn and Winter ringing so far, but good numbers and variety with 1,943 ringed including 52 Greenfinch, 104 Starlings, 233 Siskins and 40 each of Robin and Blackbird - see Jane

Garden CES in Llechryd was started in lockdown so is now in its 6th year  - see Wendy

An exciting time ahead....

For non Teifi RG members reading this, please feel free to get in touch if you wish to be involved in any way..

(Rich D and Wendy J)

Totals and movements of 2024

Last year was another full of various activities, CES, several RAS and a colour- ringing project. General migration monitoring at several sites to more precise activities like regular whoosh netting. A variety of nesting studies with 231 Nest Record returns.

From this remarkable occurrence in a mist net, an adult Peregrine Falcon

to the more common study species, one of our colour ringed Reed Buntings.  

A RAS project now in it's 12th year, the photo by one of the Teifi Marshes Reserve's regular photographers, a great example of our partnership with the WTSWW.

All the main activities and results are posted in an ongoing way - see the posts made during the year, but do ask us for any further details.

The Group AGM is on this Thursday 23rd  with (16 confirmed so far) members attending. Several of the Group will be eating in The Grosvenor, Cardigan, before the meeting if anyone else fancies pre meeting meal and chat.

A good  opportunity to meet members of the Group you don't regularly meet, to discuss further any activities both local studies and help provided elsewhere.. 

...helping West Oxon Farmland Project ..

Our 2024 species and totals are shown here

2024 Teifi Ringing Group Totals 

The figures are already available and will remain accessible from the link in the side bar along with previous years.

Highlights of movements...

29 of the 162 Storm Petrels captured  at Strumble Head were either encountered elsewhere during the season or has already been ringed at other coastal locations.

Details of these and movements of other species received in 2024 are listed here and have been written about in previous blogs.

2024 Teifi Ringing Group Recoveries and Controls

Recent highlights ...

Early surprise for the year another garden Firecrest in mid Pembs.

Two Brambling at The Emporium on the 7th and 10th

The moon helps lamping now, so hopefully nighttime activities may supplement the rather limited mist netting over the next few weeks..

(Rich D and Wendy J)

Recoveries and night time surveys

A quiet start following Storm Darragh and a cold spell under a bright moon...

Our long running studies continue with nocturnal surveys on farmland, ringing on the Teifi Marshes reserve and gardens.

Although new for this year, Jane's site at Llwyn-y -groes near Tregaron is producing good results. Following on from the Starling with a Finnish ring detailed in the last blog, another Starling ringed elsewhere was caught. This had been ringed at a RAS study site for Starlings in Biggleswade.

Starling LR62542

Ringed   Biggleswade, Beds 30/01/2022

Re-encountered  Llwynygroes, Ceredigion 24/12/2024 1059 days 259km W Derek Gruar

197 Goldfinches have been ringed there since the beginning of October. One was caught in Wiltshire 40 days later

Goldfinch  BJD2724

Ringed  Llwyn-y-groes, Ceredigion      13/11/2024

Re-encountered   Biss Wood, Wilts       23/12/2024 40 days 163km SE West Wilts RG

Siskins arrived on Christmas Eve and since then 80 have been ringed.

Female Siskin - Jane

At our garden sites further south and at lower altitudes, Siskins haven't arrived in  any number.

Plenty of Goldfinches though. News of one ringed in Wendy's garden last winter was in Hampshire this December.

Goldfinch    BKB2276

Ringed  Llechryd, Ceredigion 10/12/2023

Re-encountered   Chilbolton, Stockbridge, Hants 31/12/2024 396 days 241km G C Evans

Arfon is continuing the study of upland farms at night. As well as Woodcock he has caught a Jack Snipe in the same muddy patch it was originally wintering in two years ago also one ringed last year.

One Woodcock that he ringed last winter was shot in Lincolnshire in December.

Woodcock   EM41129

Ringed  Tan-lan, nr Ffarmers Carms 02/12/2023

Shot    Market Rasen, Lincs 14/12/2024 347 days 286km ENE

Further south in North Pembs we saw an exceptionally high count of 17 Woodcock on our winter farmland study site near Boncath on the 30th. Half that number would be usual, and some low weight birds suggesting new arrivals.

Soon we will have our totals for 2024 and will post with previous years in a side bar. A small discussion in the main post too.

(Wendy J and Rich D)