January update and news from France

January started with some very cold frosty weather then came the wet and windy weather which hasn't stopped. This has made any ringing difficult to plan. Despite that, the group managed to ring 490 birds utilising other methods than mist nets such as Potter traps, walk in traps and lamping. Often in the winter the most frequently ringed birds are Blue Tits but this January it was 129 Starlings. 

Lamping has been successful but challenging on waterlogged fields with 80 Woodcock being the third most caught bird.

Woodcock after ringing - Arfon

Both Jane and Shane have new sites for monitoring at night. An interesting site for Jane on the coast adds variety of habitat to the inland upland sites. As well as Woodcock, a variety of other species have been caught this month including Skylarks, Golden Plover, Snipe, Stock Dove, Redwing, Fieldfare, Meadow Pipits and Jack Snipe.

Jane and Aaron have used the time usefully putting up nest boxes. An appeal to landowners with possible sites for Starling boxes was successful. 30 boxes on one farm.

Starling boxes - Jane

Some Dipper boxes have gone up as well. 

Garden ringing has been frustrating with many birds on the feeders in bad weather then as soon as there is a glimmer of a chance to open nets the birds disappear. there has been a noticeable increase in Siskins on the feeders in the last 2 weeks

Our AGM was held on the 22nd January at The Grosvenor Hotel. A good turn out of members, guests and a special welcome to some of Pembs Ringing Group. All ringers with responsibility for sites gave a summary of the year and plans for the coming year. Minutes of the meeting are available on request.

Some recent recoveries received from the BTO included 5 Sedge Warblers ringed on the Teifi Marshes and caught in France on migration,

BKB3659  Sedge Warbler

Ringed Teifi Marshes, Ceredigion  01/07/2025

Re-encountered  Pontorson, Manche, France 15/08/2025 45 days 448km SSE

BTE5797  Sedge Warbler    

Ringed Teifi Marshes, Ceredigion 06/09/2025

Re-encountered Frossay, Loire Atlantique, France 16/09/2025 10 days 570km SSE

BKB3757  Sedge Warbler    

 Ringed Teifi Marshes, Ceredigion 02/08/2025 

Re-encountered  Trunvel, Treogat, France 14/08/2025 12 days 467 km S

BHH6716  Sedge Warbler   

Ringed Teifi Marshes, Ceredigion

Re-encountered  26/07/2025 Donges, Loire-Atlantique, France 01/08/2025 6 days, 562km  SSE

AAZ6828  Sedge Warbler  

Ringed Teifi Marshes, Ceredigion

Re-encountered 29/04/2023 Donges, Loire-Atlantique, France 16/08/2025 840 days 562km SSE

and one from Cors Caron

BZB0810  Sedge Warbler 

Ringed Cors Caron, Tregaron 20/05/2023

Re- encountered  Donges, Loire-Atlantique, France 05/08/2025 808 days 565km SSE

This brings the number of Sedge Warbler movements to and from, the Teifi Marshes in 2025 to 15

Details of all movements can be seen under the ringing totals tab

2025 Teifi Ringing Group Movements

Another 2 Storm Petrel movements have been received making 23 in 2025

2787269 Strumble Head 13/07/2024 Pomta de Almadena, Portugal Re-encountered17/06/2025 339 days 1688km S

2788765 Strumble Head 14/07/2025 Re-encountered Sanda Island, Argyll and Bute 11/08/2025 28 days 363km N Clyde Ringing Group

The forecast for the start of the month continues to be wet and windy but at least the moon phase is now better for lamping.

Storm Petrel movement report 2025

 Storm Petrel Movement Report 2025

Summary of Recoveries and Movements Involving Strumble Head and Associated Sites

In 2025 between June 19th and July 30th we processed 115 Storm Petrels at Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire, of which 109 were new birds. This is lower than the 2024 total of 162.

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1. Overview

The dataset documents 32 individual Storm Petrel movements involving Strumble Head and a network of colonies and coastal observatories across the Irish Sea, Celtic Sea, and eastern Atlantic. Movements range from short‑distance local exchanges (40–100 km) to long‑distance dispersal events exceeding 1,600 km. The records highlight Strumble Head as a major node in regional Storm Petrel movements, with repeated exchanges between Welsh, Irish, English, and Portuguese sites.

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2. Key Movement Patterns

2.1 Dominant Local Movements

The most frequent pattern involves Strumble Head ↔ Skokholm Island, with 15 movements recorded.

• Distance: consistently 40 km
• Direction: SSW (to Skokholm) or NNE (to Strumble)
• Time intervals: 2 to 743 days
• These movements indicate strong short‑range connectivity between the two Welsh sites, likely reflecting foraging movements. 

2.2 Movements to Bardsey Island

Five birds moved between Strumble Head and Bardsey Island, all travelling 84–86 km NNE.

• Durations: 3–26 days
• These short‑interval movements suggest regional dispersal within the northern Irish Sea.

2.3 Movements to Lundy Island

Two movements link Strumble Head and Lundy Island (95–97 km SSE).

• Durations: 40–378 days
• These represent medium‑range movements within the Bristol Channel region.

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3. Long‑Distance Movements

3.1 Ireland (Cork and Wexford)

Several birds travelled between Strumble Head and southern Irish sites:

• Galley Head (271 km W) – 9 days
• Cape Clear (312 km W) – 25 days
• Little Saltee, Wexford (104 km E) – 46 days
  These movements demonstrate cross‑Celtic Sea travel.

3.2 Isle of Man

One bird moved from Calf of Man → Strumble Head:

• 225 km S over 340 days

3.3 Portugal

The most distant movement in the dataset:

• Strumble Head → Pomta de Almadena, Portugal
• 1688 km S over 339 days
  This record highlights the species’ capacity for extensive Atlantic dispersal.

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4. Notable Individuals

• 2739422 & 2739428
• Both moved from Strumble Head to Skokholm Island after 743 days, the longest intervals recorded.
• 2788730
• Recorded twice in the same season:
• Strumble → Bardsey (24 days)
• Strumble → Skokholm (33 days)
• Demonstrates multi‑directional dispersal within a short timeframe.
• 2787269
• The only bird recorded travelling to Portugal, representing the longest movement (1688 km).

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5. General Interpretation

• Strumble Head functions as a central hub for Storm Petrel movements in the region, with birds dispersing in all directions.
• The majority of movements are local (40–100 km), consistent with foraging and short‑range colony interchange.
• A smaller number of medium‑range movements (100–300 km) link Wales with Cornwall, Wexford, and the Isle of Man.
• Long‑distance movements (>300 km), this demonstrates the species’ ability to traverse large sections of the northeast Atlantic.
• The presence of multi‑year intervals (up to 743 days) suggests repeated site fidelity or re‑encountering of individuals across seasons.

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6. Conclusion

The dataset provides a valuable snapshot of Storm Petrel mobility across the Celtic Sea and adjacent waters. The strong clustering of movements around Strumble Head and Skokholm Island underscores the importance of these sites for monitoring regional population dynamics. Occasional long‑distance recoveries, including the movement to Portugal, highlight the broader Atlantic context of Storm Petrel ecology.

(Wendy J and Rich D)

Night time surveys and RAS results

 Now Shane has his permit for lamping waders...

Off to a good start with three Woodcock ringed on a new Preseli hills site, which he plans to visit and monitor regularly.

We have had initial reports for our RAS studies from the BTO.

It was another good season for Reed Warblers on the Teifi Marshes and we are continuing to surpass the target of 30 adult-adult recaptures. This year was our best year yet for adults overall with more adults ringed than ever before. Retraps were also very good with totals like this were last seen in 2017. 

Reed Buntings had a much better year than last year, with higher re-encounters than usual since 2021. Really good juvenile totals which would hopefully bolster the population next year. 

Chris will report on the Linnet RAS

Field sightings of ringed birds are a useful addition to retrapping them....

On a day when it was too windy to ring, Aaron used the time usefully by reading metal rings on Starlings in his garden. Hannah and Liz have been busy photographing Reed Bunting colour rings on the Teifi Marshes with 30 individuals resighted this winter. 

In November they found 2 Turnstones with flags at Llanon. Both had been ringed at Llanrhystud by Mid Wales ringers, PET on the 1st March 2025 and LEE on the 10th September 2025.

Colour marked Turnstones- Hannah

Jane has been successfully using her land ( Emporium) and other sites nearby for training. Providing both variety and numbers. With 2240 new and 1346 re-encounters covering  29 species.

Merlin

This Merlin was a surprise for Aaron in one of the Emporium mist nets on the 30th Dec. On the 6th January a Pied Wagtail got 2026 off to a good start.

As we post this, we are trapping Starlings in a couple of garden sites..the most interesting Starling so far - a re encounter at Wendy's of a bird ringed in January 2023. A nice site faithful winter visitor.

(Wendy J and Rich D)