Stanwell Moor GP - 15th October 2019

We planned to target Meadow Pipits, expecting the walk-in trap and 5 nets arranged to maximize captures to produce the most birds. The morning didn't go as planned and pipit captures were disappointingly low. However there was a control, S685425 among the nine birds.

Adult Meadow Pipit control S685425

The two nets on the spoil heap track were much more productive, due in part to a number of Redwing that were attracted down. There were some quite large flocks and only a faction of the birds were caught.

We don't catch Chaffinch often and some of those can't be ringed due to 

infections on the legs - but no this bird had no such problems.

Juvenile Green Woodpecker

Total: 50 (2)

Meadow Pipit - 8 (1 control)
Redwing - 18
Song Thrush - 2
Dunnock - 0 (1)
Blackcap - 3
Chiffchaff - 3
Goldcrest - 4
Blue Tit - 4
Great Tit - 3
Goldfinch - 2
Chaffinch - 1

Stanwell Moor GP - 7th October 2019

A day when the forecast that promised dry conditions failed to deliver. The light precipitation seemed to be easing up, so we put up nets for Meadow Pipits and a couple of nets on the track, keeping the set up confined in case of heavier rain. As it happened we never actually needed to furl, but the birds were elusive and four hours effort amounted to fewer than 30 captures.

Total: 24 (1)

Meadow Pipit - 1
Wren - 1
Dunnock - 3
Robin - 1
Wren - 1
Blackcap - 5
Chiffchaff - 3
Goldcrest - 4
Blue Tit - 1
Great Tit - 3 (1)
Goldfinch - 1

Chobham Common - 5th October 2019

It's been a while since we worked on the common, now that we no longer have access during the breeding season, so this visit came having not seen the site for many months.

We got 5 nets up and played for Redwing, Redpoll, Meadow Pipit and Goldcrest. We had varying degrees of success, Meadow Pipit and Goldcrest both caught birds, Redwing attracted but failed to catch any birds, while there was no sign of any Redpolls being present at all.

The numbers got a considerable boost from the addition of a large tit flock.

Juvenile Meadow Pipit

Coal Tit

Totals: 63

Meadow Pipit - 14
Robin - 2
Chiffchaff - 1
Goldcrest - 11
Blue Tit - 16
GreatTit - 4
Coal Tit - 3
Long-tailed Tit - 12

Stanwell Moor GP - 3rd October 2019

Recently back from Mongolia, it wasn't long before we realized that the weather in the UK has been less than favorable for ringing, and noticing an up and coming quieter spell in the forecast we took time out from bringing the blog up to date and loaded the kit into the car, and went to work Stanwell.
We erected 7 nets and decided to play audio lures for three of our key autumn migrants.

The Meadow Pipits were our most successful effort, coming from three nets arranged as a box with one side left open.  We got some Goldcrest, although we expected to catch more, and surprisingly the Redwing lures that were a bit of a punt at this early stage in the month managed to bring in several small groups with two birds being caught.

The most unexpected capture was a Stonechat that found its way into the Meadow Pipit nets.

3M Stonechat

Juvenile Meadow Pipit

Greater and median covert patterns of Meadow Pipits, 

juvenile above, adult below

Redwing - hopefully the first of many this autumn

Totals: 76 (4)

Meadow Pipit - 28

Redwing - 2

Blackbird - 1

Song Thrush - 2

Dunnock - 2

Robin - 1 (1)

Cetti's Warbler - 2

Blackcap - 11

Chiffchaff - 6

Goldcrest - 3

Long-tailed Tit - 5 (3)

Blue Tit - 2

Great Tit - 6

Goldfinch - 2

Linnet - 2

Stonechat - 1

Khovd, Mongolia - First Black Stork ringed in Mongolia 25th September 2019

Another first, and an unexpected one at that! The bridge net proved its worth once again, intercepting a juvenile Black Stock as it flew up from the river. It certainly would not have stayed in the net for long, but DKL was close enough to see the bird heading for the net and was able to get a hold of the bird before it escaped.

This bird was fitted with a satellite tracker. It nearly got a coloured darvic from the crane project, but this was avoided once we explained how any report could never be linked to the established project if fitted to a different species. There is a strong element of training of Mongolian ringers when visitors volunteer at Khovd.

Satellite tracker 171288

Khovd, Mongolia - Laughing Dove 4th record for Mongolia 25th September 2019

This bird had been seen outside the ringing station a few days earlier, but the observers, not realising how few times the species had been seen in Mongolia, took no photographic evidence at the time. It wasn't seen again until it reappeared in the net set up across the bridge. This net was only there for catching Nightjar at dusk, but being in a position where it was safe from the many cows that wander about the site, it was left open on a few of the later dates of our stay.

Adult Laughing Dove

Khovd, Mongolia - Koslov's Accentor 22nd September 2019

This was the first of three Koslov's Accentors captured during our two week stay at Khovd ringing camp. We were very pleased to catch some of these birds as there are still a great many gaps in our knowledge of these birds as demonstrated by these comments on information pages.

Distribution: Poorly known. Mountains and semi-deserts of West, Central and Southern Mongolia (including Gobi-Altai) ans North Central China (Helan Shan and Zhongwei region, in Ningxia-Inner Mongolia border).
Habitat: Thin scrub in semi-desert and dry mountains. No information on altitudinal range.
Food and feeding: No information on diet.
Forages in skulking manner close to or beneath bushes.
Breeding: Two records; nest placed close to ground; 4-5 eggs. No other information.
Movements: No information,although reported as returning to breeding ground near L Orog Nuur in mid-May.

Koslov's Accentor

This young bird has retained juvenile retrices on the right hand side 

while changing the left hand side to adult shaped feathers, 

probably as a result of accidental loss.