Coursers Lane GP/Fields - 26 November 2013

Today's outing whilst D was at work was with the Maple X team, PD, MRB and MBR, to ring an area with the emphasis on Tree Sparrows, with the addition of Buntings and Finches using an area set with wild bird friendly crop. Two of the target species were re-trapped and both had lost their pit tags and had new ones fitted. The pit tags are now embedded within the colour ring where previously they were glued onto it, and these did not always remain fixed to the colour ring. Whilst ringing, Ken Smith turned up to replace the battery on the pit tag reader fixed to the feeding station. It logs the presence of a bird every 15 seconds and is resulting in very detailed records of the Tree Sparrows at the site. There have been a couple of movements to and from the site, and use of pit tags has shown that one of these birds has remained at the site to bred, something conventional ringing may have not picked up, especially considering Tree Sparrows are not easy to re-trap.

3 male Yellowhammer

Tree Sapprow - the pit tag is part of the grey colour ring

3 female Stonechat

Total: 28 (15):

Dunnock - 2 (5)
Robin - 1
Stonechat - 1
Blackbird - 2 (1)
Blue Tit - 1 (4)
Great Tit - 0 (3)
Chaffinch - 2
Tree Sparrow - 0 (2)
House Sparrow - 2
Reed Bunting - 15
Yellowhammer - 2

Chobham Common - 25 November 2013

Another 6.45am meet, this time with RMA and ESA, to try for Redpolls on the common. We tried a different area this time but there was still no sign of any large finch flocks. The Fieldfares and Redwings continue to shuttle back and forth overhead between golf courses on either side of the common but do not drop in to allow any chance of capture.

 Chobham under a cloudy sky

We managed to attract a Dartford Warbler along with a couple of Wrens and Goldcrests.

Dartford Warbler male

There were a few visits from single and small groups of Redpoll but most just sat above the audiolures looking on before departing. Three were caught during the process of taking nets down.

3M Lesser Redpoll

Totals: 8

Wren - 2

Dartford Warbler - 1

Goldcrest - 2

Lesser Redpoll - 3

Black Park - 24 November 2013

We were joined by EW to work an alternative area of the heathland area and quickly had 3 singles and a run of four nets up. We tried tapes for Redpoll, Goldcrest and Long-tailed Tits but the day started very slowly and we spent some time checking out a range of spectacular examples of fungi.

 Sulphur Tuft - I think

Fly Agaric

Another stab in the dark - Black Trumpet

I certainly wouldn't eat anything on the basis of my flaky fungus ID skills.

There were a few Redpoll but the catching was slow and the total was only made respectable by a late encounter with a tit flock that pushed up the total.

Lesser Redpoll

Total - 26 (1)

Wren - 1

Goldcrest -  2 (1)

Long-tailed Tit -7

Coal Tit - 3

Blue Tit -9

Lesser Redpoll - 4

Home Cottage Farm - 23 November 2013

The visit to Home Cottage Farm was planned to allow us to reacquaint ourselves with the site and the way that birds are using it. There were no visits last winter as the crop was poor and little was left for the birds after visitors went to 'pick their own' and the sheep had polished off the fallen windfalls. It was a very different situation this year with a bumper crop reflective of the optimal conditions that caused a mast year in the natural food supply.

Every row of trees showed the same story - excess windfalls

There were windfalls below every tree posing the problem of where precisely to place nets. There were a few thrushes around and Fieldfare and Mistle Thrushes were in the orchard but with the option of feeding in the adjacent fields, they soon moved away due to our disturbance. We need some really low temperatures, cold enough to harden the earth, to improve our catching chances.

The catch was still very respectible with a total of 42 birds. Most were tits but there was a bit of variety including some Blackbirds, Goldcrests and a juvenile Sparrowhawk.

 

3M Sparrowhawk

Ten of the birds were retrapped with two having been processed at the site on 20 November 2012.

 

Adult Coal Tit Y599947

The other eight retraps had been done, since September 2012, in our back garden just a kilometre away.   Coal Tit Y599267 being the earliest date 08/09/2012,  Goldcrest EBX489 was done on 23/09/2013 and the most recent, Blue Tit D710087 on 18/10/2013. 

Totals: 32 (10)

Sparrowhawk - 1

Dunnock - 1

Robin - 1

Blackbird - 3

Goldcrest - 3 (1)

Long Tailed-Tit - 5 (2)

Coal Tit - 0 (2)

Blue Tit - 13 (5)

Great Tit - 1

Chaffinch - 3

Goldfinch - 1

Chobham Common - 18 November 2013

The rain originally forecast for today did not materialise and the wind speed was very low so we returned to the Common in the hope of  catching some Redpoll. We moved to a slightly different site (to that where only two birds were caught on the previous day) and only used three doubles. There was a little more success with 5 Lesser Redpolls and 10 Long-tailed Tits. No too bad considering the last start and early finish.

Lesser Redpoll Aged 3

Totals: 15

Long-tailed Tit - 10
Lesser Redpoll - 5

Chobham Common - 17 November 2013

We were joined by TA and JHH and arrived at the ringing site in semi-darkness due to heavy cloud cover. We erected three doubles and began playing for Redpoll before adding a final double panel for Dartford Warbler.

It turned out to be one of those sessions that remains in the memory for all the wrong reasons. There were no large numbers of Redpoll and the odd ones and twos that came to investigate the audiolure would not be tempted down to the nets.

There were good numbers of Fieldfare and Redwing passing overhead throughout the morning but this didn't boost the capture total. We finished early with just two birds on the record sheet.

3M Coal Tit

Totals - 2

Wren - 1
Coal Tit - 1

Stanwell Moor - 16 November 2013

We were joined by EP for a 6.30am start. We put nets in the vicinity of the reed bed with a configuration for Meadow Pipits on the raised grassy area.

We started off with a retrap Reed Bunting, from our colour ringing project. We colour ringed Reed Buntings over two years but ceased doing so when the numbers of bird using the roost dropped off, coupled with the fact that there was only ever one sighting throughout that time. It just goes to show that birds are still about although birdwatchers (probably knowing the birds by call) don't take much notice of them.

 

Reed Bunting 4M, L606564,colour ringed 6/6/2011when 4M  

This bird was captured along with 4 other new Reed Buntings. Other birds from the reed bed included a couple of Goldcrest, two Chiffchaff and a new Cetti's Warbler.

Catching Meadow Pipits often doesn't happen until the birds go up as you walk towards the nets, so we weren't expecting too much as efforts were split over two areas. However we still managed to bag 22 with the bonus of a Skylark.

 TR64520 Skylark

Totals: 40 (3)

Skylark - 1

Meadow Pipit - 18

Dunnock - 1

Robin- 1 (1)

Cetti's Warbler - 1

Chiffchaff - 2

Goldcrest - 2

Blue Tit - 0 (1)

Reed Bunting - 4 (1)

 

Broadwater - 15 November 2013

It was some time since out last visit to the site and we found that a couple of trees had come down in the storm of a fortnight ago. Fortunately, the places where nets are usually sited were not affected. We set a double and four single nets, then tried a variety of different recordings to encourage birds to the nets.
We had a modest catch but were pleased to get a single redpoll, if only of the Lesser variety. There were also a Magpie, a couple of Chiffchaff and some Goldcrest. One Goldcrest retrap, EJJ827, was a retrap from the Hilfield site.

Juvenile Magpie

 

Lesser Redpoll 3M

Totals: 15(8)

Wren-  0 (1)

Robin - 1 (2)

Chiffchaff - 2

Goldcrest - 3 (1)

Long-tailed Tit - 5 (2)

Blue Tit - 3 (1)

Magpie - 1

Lesser Redpoll - 1

Black Park - 8 November 2013

There have been no visits since February, mainly due to last winter's programme of work to clear parts of the heathland of less desirable plants and, more widely, many of the more mature trees. The trees lining the stream that runs by the area where nets were usually set have been severely reduced and for this reason it was felt that the area was best left over the summer.

From the time we arrived, there were small bands of finches flying overhead and one was enticed down to net level and caught, but the usual trail of birds moving along the stream was no longer. We did have one visit from a tit flock but they, unusually, came across the heathland, hoping from isolated tree to isolated tree. We finished early as the drizzle began to close in.

3M Lesser Redpoll

Totals: 15
Wren - 2

Goldcrest -4

Blue Tit -3

Long-tailed Tit -5

Lesser Redpoll - 1

Delta de l'Ebre, Spain - 27 October - 4 November 2013 Part 2

On Tuesday, we awoke, in advance of the alarm, to fierce rustling from the reedbeds indicative of a bad dose of wind. Having checked outside we were both relieved to find there had been no rain, but quickly did a round of the nets, as the darkness receeded, to find just a few birds. We persevered until 11.00am, checking frequently, but closed early with only five birds, including another Bluethroat and a House Sparrow (ringed under the Icona Madrid scheme). It was necessary to clear a large amount of reed foliage, and spinning nets in winds that by this time touched on 40Km per hour was to say the least interesting. Our time was also spent watching the Black Redstarts, which now had reached at least three, attracted to the immediate building, although our hopes that some may blunder into a net are not great. Making the most of our extra time we headed off to the southern side of the river to see an area we would not have normal time to get to heading towards La Tancada. We had a group of larks that included Lesser Short-toed and a varied assortment of waders, including Kentish Plover, and a sole Yellow Wagtail.

 Smart Black Redstart male

 La Tancada

Wednesday, we woke at 5am and found the wind slightly less so went out and reset the nets. This turned out to have been a good plan, as the day was fairly busy with 53 birds, as the Northerly winds had brought in some migtants, with some goods ones thrown in, with three Black Redstarts, a Moustached Warbler, six Reed Warblers (three being re-traps), a single retrap Bluethroat and an influx of Chiff-chaff. Midday birding managed to add a couple of Spotted Redshnak and Peregrine to the trip, plus our first Glossy Ibis cr sightings, with six birds, with many more too far off or the rings too dirty to read. 

 Sunrise over Canal Vell

 Moustached Warbler

 Black Redstarts

 The concentration of fish in this channel demonstrates the fertile nature of the delta.

 Any large group of feeding glossies revealed colour-ringed individuals but staying close enough, long enough to read them was another matter as birds were wary in the extreme.

Thursday was a day of still slightly fresh winds, but we managed to process 55 birds today, mostly Chiff-chaffs, with the highlights being another Bluethroat and Black Redstart, along with a Reed Warbler and another re-trap Great Reed Warbler. We also had our first Blackcap. Birdingwise we had a single White Stork and four Cranes, all in flight, and also managed single Ferruginous and Tufted Ducks, plus a solo Black Tern on Canal Vell from the watch tower. A visit toi Rite Ville, a SEO reserve added Pintail and Stonechat, with an immature Booted Eagle over.

 

Phylloscopus Collybita - leading species of the day

 Great Reed Warbler

 

Rite Ville

Friday was a relatively calm day that produced our best result with 64 birds, the majority being 32 Chiff-chaffs, a Savi's Warbler, two Blackcaps (one being a retrap), five Bluethroats (one retrap), a retrap Moustached Warbler from the Madrid (ICONA) scheme, and a retrap Reed Bunting from Sweden. Birdingwise in the adjacent rice fields there were a couple of Ruff and a Heron resembling Western Reef Heron (though there are hybrids in the Ebro area), and a Booted Eagle over Canal Vell. 

 The best haul from any one round

 

EMB SCH - Reed Bunting from Sweden

Albeitinus Chiff

Collybita next to Albeitinus for comparison

 

Savi's Warbler

The dragonflies take up position for the evening

 

Western Reef Heron 'type' bird

Saturday was a quieter day ringing wise with only 36 birds, with a drop in Chiff-chaff numbers, two Reed Warblers, a single Blue throat, and Sardinian Warblers. No Black Redstarts were seen at all during the day anywhere. On the rice fields we found one area which held c40 Gull-billed, c10 Whiskered and a single Black tern, along with a small party of Bar-tailed Godwits, with seven Cranes seen in flight. At Canal Vell, a pair plus a group of 20+ Spoonbills were seen, along with another group of c20 Cranes, a couple of Slender-billed and a party of 20 Mediterranena Gulls were seen.

 

Net 20 at the lake

 

3M Sardinian Warbler

 

 Gull-billed Terns

 

Nets 2 to 6

Sunday, the last day of ringing days was clearly passed the best of our days. There were another 14 Chiffs, and a smattering of Reed Buntings, Cetti's Warblers, Song Thush, Robins and a Greenfinch that had escaped captivity. We removed its red ring and fitted one from the ringing scheme.

We enjoyed one last sundown from the observation tower, making the most of the surrounding scenery.

 

The view to the west across the lake

 

When CL and DKL went to Spain

Species	26/10	27/10	28/10	29/10	30/10	31/10	1/11	2/11	3/11
Moorhen	1	1
Kingfisher					1	0  (1)			1
Robin	1  (3)	1	2  (1)		8  (2)	2  (1)	1  (1)	2  (2)	0  (2)
Bluethroat	3	2	2	1	0  (1)	1	4  (1)	1
Black Redstart					3	1
Song Thrush	1  (1)	0  (1)				3	1	1
Cetti’sWarbler	1  (1)	7  (2)	6  (3)	1	1  (2)	1	5  (2)	4  (2)	2  (2)
Fan-tailed Warbler		1
Savi’s Warbler							1
Moustached Warbler					1		0  (1)
Reed Warbler	1	2	3		3  (3)	1	0  (1)	2
Great Reed Warbler	0  (1)					0  (1)		1
Sardinian Warbler								1
Blackcap						1	1  (1)		1
Chiffchaff	3  (2)	6	8	1	20  (1)	32  (1)	34 (4)	11 (5)	14
House Sparrow		2	2	0  (1)	1	1	1	1
Tree Sparrow		1	3					1	1
Chaffinch						1	1
Greenfinch									1
Reed Bunting		1	2	1	4  (1)	7	5  (1)	3	2
TOTALS:	10  (8)	24  (3)	28  (4)	4  (1)	43 (10)	51  (4)	53 (12)	27 (9)	22 (4)