The quality of the catches that I am getting in my woodland sites this year is diabolical. Today I went to Red Lodge, on site by 5:30, joined by Rosie, Laura and Adam, and we set 10 x 18m nets, as below:
In the next four hours we caught six birds! The list was: Nuthatch [1]; Treecreeper [1]; Robin [1](1); Song Thrush 1; Chiffchaff (1). Totals: 1 adult ringed, 3 juveniles ringed and 2 birds retrapped, making six birds processed from 5 species.
It was the worst return that I have ever had at this site, and compares with an average catch of 30 birds in July sessions over previous years, ranging between 25 and 33 birds. Thoroughly fed up with such a poor return, we decided to shut the nets at 10:00 so we could go home and do something more rewarding, like catching up on some sleep! We had been joined by the rest of family C, with Mark and Daniel arriving soon after 9:00, so taking down and packing away was quick and easy.
Getting home at just gone 11:00 I decided, instead of sleeping, to sit in the garden and destroy my nerves by listening to the cricket. As I wanted something to occupy my hands as well as my mind, I thought I might as well open the two 6m nets I have in the garden, and put out my Potter traps, baited with mealworms, on the off-chance that a few Starlings might drop in.
Within a few minutes I had my first two birds: a couple of juvenile Blue Tits and then, soon after, the Starlings arrived. One immediately walked into one of the Potter traps. I went to extract the Blue Tits and that Starling, which obviously spooked the others. They didn’t stay away long and, when the next group arrived, four Starlings, a female Blackbird, two House Sparrows, plus two more Blue Tits, ended up in the nets, nothing in the Potter traps. At just after midday the wind got up, gusting strongly, and I needed to shut the nets. I took out another two Blue Tits whilst doing so.
As the Potter traps are not affected by the wind I left them open. They worked well and I caught another five Starlings before the rain started at 13:00 and I closed them as well and packed up for the day.
All of the Starlings and Blue Tits caught were juveniles undergoing their post-fledging moult.
What a smart bird!
The garden list was: Blue Tit [6]; Blackbird 1; Starling [10]; House Sparrow 2. Totals: 3 adults ringed from 2 species and 16 juveniles ringed from 2 species, making 19 birds ringed from 4 species.
Ringing In The Braydon Forest & Beyond 