This morning was my regular winter ringing demonstration for the Swindon Wildlife Group (SWG). We do move it around: we have done it at both Somerford Common sites and at Lower Moor Farm over the years, but today’s was scheduled for Ravensroost Wood, where we originated these regular twice yearly demonstrations. The forecast had bounced around all week, with various degrees of rain forecast, until yesterday it dropped to between 5% and 20% over the hours scheduled for the event. Fortunately, whilst we did have half-an-hour of spitting rain, it cleared quickly. Something that surprised all of us: frost on our cars and a temperature starting out at -2oC first thing. Fortunately, it soon warmed up a bit.
I was joined at 7:00 by Ellie, Rosie, David, Adam and Laura, Teresa and Andy. The team were aware that their role would largely be to keep checking the nets and extracting the birds whilst I sat and ringed the birds and explained to the attendees what the ringing scheme involves and demonstrating the work. Andy and Laura helped out scribing for me when not off extracting birds. We set the following nets:
The attendees arrived for 8:30, my having persuaded the SWG that it would improve the experience for their members. We had a nice first round to get everybody’s interest, at 8:15: the obligatory Blue and Great Tits but, also, a Coal Tit, a Robin, a Wren and, to everybody’s delight, a Nuthatch.
We carried out a further ten rounds over the next 2.5 hours and caught steadily throughout the morning. It wasn’t the most exciting catch, in that we didn’t catch a single finch. It seems that our usual Spring Lesser Redpoll and Siskin, plus our occasional Brambling, have already moved through, presumably in response to the awful weather we have been having. The bird that gave every attendee that “Aah!” moment was the single Goldcrest we caught in the session:
First winter, female Goldcrest, Regulus regulus
As usual with these demonstrations, I taught a few people, mainly the children, but some adults as well, how to safely hold and release a wild bird or, as I like to preface it, “Who wants to be bitten by a Blue Tit?”. If they are up for that then I will let them do the same with a less feisty species. I will also hold one example of each species for a few seconds after processing, so that people can get some photographs. It is never more than 30 seconds.
The list for the morning was: Nuthatch (2); Blue Tit 10(8); Great Tit 4(8); Coal Tit 2(2); Wren 1(1); Robin (2); Goldcrest 1. Totals: 18 birds ringed from 5 species and 23 birds retrapped from 6 species, making 41 birds processed from 7 species. I was a little disappointed not to have any Marsh Tit in the catch. It is unusual not to catch them at this site and Robin Griffiths, the SWG event organiser and volunteer warden for Ravensroost Wood, did say that he had seen several around in the last week or so, including a few who have not yet been ringed. That’s a target for me and the team, to get them on board.
Alongside the birds caught this morning, we did see a couple of Great Spotted Woodpecker flying around in the vicinity of the feeding station but they weren’t tempted down by the peanuts, for once, and stayed high up in the tree tops.
The best bird sighting though, by far, was a Sparrowhawk displaying over the woods, spiralling up and around in the sky, whilst being mobbed by a flock of irritated Jackdaws. It was a lovely spectacle.
Towards the end of the session, one of the attendees came across with this in her hands:
Scarlet Elf Cap, Sarcoscypha austriaca
Not my best ever photo, and it is a bit nibbled, but lovely to see.
It was quite a cold morning and, with children and some elderly people at the session, the attendees were getting chilled and started to leave at about 10:45. We closed the nets at 11:15 and took down, leaving the site by midday.
Epilogue:
They say that bad things come in threes and I hope that is correct because the following has happened to me in the last two days. Yesterday morning I went out to top up the bird feeders I have to provide supplementary feeding to the birds in my local woodlands. The first port of call was Webb’s Wood. On arrival I was met by one of the regular dog walkers, with whom I always have a chat. He told me that he hadn’t seen my feeders on his walk. They are fairly well hidden within the wood but not invisible. Sure enough, when I arrived they have been stolen. I have been feeding in these woods since winter 2009 / 2010 and this is only the second time that I have had feeders stolen. The previous time was at Somerford Common back in 2014. What possesses somebody to do that? Are they really that desperate?
We met this morning for the ringing demonstration, which will form the bulk of this post. However, we had three groups setting up the nets, and one of them decided it would be a really good idea to put their guy rope across the entrance to the main ride. Muggins here, not noticing, stepped backwards and was tripped and fell on my back into what can only be described as a marsh. I was soaked and totally covered in mud and seriously unamused. I knew I couldn’t stay like that for the morning but home is only just over 5 minutes away, so I left the team to finish setting up and drove home to change. Having changed, I pulled out of my drive to head back to site when a Porsche Cayenne, the 4X4 for people with too much money and no spatial awareness, smacked into my wing mirror, knocking off my indicator cover and displacing the structure. The only good thing is that his wing mirror was completely smashed off. Needless to say, he didn’t stop. Anyway, that is three things I could have well done without: let’s hope things take a turn for the better.
Ringing In The Braydon Forest & Beyond 