Star Wars day did not turn out to be starry, but we avoided any wars – apart from one of our number taking a tumble in the wet and muddy conditions and getting “in the wars”. I was joined for the day by David, Laura, Daniel and Claire, and later on by Laura’s hubby, Mark. We met at 6:00: a reasonable start time; we will be hitting 5:30 from Wednesday for the next few weeks, before another reduction in the start time. The following nets were set:
The ringing station was set up in the car park. This photograph makes it look fairly benign but the recent rain, coupled with the deep dip between rides 3 and 4, made the conditions underfoot, as previously alluded to, treacherous. I, for one, was using a furling stick more as a walking support than something to lower or push up the nets.
Unfortunately, the catch was identical in size, if not in make-up, to Wednesday’s catch at Lower Moor Farm. The seventeen birds comprised: Marsh Tit (1); Robin 1(2); Blackcap 1; Chiffchaff 3(1); Willow Warbler 5(3). Totals: 10 birds ringed from 4 species and 7 birds retrapped from 4 species, making 17 birds processed from 5 species.
It was a good catch of Willow Warblers. Somerford Common is far and away our best site for this species, with 102 ringed on the site since 2013 and 19 retrapped birds. Most of those are caught in the Spring and Summer: we see far fewer on Autumn migration.
Of the three retrapped Willow Warblers, LEV498, was originally ringed as an adult in June 2020. Their typical lifespan, according to BTO BirdFacts, is two years, so the bird is doing well. When an 8g bird flies to and from the Ivory Coast / Ghana on an annual basis, survival of five years or more is impressive. That the longevity record is ten years and eight months from date of ringing is quite astonishing.
It was a slow morning but, fortunately, we had plenty to chat about to fill the time. However, at 11:15 we closed the nets and took down. With the six of us it didn’t take long and we were off site at just after midday. Let’s hope that we get some dry weather, some sun, and that the numbers improve, along with the access to the sites, before too long.
Ringing In The Braydon Forest & Beyond 