With CES 1 showing the same total as CES 1 last year, CES 2 showing one more than last year, I was interested to see how CES 3 would compare with last year’s 21 birds from 8 species. Prior to that, there was no CES 3 in 2022, due to a combination of bad weather and illness on my part, we had 50 birds from 14 species in CES 3 2021. I was interested to see how this year would compare. I met David and Teresa on site at 5:30 and we set the CES nets. I decided to keep it at that to ensure the catch would be manageable for the level of experience available – particularly as my mobility is currently limited by my arthritic right ankle.
We had the nets open pretty quickly but we didn’t catch a single bird until 7:30: not a particularly encouraging start. I am sure that a significant issue was the early morning temperature: just 7oC – in mid-May! It is why “man-made climate change” is so much better a description than “global warming” in general conversation.
Whilst waiting for our first birds to appear we were entertained by some Caddis Fly sex. They stayed around our ringing station, in copulation, for almost the entire morning, disappearing into the vegetation at about 11:00, never once decoupling.
Phryganea grandis: the female is the grey, mottled insect, the male the pale brown one. The female was very much in command: when she started walking around the table bench he was dragged along behind her! Not surprising: apparently she is the largest UK Caddis Fly.
When the birds did start arriving, it was encouraging: six birds in the first round at 7:45. This comprised three Blackcaps and one each of Cetti’s Warbler, Dunnock and Song Thrush. It was nice to catch a female Song Thrush: the other five caught this year have all been male. We caught a couple more birds between then and 8:50, when we then had a lovely catch:
Our first juvenile Long-tailed Tit, Aegithalos caudatus, of the year.
The next catching round, a whole hour later, produced more juvenile Long-tailed Tits and our first juvenile Blackbird of the year. The juvenile Blackbird had clearly been out of the nest for a while. It was undergoing its post-fledging moult and was already the proud owner of a black-feathered tail. After that, things became even more sporadic, until we eventually closed the nets at midday. The list for the session was: Treecreeper (1); Great Tit 1; Long-tailed Tit 5(1); Wren (1); Dunnock (3); Robin 2; Song Thrush 1; Blackbird 1; Cetti’s Warbler (1); Blackcap 3(3); Garden Warbler (1); Bullfinch 1. Totals: 14 birds ringed from 7 species and 11 birds retrapped from 7 species, making 25 birds processed from 12 species. So, four more birds and 50% more species than last year. However, half as many as in the session in 2021, but only two fewer species.
Missing from the catch compared to 2021, which is somewhat surprising given how many were singing around the site, were both Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler. Those two species provided 11 of the catch in 2021 (okay, 10 Chiffchaff, one Willow Warbler) and the Blackcap number was exactly half of the 2021 catch (six ringed, six retrapped). On the absence of Chiffchaff, I am pretty sure that is down to the change in habitat that we have agreed needs fixing: too overgrown and dark, not enough suitable nesting vegetation.
It was an astonishing day for Odonata. Once the weather warmed up there were swarms of Common Blue damselfly. I was delighted to find a dozen or so Red-eyed Damselfly, mostly clinging on to the nets whilst we were trying to take down. Fortunately, they are an easy extract. Our last session was remarkable for the number of Downy Emerald dragonflies on the wing, this time we had an amazing number of Four-Spot Chaser. The star of the show, though, was the first Emperor Dragonfly of the year:
Male Emperor Dragonfly, Anax imperator: a fabulous beast.
With the session time coming to an end we shut the nets and took down. We were helped by Teresa’s partner, Andy and by David’s dad, Trevor, so it was done very quickly, and I got away from site just before 13:00.
All in all, an enjoyable session. I had hoped to set nets in the orchard area, and we might have caught a few Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers, but many of the team were away and I decided it is better to be safe than under pressure! As it was, the Wren that I had to extract was the most difficult extraction I have had to do for years. Fortunately, it was robust, and I was reasonably dexterous, and manged to identify just how it had managed to wrap itself in three pockets of the net, twisting the net around its wings or legs as it went through each pocket: I could not have tied it in more complexly if I had tried! I am quite proud of myself: it was safe and flew off strongly after having been processed, and I did not have to cut a dirty great hole in my net to release it.
Ringing In The Braydon Forest & Beyond 