An interesting month for the group:
Added to the list compared to last year were: Canada Goose, Kestrel, Linnet, Magpie, Redwing and Siskin. Missing from last year’s list were Collared Dove, Green Woodpecker, Jay, Kingfisher and Marsh Tit. The lack of Marsh Tit is almost certainly down to the simple fact that I did no woodland ringing this month.
Andy has had an absolute monopoly of the Starlings this month: all 53 were caught in what it, essentially, his back garden! I might have been able to add a few but it has been too windy “up north” for me to open the nets in my garden. Not only that but he caught the Siskin there as well.
Jonny and I were both very lucky this month and got to ring a brood of Kestrels each. It took my haul of pullus Kestrels ringed from one, as a trainee back in June 2010, to six. It took Jonny’s from none to six in two months!
A civilised way to ring Kestrel chicks: in the garden with tea and biscuits to follow, for me, Dad brought the chicks a vole soon after they were returned to the nest.
It was a good month for Barn Owl and Swallow chicks being ringed. The Barn Owls look as though they are in for a good year: nearly every box with young chicks in had a larder of mice and voles. We ringed another five today! Given how virtually everyone has remarked upon how low Swallow numbers appear to be, there were a lot ringed last month, and I am hopeful that we will get good numbers for July as well.
Migrant warbler numbers were interesting: Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Lesser Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and Willow Warbler numbers were up, Reed Warbler numbers were down and Garden Warbler and Whitethroat numbers were on a par with last year.
And now to the bird of the month: the Redwing that Jonny caught at Langford Lakes on the 12th of the month. Either the latest leaver, or the earliest returner ever recorded in the county. Not only that: the fattest ever recorded as well. There have been a number of 80+g birds recorded but, out of the 3,475 previous records, none have been heavier than 86g. This porker weighed in at 97.8g. It clearly fits within acceptable parameters in DemOn, as the weight wasn’t queried, besides Jonny is scrupulous in his accuracy of recording. Perhaps that’s why it didn’t get very far on migration!
As part of my having taken on the C-permit holders of the Salisbury Plain Ringing Group, I spent sessions on Salisbury Plain with the new head honcho, Richard Clayton, and one of my new crew, Jon Pepper. Then, later in the month, I went out with another of the C’s, Jon Keepen, at the Cumberwell Park Golf Club. It was absolutely fascinating watching them work. The three that I have seen at work are all very competent in their handling of even the most feisty, close to fledging, raptor chicks. Not only that but I got to ring my first ever Little Owl:
In terms of our overall figures, this year is turning out to be our best yet.
Nearly 1,000 more birds ringed in the first half of this year than any before. That is not all down to the expanded activity with nest recording and ringing, but it is a sizeable chunk. What is clear is that we are doing well in species variety. The following table shows the number of species caught for the first six months of each years since 1st January 2013.
Given that we are a land-locked county and have just one site on the edge of the Cotswold Water Park, Lower Moor Farm, plus Langford Lakes in the Warminster area, and we don’t target waterfowl at either, the variety is rather pleasing.
Ringing In The Braydon Forest & Beyond 