With it scheduled to be hot again today I decided that it would be best to head into some woodlands this morning. Our woodland catches have not been great recently, so I had a look at the history of the woodland sites in July and worked out the average catch sizes. This showed that the Firs and Somerford Common average 34 birds per session in July, Ravensroost Wood produces 24 birds per session and Red Lodge and Webb’s Wood average just 23 birds per session in July. Because of that, I decided to have a go at the Firs for only the third time since it was reopened to ringing.
I was joined at 6:00 by Rosie, Laura, Adam and Sarah for the morning, with Rosie heading off at 9:45, getting a bit more time today. We set the usual nets down the central glade: 3 x 18m 5-Shelf nets from the bottom of the hill to a spot adjacent to the pond furthest from the road; then 3 x 18m + 1 x 12m nets on the opposite side of the glade, from adjacent to the ponds to as far as they stretched. Everything was set up just before 7:00 and we did our first round soon after. The first round was indicative of what we were in for. It comprised Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Wren and two Blue Tit.
Whilst waiting for the next round we were treated to a Nuthatch show. Sarah first noticed one climbing up a nearby dead tree. We watched as it flew to another tree, where it was joined by another. Then two flew off, but there were still two there. Another two then flew off in a different direction, and there were still two there. It really was excellent: we heard them calling and doing their slow drumming pretty much all morning.
The next round delivered another four Blackcap, a couple of Dunnock and a retrapped Great Tit. Having processed these, we had a few minutes to be entertained by a Treecreeper working its way around the trees just a few feet away from our ringing station.
Each round was different, the biggest catch being 15 at 9:35. As with my session at Brown’s Farm yesterday, I planned to shut the nets at 11:00, before the heat became too oppressive. This is exactly what we did after a much better session than we have been used to in the woodlands recently. This was the catch: Blue Tit 2[15](1); Great Tit (1); Marsh Tit [1](1); Wren 1[4]; Dunnock 1[1]; Robin [3]; Blackbird [3]; Blackcap 2[11]; Garden Warbler [1]; Chiffchaff [4]; Chaffinch 1[2]. Totals: 7 adults ringed from 5 species, 45 juveniles ringed from 10 species and 3 birds retrapped from 3 species, making 55 birds processed from 11 species.
There was a lot to enjoy in today’s catch: a new Marsh Tit colour ringed, an adult female Chaffinch with two juveniles all from the same net but, mainly, constantly active with reasonable catches for each net check round, from first to last.
As scheduled, we shut the nets at 11:00 and took down, leaving site by 11:30. After a busy few days, and a twist of my weak right ankle to boot, I plan to do very little now until Sunday. Saturday morning is going to be wet, so that suits me, although Saturday evening I am helping out at the Care Farm at Lower Moro Farm, running my moth trap and bat detecting for the children who use the Care Farm.
Ringing In The Braydon Forest & Beyond 