I have to apologise for the punning title but it is entirely accurate and my neck and scalp are itching just thinking about the encounters. Miranda and I went to Blakehill Farm this morning. We arranged to meet at 7:00, only I woke rather early and got to site at 6:30. It was a good job I woke up early: I had forgotten to set my alarm! Could have been embarrassing. Anyway, we set the following nets:
The reason for the title is as follows, looking across to net set 2 from the track that runs past net set 3:
It doesn’t look too bad from this distance. However, as we got closer:
And looking at the net:
We found this in net rides 2, 3, 4 and 5. Rides 1 and 6 were the only rides that were not affected. It made for a very uncomfortable morning. I am not looking forward to shaking hundreds of dead ants out of the nets next time I open them.
We were joined / monitored for the morning by a small herd of young cattle. Fortunately, they are very docile (and controlled by these new fangled remote control collars) but they were definitely interested in what we were doing. With just the two of us we weren’t looking for a large catch, and in that we weren’t disappointed. I was hoping for Stonechat or Whinchat, perhaps a Redstart (although after three, one in each of our three previous sessions, including one at this part of the site, that’s just being greedy!) and perhaps signs of the odd Meadow Pipit arriving. Unfortunately none of those put in an appearance. However, we did have a decent catch. Once again, we were not inundated with Blue or Great Tits: just one of each.
It was a nice start to the morning, the first bird, a twisty Wren excepted, was a Lesser Whitethroat – and so was the next. It has been a very poor year for catches of these by my team: with none at our usual sites (Lower Moor Farm, Blakehill Farm West and Ravensroost Meadow Pond area) so to catch another two, exactly one month after we caught our first two of the year at Blakehill Farm East was a really pleasant surprise.
However, what was particularly nice this morning were the Goldfinches. I am spoilt: if I want to ring Goldfinch I put a net up in my garden and ring plenty, but the rest of my team don’t get that opportunity very often, so catching nine of them this morning, all in ride 1, was lovely. They have clearly had an extended breeding season this year: three of the birds caught had not yet started their post-fledging moult which suggests that they only left the nest in the last week or two. We did wonder whether the adults had actually nested in the hedgerow: it is a very thick combination of Blackthorn and Hawthorn interlaced with Dog Rose, so pretty predator proof. I might have a look for nest remnants once autumn is over.
Juvenile Goldfinch, Carduelis carduelis
Although the forecast for the morning, in fact, the whole day, was for it to be dry, at 10:30 and later, at 11:45, we did have a few drops of rain: big fat drops but very few of them. The latter started as we were taking down the nets and packing away. With a couple more Chiffchaffs to extract and process whilst we were trying to get the nets away, we finally left site at about 12:30. At least, the plan was that Miranda would leave at that point, to get home for an appointment, whilst I finished putting the ringing station away (okay: sitting down, drinking coffee and having a biscuit whilst thinking about finishing off the clearing away). Unfortunately, the other site owner had locked up after he left from checking his horses and we had a bit of a kerfuffle getting the gate unlocked for her to get away. That is the second time that has happened in our last two visits! The second time it has caused the team issues. I must have a word.
The other thing I need to have words about: there is a model aeroplane club that uses a couple of fields adjacent to the plateau. Their agreement with the landowner and with the Wildlife Trust is that they do not fly their models over the plateau, so they don’t disturb the livestock or the wildlife. Unfortunately, some inconsiderate member of the club decided to start flying his plane out over the plateau. He arrived at 11:00 and was there for about an hour – and our bird numbers fell away whilst he flew it out over the plateau. With our set up, I couldn’t get out to discuss it with him until after we had cleared the ringing station away, by which time he had left site as well.
The list for the day was: Blue Tit [1]; Great Tit 1; Wren [1](2); Dunnock [1]; Lesser Whitethroat [2]; Chiffchaff [6]; Goldfinch 1[8]; Reed Bunting 1[1](1). Totals: 3 adults ringed from 3 species, 20 juveniles ringed from 7 species and 3 birds retrapped from 2 species, making 26 birds processed from 8 species. Of the retrapped birds, the Reed Bunting and one of the Wren’s were both juveniles.
Ringing In The Braydon Forest & Beyond 