An interesting month: if incredibly frustrating (and expensive) for me personally. Without moaning on about it any more: the details are on my 31st May blog post! The weather was a bit weird: a couple of weeks of dry heat and sun, a few days of wind and rain, then back to sun and strong winds, particularly in my part of the county. I don’t think that I would have been able to set nets in the last 10 days even if I had a vehicle to get to site. I think most people were affected, excluding Jonny’s pullus ringing, we only managed 16 full and proper sessions plus one composite from Andy’s forays into his garden.
Added to the list for this month were adult Collared Dove, Grasshopper Warbler and Stonechat plus Jackdaw and Swallow pulli. However, missing from the list were Bullfinch, Coal Tit, Grey Wagtail, Jay, Spotted Flycatcher and Tawny Owl adults, plus two Canada Geese youngsters and a brood of six Kestrel chicks. That said, Ellie L. got to ring her first Tawny Owl and two Kestrel chicks on our trip out with the Salisbury Plain Raptor Ringing Group. She also ringed her fist Jackdaw chick on our box checking expedition (just before the car stranded us).
Jonny was, once again, hugely busy ringing Blue Tit, Great Tit, Swallow and Tree Sparrow pulli. Nearly the same numbers as last year, just a different mix: more Blue Tits and fewer Great Tits the key difference.
Talking of chicks: Ian ringed four of these beauties:
Their numbers are growing on the Plain but they are also spreading. According to correspondence that I had with the warden at RSPB Winterbourne Downs, they have four pairs nesting on their reserve this summer, alongside a few of these:
Again, ringed at three sites around the county. Two of them were also recaptured after having been ringed last month, so hopeful signs for survival.
Not in the same class as those above but I was very happy to get these in the Firs:
One other issue: Barn Owls – nesting efforts so far have proven to be non-existent on Salisbury Plain and in the Lower Wylye Valley. Like in the Braydon Forest: a few pairs in boxes but no real sign of eggs, and certainly no chicks to be found so far this year. Last year we had eight active nests in May, we actually ringed one brood and a couple of adults in May, the Salisbury Plain team ringed 16 broods in May last year but none this May. Hopefully we will find some nesting activity, eggs and, hopefully, some chicks. One good thing about late breeding: the Jackdaws will have finished and their young fledged before the Barn Owls get seriously involved.
It looks like we are heading into some more hot weather so what impact that will have we will find out this month.
Ringing In The Braydon Forest & Beyond 