Nuthatch Project Latest Report

The Group started colour ringing Nuthatch in spring 2015 with the view to starting an RAS (Retrapping Adults for Survival) on this species.Our activities have been centered round the well wooded Silverdale area where we have two feeding stations and seven nest box schemes. In total we have colour ringed 75 birds of which 44 have been nestlings.

Most of the adults have been ringed in Jerry and Barbara's woodland edge garden. They have meticulously recorded almost daily sightings. Between mid August and early April we colour ringed 22 adults there.Of the 16 ringed in August and September 2015 no fewer than 11 were still visiting the feeders a year later. This gives a yearly survival of 69.8%. We have had five ringing sessions in their garden since late summer and have only retrapped two giving a survival rate of only 12.5%. Certainly shows the value of colour ringing and close observation and recording and plenty of bird food!.

We did however catch and colour ring seven new birds on our five ringing sessions. Obviously young birds moving in. Two of them were from the same brood and had been ringed in a nest box two km. away. A bird ringed for the first time in late February and not seen again was sighted at feeders 3 km away from July on.
John
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