Now got all the results in for our Pied Flycatcher RAS based in 20 upland woods in the Lune Valley. We had 104 occupied nest boxes four down on 2018 but success rate was better with 79 producing young compared to 68 last year. Predation was as usual patchy with one wood losing all its young probably to a weasel while other woods had a 90%+ success rate
The Group also has other boxes in the Bowland area and in total we recorded 1020 handling made up of 821 nestlings 82 new adults and 117 retraps. This is 195 up on 2018.
Retraps followed the usual pattern with a few ringed as nestlings returning to their native wood , but most moving to other woods within the Lune valley or Bowland. While adults generally stayed faithful to the same wood each year.
We do though get birds ringed as nestlings elsewhere breeding in our area with two from North Yorkshire and one from Durham this year. But most surprising was one ringed as a nestling near Swansea South Wales in 2016. It was found as a breeding female in the Lune valley this year ,a movement of 275 km
John
