We run a Pied Flycatcher RAS on our nest box schemes in 12 upland woodlands in the Lune valley North Lancashire. This year saw a record population with 90 occupied boxes four up on 2014. It was rather a mixed season with 51 successful nests compared to 77 in 2014. Two of the larger woods suffered predation of eggs and young probably by weasels. In one wood only part of the wood was affected. In two woods, young died about a week after hatching suggesting a shortage of caterpillars. In one of these woods the four pairs nesting in the mature alder part of the wood lost their broods but the one in the oak section reared six young. Brood size overall was also down from 6.9 last year to 5.4 this year but we managed to ring 293 nestlings.
We re-trapped a total of 85 birds from previous year's ringing. Of the 53 originally ringed as nestling in the valley, 15 returned to nest in their natal wood and 27 moved to other woods within the Lune valley and 11 either moved outside the valley to breed or had been ringed as nestlings outside the valley. One of these had been ringed in a nestbox in Wales 242 km SSW.
Of adults 27 returned to breed in the same wood and just 5 moved to a new wood within the valley.
John
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