With over 450 handled so far this year,Siskin still head the Group's ringing totals. The cold spring has held them in gardens. Spring passage usually ceases by mid April but they are still being caught at our two main sites Andrew's and Mark's gardens.
A recent batch of recoveries included five reports of Siskin. the outstanding one was a juvenile ringed in our area on 20th June 2011 was found dying in Quebriac Ille-et-Vilaine France on 10th March 2013. 638 km south.This bird was almost certainly bred in our area , part of the small but expanding breeding population. This is only our second recovery of a Siskin in France. The previous one was ringed in the same area in France on 1st April 2002 and caught in Andrew's garden almost two years later to the day. Another juvenile bird ringed on 14th July in Marks garden was found wintering in Wiltshire, again this was probably a locally bred bird.
A bird ringed in Thetford Norfolk on 13 March 2010 was caught on 12the February 2103 in Marks garden and was our first Siskin from Norfolk
John
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Friday, 26 April 2013
Bearded Tits Do it Again
Spent a wonderful two hours this morning watching a pair of Bearded Tits feeding their well grown young in one of our reed wigwam nest boxes at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve. The weather was fine when I set out but it started to rain and the change in behavior was interesting. Despite the young being well feathered and ca three days off fledging, and in the nest box they are completely sheltered from the rain, the adults still spent quite some time brooding once the rain started.. Most natural nest sites are open to the weather so they would need to provide some cover in these circumstances. What an advantage in this cold spring these nest boxes must be! The adults had no problems finding food, the reed bed was alive with flying insects.
My main reason for watching was to obtain the colour ring combinations of the adults as part of our long running population study on this fascinating species. The female was no problem, orange over red on the left leg and orange over BTO ring on the right. The male also had orange over BTO on the right and I eventually got the left leg combinations purple over yellow.
When I got back home, my data base revealed that they had both been ringed as juveniles in 2011, both were sighted on the grit trays on many occasions in the autumn of 2011 but never together. However in the 2012 autumn they were seen together acting as a pair on 15 occasions between 28th September and 21 November. A phone call to Alan Gallagher and he e-mailed the attached picture of these two birds together, one of five photos he had taken in early November 2012 on the grit trays. Another case of birds staying in pairs throughout the autumn and winter.
The RSPB have a Web camera on this nest so you can watch the action on the Leighton Moss Web Site.
John
My main reason for watching was to obtain the colour ring combinations of the adults as part of our long running population study on this fascinating species. The female was no problem, orange over red on the left leg and orange over BTO ring on the right. The male also had orange over BTO on the right and I eventually got the left leg combinations purple over yellow.
When I got back home, my data base revealed that they had both been ringed as juveniles in 2011, both were sighted on the grit trays on many occasions in the autumn of 2011 but never together. However in the 2012 autumn they were seen together acting as a pair on 15 occasions between 28th September and 21 November. A phone call to Alan Gallagher and he e-mailed the attached picture of these two birds together, one of five photos he had taken in early November 2012 on the grit trays. Another case of birds staying in pairs throughout the autumn and winter.
The RSPB have a Web camera on this nest so you can watch the action on the Leighton Moss Web Site.
John
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Bearded Tits Paired for Life?
Our first young Bearded Tits of the year should fledge shortly, we ringed the first brood this morning. We read the colour ring combinations of one pair with young and found they were both ringed as juveniles in summer 2011. In the following winter they were seen together on the grit trays on seven occasions acting as a pair. We never located them during the 2012 breeding season but on 28th September 2012 they were back at the grit trays together and were seen together again acting as a pair on six occasions during the next two months. Alan Gallagher's photo shows them together on the grit tray on November 8th 2012.
We have had several similar observations of other pairs all suggesting that Bearded Tits remain as a pair throughout the year.
John
We have had several similar observations of other pairs all suggesting that Bearded Tits remain as a pair throughout the year.
John
Friday, 19 April 2013
Siskins Head the Ringing Totals
With 1487 birds ringed so far this year it came as something of a surprise to find Siskin top of the list with 373 ringed to date. All have been ringed in gardens and remained there in numbers until the milder weather of the last few days. This compares with 172 in the whole of 2012 showing what a good season it has been for this species.
Of the 373 caught 12 birds were already ringed so we look forward to getting full details in time. Previous recoveries of birds caught in our area in late winter/early spring have been mainly from wintering sites in the south of England ranging from Suffolk and Kent through to Hampshire. These birds are heading for the breeding areas in Northern Scotland (10 recoveries) or Southern Scotland (7 recoveries) with one killed by a cat in southern Sweden.
In total we have had 68 retraps. Almost all were within a few days of ringing. But five had been ringed in the east of our area in Bowland in the previous July and August and retrapped in February and March in the same area. Siskins have recently colonised our area and appear to be spreading into the many maturing conifer forests so may feature more in our future ringing.
Of the 373 caught 12 birds were already ringed so we look forward to getting full details in time. Previous recoveries of birds caught in our area in late winter/early spring have been mainly from wintering sites in the south of England ranging from Suffolk and Kent through to Hampshire. These birds are heading for the breeding areas in Northern Scotland (10 recoveries) or Southern Scotland (7 recoveries) with one killed by a cat in southern Sweden.
In total we have had 68 retraps. Almost all were within a few days of ringing. But five had been ringed in the east of our area in Bowland in the previous July and August and retrapped in February and March in the same area. Siskins have recently colonised our area and appear to be spreading into the many maturing conifer forests so may feature more in our future ringing.
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Colour Ringed Avocet Returns
The colour ringed Avocet which bred on the Allen Pool at Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve last year has returned this week. It was originally ringed as a nestling at Bas Boulais Saint-Molf France on 30th June 2008. It spent its first winter quite close to the ringing site. In 2009 it was sighted from the 2nd of April to 21 December again within the same area. In 2010 it also occurred in the same area from 4th March to 22nd of December. It was not sighted at all in 2011 but arrived at the Allen Pool in late March 2012 and bred successfully rearing three young. We have been in contact with the ringer in France and hope to get further details of any recent sightings.
Thanks to Brian Howson for the photograph.
John
Saturday, 30 March 2013
How good are you at ageing/sexing Twite?
The Heysham wintering Twite, with perhaps a mix of larger north Scottish birds and smaller south Scottish/the odd Pennine bird are not easy to age/sex. Have a go at these. Wing length given as a clue/misleader.
All these pics were taken on 29th March 2013
Please dont respond with a 'Comment' as this might influence others. Please post to Pete Marsh at PMrsh123@aol.com
Please do comment on the pics and please say whether you want to remain anonymous when I post the answers & your comments in about a month's time. Thanks.
All these pics were taken on 29th March 2013
Please dont respond with a 'Comment' as this might influence others. Please post to Pete Marsh at PMrsh123@aol.com
Please do comment on the pics and please say whether you want to remain anonymous when I post the answers & your comments in about a month's time. Thanks.
Pic one:Wing length 76mm
Pic 2:Wing 78 mm
Pic 3:Wing 76mm
Pic 4: Due to a mix-up, not sure which bird this is!
Pic 5: Wing 79mm
Pic 6: Wing 81mm
Pic 7: Wing 76mm
Monday, 18 March 2013
Feeding Station Statistics
At a recent group meeting we discussed the results of ringing at feeding stations. I analyzed the results from two of our sites. One is a typical small garden in the village of Over Kellet and operated by Andrew. The other which I operate is a woodland station at Teddy Heights near Arnside. The results for some of the species caught this winter compared with the previous five winters are given below. Ringing effort has been roughly similar over the years.
Coal Tit.
This winter has seen the largest catches to date at both sites with Teddy Heights at 164 being 34 up on the five year average and Over Kellet at 40 compared with 22. At both sites there was a very marked influx from September on right through until late December . Numbers then declined until a small further influx in early March. A first calendar year bird caught at Teddy Heights had been ringed 63 km to the north in Cumbria in early October giving some clue as to where these birds come from. The oldest bird caught was three years and 28 days after ringing
Blue Tit
The 120 caught at Teddy Heights was the lowest number over the 20 years I have been operating the site and was well down on the average of 180 of recent years. By contrast Over Kellet at 145 was only 14 down on recent averages. Data from the Groups nest box studies suggested rather poor productivity last spring and the poor summer and autumn weather would probably not have helped survival. The oldest bird recaptured was eight years and 15 days after ringing.
Great Tit
The Teddy Heights catch at 84 was well down on the recent average of 141. The smaller sample at Over Kellet at 28 was only slightly down on recent years. Again nest box studies suggested well below average productivity. The oldest bird was five years and 115 days after ringing.
Chaffinch
Total catches at both sites were slightly up on recent years, suggesting a good population. The oldest bird was six years and 12 days.
Greenfinch
This species is only captured in numbers at Over Kellet. The population was quite high until a collapse in the 08/09 winter reaching a low of only 15 in the 09/10 winter. It was thought the the disease Trichomonosis was the cause of the decline. However they then bounced back to a total of 142 in both of the next two winters. But this winter has seen a decline again to only 33.
Goldfinch
This attractive species has been the star turn at Over Kellet with 144 caught, slightly up on the average catch of recent years although somewhat down on the 250 recorded in the 2010-11 winter. One notable feature of the catch is the low re-trap rate with very few returning in successive winters. Of 1244 ringed over the last 12 years only three have returned in successive years.
Bullfinch
This species first started visiting feeders at Over Kellet in the 2006/.07 winter and ten were caught. They fluctuated over the next few winters to reach a peak of 43 in the 2011/12 winter. This winter though they have declined with only three caught. At Teddy Heights in a Bullfinch breeding habitat the numbes were around the average.
John
Coal Tit.
This winter has seen the largest catches to date at both sites with Teddy Heights at 164 being 34 up on the five year average and Over Kellet at 40 compared with 22. At both sites there was a very marked influx from September on right through until late December . Numbers then declined until a small further influx in early March. A first calendar year bird caught at Teddy Heights had been ringed 63 km to the north in Cumbria in early October giving some clue as to where these birds come from. The oldest bird caught was three years and 28 days after ringing
Blue Tit
The 120 caught at Teddy Heights was the lowest number over the 20 years I have been operating the site and was well down on the average of 180 of recent years. By contrast Over Kellet at 145 was only 14 down on recent averages. Data from the Groups nest box studies suggested rather poor productivity last spring and the poor summer and autumn weather would probably not have helped survival. The oldest bird recaptured was eight years and 15 days after ringing.
Great Tit
The Teddy Heights catch at 84 was well down on the recent average of 141. The smaller sample at Over Kellet at 28 was only slightly down on recent years. Again nest box studies suggested well below average productivity. The oldest bird was five years and 115 days after ringing.
Chaffinch
Total catches at both sites were slightly up on recent years, suggesting a good population. The oldest bird was six years and 12 days.
Greenfinch
This species is only captured in numbers at Over Kellet. The population was quite high until a collapse in the 08/09 winter reaching a low of only 15 in the 09/10 winter. It was thought the the disease Trichomonosis was the cause of the decline. However they then bounced back to a total of 142 in both of the next two winters. But this winter has seen a decline again to only 33.
Goldfinch
This attractive species has been the star turn at Over Kellet with 144 caught, slightly up on the average catch of recent years although somewhat down on the 250 recorded in the 2010-11 winter. One notable feature of the catch is the low re-trap rate with very few returning in successive winters. Of 1244 ringed over the last 12 years only three have returned in successive years.
Bullfinch
This species first started visiting feeders at Over Kellet in the 2006/.07 winter and ten were caught. They fluctuated over the next few winters to reach a peak of 43 in the 2011/12 winter. This winter though they have declined with only three caught. At Teddy Heights in a Bullfinch breeding habitat the numbes were around the average.
John
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