Martin News

We received information about the French ringed Sand Martin 8911708 Paris we caught at the Cockerham colony on 4 June 2022, the martin identified then as a breeding male ( 4 ♂ ). 

4 June 2022

Paris 8911708

Adult Sand Martin

At the time we assumed it had been ringed along the Atlantic coast of France but a detail that surprised us was not the place of ringing, Chenac-Saint-Seurin-d'Uzet, Charente-Maritime, but rather, the early date of the capture as 17 July 2021.  At that time it was a juvenile of the year 2021 so must have left its place of birth quite early before flying over the English Channel and then to South West France in the early part of July. 

Sand Martin 8911708

 

The BTO Migration Atlas tells us that young Sand Martins continue to roost in their birth tunnels or adjacent ones for several weeks before their gradual dispersal to other roosts and other colonies during their familiarisation period. This is a time of life that helps their return in the following year when they choose a place in which to breed, a location that is usually close to their place of birth. 

The summer of 2021 was an especially poor one of rain, below average temperatures and lack of food when the Cockerham colony, perhaps along with others colonies, appeared to abandon their nests early. We have no way of knowing for sure if the wet and cold summer contributed to the early capture of 8911708 so early in July 2021 but it almost certainly played a part. 

Juvenile Sand Martin

 

Duration: 322 days Distance: 951 km Direction: 352deg (N). 

The week has not been helpful to ringing with strong winds on most days. Saturday and all of next week are looking much more helpful. 

And the week after next will be our last visit to the Sand Martins before they all fly south again. Hopefully we can increase our total of 160 captures for 2022 and gather more information about the fascinating lifestyle of this species.

Thanks are due to the Parry Family for allowing continued access to the site and for their support in our studies.

Log in soon to Another Bird Blog for more news, views and photos. 

Linking this weekend to Eileen's Blogspot and Anni in Texas.

A French Bonus

Saturday. The bright, sunny, and wind-free morning was perfect for a return to the Sand Martin colony at Cockerham where a motionless mist net would be hidden in the shade of the quarry face. 

Andy and I had decided to return knowing that unlike the last visit, there would be youngsters this time.  At first we caught no young, just adults coming and going on their early morning forays. 

Very soon along came “MUSEUM PARIS” with number 8998514, an adult female. The French ringed Sand Martin was a bonus, almost certainly ringed at Loire Atlantique where the River Lore meets the Atlantic Ocean, where ringers catch large numbers of migrating Sand Martins  on their journeys to and from Africa. 

Sand Martin

An hour or so later we’d caught 31 Sand Martins - 24 new ones, 6 recaptures, and Paris 8998514. Included in the 24 new Sand Martins were 11 birds of the year (juveniles) the remainder all adults. All are now on the database and with luck we should receive details of the French ringed one from the French ringing scheme soon. 

Sand Martin - juvenile

Sand Martin - juvenile

 

The martins kept us both fairly busy in taking them from our single 60 foot net and then processing each one by age, sex, breeding condition, wing and weight.  

Wing lengths varied with the shortest juvenile wing length of 84mm and then up to 105, the tinier wing lengths an indication of their age. During database input three of the juveniles threw up a DemOn message as potential errors on wing length measurement. The measurements were correct  and provided a clue to the fact that the young martins were very recently fledged and yet to complete their growth to adulthood.       

Meanwhile adult wings ranged from 103 to 111mm. The eleven juveniles weighed consistently heavier than the adults so it looks like the current fine weather is producing plenty of insect food. Juveniles - 12.3gms to 14.6gms adults from 11.8gms to 13.8gms. 

There was little time for birding except to note two pairs of Oystercatcher and a single but vocal Whooper Swan, the latter a left over from winter. By rights the Whooper Swan should now be several hundred miles away in Iceland. 

Whooper Swan

A pair of Little Ringed Plovers flew in briefly but left quickly when the resident pair of Oystercatchers started throwing their weight around. We think the plovers flew off in the direction of Conder Green where at least one has been present since April without any reports of breeding success.  

Little Ringed Plover

Back home in the garden there was a nest full of 5 Greenfinch chicks at an ideal age for ringing. 

It’s good to report that around here at least Greenfinches are doing better than for a number of years. The songs and calls of Greenfinches are back on the soundtrack of garden birds and I do think we have a small colony of the species in local gardens and hedgerows. 

“Trichomonosis is the name given to a disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas gallinae. It has been recorded in a number of garden bird species and is widely acknowledged to be the causal factor in the rapid decline of the British Greenfinch population first noted in late summer 2006.” 

 

Greenfinch

Let’s hope that Greenfinches are making a real comeback. A cause for celebration.