In A Ringer's Garden

I’ve been marooned indoors most of the weekend, followed by a Monday of mostly rain when birding didn’t appeal. Instead I completed a few chores and then relaxed at home, even tried a little garden ringing between showers. Apart from a few unwary Goldfinch and a pair of resident Blackbirds that blundered into the single net while chasing around, nothing else played ball. The camera proved more effective in capturing birds than the single 40ft net I employ. 

I suppose I was trying to catch a few of the Lesser Redpoll that I’ve seen about the garden for a week or more, a species yet to appear in my home ringing list. It’s hard to tell if the handful of redpolls have been are involved, but at this time of year it seems unlikely when large numbers of them are speeding north. I finally managed to get a few pictures of this scarce garden visitor by moving the bird feeder closer to the downstairs bedroom window. The feeder is filled with a mix of niger and millet, with the redpolls seeming to prefer the black stuff. 

Lesser Redpoll

Lesser Redpoll

Over a cup of coffee the IPMR ringing database told me how many of each species I have caught in the garden by occasional ringing since moving here in late 1990. I found one or two surprises amongst the almost 600 birds of 25 species.  Click the table below to see it larger.

Garden Birds

Goldfinches are the most abundant visitor, so much so that the once plentiful House Sparrow is now just an occasional visitor. The Goldfinch is way ahead as the most ringed bird and although as a partial migrant species I do try and catch them when they are around in numbers, the total of 217 ringed a true reflection of their profusion in recent years. 

Goldfinch

Just 15 Chaffinch came as a shock as the species is fairly common in the garden, but upon reflection they do tend to appear in tiny and often unexpected handfuls, mostly mopping up under the feeders. In comparison Goldfinches often swarm over the feeders and can number up to 15/20 at a time. 

Chaffinch

The traditional garden birds of Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits feature well along with a good number of the less typical garden dweller the Coal Tit. 

I was pleased to see the Blackbird total at a healthy 56 including some nestlings, but disappointed to see just a single Song Thrush in the list. This is yet another reflection of how a once common garden bird has declined. More than one pair of Blackbirds is busily feeding young just now; the male below caused a rumpus today when a robber Magpie came by. 

Blackbird

Note the odd one out in the list, a single Swallow, a juvenile bird caught by hand in the partly constructed house when Swallows took up residence before us in late 1990. The builder kindly let the Swallows finish their family before fitting the front door.

Swallows

The ones that got away? I well remember a Woodcock which flapped from the net before I could reach it, not to mention the more than one occasion when a Sparrowhawk did the same, including today. 

You can't win 'em all.

Linking today to World Bird Wednesday.

Blown Away

The forecast was pretty good so I decided to head for Oakenclough and do a little ringing. Unfortunately and after a calm enough start, the easterly wind increased beyond expectations and I was forced to pack in having ringed just 8 birds: 2 Willow Warbler, 2 Lesser Redpoll , 3 Siskin and 1 Goldfinch. 

The Willow Warblers were my first of the year, two males of at least seven singing males on the site. Both Siskins and Lesser Redpolls have tailed off from recent highs with very few seen. There was a Chiffchaff on site as well as a Redstart but neither found the nets. 

Willow Warbler

Siskin

Siskin

Lesser Redpoll

It was on 31st March 2016 that Andy and I caught a Lesser Redpoll wearing Ring Number S109508, not one of our own ring series. It turned out via the BTO that the redpoll had been ringed in another ringer’s garden just 26 days earlier in Swinton, Greater Manchester, 52 kms south east of Oakenclough. This may not be the most exciting result from catching an already ringed Lesser Redpoll but this individual was almost certainly in the throes of migration on both 5th March and 31st March and remains at large to provide more data at later times should it be recaptured again. 

Lesser Redpoll - Greater Manchester to Oakenclough

We still have another outstanding Lesser Redpoll (D700 etc), this one caught on 18th March and for which we await information from the BTO. 

On the way home I stopped near Nateby to watch a displaying Buzzard when two Barn Owls arrived on the scene. Both were hunting very actively at 11am. When one caught a rat and carried it across two fields towards distant buildings, I wondered whether the owls might have young. It is not totally unknown that Barn Owls have youngsters so early in the year particularly following a mild winter, but if so the owlets will be quite small yet. 

Barn Owl

Barn Owl

Barn Owl

It was a shame the ringing was curtailed but as readers know there’s always another day with Another Bird Blog. Don’t miss it.

Linking today to Anni's Birding and Eileen's Saturday Blog.

Canadian Nostalgia

A blogging pal of mine David Gascoigne who lives in Ontario recently posted A Day at Long Point,  words and pictures of a visit he made to Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO), 130 kms south of his home. He kindly mentioned Another Bird Blog in his post, knowing that I visited Long Point some years back (1989 and 1990) when I spent 7 weeks as a bird banding volunteer. 

Since 1960, Long Point Bird Observatory LPBO has operated a research station at the eastern tip of Long Point where scientists study migration (bird, bat and insect) and other aspects of natural history. The observatory opens some of its accommodations to visitors interested in joining in the research, education, and training programs. The point itself is the longest (about 40 km) freshwater sand spit in the world and is the most remote wilderness location in southern Ontario and a Globally Important Bird Area of 400 + species. 

 Long Point, Canada - courtesy of Birds Canada

For David, and as a bout of pure nostalgia on my own behalf I am posting a number of pictures from the two visits. The years 1989 and 1990 were pre-digital cameras and the pictures posted here were taken with slide film and a 35mm Pentax Me Super. After being stored in a cardboard box for many years the slides were eventually transposed via a not very good slide copier into digital images, hence the very poor pictures for which I apologise. However the species encountered and pictured here together with the memories they invoke more than make up for the poor images, although none would pass muster for a present day blog other than this self-indulgent post. 

The pictures were taken at two LPBO field stations, Breakwater and Old Cut. Breakwater is an hour or more boat journey across Lake Erie and about 8km from the observatory base station of Old Cut. The Breakwater station was, and I believe still is, a very small cabin with bunks and mattresses for up to 4 people in one tiny communal bedroom. In April and May it was very cold, even with four bodies crammed into the miniscule space, the occupants sleeping in daytime clothes to ward off the icy nights. We bathed in the great outdoors where the outside toilet overlooking Lake Erie marshes provided a unique place from which to engender a somewhat original bird list. 

Banding at Long Point

Breakwater cabin - Long Point

The working base of Long Point, the Old Cut Research, Education and Training Centre now includes a comfortable house with all the amenities, research laboratories and specimen collection, visitor centre and even the LPBO Shoppe (not in my day). There is a small library, living room, office space, laboratory and 5 bedrooms with bunks. The odds are that visitors will share a bedroom with members of the opposite sex at any of the three field stations. Many a good friendship blossomed at LPBO. 

Below are just some of the species encountered at Long Point, Canada. 

Cardinal

Cerulean Warbler

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Hooded Warbler

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Wilson's Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Yellow-breasted Chat

Whip-poor-will

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Wood Thrush

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Black and White Warbler

Scarlet Tanager

Red-eyed Vireo

Tennessee Warbler

Baltimore Oriole

Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Indigo Bunting

Blackpoll Warbler

Great-horned Owl

pellet - Great-horned Owl

Thanks for jogging my memory David. Should you revisit LPBO again soon I hope you can join in banding that wonderful array of spring warblers. Better still, make sure you get to handle lots of Cardinals and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. 

The flag of Canada

Most of all, please pass on best wishes to my Canadian friends and to Canada. 

Fat Is Good

In amongst the 60+ Siskins caught since Christmas at Oakenclough have been a number with visible fat reserves. Ringers regularly check the birds they handle for visible fat, especially during the winter or at times of migration when high scores can indicate that an individual is in the process of migrating or building up reserves during a bad spell of cold weather. One memorable Siskin of 31st March 2016 tipped the scales at 16.2 grams - Another Bird Blog.

It’s not often there are Siskins in my garden, even in a “Siskin Winter”, a year when the species becomes especially numerous in the early months of the year. If it was going to happen again then 2016 would be likely as good numbers have been reported in many parts of the UK, more so in recent days as large numbers of migratory Siskins head north. 

Today I caught another fat Siskin, a second year female, this time in the garden. This lovely lady weighed a stupendous 16.8 grams, amazing when you think a tiny Siskin normally weighs between 11 and 12 grams. It becomes more remarkable when considering that the bird probably accumulated this amount of extra fat in just a couple of days of short refuelling stops and increased her weight by 30 - 40%. For migrating birds ... it pays to be fat! 

Siskin - second year female at 16.8 gms

Siskin - second year female

Research has shown the strategy allows them to reach their breeding grounds faster and claim the best nesting sites. Small migratory birds sometimes need to take a break to replenish their fat reserves, especially after crossing vast oceans or deserts. Factors known to influence the length of these stopovers are the weather, food availability and internal factors such as a genetically programmed urge to continue the journey. 

The last time I witnessed the build-up of Siskin fat reserves was in the early part of 2011, the last "Siskin Winter" when Will and I caught good numbers in a Garstang garden. Garstang is just a few miles from the current ringing site of Oakenclough, one of the reasons that we chose to re-establish a ringing site here when Will moved from the old location.

In early 2011 we caught 258 new Siskins - 53 in January, 71 in February and 134 in March.  During March it was noticeable that the Siskins were heavier than in previous months and that many carried visible fat for migration purposes.

Average monthly weights:
• January 12.4 grams
• February 12.5 grams
• March 12.9 grams

The ranges in weights were:
• January 10.9 - 15 grams
• February10.9 - 14.9 grams
• March 10.6 - 15.7 grams.

In the garden at home this past weekend the normally ever present Goldfinches have mostly moved out, replaced by small numbers of Siskins and Lesser Redpolls, although both species moved quickly on after devouring quantities of Niger seed. 

Siskin

Goldfinch

Last week’s Nuthatches seems not to have stayed and I fear that something happened to the female when the male continued singing loudly into the third day but nest box activity ceased. It was good while it lasted.

Linking today to World Bird Wednesday.

Village Scenes

The last five days week we’ve had the lot - spells of sunshine, hail stones, rain and blustery wind, then finishing off the week with fog. I set off early thinking the rising sun would burn off the fog quickly but it didn’t. As I drove through Pilling village there was a Barn Owl ghosting through the damp air. With the non-stop traffic rushing for work and Lancaster City I dare not stop. 

I parked up at Lane Ends and debated whether to continue driving or to go for a walk. Woodpigeons had decided to sit it out and not go anywhere for a while. There was a male Pied Wagtail on duty at the entrance to the car park.

Woodpigeon

Pied Wagtail

At Wrampool there were Reed Bunting and Meadow Pipit, and from their demeanour, both on territory. 

The visibility at Conder Green was really bad although lots of the usual stuff was reasonably close and visible. I picked up on a Common Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Redshank, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Grey Heron, a dozen or more Redshank, 12 Oystercatcher, 4 Shelduck, a single Snipe and 2 Goosander. In the “small“ category came 2 Pied Wagtail, 1 Reed Bunting, 4 Goldfinch, 3 Chaffinch and 2 Greenfinch. There was a Barn Owl here too, this one doing as the earlier one by appearing out of the murk and then vanishing out over the mist laden marsh. 

I was getting nowhere fast so I drove back towards Knott End village where the coast was clearer but cold. I parked the new Ferrari in a quiet spot where it couldn’t get damaged and then sat on the sea wall. It was from here and as the tide rolled in that I counted 290 Oystercatcher, 12 Redshank, 4 Bar-tailed Godwit, 1 Grey Heron, 2 Eider and 3 Cormorant. Somewhere was a Sandwich Tern calling, so possibly more than one but I couldn’t find the bird(s). 

Ferrari

A walk up river produced a Chiffchaff alongside the golf course, 2 Pied Wagtails, a Wheatear close to the old cottages and a single Meadow Pipit on the tidal defences. Across the river and at Fleetwood I could see a male Peregrine way up on the old RoRo terminal where it sheltered from the cold wind while retaining a view of the whole estuary. A wise bird. 

Wheatear

Meadow Pipit

Peregrine Falcon

Regular readers will know that I occasionally picture the village of Knott End just a mile or two from my home. The village is situated at the mouth of the Wyre Estuary at the extreme south and west of Morecambe Bay and just across the water from the historic fishing port of Fleetwood. Below is a video of the journey we sometimes make across the water where gulls, a variety of waders and seabirds like Cormorant, Eider, Little Egret and Grey Heron can be seen. Watch closely, there’s a Little Egret near the start of the video.

 

Back home. It's two-thirty and the sun is out. I just counted 7 Buzzards high over Stalmine village where I live, where a few Buzzards breed and where folk stop to say “hello”.

That’s village life for you.

Linking today to Anni's Birding and  Eileen's Saturday.

Nut Case

Nuthatches are fairly uncommon close to where I live but unexpectedly I have previously caught a couple when ringing everyday garden birds like Goldfinch, Dunnock and Blackbird. 

Nuthatch

On Tuesday there was a very vocal Nuthatch in the big sycamore in a neighbour’s garden, calling, whistling and generally shouting “this is my territory”. I thought no more about it until sat in the afternoon April sunshine when a bird flew from the said sycamore and landed in an ancient damson tree at the bottom of our unremarkable garden. Yes, the damson tree which hosts a beat up old nest box that is rarely occupied from one year to the next.

So to cut a long story short, I now have two Nuthatches nest building at the bottom of my garden, a very welcome first. Wednesday, and watching from the conservatory the two are still at it but in a less active manner during what is a cold and showery day.

Nuthatch - Photo: Sergey Yeliseev via Foter.com/CC BY-NC-ND 

To put this record into a local context the Nuthatch is far from common in this part of coastal Fylde, where there is a lack of suitable mature woodland, an absence which limits the species’ ability to increase its local population. Although Nuthatches are resident all year round they have a somewhat patchy breeding distribution related to their habitat requirements. 

If all goes according to a normal timetable I should BE ringing the youngsters by early to mid-May.

There's more nut case birding very soon. Be sure not to miss it.