Ones And Twos

Friday’s ringing session at Oakenclough began with a cracker of a bird, an immaculate, recently fledged Redstart with a fiery orange tail. 

It’s a species that we rarely catch at Oakenclough, perhaps one or two each year in habitat that lacks the mature birch and oak woodland that Redstarts favour. Such woodland is fairly near and also a couple of miles away on the edge of Bowland from either of which our annual Redstarts may originate. 

Redstart

 

A juvenile Redstart has the blotchy looks and overall demeanour of a juvenile Robin. Without the red tail, a Redstart could impersonate a Robin. The two species share many habits, actions and chat-like behaviour but the Redstart is slightly slimmer and not quite as heavy. 

We started with the firecracker bird but the session fizzled out with the catching of other site rarities that leave us unmoved, a humdrum Blue Tit and an uninteresting Great Tit. 

It seems we are not alone with a lack of Willow Warblers that other ringers report during June and now July. Just two Willow Warblers caught - one adult and one juvenile when normally we should be into double figures for a July ringing session. The single adult male was well into the stage of replacing all of its flight feathers in readiness for autumn and the journey back to deepest Africa. 

 

Willow Warbler - post breeding main moult

 

Willow Warbler - juvenile

 

During the morning we’d heard a few Siskins overhead with their unmistakable high-pitched “ping” flight call and hoped we might catch one or two. The Siskin is another species that breeds close by but not on site and we expect to catch them on their in spring and autumn migrations rather than summer. The flight call of a Siskin is of course unique and one that once learnt is not forgotten and can be picked out during autumn visible migration watches. Click on the sound track below to hear the call of a Siskin.

 

But catch we did, a second summer male,  the actual one shown below.  

Siskin

Siskin

A recently fledged Goldcrest was without a crest of gold or any other colour which rather confirmed the fact that Goldcrests breed in the conifers just across the stone wall that borders the ringing site. These youngsters begin to develop colour on their crown feathers at their partial moult within a couple of weeks of leaving the nest. 

Goldcrest without crest

 

The Chiffchaff was also a post juvenile wanderer from not too far away. The species does not breed within our ringing plot.

Chiffchaff

 

To recap, the morning of ones and twos and 10 birds caught - 2 Willow Warbler, 1 Treecreeper, 1 Redstart, 1 Chiffchaff, 1 Siskin, 1 Goldcrest,1 Blue Tit, 1 Wren,1 Great Tit.

Better luck next time?

Apologies for the loss of the header width. It seems that once again Blogger changed a setting that worked well for 10+ years.  When I changed the header picture to a Yellow Wagtail, Blogger automatically shrunk the picture. I'm still working to fix this but if anyone knows the settings of old, please let me know.

For the weekend I am linking to Eileen's Blogspot and Anni in Texas.  

 

Martin More

Tuesday morning 29 June. Catching and ringing the Sand Martins was the easy bit. 

Later that day and back home with a cup of coffee at hand I had the wearisome job of entering each of 59 Sand Martins onto the BTO DemOn database via the day’s field sheet. Thanks Andy! 

Tuesday 29 June

There’s no bashing the keyboard with abandon, no unthinking tabbing along, because each entry is different where accurate transposition is vital with a program designed to catch out the lazy or forgetful inputter with a “do not pass” error message. 

Every wing length and every weight is unlike the previous entry where both males and females require a qualifying item of “why” or "are you sure". Thankfully the 3Js are a faster keyboard proposition without the encumbrance of underage sex to slow their progress through the system.  Recaptures and their random emergence (foot of the field sheet) don’t fit the automatic sequencing of ring numbers expected by DemOn so each must be entered on an individual basis; with fingers crossed that the number and details match previous entries! Otherwise, input is put on hold while earlier details are checked. 

And at your peril, don’t forget to split the entries into time slots that match the time of catch and weighing.  And yes, over the page there are another 25 entries and another 30 minutes or more at the keyboard. Whoever said that ringing is not work? 

Sharp eyed readers will note a large proportion of 3Js - CLICK THE PIC. In fact the juveniles outnumbered the adults by a narrow margin of 30 to 29. All of the 13 recaptures were from earlier this year and 2020. 

It appears that after a cold, slow start to the season our Sand Martins are making the most of the continued warm, sunny and settled weather of June to make up for lost time.  And we still catch new adults, fifteen in all.

Sand Martin - juvenile

Further to my previous posting of 29 June about the Spotted Flycatcher, AKE3299, here’s more information from Paul Wheatley, AKA Leeds Birder on Twitter and his piece of remarkable detective work. 

Reading a ring in the field

Great stuff, and an example to birders and ringers everywhere.

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

Spotted Again

We have a further sighting of a Spotted Flycatcher we ringed at Oakenclough back on 7 September 2019. 

Thanks to the person who found Spotted Flycatcher AKE3299 as a breeding bird in May and June 2021 we have an unexpected and extraordinary record. I will quote from the BTO notification to us. Bold text is mine.

Species: Spotted Flycatcher

Ring Number: AKE3299

Finding date: 27 June 2021

Place: Washburn Valley, North Yorkshire

Sight Record by Non Ringer- Metal Ring Read In Field

Remarks: 4 chicks. Video footage available.      

Spotted Flycatchers from LeedsBirder on Vimeo.

I contacted Leeds Birder, Paul Wheatley and asked permission to use his super detailed video as above.  Paul clearly worked extremely hard, perhaps frame by frame of the footage to read the combination of letters and numbers on the ring so as to try and discover the origins of AKE3299.  A fine piece of detective work! 

I was able to point Paul to the Another Bird Blog post of 7 September 2019 and advise that AKE3299 was one of two Spotted Flycatchers caught that day, both juvenile birds of the year. 

https://anotherbirdblog.blogspot.com/2019/09/spotted-saturday.html

Spotted Flycatcher

The two flycatchers of that day were caught hours apart but may have arrived together that morning of 7 September during the window of fine weather that followed a week and more of September winds.  

Almost certainly AKE3299 was born in Yorkshire in the summer of 2019 and returned there to breed in the same area in 2020 and in 2021.  Its autumnal migrations in both years would take it across the Pennines on a south westerly path through England, France and Spain and then towards Africa where it would spend the winter. Spotted Flycatchers are late to return to the UK and it can be late May before they are seen back on territory. 

Spotted Flycatcher - Yorkshire to Lancashire

Spotted Flycatchers cross the Sahara Desert twice a year on their way to and from wintering areas in sub-Saharan Africa, where a loss of woodland may have reduced survival. Another explanation is that breeding success has fallen because of fewer insects, loss of habitat and because of increased predation by woodland predators such as grey squirrels.    

Spotted Flycatchers have declined substantially in recent years and are designated as a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species. They are popular birds as they frequently nest close to house walls or in hanging baskets. They fly from prominent perches to catch insects, and are an attractive sight in country villages.  Their numbers have declined by about 80% over the past three decades.

Thanks again to Leeds Birder for this brilliant record of a Spotted Flycatcher and for proving the value of reading ring numbers in the field. Paul and team have more videos on Vimeo that make for excellent viewing. 

News next time of our catch of Sand Martins on Tuesday morning.

Martin And More

Information arrived from French ringers of ring number 8998514 we caught at Cockerham on 5 June 2021. 

https://anotherbirdblog.blogspot.com/2021/06/a-french-bonus.html  

8998514 - Museum Paris

“Here are the details of a ringed bird you have reported.” 

Species: Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)

Scheme: FRP

Ring no: 8998514 

Ringing details: Age: 3 (juvenile) 

Ringing date: 19 Aug 2020 at 23:30:00 

Site name: Tour aux Moutons, Donges, Loire-Atlantique, France Ringer: Paris, -11 

Finding details Age: 4 (adult) 

Sex: F 

Finding date: 05 Jun 2021 at 08:00:00 

Biometrics: Wing: 102.0 mm. Weight: 11.9 g. 

Time: 08:00:00hrs 

Subsequent Capture: - Duration: 290 days Distance: 740 km Direction: 356deg (N) 

Sand Martin

So not too many surprises there with a first year Sand Martin being caught in France whilst on migration to North Africa. 8998514 may have been born in Lancashire, possibly at Cockerham Quarry to where it returned to breed in 2021 as an adult female. 

Donges, (as named above) is a site of major natural significance on the Loire Estuary where a large part of the 200 hectares site is protected in an “original natural state.” The area contains the single biggest bank of reed beds on the Loire Estuary. 

Since 2003, the Loire Atlantique Association for Ornithological Knowledge and Research (ACROLA) has been carrying out bird ringing operations every summer in the reed beds located to the south of the East Donges facility, to study post-breeding migration of birds which use the zone as a staging area. 

Loire Atlantique, France. 

 

Swallows and Sand Martins use the reed beds as a night time sanctuary during migration time. The reeds also hold large populations of small passerines such as Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler and Aquatic Warbler, as residents and migrants. The latter species Acrocephalus paludicola, Aquatic Warbler is a critically endangered species. 

Back at Cockerham today I found again the Great Egret that went missing for a few weeks. Of course this bird could be a different one as its habits are different by spending 90% of each day in secluded trees, out of sight out of mind.  It’s nearest companions were a single Grey Heron and two Little Egrets. 

Great Egret

Near there, a Skylark at last feeding young. And both Oystercatchers and Redshanks with young in tow. 

Back soon with more news and views. Stay Tuned.

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

A Touch Of Summer

Late May/early June can be boom or bust for bird ringers and birders alike. In early 2021 unpredictability became the norm when unseasonal cold air, regular frosts and nagging northerlies played havoc with springtime migration from Africa to Europe. Late arrivals, non-arrivals and delays to the start of breeding put question marks over what we might see in our first ringing session of June at Oakenclough. 

On Tuesday I met Andy at 0630 not knowing what to expect in the way of numbers of birds, let alone the species or their ages. It was a warm sunny morning, time for us and the birds to grab a touch of summer. 

Although as expected we didn’t catch too many birds, just ten, we learned a thing or two from the few we did see.  Perhaps more importantly it was the species we didn’t catch that led to more questions.  For instance, although we saw and heard 8 or 10 Willow Warblers, we caught none, at a time of year when we might expect to catch both adult birds collecting food for nestlings and/or recently fledged juveniles. We were left with the conclusion that late arriving male Willow Warblers continue their territorial songs while their even later mates sit tight on eggs yet to hatch. 

Birds caught - 2 Garden Warbler, 2 Robin, 1 Blackbird, 1 Chaffinch, 1 Coal Tit, ! Treecreeper, 1 Blackcap , 1 Goldcrest. 

We derived satisfaction from our two Garden Warblers, a male and female both caught in the same net and both in prime breeding condition. The female with a whopping brood patch, the male a whopping cloacal protuberance (don’t ask). These were just two of the four or more Garden Warblers on site, three in loud and sustained song. At last, and after a gap of many years, we have proof that Garden Warblers are breeding on site again rather than simply spring and autumn migrants. 

Full marks to site owners United Utilities for showing their commitment to conservation by spending money and revitalising this site in favour of birds. 

The two Robins, the Blackbird, Treecreeper, Coal Tit and Goldcrest were all fresh juveniles that bred on site. The adult male Blackcap was also in breeding condition and almost certainly paired with a female that we did not see or catch. 

Garden Warbler

 

Robin

Treecreeper

Chaffinch

Other than our ringing the morning produced little in the way of birds except for Pied Wagtails carrying food to their stone wall nest, young Mistle Thrushes, many dozens of Greylags and the occasional flyover Siskin. Siskins breed in the nearby conifer belt and rarely stray towards our nets until winter when our Niger seed feeders are on site. 

Local anglers told us of Ospreys on more than one occasion during May, most likely the birds on their way to Scotland rather than taking their chances in the game keeper raptor free zone of nearby Bowland. But we live in hope of both Ospreys and Red Kites taking up residence in nearby hills and dales. 

There's news of a Sand Martin in the next post of Another Bird Blog. 

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

 

Wader Worries

Today I took a drive in the direction of Cockerham where a few wader chicks would be ready for ringing. There might be wader chicks at Conder Pool too, mostly Avocets, but Conder is another ringer’s domain. Ringers operate within geographical areas and specific sites so as not to tread on the toes of others or to complicate the wider ringing scheme. 

I found a brood of 3 Lapwing chicks alongside a ditch where they had become a little wet through feeding in the waterside grass. All three were of a good size, probably too big for avian predators, and therefore they should reach adulthood. 

Lapwing chick

 

Lapwing

 

Meanwhile a pair of Oystercatchers had just one fairly big youngster left from the original hatch with this single survivor also big enough to flourish; how and when the siblings vanished must remain a mystery. 

Oystercatcher

 

Oystercatcher

 

Another pair of Oystercatchers had two youngsters, the whole group so far out in a large field as to make them almost impossible to approach. I made a mental note to leave them for another day when they might be closer. 

There was a single Little Egret today, along with 3 young Grey Herons still sporting their stripy neck and chest markings. Two pair of Tufted Ducks remained wary as hell and undecided if to fly, drift upstream or hang around. They flew. A single Buzzard flushed from the base of a tree, most unusual – probably it had found carrion. 

Grey Heron

 

A Roe Deer stared me out for fifteen seconds, a humanoid head in a car window, but then it figured out the puzzle, leapt the fence and bounded off over the fields. 

Roe Deer

 

At Conder most of the chicks on view were those of Avocets with just one pair of Oystercatchers and two young. I watched the Avocets chase away any waders that got too close to their chicks, Redshanks, Little Ringed Plovers and Oystercatchers all had a dose of the Avocets’ aggressive ways. 

Redshank

 

Avocets are the frauds of wader world. They trade on their photogenic looks, the striking black & white, the gentle sweep of that shiny upturned bill and the trendy long grey legs. Fluffy little chicks with a tiny copy-bill. Butter wouldn’t melt in their innocents as they pose for the next photo to a phalanx of birders carrying the latest photo gear. All together now - “aaaah”! 

My friends, be warned. Avocets are the bullies of the bird world, con merchants in the pay of the RSPB so as to flog binoculars and telescopes to unsuspecting punters. Quite soon you will tap your credit card onto the machine at Minsmere or Leighton Moss. 

See what I mean? 

Avocet

 

Avocet

 

Avocet

 

Avocet

Don't say you haven't been warned!

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.