The forecast was for a moderate to strong north-westerly wind to rapidly pick up over the morning. Due to a run of poor weather over the previous weeks, we decided to give it a go – a good idea as it turned out.
The highlights of the morning were:
- A young lesser whitethroat (only our seventh)
- 3 tree pipits
- 3 stonechats
- a grey wagtail
For many ringers living in England, lesser whitethroat is a fairly common migrant sometimes captured in good numbers (it would seem). For us, this is not the case; we capture 0-3 individuals a year. It seemed our chance was likely to have gone in 2019, until the species was the first bird out of the net on 1 September.
It has been a quiet year for stonechats to date, with five captured before the morning haul. Two of the birds were new, the third a recapture from two months previous which had now almost completed its post juvenile moult and could be confidently sexed as a female.
The pipits are always nice, and take our annual total to 10 – which is below par. We may well get one more go at them this week, but it is getting late.
Overhead movement of grey wagtails suggested we might be able to tape a bird into a net, and so it proved. If only they came more predictably – lovely birds.
The table below shows the species we have captured since we began ringing on the marsh in earnest in 2014. We are now up to 65 species, which is reasonably notable. While we might have predicted most of the top ten species, and had a good go at the top twenty, we would have struggled with a lot of the rest. Oxwich has proven a diverse and productive site.
|
No.
|
Species Name
|
Ringed
|
Recapt
|
Total
|
|
1
|
Swallow
|
2813
|
15
|
2828
|
|
2
|
Blue Tit
|
2021
|
2170
|
4191
|
|
3
|
Goldfinch
|
1937
|
754
|
2691
|
|
4
|
Greenfinch
|
1355
|
326
|
1681
|
|
5
|
Reed Warbler
|
1188
|
290
|
1478
|
|
6
|
Chaffinch
|
1080
|
367
|
1447
|
|
7
|
Blackcap
|
954
|
61
|
1015
|
|
8
|
Sedge Warbler
|
907
|
215
|
1122
|
|
9
|
Siskin
|
775
|
836
|
1611
|
|
10
|
Great Tit
|
733
|
1414
|
2147
|
|
11
|
Chiffchaff
|
706
|
42
|
748
|
|
12
|
Reed Bunting
|
610
|
384
|
994
|
|
13
|
Willow Warbler
|
563
|
40
|
603
|
|
14
|
Goldcrest
|
476
|
25
|
501
|
|
15
|
Wren
|
388
|
285
|
673
|
|
16
|
Robin
|
381
|
451
|
832
|
|
17
|
Dunnock
|
281
|
697
|
978
|
|
18
|
Redwing
|
250
|
|
250
|
|
19
|
Blackbird
|
231
|
172
|
403
|
|
20
|
Meadow Pipit
|
213
|
1
|
214
|
|
21
|
Pied/White Wagtail
|
198
|
|
198
|
|
22
|
Whitethroat
|
196
|
38
|
234
|
|
23
|
Snipe
|
177
|
11
|
188
|
|
24
|
Long-tailed Tit
|
164
|
70
|
234
|
|
25
|
Cetti’s Warbler
|
143
|
145
|
288
|
|
26
|
Sand Martin
|
121
|
|
121
|
|
27
|
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
118
|
375
|
493
|
|
28
|
House Martin
|
110
|
|
110
|
|
29
|
Tree Pipit
|
91
|
|
91
|
|
30
|
Bullfinch
|
78
|
40
|
118
|
|
31
|
Song Thrush
|
73
|
42
|
115
|
|
32
|
Garden Warbler
|
69
|
1
|
70
|
|
33
|
Stonechat
|
63
|
4
|
67
|
|
34
|
Grasshopper Warbler
|
62
|
15
|
77
|
|
35
|
Jack Snipe
|
38
|
3
|
41
|
|
36
|
Coal Tit
|
36
|
25
|
61
|
|
37
|
Treecreeper
|
34
|
2
|
36
|
|
38
|
Brambling
|
31
|
5
|
36
|
|
39
|
Yellow-browed Warbler
|
21
|
|
21
|
|
40
|
Firecrest
|
15
|
|
15
|
|
41
|
Kingfisher
|
14
|
2
|
16
|
|
42
|
Starling
|
14
|
|
14
|
|
43
|
Grey Wagtail
|
12
|
|
12
|
|
44
|
Lesser Redpoll
|
12
|
|
12
|
|
45
|
Lesser Whitethroat
|
7
|
|
7
|
|
46
|
Sparrowhawk
|
7
|
4
|
11
|
|
47
|
Mute Swan
|
6
|
3
|
9
|
|
48
|
Nuthatch
|
6
|
10
|
16
|
|
49
|
Marsh Tit
|
5
|
5
|
10
|
|
50
|
Skylark
|
4
|
|
4
|
|
51
|
Yellow Wagtail
|
4
|
|
4
|
|
52
|
Green Woodpecker
|
3
|
1
|
4
|
|
53
|
Magpie
|
3
|
2
|
5
|
|
54
|
Water Rail
|
3
|
|
3
|
|
55
|
Whinchat
|
3
|
|
3
|
|
56
|
Jay
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
57
|
Mistle Thrush
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
58
|
Redstart
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
59
|
Willow Tit
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
60
|
Yellowhammer
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
61
|
Little Bunting
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
62
|
Pied Flycatcher
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
63
|
Wheatear
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
64
|
Wood Warbler
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
65
|
Woodpigeon
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Grand Total
|
19818
|
9348
|
29166
|
|
Thanks to all who came along on Sunday to what was a short but enjoyable session: Heather Coats, Emma Cole, Val Wilson, Martin Thomas, Dionne Jenkins, Colin Baker, Jo Conway, Bethan Dalton, Alex McCubbin, Richard Dann and Claudia Allen.
Photographs are below.
Owain Gabb
03/09/2019
 |
| Grey wagtail (Bethan Dalton) |
 |
| Stonechat (Richard Dann) |
 |
| Lesser Whitethroat (Richard Dann) |
