A third consecutive catch of over 200 birds. As in the previous two weeks we predominantly captured common resident species, supplemented by good numbers of sedge and reed warbler and occasional other long distance migrants.
|
Species
Name |
New
|
Recaptured
|
Total
|
|
Blackbird
|
1
|
5
|
6
|
|
Blackcap
|
6
|
|
6
|
|
Blue Tit
|
11
|
17
|
28
|
|
Bullfinch
|
|
2
|
2
|
|
Cetti’s
Warbler |
2
|
|
2
|
|
Chaffinch
|
11
|
3
|
14
|
|
Chiffchaff
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Dunnock
|
5
|
15
|
20
|
|
Goldfinch
|
4
|
1
|
5
|
|
Great
Spotted Woodpecker |
1
|
10
|
11
|
|
Great
Tit |
17
|
43
|
60
|
|
Greenfinch
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
Reed
Bunting |
3
|
6
|
9
|
|
Reed
Warbler |
23
|
18
|
41
|
|
Robin
|
1
|
11
|
12
|
|
Sand
Martin |
1
|
|
1
|
|
Sedge
Warbler |
15
|
7
|
22
|
|
Siskin
|
6
|
9
|
15
|
|
Song
Thrush |
|
1
|
1
|
|
Swallow
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Whitethroat
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Willow
Warbler |
4
|
1
|
5
|
|
Wren
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Grand
Total |
117
|
149
|
266
|
The highlights were:
- Our first sand martin of 2018. Captured leaving a reed bed roost just after dawn (along with a swallow).
- The first indications of return migration of the year. Adult reed and sedge warblers were captured with fat scores of four (BWG system).
- A control reed warbler – details awaited, and a number of recaptures of reed warblers ringed in 2015 and 2016.
- Our 28th newly ringed great spotted woodpecker of the year.
- A dunnock ringed in March 2014, which had been recaptured in 2015, but not since.
The table below provides a breakdown of newly ringed birds between 1 Jan and 21 July 2018, and the the same period in 2017.
|
Species
Name |
2018
|
2017
|
Diff
|
|
Blackbird
|
28
|
18
|
10
|
|
Blackcap
|
25
|
13
|
12
|
|
Blue Tit
|
138
|
60
|
78
|
|
Brambling
|
21
|
0
|
21
|
|
Bullfinch
|
11
|
8
|
3
|
|
Cetti’s
Warbler |
5
|
9
|
-4
|
|
Chaffinch
|
130
|
54
|
76
|
|
Chiffchaff
|
12
|
26
|
-14
|
|
Coal Tit
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
|
Dunnock
|
43
|
22
|
21
|
|
Goldcrest
|
5
|
4
|
1
|
|
Goldfinch
|
159
|
218
|
-59
|
|
Grasshopper
Warbler |
4
|
4
|
0
|
|
Great
Spotted Woodpecker |
28
|
12
|
16
|
|
Great
Tit |
154
|
48
|
106
|
|
Greenfinch
|
28
|
40
|
-12
|
|
Jack
Snipe |
5
|
6
|
-1
|
|
Lesser
Redpoll |
1
|
0
|
1
|
|
Lesser
Whitethroat |
1
|
0
|
1
|
|
Long-tailed
Tit |
3
|
6
|
-3
|
|
Marsh
Tit |
3
|
0
|
3
|
|
Nuthatch
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
|
Reed
Bunting |
48
|
23
|
25
|
|
Reed
Warbler |
94
|
49
|
45
|
|
Robin
|
34
|
31
|
3
|
|
Sand
Martin |
1
|
0
|
1
|
|
Sedge
Warbler |
49
|
29
|
20
|
|
Siskin
|
175
|
128
|
47
|
|
Snipe
|
27
|
22
|
5
|
|
Song
Thrush |
7
|
3
|
4
|
|
Stonechat
|
0
|
1
|
-1
|
|
Swallow
|
8
|
0
|
8
|
|
Treecreeper
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
|
Whitethroat
|
7
|
8
|
-1
|
|
Willow
Warbler |
19
|
16
|
3
|
|
Wren
|
21
|
11
|
10
|
|
Yellowhammer
|
0
|
1
|
-1
|
|
Grand
Total |
1300
|
874
|
426
|
Being over 400 (ringed) birds up on 2017 in mid-July is notable (we have also recaptured over 500 more birds than during the equivalent period of 2017), but a bit of bad weather in August or September (when catches are consistently large) will soon put us back in line with previous years. However, the autumn proper begins at the marsh at the end of the month (usually signalled by the first garden warbler of the year). It will be fascinating to see whether the larger catches are sustained.
Thanks to Heather Coats, Keith Vaughton, Wayne Morris, Val Wilson, Jo Conway, Alex McCubbin, Martin Thomas, Martin Georgiev and Dionne Jenkins for company and assistance. It was a tribute to the quality of the team we had out that it didn’t feel a particularly busy morning.
Owain Gabb
22/07/2018
 |
| Sand martin (Carly Green) |
