This blog today is in two parts. The first being the results of our session at Oxwich Marsh and the second being a training session of the groups trainees.
Oxwich
One could say that the ringing conditions this morning were near perfect. It was calm and overcast and a little chilly, but it soon warmed up and a few warblers and finches start to move about.
We erected 3 nets in the wood, which has been producing some good numbers of Siskin Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Reed Buntings. Three nets in the reed beds which usually catch Reed Warblers, Sedge Warblers, Reed Buntings and other miscellaneous birds and finally we have just started to erect 4 nets in the area we call the bund. It is a high area of land surrounding the waterways of the marsh. It has been slow there at the moment but we are hoping with some vegetation growth the results will improve.
The first round produced a few Wrens, Robin, Siskin and the Greater Spotted Woodpecker below, this being the 5th bird this year.
The Woodpecker was a re-trap, female aged 4.
In a previous blog Owain mentioned some targets we were hoping for, one being Chaffinch, this male being ringed by Keith was one of eight ringed today.
The star bird of the morning was this Control Reed Warbler, processed by Cedwyn. It was originally ringed in France with ring number 653247 (Museum Paris). It will be interesting to find out from the BTO where and when it was ringed.
The Coal Tit was a first for this year and brings the number of yearly species to 22.
The following is a list of birds captured and processed today:-
Species New Re-trapped Total
Reed Bunting 3 (4) 7
ReedWarbler 2 (1) 3
Greenfinch 7 (3) 10
Siskin 6 (13) 19
Chaffinch 7 (1) 8
Dunno 1 (1) 2
Chiffchaff 2 2
Willow Warbler 2 2
Goldfinch 5 4
Blackcap 1 1
Blue Tit (3) 3
Robin (1) 1
Wren 1 (3) 4
Great Spotted Woodpecker (1) 1
Coal Tit 1 1
Great Tit (1) 1
Total 38 (32) 70
The 70 birds caught today bring us to a total of 937 for Oxwich Marsh this year.
Thanks to Owain Gabb, Cedwyn Davies, Keith Vaughan and Owain’s Colleague Julian.
Training Session
The second half of the Gower Ringing Group were involved in a training session. Our experienced trainee, Chris Newberry and our new trainee Phil Meade went to Heather Coats’s house the groups “A” ringer Trainer. Heather’s garden is always good for a nice mixture of birds plus tits which we all love, and today was no exception. It’s good to have a mixture of birds to process with trainees, because as experienced ringers know all birds are different and offer different challenges
The session started at 08.00am and concluded at 11.00am.
Species New Re-trapped Total
Dunnock 2 (1) 3
Siskin 3 3
Great Tit 1 1
Bullfinch 1 1
Lesser Redpoll 1 1
Nuthatch (1) 1
Coal Tit (2) 2
Robin (1) 1
Greenfinch 2 2
Total 10 (5) 15
Phil has had some training in the handling of birds before with Heather and today he processed a re-trap Coal Tit and Dunnock and ringed his first bird a Greenfinch. I understand he was very pleased.
The Lesser Redpoll below was one of the birds that Chris got to ring and process. Nice birds often found on your feeders with Siskin and Goldfinch.
