June has been reasonably settled and latterly very warm. It is a busy month for the group, with two Constant Effort Sites and a Recapturing Adults for Survival project on pied flycatcher to run, and so visits to Oxwich have been reduced to once a week.
The combined results for the month are below:
|
Species
Name |
Ringed
|
Recaptured
|
Total
|
|
Blackbird
|
13
|
8
|
21
|
|
Blackcap
|
3
|
|
3
|
|
Blue Tit
|
48
|
10
|
58
|
|
Bullfinch
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
Cetti’s
Warbler |
|
2
|
2
|
|
Chaffinch
|
22
|
10
|
32
|
|
Chiffchaff
|
2
|
|
2
|
|
Dunnock
|
14
|
14
|
28
|
|
Goldfinch
|
35
|
25
|
60
|
|
Great
Spotted Woodpecker |
13
|
18
|
31
|
|
Great
Tit |
84
|
16
|
100
|
|
Greenfinch
|
5
|
2
|
7
|
|
Reed
Bunting |
12
|
7
|
19
|
|
Reed
Warbler |
26
|
7
|
33
|
|
Robin
|
17
|
12
|
29
|
|
Sedge
Warbler |
4
|
7
|
11
|
|
Siskin
|
23
|
48
|
71
|
|
Song
Thrush |
3
|
2
|
5
|
|
Treecreeper
|
1
|
|
1
|
|
Whitethroat
|
2
|
4
|
6
|
|
Willow
Warbler |
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Wren
|
3
|
1
|
4
|
|
Grand
Total |
332
|
196
|
528
|
The highlights have included:
- Our first fledgling reed warblers on 23 June (20 June in 2017). It has been a good spring and early summer for the species. We mainly capture reed warblers in late summer and autumn as birds disperse and prepare to migrate.
- Our first young treecreeper on 30 June. We often record young treecreepers moving through the marsh in the mid summer.
- An apparent second brood of siskins. We initially captured young birds in good numbers in early to mid-May (first brood). Small numbers of recently fledged juveniles were captured again on 23 and 30 June. It is already a record year for siskin, and it may be worth considering starting a retrapping adults for survival study in 2019.
- A record day total of 63 unique great tits on 30 June. It appears to have been a productive year for the species locally. We normally only capture approximately 140 unique great tits per year, with around half of these being recaptures from previous seasons.
- A day total of 17 great spotted woodpeckers on 30 June. Many were young of the year.
- It also appears to be shaping up to being a good year locally for reed bunting and dunnock. Goldfinch numbers are well down on this time in 2017, as are chiffchaff and robin. Other species have been captured in similar or greater numbers.
It is interesting to note that we have captured approximately 450 more birds than at this time in 2017. This may partly reflect a slightly larger ringing team, but is mainly due to the fact that siskin numbers have been higher and productivity in many locally resident species appears to have been better.
Finally, an opportunity arose mid-month to head out with Mike Shewring to colour ring some kestrels on the Gower Coast. Kestrels have been subject to a considerable population decline in Wales in recent years, and this was part of a wider colour-ringing initiative to help us to learn more about local populations. Mike is both a ringer and an experienced climber, and gained roped access to the nest, which was in a recess on a section of cliff in west Gower. The chicks were well developed. Two of the brood of three were ringed (the other having retreated to the back of the recess was not captured). Their wing feathers were well grown, and they were both of a good weight. Both adult birds were present, with the male observed taking a dust bath on a nearby track, and the female around the nest site. Following replacing the young in the nest, the female was seen to return within a few minutes.
Thanks to everyone who has made it out to Oxwich over the past month: Heather Coats, Keith Vaughton, Wayne Morris, Joanne Conway, Val Wilson, Richard Dann, Sophie de Grissac, Bethan Dalton, Aurelien Prudor, Alex McCubbin, Amy Schwartz, Edward O’Connor, Lara Bates-Prior, Martin Georgiev and Dionne Jenkins. Also thanks to Emma Cole for scribing, to Mike Shewring for the invitation to go kestrel ringing, and to Keith, Val and Richard for filling the feeders while I have been away.
Owain Gabb
03/07/2018
 |
| Juvenile treecreeper (Richard Dann) |
 |
| Measuring wing of treecreeper (Richard Dann) |
 |
| Kestrel pullus (Richard Dann) |
