The Welsh Ringing Course 2017 – Gower Ornithological Society

The 2017 Welsh Ringing Course was held on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales, between Friday 8 and Monday 11 September 2017.

The course was led by Kelvin Jones, the Welsh Development Officer for the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and a ringing trainer, the independent trainer was Martin Hughes (from Northumberland), and other trainers present were Tony Cross (mid-Wales Ringing Group). Gwynedd Roberts, Justin Walker (BTO), Heather Coats and Owain Gabb (Gower Ringing Group). There were 10 participants whose aspirations were either to be appraised with regard to a potential permit upgrade or to achieve further experience.

The itinerary included evening swallow and wagtail roost sessions and morning mist netting at Oxwich Marsh, dazzling waders at Whiteford Burrows and a session targeting rock pipits at Overton. Between these sessions training was provided in the use of Demon, the new online ringing database, there were quizzes, and people took some downtime.

A total of 451 birds of 33 species were captured. The breakdown was as follows:

Species	Ringed	Recaptured	Total
Mute Swan	6	1	7
Ringed Plover	4	1	5
Dunlin	51	0	51
Turnstone	1	0	1
Great Spotted Woodpecker	0	1	1
Sand Martin	4	0	4
Swallow	116	0	116
Tree Pipit	1	0	1
Rock Pipit	3	0	3
Yellow Wagtail	2	0	2
Pied/White Wagtail	53	0	53
Wren	2	1	3
Dunnock	3	9	12
Robin	7	5	12
Stonechat	9	0	9
Blackbird	5	0	5
Cetti’s Warbler	0	3	3
Sedge Warbler	7	1	8
Reed Warbler	5	0	5
Whitethroat	1	0	1
Blackcap	12	0	12
Chiffchaff	10	2	12
Willow Warbler	1	0	1
Goldcrest	2	0	2
Blue Tit	19	20	39
Great Tit	10	10	20
Chaffinch	4	1	5
Greenfinch	20	11	31
Goldfinch	7	5	12
Siskin	1	7	8
Bullfinch	2	0	2
Reed Bunting	2	3	5
Total:	370	81	451

Roost Sessions

Roost sessions at Oxwich involved the deployment of three eighteen metre nets in an area of fen near the South Pond, and a line of nets across a bund through the marsh. Audio was used to lure pied / white wagtails and swallows into the respective netting areas (both roost in these parts of the reed bed).

The catches of swallows were not exceptional (32 and 82 birds). Sand martins were only captured on the second night (4). The wagtail sessions were very good, with 20 and 33 pied / white wagtails and one yellow wagtail captured on both evenings. These yellow wagtail captures were of particular note: none were captured in Wales in 2016.

Wader Dazzling

Dazzling sessions (led by Tony Cross) were held at Whiteford Burrows at the mouth of the Burry Inlet. We parked at Cwm Ivy Tor and made a forty-minute walk across the edge of the dunes to Berges Island, before heading back across the beach. High tide was just after dusk on both evenings.

Mixed roosts of various small waders are generally present on the upper shore of Berges Island. We were most successful in capturing dunlin, with 51 birds ringed, but also captured small numbers of ringed plover and a turnstone.

The technique was new to most people, as were some of the measurements taken (bill to skull, total head and tarsus length).

During the sessions the southern strandline beetle Eurynebria complanata was regularly recorded. The beetle has a restricted range in the UK, and has disappeared from many sites at which it formerly occurred. It is active at night and feeds on sand hoppers. A photo (taken by Justin Walker) of the species is included at the end of this blog post.

Daytime Mist Netting

Daytime mist netting was, unfortunately, weather affected. Strengthening westerly winds during the Saturday and Sunday mornings affected catches and, in the case of the latter, led to a premature finish. Monday mist netting was cancelled due to gale force winds.

Despite these constraints to our activities, we put up nets in fen, rush pasture and scrub habitats on both weekend days. Approximately 300 m of net was used and 21 species were captured.

The highlights for participants included stonechats, a tree pipit, and a mid-morning break during which two adult mute swans and their five young were captured and processed. The adult female was ringed at Torbay, Devon in 2007, and also bred on the marsh in 2016.

Rock Pipits at Overton

Gower Ringing Group have permission from the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales to ring at Overton Mere, an area of rocky shore and storm beach a few miles west of Oxwich Marsh.

On the Saturday morning, a session was led by Cedwyn Davies (A Ringer, Gower RG), using spring traps, two-panel nets and audio, aimed at capturing pipits around high tide. We shuttled small groups between Oxwich and the site so that they could see how the session was set up.

After a slow start, potentially due to the noise of the crashing waves preventing pipits hearing the tape, three rock pipits and seven stonechats were captured. We found the nets and audio are particularly effective for capturing pipits, with the traps working better on the chats.

Logistics

For practical purposes the participants were split into two groups, with two separate canvas gazebos erected (allowing a degree of shelter from the wind and discrete areas in which to process the birds). The teams worked closely enough to each other to allow communication with regard to net rounds and ensure new species for participants could be shared out.

Accommodation was in the Guide Centre at Parkmill, approximately 4 miles from the ringing site. Excellent food was provided at the centre by Phyllis Jamieson. On Sunday evening the team got together for a group meal, which provided an opportunity for everyone to relax, chat and wind down after a busy couple of days.

Feedback on the course from participants was very positive. Thanks are due to all involved in the setting up and delivery of the course, but particularly to the helpers (Wayne Morris, Keith Vaughton, Val Wilson, Kirsty Franklin, Joanne Conway, Lynn Watts and Jez Smith) whose hard work, friendliness and willingness to do anything needed ensured a very good atmosphere and allowed participants to relax.

Thanks are also due to Nick Edwards of Natural Resources Wales for continued permission to ring at Oxwich and at Whiteford, and to the Gower Society for their grant funding of ringing on the marsh.

Photographs are below.

Owain Gabb

12/09/2017

Mark Whiffin (L) and Gwynedd Roberts

L-R Jenny Spencer-Jones, Molly Heal, Caroline Brighton, Heather Coats, Keith Vaughton, Claire McSweeney and Anthony Caravaggi.

L-R Anthony Caravaggi, Jenny Higgins, Molly Heal, Claire McSweeney, Susan Jones, Val Wilson, Caroline Brighton, Chantal McLeod-Nolan, Jenny Spencer-Jones, Martin Hughes, Ashley Sendell-Price, Mark Whiffin, Heather Coats, Jez Smith, Keith Vaughton, Wayne Morris, Owain Gabb, Kirsty Franklin, Justin Walker, Gwynedd Roberts and Tony Cross.