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Wryneck |
2023 was a
fantastic year for the Stanford Ringing Group and once more we beat previous
records individual species ringed as well as the total number of birds ringed
overall. The teamwork has been terrific and paid dividends. Personally, 2023
was also a key year for me as a ringer with many highlights.
January
through to March saw a large area of blackthorn and willow at Stanford being
cleared to allow grasses and scrub to regenerate and suitable habitat for
migrants to use for nest building. I always enjoy the hard work and camaraderie
that this entails.
I was also delighted
to finally have my own site to use as a C-ringer at the Kelham Bridge Reserve
owned by Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. Ringing as a group builds
knowledge but the solo catching and ringing of birds builds confidence and a
deeper understanding. I was also fortunate to have the advice of Nigel Judson
who had previously ringed at the site and the help of LRWT volunteers to clear
some of the net rides.
Ringing at
my site alone without support in January was exciting and at first a little
nerve racking. Winter ringing is a cold activity with few birds in the nets.
However, on my second session in late January I was delighted to catch a Willow tit. It was interesting going through the process of looking for the
distinguishing features and taking biometrics to verify that this was indeed a
Willow tit and not the almost identical Marsh tit. It is the only verified
record of the species at Kelham Bridge for the past two years, although
previously it was known to breed at the site.
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Willow tit at Kelham Bridge |
Kelham was
proving a great site in the winter for birds such as Redpoll, Reed bunting,
winter thrushes, and the ubiquitous Blue tits, Great tits, Wrens and Robins.
Slowly the number of species I was ringing at the site was increasing.
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Male Bullfinch, Kelham |
The winter
season is a good time for ringing waders and, in March, I joined the Wash Wader
Research Group for the first time for a weekend. WWRG run regular cannon
netting and mist netting weekends. The large team is composed of experienced
wader ringers and lesser experienced participants. On Friday evening, after a
briefing from the team organisers, everyone set out after dinner to set up the
cannon nets at Heacham Beach ready for the high tide early the next morning. It
takes skill and experience to align the small cannons so that when they are
fired the net traps birds safely.
Before dawn
we all assembled once more at the beach and I was assigned the job of ‘long
stop’ to to keep walkers away until after the cannons were fired. As the tide
slowly came in a large group of Oystercatchers and Bar-tailed godwits were
nicely positioned moving in towards the nets. At about 8am all was set and ‘3-2-1’
the nets were fired, at which time everyone leaped up from behind the dunes to
gather in the nets and birds. The extraction and processing of the birds was
efficient and professional. Less experienced ringers ringed the birds, a second
team fitted colour rings and flags and the final team recorded biometrics. By
midday the last bird was processed and released.
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Oystercatcher ringing with Wash Waders |
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Bar-tailed godwit |
There was
no time for relaxing as the conditions were right to set mist nets for an
evening catch and by 6pm we were all heading out onto the marsh in the dark to
extract the birds. A large catch produced a mix of Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Bar-tailed
Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Grey Plover, Knot and a single Curlew. Birds were
efficiently ringed and processed in a nearby cowshed and I clocked up five new
species. Thank you to all the ringers at Wash Waders for sharing their
knowledge.
During the
spring, we see a steady change of bird species as winter birds depart north and
migrants return from their wintering grounds further south. Kelham Bridge feels
like a mini version of Stanford Reservoir and I caught a similar range of the
more common species such as Blackcap and Whitethroat. Aging returning migrant
birds requires a good understanding of the moult strategy of each species. Ringers
will be looking for different plumage characteristics and feather condition in
the spring than in the autumn. Also, as the spring unfolds, ringers look for
signs of breeding which can be used to identify the sex of a bird. There is a lot to learn!
As summer
approached, I applied for some overseas ringing experience. In 2022 I had had
the opportunity to demonstrate bird survey techniques and ringing to students at
the Knepp Estate in Sussex as part of an Operation Wallacea (OpWall) expedition.
In 2023 I applied for a volunteer post as Ornithologist for one of OpWall's overseas scientific expeditions. I was delighted to be contacted by the
Regional Manager for Honduras who asked if would I be interested in ringing in
Honduras? Wow!
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Collared trogon (female). Cusuco National Park, Honduras |
Living in
Cusuco cloud forest in Honduras for 5 weeks during June and July was an amazing
experience. Living conditions were basic but the scientific community was
enthusiastic and everyone was happy to share their knowledge. As well as the bird team there were teams investigating mammals, invertebrates herpetofauna
(snakes, amphibians and reptiles), habitat, fungi and bats. There were seven
researchers in the bird team from the UK and Central America. Morning
activities consisted of either walking steep transects through the forest
recording all the birds we saw or heard alternating with mornings spent mist
netting and ringing. The iconic bird of the region was the Resplendent quetzal
which teased us with its fleeting appearances in the upper canopy. Mist netting
recorded forest species such as Collared trogon, Black-headed
nightingale-thrush, Slate-colored solitaire and a number of hummingbird
species. Although hummingbirds
may appear delicate, they are in fact quite robust when handled carefully. We
often gave them a drink of sugar water from a pipette to boost their energy
before release. I was also excited to extract and ring a Barred forest-falcon,
similar in size to a Sparrowhawk. As a ringing experience it was interesting
and slightly confusing to be ringing to the American system that records age by
moult cycle rather than calendar year. Bird surveys have been carried out in
Cusuco for 20 years and it was a privilege to contribute to the research as
well as train student scientists.
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Blue-throated goldentail. Only the second to have been recorded in Cusuco |
The autumn
migration season is always busy and returning home I was soon involved in
ringing again at my own site, other sites across Charnwood as well as at
Stanford Reservoir. Ringing entails very early morning starts and I was often having to
get up at 3am to get to Stanford by 4.30 to erect nets early to catch roosting birds. However, for ten consecutive days in
August we camp out at the reservoir for Stanstock, the highlight of the ringing year. This is a hectic time with hundreds of warblers, mainly blackcaps, being ringed and
processed as well as the occasional rarity. And, at last, it was my turn to ring the annual Wryneck. A bird that
has been on my wish list for several years and well worth the wait.
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Assessing the age of the Wryneck |
At Kelham
Bridge I was pleased to be catching juveniles of Reed warblers, Reed buntings
and Cetti’s warblers which shows the breeding potential of this site. I loved
the early mornings and tranquility of Kelham whilst I was ringing. It felt good
to be efficiently extracting and processing birds and using my steadily
increasing skills and knowledge. As the autumn progressed the mass flocks of
migrating birds dwindled. However, the early winter saw the influx of Goldcrest,
winter thrushes, Redwing and the first Fieldfare ringed at Kelham. I was delighted
to recapture a control Goldcrest ringed at Flamborough Head eleven days earlier.
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8 Cetti's warblers were ringed at Kelham during 2023 |
Since
getting my C-permit in 2020, I have had a wide range of ringing experiences and
gradually built my skills, knowledge and confidence. Consequently, it was
suggested that I try for my A-permit which requires an assessment by an
independent assessor.
The final
months of the year were taken up in collating my ringing records, completing
application forms and getting reports from Adam, as my trainer, and finding an
assessor. I had two meetings with Colin McShane. The first comprised of
searching for Jack Snipe using thermal imagers and a long discussion about my
experience and future plans as a ringer. The second was a practical assessment of
mist netting and processing common passerines. Finally, just after New Year, I
received notification that I had been awarded my A-permit by BTO License Committee.
It has taken hard work, dedication and commitment to the point of obsession to
reach this point. There is still more to learn and more projects to work on but
the future for bird ringing is exciting. I have new plans for 2024 both at home
and overseas.
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Jack snipe ringed as part of my A-permit assessment |
Thanks to
all ringers and birders at Stanford for patience, training and support. In
particular Adam Homer, my trainer, and Mick Townsend, lead ringer at Stanford. Many
thanks also to Nigel Judson, who has added to my training, and LRWT and other landowners who let us ring on sites in Charnwood.