With the first real day of summer the reservoir burst into life with tits calling everywhere and the first real flush of juveniles in evidence. Dave and I met at the gate at 04:15 with no wind at all (the first time this year) so off we trotted down the old rail track to the res to get the nets erected at the CES site, better to get it done early than struggle for decent weather later on. With the nets erected we settled down for a good mornings ringing (we hoped). The morning progressed at a decent rate with 119 birds processed, this being the first 100+ day of the year.
What a great morning we had with the best bird being a Jay. We do not catch many of this species as we are mainly a scrub habitat and Jays are mainly Woodland species. We also had a great morning for Willow Warblers with 15 new birds and a retrap from a nest of young we ringed earlier in the month. Whitethroats reaching double figures, were not far behind.
With this start hopefully this breeding season will be a lot better than the last. Here's hoping!!!!
Mick
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Sunday, 2 June 2013
Early start and a late finish
On Saturday the group members welcomed Micks safe return from his annual ringing trip to Longpoint Bird Observatory in Canada. Joining Dave, Ed, Paul and myself, we all arrived at the gate at 04:30. Well nearly all of us! I was held up due to a car accident that had closed the main route through to Stanford which meant taking an unplanned diversion through unknown territory. This wouldn't normally be a problem but I was carrying all the groups nets and ringing kit! As it turned out, I was only a few minutes late and soon caught them up just as Mick was heading off down the railtrack to open the gate to the reservoir.
On Sunday 26th May, Dave and I experienced near perfect conditions for mist-netting. This weekend we were greeted by a chilly north-westerly which made ringing difficult at the north end of the reservoir. We were hoping that we would get some shelter from a tall tree line near the point but as it turned out some nets were still prone to the breeze coming from across the water. At the opposite end of the reservoir, the feeding station nets and a few others were looking good but once again there were hardly any birds around this area.
A Sedge Warbler extracted from the nets on the first round was found to be a BTO control. This species seems to be all around the reservoir this year and is already one of our most numerous warblers along with Common Whitethroat.
Whilst the trainees were busily ringing, Mick was eyeing up a Reed Bunting carrying food for its young. When it disappeared into the undergrowth he was out of his seat and located it easily when it
re-emerged. Three small young were promptly ringed by one of the trainees. Three hours later Mick had found another Reed Bunting with five young and these were also ringed. We never had the opportunity last year to ring Reed Bunting Pulli due to the adverse weather conditions so two broods ringed already this year is a bonus.
The Willow Warbler chicks in front of the bench were still on the small side for ringing so they were left for another few days along with a second brood, again found by Mick!
As the day went on the sun came out and the breeze calmed down but by then it was time to take the nets down and check the nest boxes in the nearby wood.
New/retrap
Wren - 0/2
Dunnock - 1/0
Blackbird - 1/6
Song Thrush - 1/0
Sedge Warbler - 4/8
Reed Warbler - 2/0
Lesser Whitethroat - 1/0
Whitethroat - 3/3
Garden Warbler - 0/8
Blackcap - 1/0
Chiffchaff - 2/1
Willow Warbler - 1/3
Blue Tit - 0/2
Tree Sparrow - 1/0
Chaffinch - 0/3
Bullfinch - 1/1
Reed Bunting - 0/2
Some interesting retraps were a 7yr old Blackbird, 3 yr old Whitethroat, 4 yr old Garden Warbler and 6 yr old Chaffinch.
Nestboxes are experiencing a mixed success. So far, Blue Tits are averaging 8.5 chicks ringed per box whilst Great Tits are only averaging 6.25 per box. Some broods, although alive, were found to be cold to the touch. Whilst ringing nestbox pulli, we would expect to see some adults waiting to gain access to the box to feed their young. This year we stood at many boxes where there were no adults around which would indicate that they are travelling further distances to find food.
Tawny Owls have failed to breed again this year. Perhaps the result of Grey Squirrels or food availability or both. Jackdaws have occupied three boxes. One of these attempts failed due to predation but the other two had young at FS (feathers short) stage and all five young were ringed. Stock Doves are still incubating in one box.
Pulli ringed:
Blue Tit - 103
Great Tit - 50
Reed Bunting - 8
Jackdaw - 5
It was an early start and a late finish so well done to everyone involved!
PS......We have to do it all again next week!
Adam.
On Sunday 26th May, Dave and I experienced near perfect conditions for mist-netting. This weekend we were greeted by a chilly north-westerly which made ringing difficult at the north end of the reservoir. We were hoping that we would get some shelter from a tall tree line near the point but as it turned out some nets were still prone to the breeze coming from across the water. At the opposite end of the reservoir, the feeding station nets and a few others were looking good but once again there were hardly any birds around this area.
A Sedge Warbler extracted from the nets on the first round was found to be a BTO control. This species seems to be all around the reservoir this year and is already one of our most numerous warblers along with Common Whitethroat.
Whilst the trainees were busily ringing, Mick was eyeing up a Reed Bunting carrying food for its young. When it disappeared into the undergrowth he was out of his seat and located it easily when it
re-emerged. Three small young were promptly ringed by one of the trainees. Three hours later Mick had found another Reed Bunting with five young and these were also ringed. We never had the opportunity last year to ring Reed Bunting Pulli due to the adverse weather conditions so two broods ringed already this year is a bonus.
The Willow Warbler chicks in front of the bench were still on the small side for ringing so they were left for another few days along with a second brood, again found by Mick!
As the day went on the sun came out and the breeze calmed down but by then it was time to take the nets down and check the nest boxes in the nearby wood.
New/retrap
Wren - 0/2
Dunnock - 1/0
Blackbird - 1/6
Song Thrush - 1/0
Sedge Warbler - 4/8
Reed Warbler - 2/0
Lesser Whitethroat - 1/0
Whitethroat - 3/3
Garden Warbler - 0/8
Blackcap - 1/0
Chiffchaff - 2/1
Willow Warbler - 1/3
Blue Tit - 0/2
Tree Sparrow - 1/0
Chaffinch - 0/3
Bullfinch - 1/1
Reed Bunting - 0/2
Some interesting retraps were a 7yr old Blackbird, 3 yr old Whitethroat, 4 yr old Garden Warbler and 6 yr old Chaffinch.
Nestboxes are experiencing a mixed success. So far, Blue Tits are averaging 8.5 chicks ringed per box whilst Great Tits are only averaging 6.25 per box. Some broods, although alive, were found to be cold to the touch. Whilst ringing nestbox pulli, we would expect to see some adults waiting to gain access to the box to feed their young. This year we stood at many boxes where there were no adults around which would indicate that they are travelling further distances to find food.
Tawny Owls have failed to breed again this year. Perhaps the result of Grey Squirrels or food availability or both. Jackdaws have occupied three boxes. One of these attempts failed due to predation but the other two had young at FS (feathers short) stage and all five young were ringed. Stock Doves are still incubating in one box.
Pulli ringed:
Blue Tit - 103
Great Tit - 50
Reed Bunting - 8
Jackdaw - 5
It was an early start and a late finish so well done to everyone involved!
PS......We have to do it all again next week!
Adam.
Monday, 27 May 2013
CES session No' 3
Saturday was out of the question for our 3rd CES session due to a family wedding which left us without a trainer. With that in mind, our plan was to go for Bank holiday Monday. However, after checking the weather forecast on Saturday afternoon it was swiftly changed to Sunday which promised 7-8mph winds.
Dave and I were the only ringers available so we met at 04:30 and erected our CES nets in the usual places. The conditions were the best I've witnessed this year with absolute calm and birds singing everywhere. A Grasshopper Warbler was reeeling whilst the nearby net was erected and duely extracted on the second net round.
A variety of warblers were expected but numbers are still low for this time of year. Our first two CES sessions have resulted in 20 birds. We finished our day with 39 birds although only 13 of these contribute towards our CES survey.
With the nets down there was a spare hour to check some nestboxes before going home.
Adult tits are still sitting in most boxes and a few have small young or eggs hatching. I still think we are way behind last year. A brood of 10 Blue Tits were the only pulli ringed and Robins seem to have bred successfully with a 3J trapped and ringed.
New/retraps
Blackcap 2/1
Chaffinch 1/0
Chiffchaff 1/1
Dunnock 0/2
Garden Warbler 0/1
Grasshopper Warbler 1/0
Great Spotted Woodpecker 0/1
Great Tit 0/1
Linnet 1/0
Reed Warbler 3/0
Robin 1/0
Sedge Warbler 3/5
Song Thrush 0/1
Tree Sparrow 2/4
Whitethroat 2/4
Willow Warbler 0/1
Adam
Dave and I were the only ringers available so we met at 04:30 and erected our CES nets in the usual places. The conditions were the best I've witnessed this year with absolute calm and birds singing everywhere. A Grasshopper Warbler was reeeling whilst the nearby net was erected and duely extracted on the second net round.
A variety of warblers were expected but numbers are still low for this time of year. Our first two CES sessions have resulted in 20 birds. We finished our day with 39 birds although only 13 of these contribute towards our CES survey.
With the nets down there was a spare hour to check some nestboxes before going home.
Adult tits are still sitting in most boxes and a few have small young or eggs hatching. I still think we are way behind last year. A brood of 10 Blue Tits were the only pulli ringed and Robins seem to have bred successfully with a 3J trapped and ringed.
New/retraps
Blackcap 2/1
Chaffinch 1/0
Chiffchaff 1/1
Dunnock 0/2
Garden Warbler 0/1
Grasshopper Warbler 1/0
Great Spotted Woodpecker 0/1
Great Tit 0/1
Linnet 1/0
Reed Warbler 3/0
Robin 1/0
Sedge Warbler 3/5
Song Thrush 0/1
Tree Sparrow 2/4
Whitethroat 2/4
Willow Warbler 0/1
Adam
Sunday, 19 May 2013
CEStrel
Our 2nd CES visit was held on a typically dismal, cold, and breezy mid May morning. With little bird movement, the catch was predictably low. Our birds preferring to sit on their nests, remain on territory, or just leave for somewhere warmer.
However, ringing spirits were somewhat uplifted when we caught a Kestrel in the bottom shelf of a mist net. The bird was a retrap, ringed as a juvenile by us last year.
But... if only we could catch one without a ring... Dawn tells the story -
"When Paul and Mike returned from their side of the CES, they had a retrap female Kestrel. This is the first raptor I have ever handled so I was very excited, to the point where I really didn’t mind the war-wound I received when it sunk it’s talons into my index finger! Imagine our happy surprise when the next net round produced a male Kestrel from another ride. This was a brand new bird and so now, Kestrel has been added to my ringing species list."
These birds are only the 12th & 13th full grown Kestrels caught at Stanford Reservoir in 35 years, and it's the first time we've caught 2 in one day. We expect a hat-trick on CES visit 3...
However, ringing spirits were somewhat uplifted when we caught a Kestrel in the bottom shelf of a mist net. The bird was a retrap, ringed as a juvenile by us last year.
 |
| Dawn with Kestrel number 1 |
But... if only we could catch one without a ring... Dawn tells the story -
"When Paul and Mike returned from their side of the CES, they had a retrap female Kestrel. This is the first raptor I have ever handled so I was very excited, to the point where I really didn’t mind the war-wound I received when it sunk it’s talons into my index finger! Imagine our happy surprise when the next net round produced a male Kestrel from another ride. This was a brand new bird and so now, Kestrel has been added to my ringing species list."
 |
| It's a miracle. Dawn with Kestrel number 2 |
These birds are only the 12th & 13th full grown Kestrels caught at Stanford Reservoir in 35 years, and it's the first time we've caught 2 in one day. We expect a hat-trick on CES visit 3...
 |
| Adult Male Kestrel |
Friday, 10 May 2013
Top nesters
I just received the latest newsletter from Nest Record Scheme through the post this afternoon. As always, I turn straight to the list of Top Nesters to see how we compared with other recorders and groups in 2012.
Stanford RG has contributed records to the scheme for several years and each year we try to surpass our previous years total.
44,350 records have so far been submitted to the BTO for 2012, the highest since the scheme began in 1939.
129 recorders contributed 100 or more nest records and as usual the Farne Islands finished way out in front with a whopping 2,141 records....very impressive!
So how did we compare?
273 records and finishing a credible 40th!
Well done to all our nest finders and here's hoping for a successful breeding season in 2013.
Stanford RG has contributed records to the scheme for several years and each year we try to surpass our previous years total.
44,350 records have so far been submitted to the BTO for 2012, the highest since the scheme began in 1939.
129 recorders contributed 100 or more nest records and as usual the Farne Islands finished way out in front with a whopping 2,141 records....very impressive!
So how did we compare?
273 records and finishing a credible 40th!
Well done to all our nest finders and here's hoping for a successful breeding season in 2013.
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Nest box Mayday!
Bank holiday Monday provided a chance to get out to the reservoir to inspect our nestboxes so Ed and I agreed to meet at 08:00 to take on the task of checking over 150 boxes of varying sizes and shapes.
It was a bright and calm morning and under normal circumstances, mist-netting would have been on the agenda. However, the breeding season has well and truely got underway and we don't have many days to dedicate to checking them.
Ladders at the ready, pliers, rings and notebook in the pocket, it was off into the nearby wood where we have over 50 Tit boxes. This time last year we witnessed hatching in numerous boxes but this year is looking far different. Twenty-four boxes were occupied which is a fairly good percentage but all were still in the early egg stage with 90% of these still having eggs covered, this would indicate that egg laying is still in process for most birds.
Larger boxes are having a mixed success with Tawny Owls looking like failing again for the second consecutive year, Jackdaws have taken up residence in three boxes and Stock Doves have got off to a good start with two pulli already ringed in one box and three further boxes hosting pairs.
Like the Tits, our new Tree Sparrow colony has been slow to get started with just one adult incubating five eggs.
Open nests included Long-tailed Tit although this has already been predated. Lined nests for both Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. Woodpigeon and Coot were also seen sitting on eggs.
It looks like I'll be making a few more inspections but I don't think I will be needing rings for at least another week or two.
Adam
It was a bright and calm morning and under normal circumstances, mist-netting would have been on the agenda. However, the breeding season has well and truely got underway and we don't have many days to dedicate to checking them.
Ladders at the ready, pliers, rings and notebook in the pocket, it was off into the nearby wood where we have over 50 Tit boxes. This time last year we witnessed hatching in numerous boxes but this year is looking far different. Twenty-four boxes were occupied which is a fairly good percentage but all were still in the early egg stage with 90% of these still having eggs covered, this would indicate that egg laying is still in process for most birds.
Larger boxes are having a mixed success with Tawny Owls looking like failing again for the second consecutive year, Jackdaws have taken up residence in three boxes and Stock Doves have got off to a good start with two pulli already ringed in one box and three further boxes hosting pairs.
Like the Tits, our new Tree Sparrow colony has been slow to get started with just one adult incubating five eggs.
Open nests included Long-tailed Tit although this has already been predated. Lined nests for both Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. Woodpigeon and Coot were also seen sitting on eggs.
It looks like I'll be making a few more inspections but I don't think I will be needing rings for at least another week or two.
Adam
Monday, 6 May 2013
First CES for Stanford RG
CES is a subject that the group has discussed on numerous occasions and probably goes back many years. There was talk of it every year but it never materialised. This year we finally decided we would give it our best shot and join the scheme.
CES or Constant Effort Site is the study of the birds in a certain area. We erect the same nets, in the same area, each summer, 12 times between May and August. This allows us to monitor the common species of passerines.......in Stanford Reservoirs case, Warblers, finches and Buntings.
So, Saturday 4th May was the big day. The net rides had all been prepared weeks before and the trainees were chomping at the bit!
A 5am start saw Ed, Dawn, David, Paul and myself meeting at the railtrack gate. A breeze was always on the cards after the previous nights forecast, however it was fairly sheltered in the main CES netting area.
Splitting into two teams, we erected nets from the Apple tree ride, through the Orchard and around to the feeding station. Only five net rides are standard for the CES area but the additional nets gave the trainees more species to handle and valuable practice at ageing and sexing.
Birds were segregated according to the net ride where they were caught which was fairly straight forward if you can remember which net ride you extracted the bird from! As it happens, things went very well with 51 birds being processed. Scattered showers came and went during the latter part of the session and the usual resident birds and common migrants were the order of the day.
New/Retrap
Wren 1/1
Dunnock 2/0
Robin 1/1
Blackbird 0/3
Song Thrush 1/3
Sedge Warbler 2/3
Lesser Whitethroat 1/0
Common Whitethroat 3/5
Blackcap 1/0
Chiffchaff 1/0
Willow Warbler 0/6
Blue Tit 0/2
Great Tit 0/3
Tree Sparrow 0/1
Chaffinch 0/2
Linnet 2/0
Bullfinch 1/2
Reed Bunting 1/2
CES or Constant Effort Site is the study of the birds in a certain area. We erect the same nets, in the same area, each summer, 12 times between May and August. This allows us to monitor the common species of passerines.......in Stanford Reservoirs case, Warblers, finches and Buntings.
So, Saturday 4th May was the big day. The net rides had all been prepared weeks before and the trainees were chomping at the bit!
A 5am start saw Ed, Dawn, David, Paul and myself meeting at the railtrack gate. A breeze was always on the cards after the previous nights forecast, however it was fairly sheltered in the main CES netting area.
Splitting into two teams, we erected nets from the Apple tree ride, through the Orchard and around to the feeding station. Only five net rides are standard for the CES area but the additional nets gave the trainees more species to handle and valuable practice at ageing and sexing.
Birds were segregated according to the net ride where they were caught which was fairly straight forward if you can remember which net ride you extracted the bird from! As it happens, things went very well with 51 birds being processed. Scattered showers came and went during the latter part of the session and the usual resident birds and common migrants were the order of the day.
New/Retrap
Wren 1/1
Dunnock 2/0
Robin 1/1
Blackbird 0/3
Song Thrush 1/3
Sedge Warbler 2/3
Lesser Whitethroat 1/0
Common Whitethroat 3/5
Blackcap 1/0
Chiffchaff 1/0
Willow Warbler 0/6
Blue Tit 0/2
Great Tit 0/3
Tree Sparrow 0/1
Chaffinch 0/2
Linnet 2/0
Bullfinch 1/2
Reed Bunting 1/2
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