North Wilts Group

14th-16th November 2014 - Spurn

20 November 2014

After a long summer slog of CES, Tree Sparrows and Reed Warblers we felt that we had become a bit parochial and that we needed to get away from Wiltshire and create some havoc in another county. I had a trip to Spurn in August and though we didn’t catch much I really fancied going back to see thrushes arriving in off the sea and to try to catch a Twite as I have always wanted to see one in the hand to ensure that I don’t miss one in a Linnet flock in Wiltshire.

I was joined by Paul A, Simon and Jack and this is the first time that we had ringed together out of county. A sharp getaway on Thursday evening meant that we got to Spurn at a reasonable hour, enough time to discuss every catching method under the sun and to have a couple of Guinnesses before bedtime. Friday dawned very windy and we could only drive the heligoland traps in the morning so we met the locals and went for a walk in the driving rain to suss out options.

In the summer I was struck by the filth in the kitchen and the way that the other guests did no cleaning or washing up but sadly the other users of the observatory this time were even worse, they would have been better off staying in a pigsty. By Friday evening the weather had turned beautiful with a stunning sunset so we set a few wader nets, played Redshank and Dunlin tapes and sat back to gaze at the stars. We didn’t catch many but the lads enjoyed the experience of ringing several new species in Ringed Plover, Knot, Dunlin and Redshank. Best of all was a Dunlin that had previously been ringed in Norway and the other satisfying thing was that we caught our own birds whereas if we had joined a wader ringing group we would have just been following them.

Saturday was a beautiful day but if anything, too beautiful and many birds that flew in off the sea just flew over, however we did manage a few Blackbirds and Redwing. Jack appeared from one net round with a Twite which was a new bird for me to ring, and that doesn’t happen often in the UK. We all had a good look at the Twite and we are confident that we won’t miss one if it appears amongst Linnets. A Little Auk was brought in by an angler but sadly it had a broken leg so we couldn’t ring it even though it flew away strongly on release.

On Sunday the wind had dropped even further and though it looked good, the birds once again flew high over. Another Little Auk was brought in but sadly it died. At mid morning we got a call informing us that a flock of Snow Buntings had been seen so we closed nets and sped off into the dunes fully equipped with nets and spring traps. A long walk later and we had found one Snow Bunting which evaded the cunningly set two shelf mist net so we decided that it had to be spring traps only. We spent ages watching the bird and putting out spring traps and at one point it went towards the trap baited with a maggot but pulled away so I disguised a trap by covering it with seaweed along a line of debris and pop in it went, what a way to finish the trip.

Our own-cooked fried breakfasts, pub dinners and seeing birds that we don’t normally see like Pink Footed Geese, Brent Geese and a wide variety of waders really made for a great weekend. This account really doesn’t show the extent to which we added extra nets, deployed spring traps and generally covered the area and despite not catching many birds we had a great time and we all experienced new birds and new methods and we all agreed that we need to do some more road trips in the future, so watch out rest of the UK here we come...MP, PA, SW, JN

Redwing 7, Blackbird 15, Twite 1, Snow Bunting 1, Dunlin 6, Redshank 2, Knot 2, Ringed Plover 1, Wren 1, Robin 3, Dunnock 1, Greenfinch 1, Meadow Pipit 1

9th November 2014

10 November 2014

After a frustrating day of rain yesterday we made it out to Swindon STW in perfect weather. I set the wader nets very early on and then was joined by the two Pauls and Simon plus volunteer Terry. We set a line of three nets playing Redwing, a double net playing Blackcap and Chiffchaff and a single net in the reedbed by a table with millet on for Reed Buntings. We were a tad concerned that we would have a quiet day because on Saturday there were only a handful of Snipe on site. 4 Teal made for a good start and then we had a smattering of Redwings and the Reed Buntings came thick and fast. A few Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs are likely to be continental birds coming in for the winter especially because one of the Blackcaps was an adult male and our local adults left months ago.

After a couple of years of messing about with duck traps and largely being unsuccessful, we have discussed a new design and Paul put this together on Saturday and so was very pleased to be get instant success with a male Mallard. I am confident that this new design will get us improved success. We did only catch one Snipe, numbers are low this year so let’s hope that this is because they are still on the continent because of the mild weather.

We caught our first Lesser Redpoll of the autumn coming to the millet. Migration seems to be slow and it soon became clear that sarcasm hadn’t migrated either as there was as usual plenty around. Terry says he comes to see the birds but I reckon that it is more for the entertainment. Before we knew it, it was 10:45 and we packed up rather hurriedly so that I could get to watch my son play rugby.

Later on in the afternoon I returned and opened up the Redwing net and tried a wagtail roost on the reed bed and opened up two nets for duck. Wagtails were a bit thin on the ground but 9 was better than nothing, despite hardly seeing a Redwing I caught 11 and then the wader nets had a stunning 4 Teal. I set a net and played a tape especially for Water Rail and enjoyed fairly instant success, this tape luring method is so much more successful than using baited traps and I think that we may catch a lot more in the future, with a minimum of ten currently on site we ought to set ourselves a target of catching ten every year. A Siberian Chiffchaff evaded the nets but called incessantly, I have tried taping them in using both colybita calls and tristis calls but it has never proven successful. In the end the day total of over 100 ringed was pretty darn good for the time of year, the retraps were fairly unspectacular but it was pleasing to re-encounter 5 Reed Buntings from last winter. MP, PA, SW, PW

107 new and 29 retraps

Teal 8, Mallard 1, Snipe 1, Water Rail 1, Redwing 17, Blackcap 2, Chiffchaff 4, Goldcrest 4 (2), Pied Wagtail 7, White Wagtail 2, Robin 3 (3), Dunnock 3 (5), Wren 7 (2), Starling 3, Blackbird 1, Long Tailed Tit 0 (3), Blue Tit 10 (6), Great Tit 8, Lesser Redpoll 1, Bullfinch 1 (1), Reed Bunting 20 (7), Magpie 3

19th October 2014 - Swindon STW

19 October 2014

It looked like being borderline on the wind front but Paul and I agreed to meet up before dawn to check conditions and if it was too windy we would do a work party. They say fortune favours the brave and we were able to put a few nets in sheltered locations for a few hours and then at 930 the wind picked up and it was take down time. We tried the Latvian Redwing recording for the first time and we were well rewarded with 11. The Reed Bunting feeding station is proving attractive to a number of Reed Buntings but we were very surprised to see a Teal in the bottom shelf obviously caught out trying to snaffle our millet. On the summer migrant front all we could muster were a Blackcap and several Chiffchaffs and the Chiffs were heavy with one weighing over 10 grammes!

The wind was forecast to drop in the afternoon but sadly it didn’t so I didn’t try a roost catch but did three hours of strimming instead. This work is essential if we are to encourage more Snipe and Teal to site. MP, PA

Teal 1, Redwing 11, Reed Bunting 10 (2), Chiffchaff 8 (2), Blackcap 1, Cettis Warbler 0 (1), Goldcrest 2, Bullfinch 2, Great Tit 2 (2), Long Tailed Tit 1 (4), Blue Tit 0 (1), Robin 1, Dunnock 2 (1), Wren 2 (1), Greenfinch 2, Blackbird 1, Song Thrush 0 (1)

18th October 2014 - North Wiltshire tour

18 October 2014

With a truly terrible day forecast any chance of ringing was out but work still has to be done. I was joined by young Biff and we filled the trailer with sacks of barley and millet and a couple of feeders and then put the ladders on the roof because a farmer had told me that they thought they had owls in a nest box.

We fed 120 kilos of food at 4 sites and at one of the sites there was already a flock of 100 Tree Sparrows.

We checked several nest boxes and two of them came up trumps with two broods of two. Second broods are quite rare in Barn Owls but both of these boxes raised five young first brood so they have both raised seven young which is brilliant. MP, AM

Barn Owl 4 nestlings

12th October 2014 - Salisbury Plain (east)

13 October 2014

I had agreed to meet the farmer on the plain to reccie winter feeding sites that he will feed for us so Paul and I agreed to have a go at our ringing site beforehand and we didn’t really expect much because migrant numbers drop on the plain quicker than at Swindon STW, so anything over 40 would be fine. First event of note was seeing that I had just got a puncture so that was nice, and parked on a muddy slope; a text to the farmer and we had a solution. It was pretty darn cold but there was zero wind so pretty well perfect for ringing. We only put up half the nets and so on the first round we were very surprised to see the place alive with Chiffchaffs. Most ringers would have missed these birds because they were nearly all in the bottom shelf which was only 6 inches off the ground. Blackcap numbers were as expected, very low but the bonus Redstart was more than worth it being our latest one ever ringed by a clear two weeks and the Stonechat was very welcome as well. Meadow Pipits have virtually stopped moving now and we only ringed 5 but a Green Woodpecker was a new bird for Paul and quite made his day.

The farmer arrived with a trolley jack that made changing the wheel a two minute job and he was rewarded by seeing the Green Woodpecker. We packed up and then went for a tour around a few sites that the farmer will feed for us. The potential Brambling site is heaving with beech mast and looks excellent. The farm itself already has a flock of over 300 Linnets before feeding has even started so the potential is brilliant.

The total of 94 new and 2 retraps is a fantastic return on the chance that we took. MP, PA

Chiffchaff 38, Blackcap 7, Redstart 1, Goldcrest 14 (2), Stonechat 1, Green Woodpecker 1, Reed Bunting 3, Yellowhammer 1, Greenfinch 4, Meadow Pipit 5, Song Thrush 3, Blackbird 2, Wren 3, Dunnock 3, Robin 1, Coal Tit 2, Blue Tit 2 (1), Great Tit 3

11th October 2014 - Swindon STW

12 October 2014

As ever we have been watching the weather intently with the forecast starting out with rain between 0400-0700, then changing to 1000-1300 and a last check on Friday evening showed no rain. I got in to site early to put up some wader nets to target Snipe and Teal and at this point there was broken cloud and some stars. Dawn broke and we had a decent first round and just as we were about to start ringing a shower came over so we decided to go round the nets again. It then hammered down with rain and we closed all nets. Then just as we had closed, the clouds lifted and the rain stopped - typical! We ringed the birds and then reopened the nets but the rain had taken away the golden hour from us. However, we at last broke Pauls hoodoo with Snipe and even had a second one for Jack to ring his first Snipe since 2011. I set a couple of different wader nets today and changed one that was unsuccessful last week to being a two shelfer this week; I often find with wader nets that a lower net works better as it is less visible and if you can predict the flight line it can be successful, this net only caught one bird but it was a Moorhen which again was a first for Paul.

I sited a short net in a shady area by a stream and played Grey Wagtail calls and it caught 3 Grey Wagtails that were the first ringed on site since 2010. A Teal came in mid morning and a Reed Warbler was a great surprise and must surely be the last of the year, it is our second latest ever (record = 28/10/02).

As we were taking down, I knew I had a bit of time on my hands so I dropped a net flush to the ground and played a tape and a bit of cunning work later and I had a Water Rail to surprise Biff with. Last bird of the morning was another Cettis Warbler that knew it was time to turn up as Simon wasn't there.

A revisit late afternoon saw me ring 20 Pied Wagtails that was a great bonus catch.

The day total of 72 new and 12 retraps is standard for the time of year. MP, PA, JN, AM

Water Rail 1, Teal 1, Snipe 2, Moorhen 1, Pied Wagtail 20, Grey Wagtail 3, Blackcap 13 (2), Chiffchaff 10, Cettis Warbler 1, Reed Warbler 1, Reed Bunting 2 (3), Robin 2 (1), Dunnock 6 (2), Wren 7 (2), Song Thrush 2 (1), Blue Tit 0 (1)

teal

grey wag

11th October 2014 - Herdla, Norway

11 October 2014

I've spent the last week ringing in Norway with Nigel & Sissel Goodgame at a site north of Bergen called Herdla which is at the end of a chain of islands which acts as a migrant trap as birds head south for the winter.

When not raining it's been a good week for ringing with large numbers of Brambling and Goldcrest on the move. There have however been no Redpoll's this year, no Fieldfare and only a few Redwing passing through as the weather in Finnmark far to the north has been too mild for anything to start migrating.

As well as catching the Brambling and Goldcrest we've also been catching a lot of Tit's which migrate along the coast and this has included large numbers of Willow Tit's which are rapidly become a very scarse bird in Wiltshire.

Highlights for the week in the photo below - Yellow-browed Warbler, Crested Tit, Golden Plover, Grey-headed Woodpecker and Rock Pipit. GD

Norge1

5th October 2014 Swindon STW & Nightingale Wood

06 October 2014

Swindon STW 5th October 2014

With rain on Saturday morning, Jack and I spent the afternoon doing some site maintenance work and I then put up most of the nets ready for Sunday morning. It was a clear, cold night and come the morning some of the nets were frozen solid. A bit of defrosting with hands that became frozen and we were in business. Following a bit of fun with an old pal of mine I decided to try tape luring Dunnocks and we caught 9 to the tape which turned out to be a significant part of the mornings catch.

I was joined by Paul A, Simon and Anna and we had a reasonably busy first round but then it died a death. Once again a Meadow Pipit triangle failed with only one ringed but playing a Reed Bunting tape and feeding millet paid off with a few of them being ringed including one that was originally ringed in January.

Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs once again dominated the catch but in much fewer numbers and despite playing a Goldcrest recording we only ringed four so we have yet to benefit from the high numbers elsewhere in the country. The four wader nets yielded absolutely nothing which was very frustrating for Paul who has still not ringed one but the Water Rail that Simon and I caught with some cunning field craft more than made up for it.

A revisit in the evening to play a Pied Wagtail roost as a speculative effort worked brilliantly and I ringed 16 which is pretty amazing considering that we have only ever ringed one before on site. I also opened up two wader nets for an hour and I ringed one Snipe so hard luck Paul, your time will come.

129 new birds and 18 retraps is respectable for the time of year but also gave us time to have a good look at ageing and sexing of Reed Buntings which are difficult at this time of year.

Blackcap 43 (4), Chiffchaff 20, Pied Wagtail 16, Reed Bunting 8 (1), Water Rail 1, Snipe 1, Dunnock 12 (6 ), Robin 5 (2), Wren 4 (4), Bullfinch 3, Chaffinch 3, Meadow Pipit 1, Blackbird 1, Goldcrest 4, Great Tit 1, Long Tailed Tit 6, Song Thrush 0 (1)

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Nightingale Wood, South Marston 5th October

A frosty morning - not used to that - few birds before 09:30 then livened up once the sun came out and warmed the place up. A sign of the changing season with fewer Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Meadow Pipit (zero caught) and increase in tit sp, Robin and Goldcrest. PD

Blackbird 1, Blackcap 13, Blue Tit 3 (1), Chiffchaff 6, Goldcrest 5 (1 adult male ringed here in Oct 2013), Great Tit 7 (1), Long-tailed Tit 4, Mistle Thrush 1, Robin 6 (1), Song Thrush 3, Wren 3. 52 new + 4 retrap