Some wind

A week plagued by windy conditions with some amelioration on a couple of afternoons. Not the sort of weather for putting up mist nets. Lots of birds around early doors, coming in to feed after the frosty nights but, alas, much too windy.

I had to be content with a couple of very late morning into early afternoon sessions. However, it was not a complete disaster as the following list of 11 species shows:
Collared Dove 1, Blue Tit 1, Long-tailed Tit 5 (1), Blackcap 2, Blackbird 1 (2), Robin (3), Dunnock (2), Chaffinch 3, Brambling 6, Goldfinch 10 (1), Siskin 1.




The male above is the 4th ringed in the last 3 weeks and the female is the 1st of her sex to be caught, although she (or another) has been around for about 10 days. Both were Fat3+; all have been last year's birds. Maybe I should have asked to colour-ring them but not having any experience of this area before, one can only learn by one's own experiences. The total of newly ringed Goldfinches now tops 130 for the month; Bramblings 42.

Hopefully, we have two good days to come - before the wind is back ... and we get some rain, both from the south-west, a much, much warmer sector than we have been having.

King of Kings

The King Harrys' reign supreme at the moment. On my first session of the year, I "controlled" 2 birds (Goldfinch) originally caught by a neighbouring ringer, JW. This week, on his first session of the year, he "controlled" one of mine, that happened to be the first Siskin I ringed in Somerset. Back to the subject - I've now surpassed the 100 mark and these Goldfinches make up almost half of the total catch of a tad short of 300 so far.

I took some close-up photographs but I must have moved a fraction between focussing and releasing the shutter - in other words, they're fuzzy. So, having learnt (hopefully), I had another go.

Shy female? They always seem to droop on me as I lift the camera.
I can see that I need to get a helper/trainee to hold the birds.

Swiftly through the 200 new birds in less than a week; soon be time to order more rings from the BTO. It's either that or the new Norfolk Atlas!

Another 2CY male Blackcap was, like the other one, an early riser coming to the cut-in-half apples spiked onto the orchard apples (naturally). This one was fat 35 for the officianados among you.

We've also had visitors - a large female Sparrowhawk sat in the tall Ash tree at the bottom of the garden, looking straight down along the net run to see if there was any breakfast; it moved away when I had to go out. Secondly, the local Buzzard, the one that sat on the railway line, also sat up a tree, hoping for some dinner. I am now seeing it regularly over the house. Not seen the male Peregrine for a day or two ...

Still catching Bramblefinches, the majority are males (62%) with some feisty individuals among them. 75% of the birds are classed as 2CY. There is a distinct lack of "6F" (post breeding female) birds with just the one so far.

There was a small influx of Greenfinch and Chaffinch towards the end of the week as the temperature rose slightly. I had to let one adult male Chaffinch go unringed as it was "suffering" with the dreaded "scaly leg".

All in all, a good week's ringing (not everyday, I might add)
Wood Pigeon 1
Collared Dove 1 (new)
Goldcrest 2 (new)
Blue Tit 22 (2)
Great Tit 2 (1)
Long-tailed Tit 4
Blackcap 2, both 2CY males, lots of fat
Blackbird 3 (1)
Song Thrush 1 (new)
Robin 2 (2)
Dunnock 2
House Sparrow 3
Chaffinch 8
Brambling 16
Greenfinch 19
Goldfinch 49 (3 r/t + 1 control)
Siskin 11

The real highlight for me was over 100 new King Harry's ringed in less than 10 days.
End of week total was 148 new birds (and 10 retraps) of 17 species, 3 of which were new for the site. I missed out, just, on a Jackdaw in the top shelf! Doh!

The missus spotted a LEO not far off recently, which reminds me I must get out along the coast and look for some Little Owls; they are scarce about here.

Some progress

First ringing sessions of the year proved quite productive considering that the temperatures had risen markedly with 12C every day this week and the weekend was particularly windy here.

Total of new birds ringed, week ending 16/01/11, in the orchard:

Woodpigeon 1
Gt. Spot. W/peck 1
Blue tit 8
Great Tit 3
Coal Tit 2
Long-tailed Tit 2
Blackcap 1
Wren 1
Blackbird 5
Robin 3
Dunnock 4
House Sparrow 3
Chaffinch 2
Brambling 20
Greenfinch 14
Goldfinch 71
Siskin 4

Controls 2 (2x Goldfinch from 'Five Bells'), Ringed 147, Species 17.

The forecast is for settled weather and lower, more normal temperatures for the time of year. Here goes!

Ready, steady, go!

The "house-work" on the new domicile is nearly completed and now is time for a little "play". Recently, we've been suffering from low temperatures and a cold (onshore) wind and, to top it all, heavy rain was forecast for today. On rising from the pit, there just happened to be a light overcast with a calmer wind and just the odd intermittent spot of rain; that is, until noon.

I got out quickly and put up a net or two. It threatened rain once or twice but nothing more than a few spits or spots. And it turned out to be ideal ringing weather in many ways, what with the birds trying to get ahead of the game in case another hard spell descends upon us. After all, the period through January and early Feb. is, normally, the coldest part of the year.

We haven't seen, or heard, the Great Spot. for over a month now, but today it fell into the net with the most unholy racket. The bird turned out to be a juvenile female, as can be seen by the old, unmoulted greater and primary coverts.

A couple of Siskins "pop in" to the garden every so often, but there is a small flock of about a dozen down the road over the railway on a fairly regular basis.

Recently, we have seen three male Blackcaps and a female feeding on the fruit (lightly micro-waved apples) we spear onto the orchard trees. I was lucky enough to catch a male bird almost at once.

Number one bird today was my old favourite, the Goldfinch; I nobbled seventeen, spread throughout the morning with the older birds coming early on and the juveniles later.

Second in popularity was the Brambling. Eight birds and all males, both young and old. This represents only about 10% of the birds that were descending on the feed just a few days ago.

So, to the catch total for the morning. Well, I was surprised that it eventually came to 49 new birds. [This is the first time I've ringed in the area]. The list:
Great Spot 1,
Blue Tit 3,
Great Tit 3,
Coal Tit 1,
Blackcap 1,
Wren 1,
Blackbird 3,
Robin 3,
Dunnock 3,
House Sparrow 1,
Brambling 8,
Greenfinch 3,
Goldfinch 17,
Siskin 1,
That's fourteen species, more than I could have hoped for. Now that the rain has set in, (they say it'll be with us for the next three days) I can go back to those little jobs that keep cropping up around the house. I have to get them sorted before the real ringing season starts!

Sudden Oak Death

Phytophthora ramorum - the two most dreaded words in the woods round here! This disease which originated in the 'US of A' is ripping through the Japanese Larch plantations here in the "west country". It does not affect our native oaks and is, therefore, a mis-nomer in the UK. The main landowner affected is the National Trust which has several holdings on the Quantocks and within the Exmoor National Park

Staples Plantation - from the car park at ST117411

Immense amounts of timber are being felled at the moment to try and stop the disease spreading and it has to be finished before the spring. So much timber is coming out that the saw-mills are over-loaded, so much so, that alot of it will end up as wood fuel. It's like wiping your arse with a fiver (5GBP)!

Just one of the Larch stacks at Staples Plain.

Anyhow, Staples Plain is our nearest access point to the Quantocks. Later in the year, I hope to walk over much of it with the county recorder in order to "get a feel of the place".

Plenty of gorse to look at and moor grassland to wander over in search of nesting birds.
Naturally, I'll be on the look out for ringing sites, too, around the edges, where approach in a vehicle is possible.

40th anniversary Special

It might seem perverse to many for a railway line to be commemorating the 40th Anniversary of its closure after the Beeching proposals of the 1960’s but that is what happened on January 2nd 2011.

The commemoration took the form of a special First Great Western Diesel Multiple Unit train which left Taunton at 10.40 in the morning and was due to arrive at Minehead at 12.15, returning from Minehead at 15.00 and due into Taunton at 16.37.

Although closed by British Rail in 1971 the Minehead line began to re-open in 1976 and is today the West Somerset Railway, one of the most successful “heritage” railway lines in the country and carrying over 200,000 passengers per annum. WSR trains normally operate from or terminate at Bishops Lydeard, which is four miles from Taunton but it has remained connected to the main line and sees both excursion passenger trains and mainline freight from the national network on an occasional basis. The special train will be both a commemoration of the 40 years since the closure and also the first act in a year of events to mark the 35 years that have passed since the West Somerset Railway story began. The Railway’s annual Spring Steam Gala at the end of March will be built around telling some of the story of the WSR.

While we were waiting for the 'Special' to arrive, a Buzzard perched on the fence, then swooped down on something tiny on the track-side ballast and flew off under the road bridge. It returned a little later and sat on one of the rails under the bridge. Yesterday, I had a fly-by male Peregrine. These now bring my local total to 50 'ticks'. Hopefully this will now grow rapidly since the moving in process is practically finished and I can devote more time to birding and, very soon, ringing again.

Distant view from Williton crossing of PWE gang at "Teddy Bear Crossing"

150 class DMU No.234 approaching Williton

First Great Western DMU stationary at Williton for down token exchange

Cleared Hymek loco 7047 (pulling PWE gang) after up token exchange at Williton

A few days earlier, I treated the family, 4 adults 2 grandchildren and 2 dogs to a round trip to Minehead. A couple of record shots to prove it. And a big hole in the wallet!

My lot as the train approaches

Our 'double-header', 9351 + 88

Flat tyre, perhaps? (S&DJR 88 - "Two Fat Ladies")