Nothing to do but wait

For Spring, that is. It's a glorious day outside; we have the doors and windows open. And we wait for the returning migrants, the first of which will be the Chiffchaff.

Not a lot to report since last time for two reasons. The first, mis-perscribing, kept me "off piste" [the deep white stuff on the first floor] with a temperature of 105F, and the second because all the residents are too busy singing their hearts out, keeping any new-comers out of the netting area.

When I have sneaked in an early hour or two in my dressing gown, I have managed to amass 16 new birds and 7 re-traps of a dozen species. They have been a fairly typical grouping for this time of year (and place).

Long-tailed Tit

Blue Tit 1 (1)
Great Tit 1
Long-tailed Tit 2
Blackcap (3 individuals)
Blackbird 2 (1)
Redwing 2
Robin 2
Dunnock (4)
Greenfinch 1
Goldfinch 4 (1)
Siskin 1
Bullfinch 1

2CY Robin

Now the top five species this year so far are:

Goldfinch 50
Redwing 10
Greenfinch 9
Blackcap 8
Bullfinch 7

Male 2CY Bullfinch

One of the more recent Blackcaps had put on a bit of fat. Each time I catch one of the 'residents', I check the tracheal pit to get some idea of its "migratory state". As the winter has gone on, weights have increased but no fat has appeared - until just recently. A young female that has been around for the last 6 weeks (at least) suddenly revealed a fat score of F3 (ESF), indicating that she might be "off" soon. It just needs a clear night for her to head east to the continent - or even north.

Two new Robins on consecutive days seems a bit strange, but as the species is a partial migrant, perhaps these two were also partial to a bit of migrating! Still can't catch those damned Chaffinches; I'll have to make a new drop trap or a small clap net!

Chiffchaff

PS. We've had at least 10 Common Frogs in our 4ft by 4ft concrete pond at the back and it's now chocabloc with frog spawn. Perhaps the all-night 'grunting' will now cease!
PPS. First Buff-tailed Bumblebee queen today; allsorts of plants now flowering.

Post-Valentine's agony

Half term! The grand-children arrived on Tuesday and my priorities had to change. The garden is looking bleak after the frosts but there are signs of spring, with a few Snowdrops out and the crocuses pushing up but not yet open because of the wintry weather. The buds are showing on the Pussy Willow, too. Twelve Redwings have been sitting in the Ash trees and swooping across the garden, looking for the remaining Pyracantha berries as well as any fruits on the Ivy that the Woodpigeons and Blackbirds have missed.
It being half-term, the steam trains on the West Somerset "branch" line have started running again after the mid-winter lay-off, when essential maintenance takes place. Of course, we had to take in the station as part of our walks. This is one of Pete Waterman's locos.
During one of our local tours, we popped in to Carhampton church to view the magnificent rood screen. I was more interested in the large churchyard. This is only cut at the 'back end'; the rest of the year it is allowed to grow naturally and it contains a large variety of common and not so common plants, about 100 in all. The dozen Yew trees are magnificent and were playing host to a group of noisy Siskins and Chaffinches.
The family were leaving on Friday, so I was able to put some nets out. This gave me a chance to show Erin (8) birds close up in the hand. She liked the 'big' Redwings and the 'wriggly' Blackcap; and she was able to name them.
Here's the list of what was caught and ringed (re-trapped):
Blackcap 1 (1)
Blackbird 1
Redwing 4
Dunnock 1 (1) - still they come
House Sparrow 3 (1)
Greenfinch 1
Goldfinch 5
Bullfinch 1 (1)

Total 17 (4)

Yesterday, Denise and I recce'ed an orchard with a view to catching some Fieldfares before they decide to up and go. The wind was against us, billowing the nets, and the sun was also bright. We did manage to suss out the most sheltered part for a future attempt. This will probably be sooner rather than later, as the 400 or so birds could well depart as the temperature is forecast to reach the mid-teens later in the week.
Fingers crossed!

So much for that idea!

Well, the wind got up but didn't change vector and put the little 'darlings' off! Not a Chaffinch in site!. Mind you, the temperature had risen overnight even though the wind felt raw.

I carried on regardless and had the pleasure of another COLDO, the first for this year - and number 8 in the garden net. [I use NR superfines, so larger birds tend not to stick - unless, like this one, the wind holds them in!]

Collared Dove (S. decaocto) - fully moulted wing (Feb), male.

A new boy turned up 'on the block'. This was a young, male BLABI, with the pale crescent markings all over his chest. If these markings persist after his first full moult (this takes almost 3 months from July to, maybe, October), he will be known as a "Stockamsel", a term that you don't often hear referred to nowadays. There is already a battle going on between the two resident males over a female, without this chap stirring things up.

Common Blackbird (T. merula) - 2CY male (131mm, 95.5g, 4 ogc) Feb

Another first for the year turned up today. Well, I say that, but it was the first one to hit the net. SISKI.
It turned out to be a 2CY female (71.5mm, 12.0g, zero fat); a little later, as I was extracting a King Harry, another two were buzzing nearby in the apple trees that border the net ride.

Eurasian Siskin (C. spinus) - 2CY female, 1 ogc (Feb)

My meagre efforts since the last posting are:
Collared Dove 1
Blackcap 1 - another 2cy female; 7th new bird of 2012 (makes 9)
Blackbird 1 - a new male
Robin (2) - I think these are now a pair
Dunnock (1) - getting very wary
Greenfinch 2
Goldfinch 3 (1) - r/t ringed as a 3J in early Sept.
Siskin 1

Total: 9 new (4 r/t), 8 spp.

No go

Apart from it being cold, down to minus 10C, the Environment Agency have been in clearing the Doniford Stream and the bankside vegetation. The place looks like an urban park! However, spring is not that far away and the herb layer will soon spring up again, ready for the returning migrant warblers. No sign of any Chiffs yet, but them continental Blackcaps are all frequent on the village bird tables (3 resident in my garden alone!)


I have managed a couple of morning sessions in my orchard with some success. The problem is that when the weather is calm at this time of year, the sun is usually pretty bright, too. High vis nets are not the order of the day. I can't wait for bud burst - that's when the Chiffs return, together with the finches.

So what did I manage to pick up?

Blackcap (2)
Wren (1)
Redwing 1
Robin 1 (1)
Greenfinch 2
Goldfinch 4 (3)
Chaffinch 1
Total 9 (7), 7 spp.

I have hatched a plan to catch the unringed Chaffinches which will be put into operation tomorrow; that's because Ferguson (our local BBC TV weatherman) says it'll be cold AND overcast.

I've had to insert the photos via my other computer since my new camera is not supported on XP.
But I have now found a simple way around the problem.

2CY Redwing Turdus iliacus

Break over

Now that the cold weather has abated, it was an opportunity to put the nets out again. At present, I am restricted to the garden as a series of management works are taking place down at the meadows. Some of the horses are still in there (although they're usually not too much of a problem), the hedges have been cut back down, the orchard has been strimmed, the banks of the stream were flailed yesterday and the EA have arrived and are currently removing obstructive trees from the bank edges along the whole length (flooding can be a serious problem here).

The main birds keeping company with the horses at the moment are a family of Crows, a pair of Magpies, one Little Egret, a couple of elusive Water Rails, a pair of Moorhens, three Buzzards, five Fieldfares and 15 Redwings, plus a couple of pairs of Great Tit, the local 'juvvy' Sparrowhawks and some wintering Chaffinches. At high tide times, a flock of 25-50 Black-headed Gulls turns up and roosts for a short while.

The totals are gradually creeping up. Last year was truly amazing because of the snow cover and hard frosts. But being in the south-west, we expect January and February to be our coldest months but rather mild compared to the rest of the country. We make up for it with a long growing ... and breeding ... season!

This is what has graced the ringing table since my last visit HERE:

Woodpigeon 1

Goldcrest (1)

Blue Tit 1 (1)

Great Tit 1

Coal Tit (1)

Blackcap 2 (3) - at least 4 of these are feeding daily at the bird tables

Wren (1)

Blackbird (5) - signs of BP forming

Robin (2) - signs of BP forming

Dunnock 1 (3)

Chaffinch 1 - difficulty catching the "wily 6" with rings on!

Greenfinch 3

Goldfinch 13 (2)

One of the 2CY Greenfinches had moulted primaries 5-7 (ascending) but not the alula.

The Dipper has found a mate and now sings every morning as the dog and I pass by.