A Firecrest, Redwing and another American Gull - October 2014

This mornings ringing session was a very sedate affair, with only 18 birds ringed of nine species, and of those half were re-traps. But amongst the new birds there was some quality in the form of our first Firecrest and Redwing of the year. The Redwing was the first that I had heard this autumn, and given that we had another eight flying over the ringing area, there had clearly been an arrival.

Redwing, Titchfield Haven - October 2014

The Firecrest was a real cracker, as of course they always are, this bird we aged as a juvenile due to the pointed tail feathers, and a male by virtue of the amount of orange in the crown.

Juvenile Male Firecrest - Titchfield Haven

Juvenile Male Firecrest - Titchfield Haven

This was the 25th Firecrest to be caught at the Haven, the first was in 1982 and the second in 1988, with the remaining 23 caught between 2000 and 2014. Despite the status of this species as a breeder in Hampshire and regularity with which it occurs along the Hampshire coast in winter, its occurrence remains unpredictable at the Haven, as demonstrated below.

During the ringing session the other species captured were Cetti's Warbler, Robin, Blackbird, Wren, Reed Bunting, Blue Tit and a female Blackcap. A Brambling, several Linnets and Goldfinches were recorded passing over.

I have recently been given permission to ring at Walpole Park in Gosport, and will be hoping to catch and colour-ring Black-headed, Common and Mediterranean Gulls at the site. After ringing I nipped down there to see how many birds were present and how they were behaving. There were around 100 Black-headed Gulls present, a few Herring and a Common Gull.

Adult Winter Black-headed Gull - Walpole Park

Adult Winter Herring Gull - Walpole Park

Of course the star attraction at Walpole Park over the last 12 winters has been the Ring-billed Gull. It had arrived back on 26th October, and had already taken up residence in its usual place. As interesting as it would be to catch this bird, colour ring it, and see where it goes during the summer, I will not be making any attempts to catch it.

Adult Winter Ring-billed Gull

Mute Swans and Canada Geese also make the most of the food on offer at Walpole Park and whilst I was there I found three that were ringed. One bird had an orange colour ring, whereas the other two had just metal rings. The swans are so approachable that it is easy to read the ring numbers, and take close up photos. I will let you know where they are from when I find out the details.

Adult Mute Swan - Walpole Park

Adult Mute Swan wing feathers.

Franklin's Gull, Blashford Lakes - October 2014

After the record of the adult Franklin's Gull at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trusts Blashford Lakes on 18th October, there has been much speculation about where the bird would turn up next. When it was re-found on Ibsley Water, at Blashford Lakes on the afternoon of 28th October, there was in part a sense of relief, in that it was still around, but that relief was certainly over-shadowed with frustration  as there was no way I could get off work to see it. The bird was watched until dark and therefore there was still hope that it would return again.

Wednesday 29th was my next opportunity, so I left work early and headed down. I was not alone, as many other Hampshire birders had the same idea. The number of gulls was much lower than on the previous day, and then the fog arrived. Slowly it drifted across the lake and before we knew it visibility was down to about 50 metres, with ghostly images of Black-headed Gulls beyond that.

It was going to be difficult for me to get away on Thursday, but when news broke that the bird was once again of Ivy Lake I had to go. The weather conditions were much better as was the light and the bird was once again settled on the water to roost. It was visible from the Tern Hide at the southern end of the lake, but was much closer from the Lapwing hide. Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me but Ian Williamson has kindly sent me some of the images that he took of the bird.

Franklin's Gull (back bird), Blashford Lakes - October 2014 ( Copyright Ian Williamson)

Franklin's Gull (middle), Blashford Lakes - October 2014 (Copyright Ian Williamson)

Franklin's Gull (middle), Blashford Lakes - October 2014 (Copyright Ian Williamson)

Franklin's Gull (middle), Blashford Lakes - October 2014 (Copyright Ian Williamson)

For ease of reference I have copied the Blashford Lakes map below, the bird was roosting in front of the Lapwing Hide in the north-east corner of Ibsley Water. It is probably best to arrive on site around 2:30 - 3:00 pm as the bird has been found around that time, or just after and that will give plenty of time before the light drops.

The bird is an adult winter and as I mentioned on a previous post is the second record for Hampshire, the first being in 1970. Interestingly, that bird was found at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trusts Farlington Marshes and was present from 21st February until 16th May. 

Titchfield Haven, Bird Ringing Update - 26th October 2014

Today's ringing session had a very end of season feel about it, which was not helped by the dull and dreary conditions. Bird wise, the numbers were low, with only 21 birds captured which included two retraps and a control. The most numerous species was Chiffchaff, with nine new birds ringed, bringing the total for the year to 607. Two more Robins elevated the total to 87, which is the highest total in a year for this species. Cetti's Warbler numbers are also still building and two new birds today has taken the total to 60 for the year, evidence of a good breeding for this species. 

A re-trap Kingfisher was a colourful highlight amongst the dreariness of the day; this bird was a juvenile female, and one of 11 new birds ringed this year so far.

Juvenile Kingfisher

Juvenile Kingfisher

The Siberian Stonechat is still loitering at the Haven, and today it was tantalisingly close to our ringing area, but did not venture in, although I was able to grab a couple more pics of it.

Siberian Stonechat - Titchfield Haven

One of the Common Stonechats did make the mistake of venturing in though. This bird was a very straight-forward individual to a age and sex. The mainly dark throat and face are clearly evidence of a male bird and there was an obvious moult limit in the wing.

Juvenile Male Stonechat

Wing of Stonechat, note the juvenile alula, primary coverts, primaries and secondaries. The
lesser, medium and greater coverts are all post juvenile, as are the tertials.

Common Stonechat - note the abrasion on the edges of the primary and secondary
feathers and the contrast between them and the post juvenile tertials. The tail feathers
are also juvenile and heavily abraded. Also note the colour and dark centres of the rump
feathers, in contrast to unstreaked, salmon pink rump of the Sibe Stonechat (from previous posts)

Our Goldcrest total has also been steadily building and now stands at 38 birds; today we did not catch any unringed birds, but a juvenile male that we caught late on turned out to be a control which was nice. I will add the info to the ringing recovery page once I hear back from BTO HQ.

Control Goldcrest caught at the Haven today.

There wasn't much else to report with regard to vis-mig, a flock of 31 Linnets flying west was the most notable record, otherwise the only passerines recorded were a Grey Wagtail and a couple of Greenfinch's.

Bird Ringing Summary, Titchfield Haven - October 2014

With the autumn migration season at the Haven gradually drawing to a close, and the first Redwings and Bramblings of the autumn returning, I have been playing around with some of the species ringing totals. But rather than just focus on the last five years, I have looked back to 1998 at a selection of species. As well as looking at the capture totals between 1998 and 2014, it has also allowed me to look at the general trend of each species over that period. Initially I have looked at those species that we are unlikely to catch again this year but as the season progresses I will add other species. The table below provides information on a selection of passerines, including those that are regular and others that are more uncommon.

The table above looks at the ringing totals between 1998 and 2014 for a selection of passerines.
The totals in red are record years, the total figure is the total number of birds ringed in that year,
not just the total of the species shown.

As I have stated previously the total of 270 birds for Willow Warbler was a record for the site by a good number, as illustrated above. Between 1998 and 2014 the previous highest total was 158, and we have come close to catching 150 birds on three other occasions. Looking at the trend for the last 16 years there is a steady increase. It is difficult to interpret what this means but certainly the number of birds being caught each year is showing a gradual increase.

The Grasshopper Warbler total ended with a total of 340 birds, which is the fifth highest total ever for the species. Once again there is a strong upward trend for the species but that is likely to be slightly skewed by the amazing total of 950 birds in 2011.

The total of 151 Common Whitethroats is the second highest total for the species and once again the trend for the capture totals is a strong upward one. Looking at the totals it is evident that three of the last four years have produced the first, second and third highest totals which could suggest that the species has been having productive breeding seasons recently.

Another species showing a strong upward trend is Garden Warbler and this year's total of 67 was the third highest ever. It is interesting to note just how few birds are ringed annually, in comparison to other species such as Common Whitethroat and Blackcap. Could this indicate the smaller numbers of birds that breed in the British Isles or do Garden Warblers not migrate through the Haven in high numbers?

A species that we get asked about every year when we carry out public ringing events is the Aquatic Warbler. It is a species that is on most Hampshire birders wish list and a species that I have been fortunate to get to grips with on many occasions. Since 1972 only 16 Aquatic Warblers have been ringed at the Haven; the first was in 1977 but 15 have been between 1998 and 2009. We have had several years with multiple captures with the peak being 2006 when four birds were ringed.

Aquatic Warbler - Titchfield Haven 2009

Since 2009 we have not caught an Aquatic Warbler at Titchfield Haven and subsequently there is a strong downward trend for the species at the Haven. Aquatic Warbler is classified as Vulnerable and has declined rapidly in previous years due to the destruction of its habitat. Its decline has been stopped in some areas due to intensive management but in countries like Hungary the species has been quoted as declining to extinction. The decline in the species may be reflected in the lack of birds being caught at the Haven in recent years.

Siberian Stonechat Revisited, Titchfield Haven - 19th October 2014

The night was a somewhat blustery and wet one, but by 6:30am the rain had cleared and the wind dropped so it was possible open some nets in the more sheltered areas. It was a relatively quiet session, with 24 birds trapped including six Blackcaps, five Reed Warbler, three Chiffchaffs, two each of Goldcrest and Cetti's Warbler and single Song Thrush and Blackbird. It was certainly a surprise to be catching five Reed Warblers at this time of year, but what was more surprising was the weight of some of the birds. Three of the Reed Warblers weighed over 15 grams, with one weighing 16.3 grams, considerably more than the usual 10 - 12 grams expected. The Blackcaps too were a good weight, with five of the six birds weighing over 20 grams.

After ringing I decided to go and have another look at the Sibe Stonechat, this time with the batteries in my SLR charged. The bird was back in its usual location, in the recently cut meadow immediately south of the meadow hide. Earlier on it had been reported on the fence near the hide but when I arrived it was towards the back of the meadow and sheltering on the edge of the taller vegetation, or feeding on the ground. It would regularly perch up in full view, but due to its extremely pale colouration, it could at times be surprisingly difficult  to pick out. I was able to grab a series of shots but as you can probably tell these have been very heavily cropped, but they are probably slightly better than yesterdays attempts.

First Winter Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus

First Winter Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus

First Winter Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus

There were at least 15 Common Stonechats in the same meadow and these were much more confiding, regularly sitting directly in front of the hide. I thought I would include a picture of one for comparison.

Common Stonechat Saxicola rubecola

At around 1:30pm news broke of an adult Franklin's Gull at Blashford Lakes, another second for Hampshire, the first being in 1970, which then was a first for the Western Palearctic. I was just on the point of heading to Curbridge, but instead decided to go to there. The bird had not been seen for about an hour when I arrived, but since there is usually a good gull roost in the evening I decided to wait on. The Franklin's did not re-appear but there was enough going on the keep me occupied. The long-staying Great White Egret was in view, as were two Green and one Common Sandpiper. Numerous duck and geese species, including Shoveler, Eurasian Teal, Wigeon, Greylag and Egyptian Geese. A very late Sand Martin got my pulse racing briefly, but it was just a Sand Martin. All the time I was there a constant stream of gulls were passing through, Black-headed was very numerous, as were Lesser Black-backed and Herring. The other gull species recorded were Common, Great Black-backed and a cracking adult Yellow-legged Gull.

Siberian Stonechat, Titchfield Haven NNR - 18th October 2014

 After ringing yesterday I bumped into a local birder who casually mentioned a rumour of a possible Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus on the meadow at Titchfield Haven. At the time the message seemed so vague that I didn't really pay much attention, and then my attention was diverted by the colour-ringed Med Gull. Later in the afternoon I texted Simon Ingram to find out whether he had heard anything, which he had not, but we both decided to look into it. A little later on another local birder, Dave Ryves, headed down to the Haven in search of the Yellow-browed Warbler that I had earlier caught. He did not find the yellow-browed but bumped into the same local birder that I had, who showed him an image of a male Stonechat which he thought might be a Siberian bird. Dave immediately went to the hide and got tantalising views of a female type bird that looked good for a Siberian Stonechat, but no sign of a male bird.

This morning Dave emailed some pictures to me and Simon Ingram which looked very good for a Sibe Stonechat, but by that time I had already decided to go. When I arrived I was the only person in the hide but Alan Lewis soon arrived. There were at least 10 Common Stonechats feeding along the fence, but no sign of the Sibe initially, and then it appeared. It was proving very difficult to pick up, keeping low in the vegetation, but eventually showed very well, just a few meters from our ringing area. Unfortunately the battery in my SLR was flat so I had to resort to a spot of digiscoping, so apologies for the poor images.

Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus

Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus

Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus

Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus

Although not the best pictures I have ever taken, they are not the worst either, and the required features to confirm it as a Sibe Stonechat can be easily seen. I am hoping that Alan Lewis will email some better pictures over later which will show the features better. But from the images above it is possible to see the buff unstreaked rump and the generally pale sandy colouration. The pale fringing throughout and the pale well-defined whitish throat point to the bird being female/first winter. The tertials were dark centred with pale fringing, unfortunately this feature cannot be seen in my images. The obvious broad supercilium, which is said to make the species resemble a Whinchat, was not really that obvious and the bird actually resembled a Desert Wheatear, due to its sandy plumage.

If accepted this will be the second record in Hampshire, the first also being at Titchfield Haven and found by Barry Duffin in 1988, when it was still a subspecies.

Another Eastern Surprise.....well not really!

With the weather forecast for the weekend looking wet and windy I decided to ring at the Haven this morning (17th October). Unfortunately being a weekday there was no one else free, although Barry did suggest that he might pop by at some stage. With the numbers of birds per session dropping right down now, and the overnight weather conditions not particularly good for a fall, I decided to open all the nets. The first round was as predicted and produced a measly four birds, but as I was approaching the ringing station I heard the distinctive call of a Yellow-browed Warbler. I quickly processed the birds I had and headed out for another round. This time it was slightly better numbers wise, with 13 birds made up of Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Robins, Goldcrests and, yep you've guessed it a Yellow-browed Warbler. I have been watching the bird news over the last couple of weeks and there have been good numbers around the country, so it was not a major surprise to catch one, but they have been proving more that a bit elusive in Hampshire. I think Barry must have a sixth sense as just as I got the bird out of the bag to ring it he appeared around the corner.

Yellow-browed Warbler, Titchfield Haven - October 2014

The bird was in excellent condition, the plumage was immaculate and it was carrying a lot of fat (ESF score of 4). This is only the fourth Yellow-browed the be ringed at the Haven, the first was in 1978, but the last three have been in 2011, 2012 and 2014.

Yellow-browed Warbler, Titchfield Haven - October 2014

The tail feathers on this bird were pointed indicating that it was probably a juvenile.

Yellow-browed Warbler tail - October 2014

The session continued with nothing else notable to report and only 37 birds ringed of which five were retraps. The total included 13 Chiffchaffs, five Blackcaps and five Goldcrests, two Robins and single Song Thrush, Blackbird and a lingering Reed Warbler.

A sad looking Goldcrest

After ringing I wandered along the boardwalk looking, and listening for the yellow-browed but there was no sign which was a shame as it would have been nice to see it in the field. 

A quick scan over the beach was also worth while as a mixed flock of gulls were roosting there. The flock included seven Common Gulls, 14 Herring Gulls, 96 Black-headed Gulls and 1 each of Lesser Black-backed and Mediterranean Gull. The Med was sporting a red colour on its left tarsus with the inscription PPP9. A quick look at the colour ringing website here suggests that this bird was ringed in Poland, I will let you know the details when I find out.

Adult Mediterranean Gull with its red colour and the alpha-numeric code PPP9 (honest)

Times they are a changing, Titchfield Haven Ringing Update - October 2014

This post reflects changes on two levels at Titchfield Haven; the first is that after 42 years of bird ringing at the Haven we have decided to set up a ringing group. Titchfield Haven Ringing Group (the obvious name to choose) has been formed in the hope that we can build a keen group of bird ringers who will help continue with our ringing studies at the site in the future. We currently have a group of three qualified ringers, Barry Duffin, Duncan Bell and me (Trevor Codlin) and several trainees, who are progressing well towards their ringing permits.

The second change is the season; summer is now well and truly behind us and autumn has arrived, although the severe thunderstorms we have had this week have been a bit out of season. Bird ringing has become slightly more unpredictable during the first half of October, due to some very variable weather. Despite this, and the fact that we are now approaching the middle of October, bird numbers have been holding up well. On the 3rd October 114 news birds were ringed, on the 5th October 145 and today, 11th October, 84 new birds were ringed. Of course the species mix has changed and Reed, Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers no longer predominate the numbers, instead we are faced with large numbers of Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps. Reed Bunting numbers have also picked up and we have now ringed 21 new birds.

Occasional gems also pop into our nets and so far this October they have been in the form of two Bearded Reedlings, one male and one female, and a Stonechat. Bearded Reedling is not an uncommon species at Titchfield Haven, but the reed bed is so vast that they rarely stray into our ringing area, so these two were a real treat and the first of the year.

Male Bearded Reedling - © B S Duffin

Female Bearded Reedling - © B S Duffin

Similarly, the Stonechat is another species that does breed along the Meon Valley, and is regularly seen by us as we carry out our studies, but not often caught. Only 31 Stonechats have been ringed at the Haven since 1972, this individual was the first ringed since 1996, so a bit of a rarity in ringing terms.

Stonechat - © B S Duffin

The total of new birds ringed for the July to October ringing period has now passed 4400, and as I have stated in previous posts, there have been some very notable totals. Willow Warbler was the first with a record number of 270 birds ringed, and the Blackcap total has also set a new record, with the magic number of 800 new birds fast approaching. The Sedge Warbler total of 1225, is the fifth highest total, whilst the Reed Warbler total of 689 is the second highest. The Grasshopper Warbler total of 340 in also the fifth highest, and Garden Warbler at 67 is the third highest. Common Whitethroat numbers were at their second highest and Cetti's Warbler numbers are also high. A species that I haven't really mentioned before is the European Robin; currently the total for the year stands at 80 birds, only four off equalling the previous highest total. I haven't mentioned Chiffchaff yet because the migration of this species is still in full swing, with over 50 birds ringed today. As we approach 600 new birds ringed this total is already the second highest ever, but is unlikely to surpass 2011 when 858 new birds were ringed.

Avocet and Lesser Black-backed Gull Details

I have recently heard back from Graham Giddens with details of the colour ringed Avocet I saw at Titchfield Haven on the 12th September and Paul Veron with details of the Lesser Black-backed Gull that I saw at Davidstow on the 5th October, and so as promised here they are.

Juvenile Avocet, Titchfield Haven NNR - 12th September 2014

The Avocet (green/blue-white/light green) was ringed at Needs Ore Point as a chick on the 14th July 2014. It was first recorded at Titchfield on the 7th September 2014, when it was recorded feeding with other juveniles. Graham informs me that out of 19 chicks colour-ringed, 11 have been sighted away from Needs Ore and all 11 of them have gone to or passed through Titchfield Haven at some point. Graham is gaining some interesting data which suggests that the Haven may be an important post-breeding/moulting site for Avocets.

Adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, Davidstow Airfield, Cornwall - 5th October 2014

The Lesser Black-backed Gull was first ringed at Chouet Landfill, on Guernsey in the Channel Islands on the 21st May 2012. It was aged as an adult (four or more calendar years old) and sexed as a female. On the 15th September 2012 it was recorded at Davidstow Airfield, Cornwall, England. It was recorded in France at Champteusse sur Baconne, Maine et Loire on the 15th November 2012. The next sighting was on the 12th September 2014 at Davidstow Airport again, where I recorded it on the 5th October 2014.

If you ever find a colour-ringed gull you can check out which scheme it is from by checking the European colour ringing site http://www.cr-birding.org and if a bird turns out to be one of Pauls birds you can enter details yourself on his site, which is http://birdrings.digimap.gg/Default.aspx.

Birding in Cornwall - October 2014

This last week I have been on a family break in Cornwall. I was hoping to connect with some good birds whilst down here, and at the very least see some migrants. We were based at St Merryn, on the north coast and within walking distance of Trevose Head and the Stepper Point/Crugmeer area. 

Booby's Bay - Cornwall

The first spot I birded at was Booby's Bay, which is located on the Trevose Head peninsula. There was limited bush cover on the headland itself, but there was plenty around Booby's Bay and the nearby golf course. Birding was tough and there were very few migrants to be found, in fact the most numerous species was Northern Wheatear, with four birds present one evening, otherwise it was just a scattering of Chiffchaffs.

Northern Wheatear's - Booby's Bay

Around 30 Oystercatchers, a Curlew and a Turnstone were feeding regularly on the rocks in the bay and Northern Gannets were present offshore. Whilst scanning over the bay I noticed a dead seal pup being washed in on the rising tide. On closer inspection it appeared to have been in the water for a while as fur had started to lift from its skin, particularly around the head and face. Blood was still present from what appeared to be its umbilical cord, suggesting that it might have been still born. Looking at the head shape it looked like it was a Grey Seal pup.

Dead Seal Pup - Booby's Bay

The Crugmeer/Stepper Point area was my favoured birding area. The meadows were full of Meadow Pipits, Linnets and Skylarks, and there were plenty of Stonechats present. A small wooded valley that leads to Harbour Cove, had lots of potential for migrants and the adjacent cabbage field was popular with Meadow Pipits and Linnets. There was a report of a Lapland Bunting on one day, but I couldn't find it.

Stonechat - Crugmeer/Stepper Point

Despite the lack of birds there was a good variety of butterflies present, Small Copper, Clouded Yellow, Small and Large White, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Painted Lady were recorded regularly, but the most numerous species was Wall Brown, a species which is quite uncommon in Hampshire these days.

Small Copper - Crugmeer/Stepper Point

Wall Brown - Crugmeer/Stepper Point

Wall Brown's - Crugmeer/Stepper Point

On the 2nd October I met up with a mate and spent the day birding the valleys west of Penzance. We visited Porthcurno, Polgigga, Porthgwarra, Nanquidno, Kenidjack, Bottalack Head and Pendeen. There was little to report of note, Chiffs were present at most places, we had a few Goldcrests, a Blackcap, six Jays at Polggiga was apparently notable, but for me the best birds were two Choughs at Kenidjack and a couple of Balearic Shearwaters past Pendeen. A Buff Tip caterpillar provided a bit of a distraction from the birding, and Clouded Yellows were recorded at most places.

Buff Tip Caterpillar - Kenidjack Valley

We ended the day with a visit to Ryan's Field at Hayle where two Little Stints, a Curlew Sandpiper, 100+ Dunlin and two Curlews were present. 

Another good birding area was Park Head, which we visited on the 3rd October. We walked from Porthcothan along the cliff, there were good numbers of Gannets feeding offshore, at least 40 Great Black-backed Gulls and 15 Oystercatchers roosting on one of the offshore islands. On shore there were at least 100 Meadow and 20 Rock Pipits, 50 Linnets, six Stonechats, two Wheaters and a Chiffchaff.

Northern Wheatear - Park Head

On our final day and the way home I decided to make a slight detour and call into Davidstow Airfield. I was hopeful that the overnight rain would have brought in a good yankee wader, but alas that was not to be. At least 20 Pied Wagtails were feeding over the grassland, along with a flock of around 35 Linnets and 15 Meadow Pipits.

Pied Wagtail - Davidstow Airfield

Common Ravens are regular at Davidstow, this time there were just the two, and half a dozen Northern Wheaters were still present.

Northern Wheatear - Davidstow Airfield

A mixed flock of large gulls was made up of mostly Lesser Black-backed, about 25 and five Herring Gulls. It is often quite easy to get close to the birds roosting on the airfield as it is possible to drive right up to them, as was the case with these birds. Two of the Lesser Black-backs were ringed, one with just a metal ring, that I couldn't read, and the other a black darvic ring, with white numbers and letters on it.

Adult Winter Lesser Black-backed Gull - Davidstow Airfield

The darvic ringed bird was an adult and having carried out a bit of research it appears likely that it is a bird ringed by Paul Veron on the Channel Islands. I will let you know when I find out the details.

Adult Winter Lesser Black-backed Gull - Davidstow Airfield