Beardies, Buntings and Shorties

This morning I met Duncan at Farlington Marshes for a spot of ringing. The marsh was shrouded in fog, and it wasn't long before we were soaked, but at least that meant it wasn't windy. We set three nets in the eastern part of the reed bed, and almost immediately caught a Robin and a couple of Wrens. The next round produced a few Reed Buntings, followed by a few more and then a few more. Before we knew it we had ringed over 20 new Reed Buntings and retrapped one from a few years ago, and three Cetti's Warblers.

Reed Bunting (Male)

One of the reasons for going to the marsh was to try and catch some Bearded Tits. They have been very visible at the marsh in recent weeks, but have been showing at the top of the lake, and not where we were ringing. As it turned out we did not hear a single beardie, and were just about to give up when a pair suddenly appeared in the nets. Although we have been catching loads at the Haven, these are the first we have ringed at the marsh. There didn't seem to be any others around, but we well try again, when the weather conditions are right.

Bearded Tit (Male)

After ringing I headed home to dry out and warm up, before heading back to the marsh again. By now the fog had cleared  and the sun was occasionally breaking through. The main reason for going back was to try and catch up with some more Short-eared Owls. There have been reports of up to 4 birds and I was keen to get some photos. From the car park I worked my way through the bushes and towards the eastern track. I picked up a short-eared almost immediately flying over the main marsh, but decided to continue along the track to the sea wall. This turned out to be the right choice for me, as sitting in a meadow east of the track where 2 Short-eareds. They remained perched for about 10 minutes before starting to hunt and chase each other giving some cracking views.

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

I spent a good 30 minutes watching the owls before they dropped down into the field and out of view. I continued around the sea wall heading back past the Deeps and was quickly onto two more owls. These were a bit more distant than the birds I had just been watching but were in view almost continuously, even when feeding on the ground. One bird (below) was much paler than the others and I am inclined to think that this bird is an adult, and probably a male. Apparently females have a distinctly deeper buff ground colour overall, and the dark markings are usually bolder in males.

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

In the end I must of spent over an hour and a half with these owls, in light that was now just perfect. I continued around the seawall and stopped briefly to look over the lake. It was high tide now and there was a good variety of waders and ducks roosting. The most numerous wader species was Black-tailed Godwit, with Common Redshank and Grey Plover also present in good numbers. Other species included Avocet, Knot, Dunlin, Common Snipe and a lone Spotted Redshank. I could still see two Short-eareds hunting over the main marsh and another very distantly, that appeared to be hunting over the RSPB islands, could there really be five birds!

Black-tailed Godwits, Grey Plover, Dunlin, Knot, Common and Black-headed Gulls, Avocet, Shelduck and one Spotted Redshank

Black-tailed Godwits and Shelducks

Titchfield Haven - Late October update

Typically at this time of the year the frequency of suitable ringing days declines, as does the number of birds that we catch. This year hasn't quote worked like that, in that the weather has been generally set fair, and just as we thought the number of birds was declining, we suddenly have a good day. Since my last post we have ringed on seven occasions with the totals varying from 25 on 16th to 95 on 20th. 

In contrast to earlier in the year, Chiffchaff has become the commonest species, with Blackcap and Goldcrest making up the supporting cast. Blackcap numbers are now well and truly at a record level with 964 birds ringed, Chiffchaff numbers stand at 500. A catch of 27 Goldcrests on 20th October has taken the total to 76 for the year; a very respectable total for us but not unexpected given the numbers recorded on the east coast. 

Female Goldcrest

Again, not unexpectedly two Firecrests have also been trapped, a species that we never get bored with ringing.

Male Firecrest

We have not caught any more Sedge, Willow, Grasshopper or Garden Warblers, but have added the occasional Whitethroat and Reed Warbler. There is always a tinge of excitement when we find a Reed Warbler at this time of year, but as yet they have all been just reeds. A comparison of key species up to 26th October from 2010 - 2014 and up to 22nd October for 2015 is below.

With the key species now tailing off, others have started to increase. We have been regularly catching new Robins and our total now stands at 78, 17 Bearded Tits, 18 Lesser Redpolls, a record for the site, 14 Reed Buntings and seven Song Thrush. Ten Kingfishers is a very good total for the site.

To date the total number of new birds ringed since July stands at 3778 of 37 species.

Bird Ringing at Titchfield Haven - Early August 2015 update

Despite my lack of posts on the subject the autumn bird ringing has been progressing steadily at Titchfield Haven, and when I say steadily I mean just that. Throughout July the numbers of birds ringed were low compared with last year, and the most noteworthy thing was that in that period we only caught one Grasshopper Warbler, by the end of July last year we had ringed 30. Last weekend things picked up a bit with 120 birds ringed on Saturday and 98 on Sunday, but today things really got going, with 181 birds ringed.

It was a busy session with just Barry and I ringing and Colin who was our scribe for the morning. Clear and still overnight conditions are the best for our site and it was evident by the first round that it would be a bit busy. As expected for this time of year Reed and Sedge Warblers made up a bulk of the catch with over 130 birds between them. Willow Warbler was the next most numerous with over 20 new birds ringed. 

Juvenile Willow Warbler

The numbers of Sylvia warblers is slowly starting to build and today we were surprised to catch 10 new Garden Warblers, including two adult birds, which are always nice for comparison. Common Whitethroats and Blackcaps, were also ringed but in much smaller numbers.

Juvenile Garden Warbler 

The other species included our second Grasshopper Warbler of the year, Chiffchaff, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Blackbird, Robin, Cetti's Warbler and a juvenile Reed Bunting. This year Bullfinch numbers have been at an all time high, but that is because they have bred in our ringing area for the first time this year.

Juvenile Reed Bunting

One of our net rides is set over a purpose built boardwalk that leads down the the river Meon. At this time of year it is one of our busiest rides since it cuts down through an area of Phragmites reed bed. The end of the ride is a great place to stand and get a view of the river, especially when mud is exposed. 

The jetty net ride

This morning it was evident that we had had an overnight visitor as there were two very fresh Otter spraints and the end of the jetty was still wet where it had hauled out of the river. Despite being on the site at very unsociable hours of a regular basis, I have not yet seen an otter here, hopefully I won't have to wait much longer.

Fresh Otter Spraint

The Latest Update from Titchfield Haven - September 2014

Last weekend, the bird ringing was fairly average with 82 birds ringed on each day. 

Saturday 20th - today was our third and final public ringing event of the year, but unfortunately the visitors were greeted to a foggy and damp morning. The damp conditions meant that dew droplets kept hanging on the nets making them very visible to birds. It was a slow start but eventually we caught 47 Blackcaps, 11 Sedge Warblers, eight Chiffchaffs, seven Reed Warblers, three Robins, two Song Thrush and single Willow Warbler and Common Whitethroat. The only notable species was a Magpie, not rare but the first we have ringed  this year.

Wryneck - Hook with Warsash

After ringing news came through of a Wryneck on the beach at Hook with Warsash Nature Reserve. Since that was on the way home, well sort of, I took a slight detour to see it. Initially, it wasn't on view, but after a wait of about 15 minutes it appeared and showed relatively well.

Male Reed Bunting

Sunday 21st - today was a much more promising start, a clear overnight sky and no wind. It was again a slow start but things soon got going, our total included 30 Chiffchaffs, 27 Blackcaps, 11 Sedge Warblers, five Reed Warblers, three Cetti's and single Whitethroat, Willow Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler and Reed Bunting.

The First Common Cuckoo ever ringed at Titchfield Haven - July 2014

The title pretty much gives away what the highlight of our first bird ringing session of the autumn at the Haven was today, and so I'll start this blog with a picture of it, a juvenile Common Cuckoo. It was a welcome reward for our hard work cutting in the net rides over the last week and the first Common Cuckoo ever ringed at the Haven.

Juvenile Common Cuckoo

The morning began with a 4am start and as usual our nets were set low in the hope of catching Grasshopper Warblers. Our quest started well and we started the season with nine new Grasshopper Warblers, all of them juveniles.

Juvenile Grasshopper Warbler (yellow form)

We caught most (six) of the Grasshopper Warblers in the first round, but added the odd single throughout the morning. The rounded tail shape is typical of the genus Locustella but the dark streaks along the shaft of the under tail coverts can be very variable in their extent.

Under-tail Coverts and Tail of Grasshopper Warbler

It was whilst extracting one of the Grasshopper Warblers that we heard an odd call. We recognised it as a juvenile begging call, but couldn't work out what it was, that is until we saw a Cuckoo fly over the top of the reeds. The very next round the bird, or another, was in the net. The bird was clearly still dependant on its unfortunate parents, who happened to be a pair of Reed Warblers, as its wing feathers had not fully grown. According to the BTO website the average wing length is 219mm, this birds wing was only 137mm. This was the first cuckoo I have ever had the pleasure to handle, other than a dead Yellow-billed Cuckoo that was found in Woolston, nr Southampton, many years ago. It was a truly stunning bird with heavily chestnut barred upper parts and strongly barred underparts. Most of the upper parts were pale fringed and the white nape patch, typical of a juvenile bird was clearly visible. The gape was a deep orange colouration, and was striking. After release the bird moved around the ringing area begging constantly, its busy parents in constant attendance.

Juvenile Common Cuckoo

Juvenile Common Cuckoo

Juvenile Common Cuckoo

Juvenile Common Cuckoo

Juvenile Common Cuckoo

A Common Kingfisher would have normally been a good candidate for bird of the session, but on this occasion the juvenile had to make do with the runners up spot. This bird was clearly a juvenile as the front of its tarsus and upper foot was brown and there were dark smudges on the breast, that almost formed a band. In colouration this individual was quite dull, the we considered that the crown feathers were more green-blue, than blue-green, making it a female, but this was the first of the year so we didn't sex it.

Juvenile Kingfisher

Juvenile Kingfisher

A juvenile Reed Bunting was another good bird for us at this location. This individual was sexed as a female due to the pattern and lack of black in the crown and throat feathers. Other species captured included Reed, Sedge and Cetti's Warbler, Blackcap and Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest.

Juvenile Reed Bunting (female)

A canary yellow Willow Warbler was the first of the autumn, and hopefully will be the first of many. They certainly appear to have had a good breeding season at Botley Wood.

Juvenile Willow Warbler

We have often had discussions about ageing Cetti's Warblers. Swensson suggests that there are no plumage differences between adult and juveniles, but adults undergo a complete moult post breeding, whereas juveniles undergo a partial mount. In most passerines this would mean that juvenile greater coverts are retained and thus a difference should be visible. A couple of years ago I read a paper that suggested this was indeed the case and we started looking and ageing birds based on this feature. Given the generally plain plumage, good light is needed to see the feature, but it is visible in some individuals. Today we ringed five Cetti's Warblers, one of which was undergoing its post juvenile moult and had retained two of its greater coverts. It will be interesting to see whether this feather is picked up throughout the autumn as we re-trap this bird, which we will undoubtedly do.

Cetti's Warbler Wing

The session finished with 74 birds ringed of 15 species; Reed Warbler (21), Grasshopper Warbler (9), Sedge Warbler (9), Chiffchaff (9), Blackcap (6), Cetti's Warbler (5), Wren (4), Whitethroat (3), Robin (2) and single Cuckoo, Kingfisher, Blue Tit, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest and Reed Bunting. Let's hope it's not all downhill from here.

Some Recent Recoveries from BTO HQ

This week I received some good news in the form of five ringing recovery/control sheets back from the BTO. Two were of birds that I had ringed, and three were of colour ringed birds that I had see whilst out birding. 

With regard to the two recoveries, the two birds in questions were both reed buntings that I ringed in my garden on 11th March 2012. The birds appeared to be a pair and were feeding on some millet that I had scattered around under the feeders. I was aware of one of these birds being recaptured, since it was trapped by Barry Duffin at Titchfield Haven, in the Quinoa field. However I was surprised to see that he had also caught the second bird, at the same site, one month later.

Species: Reed Bunting          Scheme: GBT          Ring no: Y303175

Ringing details

Age: 5  Sex: male  Sex meth: -  P.ringed: -  P.alive: -  Condition: -

Colour marks added: -  Metal marks added: -  Act1: -  Act2: -

Ringing date: 11-Mar-2012

Finding details

Ring not verified  Age: 4  Sex: M  Sex meth: -

Colour marks added: -    Metal marks added: -    Act1: T  Act2: -

Finding date: 30-Oct-2012

Reg code: TFH  Place code: TFH  Site name: Titchfield Haven, Hill Head, Fareham, Hampshire

County code: GBHAM  Grid ref: SU5302   Co-ords: 50deg 49min N  1deg 15min W

Hab1: B7  Hab2: C7

Biometrics: Wing: 82 mm.   Weight: 18.6 g.   Time: 1030hrs

Finding condition: 8:20  Movement: --

Controlled    Intentionally Taken

Remarks:

Duration: 233 days    Distance: 7 km    Direction: 203deg (SSW)

Species: Reed Bunting          Scheme: GBT          Ring no: Y303176

Ringing details

Age: 4  Sex: female  Sex meth: -  P.ringed: -  P.alive: -  Condition: -

Colour marks added: -  Metal marks added: -  Act1: -  Act2: -

Ringing date: 11-Mar-2012

Finding details

Ring not verified  Age: 4  Sex: F  Sex meth: -

Colour marks added: -    Metal marks added: -    Act1: W  Act2: -

Finding date: 30-Nov-2012

Reg code: TFH  Place code: TFH  Site name: Titchfield Haven, Hill Head, Fareham, Hampshire

County code: GBHAM  Grid ref: SU5302   Co-ords: 50deg 49min N  1deg 15min W

Hab1: E3  Hab2: --

Biometrics: Wing: 76 mm.   Weight: 18.8 g.   Time: 1330hrs

Finding condition: 8:20  Movement: --

Controlled    Intentionally Taken

Remarks:

Admittedly a movement of seven kilometres, was not that noteworthy, but nonetheless it was a 100% recovery rate for reed buntings ringed in my garden in 2012.

The next bird was a colour-ringed redshank that I saw at Bunny Meadows on 6th October 2012. I think I may have speculated at the time that this bird was probably ringed at Hamble Point, since that is a regular ringing location on The Solent, and sure enough, that was the case.

Species: Redshank          Scheme: GBT          Ring no: DD51278

Ringing details

Age: 6  Sex: unknown  Sex meth: -  P.ringed: -  P.alive: -  Condition: -

Colour marks added: I  Metal marks added: -  Act1: -  Act2: -

Colour marks left below knee: W, right below knee: W,Y, left above knee: M, right above knee: W

Ringing date: 27-Mar-2011

Reg code: HAM  Place code: HAM  Site name: Hamble Point, Southampton Water, Hampshire

County code: GBHAM  Grid ref: SU4805   Co-ords: 50deg 50min N  1deg 19min W

Hab1: H3  Hab2: --

Biometrics: Wing: 177 mm.   Weight: 172 g.   Time: 1455hrs

Remarks:

Finding details

Ring not verified  Age: 4  Sex: -  Sex meth: -

Colour marks added: -    Metal marks added: -    Act1: -  Act2: -

Finding date: 06-Oct-2012

Reg code: ---  Place code: BUNMED  Site name: Bunny Meadows, Warsash, Hampshire

County code: GBHAM  Grid ref: SU4808   Co-ords: 50deg 52min N  1deg 19min W

Hab1: H3  Hab2: --

Biometrics: Wing: -- mm.   Weight: -- g.   Time: --hrs

Finding condition: 89:81  Movement: --

Sight record by a ringer    Identified by Colour Ring(s)

Remarks:

Duration: 559 days    Distance: 4 km    Direction: 0deg (N)

Again this bird doesn't break any records on the distance or longevity scale, having been ringed 599 days previously and only four kilometres away, but it highlights the value of colour ringing birds again. I will be looking out for this bird in the future.

Then next two birds were mute swans, both of which were seen at Weston Shore, near Southampton. The birds were both adult, and were part of a family party of five birds. Many mute swans are ringed on the south coast, with the majority ringed in Christchurch Harbour, Dorset by Dave Stone, during the annual swan round up. As it turned out, that is where these birds were ringed.

Species: Mute Swan          Scheme: GBT          Ring no: W22151

Ringing details

Age: 1  Sex: unknown  Sex meth: -  P.ringed: 4  P.alive: 4  Condition: -

Colour marks added: I  Metal marks added: -  Act1: -  Act2: -

Colour marks left below knee: ON(J5A)

Ringing date: 01-Oct-2006

Reg code: XCH  Place code: XCH  Site name: Christchurch, Dorset

County code: GBDOR  Grid ref: SZ1692   Co-ords: 50deg 44min N  1deg 46min W

Hab1: H3  Hab2: G7

Biometrics: Wing: -- mm.   Weight: -- g.   Time: --hrs

Remarks:

Finding details

Ring not verified  Age: 4  Sex: -  Sex meth: -

Colour marks added: -    Metal marks added: -    Act1: -  Act2: -

Finding date: 09-Dec-2012

Reg code: ---  Place code: WESTON  Site name: Weston Shore, Southampton, Hampshire

County code: GBHAM  Grid ref: SU4409   Co-ords: 50deg 53min N  1deg 22min W

Hab1: H1  Hab2: --

Biometrics: Wing: -- mm.   Weight: -- g.   Time: --hrs

Finding condition: 89:81  Movement: --

Sight record by a ringer    Identified by Colour Ring(s)

Remarks:

Duration: 2262 days    Distance: 33 km    Direction: 60deg (ENE)

As you can see this bird was ringed as a chick (age code 1) six years and 69 days previously. Again this is by no means a record, in fact the maximum recorded age for mute swan is 27 years, 6 months and 27 days, so it has a long way to go before being a recovery of note.

Species: Mute Swan          Scheme: GBT          Ring no: W26469

Ringing details

Age: 5  Sex: unknown  Sex meth: -  P.ringed: -  P.alive: -  Condition: -

Colour marks added: I  Metal marks added: -  Act1: -  Act2: -

Colour marks left below knee: ON(N7L)

Ringing date: 19-Sep-2009

Reg code: XCH  Place code: XCH  Site name: Christchurch, Dorset

County code: GBDOR  Grid ref: SZ1692   Co-ords: 50deg 44min N  1deg 46min W

Hab1: H3  Hab2: G7

Biometrics: Wing: -- mm.   Weight: -- g.   Time: --hrs

Remarks:

Finding details

Ring not verified  Age: 4  Sex: -  Sex meth: -

Colour marks added: -    Metal marks added: -    Act1: -  Act2: -

Finding date: 09-Dec-2012

Reg code: ---  Place code: WESTON  Site name: Weston Shore, Southampton, Hampshire

County code: GBHAM  Grid ref: SU4409   Co-ords: 50deg 53min N  1deg 22min W

Hab1: H1  Hab2: --

Biometrics: Wing: -- mm.   Weight: -- g.   Time: --hrs

Finding condition: 89:81  Movement: --

Sight record by a ringer    Identified by Colour Ring(s)

Remarks:

Duration: 1178 days    Distance: 33 km    Direction: 60deg (ENE)

W26469 was ringed as a second year bird (age code 5) three years and 81 days previously. When recording colour rings it is worth remembering to note the colour of the ring, the lettering, if present, the colour of the letters and the location of the ring on the swans leg, since there are so many colour combinations around at present.