Ringing near Gifford (S.E.Scotland) (1 Viewer)

Exploratory visit on 10/10/04

Nets up at Site 3, little feed down since Friday afternoon. Catches :

Dunnock 1 new
Greenfinch 1 new
Robin 2 new + 1 recapture
Wren 1 new

Loads of birds moving around
at site 3:
at least 2 jay
greater spotted woodpecker
small flocks fieldfare (max 6) and redwing (max 3)
c.60 linnet + stragglers
buzzard
kestrel
40 pink feet

smaller numbers of thrushes seen at all points

at site 2:
flocks of siskin (max 40) and redpoll (max 48)
4 bullfinch
probable chiffchaff calling
yellowhammer calling

at wild bird cover on site 1
2 buzzard
flocks of lark (max 11)
flocks of greenfinch
yellowhammer in bushes (10+)
reed bunting
(also a kestrel round my house all day and roadkill tawny owl nearby)

at a neighbouring redundant steading
meadow pipit
numerous flocks of finches, largest 150-200 : loads of linnet, goldfinch; also greenfinch and chaffinch
pair of kestrel
(sparrowhawk on the road in on Friday afternoon)

one of the residents here has a brambling regularly visiting a seed feeder

(all forgetting corvids, pigeons, gamebirds, gulls, tits etc)

From the ringing point of view, Site 2 will change radically this year. Artificial feeding will not be used. We will try to catch birds moving to/from a large patch of wild bird cover. As this is about 2 hectares, c.400 m long beside tall trees, we anticipate a challenging time.

Site 1 offers at least 5 catching strategies :
mist netting at artificial feeding along a track between good hedges (main tactic)
mist netting between wild bird cover and bushes (new this year)
whoosh netting and trapping an open grassy strip with artificial feeding (designed for lark)
whoosh netting over artificial feeding on my garden lawn
mist netting and trapping on accidental or deliberate spilt grain in the farm steading (house sparrows)

Site 3 is unchanged, like option one at site one.

While we are generally more interested in small farmland birds (finches, larks, buntings and Sparrows), we have a particular objective this year: to monitor timing and distance of movement of birds off wild bird cover to artificial feeding in the hope of clarifying any limitations on the usefulness of wild bird cover.

Biggest challenge might be finding personnel and good weather to do all this !

Mike, Gifford.

Mike

Its good to read your reports again, nice to see that you found this site!.
:clap:
Regards

Alan Rymer

Good report Mike,

As this seems to be your first post here, Welcome to Birdforum from all the Staff here!

Always good to have more ringing(banding) reports; Perhaps you give us summaries on your other ringing activities (Constant Effort or whatever) if you get time!

Anyway, good luck with your new site and its' objectives; it sounds like a challenge!

Cheers,

Andy.

Andrew Rowlands said:

Good report Mike,

As this seems to be your first post here, Welcome to Birdforum from all the Staff here!

Always good to have more ringing(banding) reports; Perhaps you give us summaries on your other ringing activities (Constant Effort or whatever) if you get time!

Anyway, good luck with your new site and its' objectives; it sounds like a challenge!

Cheers,

Andy.

Click to expand...

Thanks. No, it's not CES. It's a "winter effort site" <g> I understand CES is only summer - leave that to the softies <vbg>

I'm not a ringer, but a farmer. I've been supplying artificial feeding for about 4 winters now, originally timed when natural food sources started to run out. That is roughly Christmas - late May. What with corvids, cushies and pheasants it takes about 4 tonnes each winter.

The local ringing group asked to ring 2 winters ago. Last winter BTO asked us to run a parallel scheme to one in Fife looking at winter movements of farmland birds (see BTO publications, John Calladine). That required us getting two other farms involved. Now we farmers and ringers are still full of enthusiasm, but the BTO have run out of steam (money) so we carry on trying to support their interests.

Mike.

I hear that the S.O.C. are putting up a new building at Aberlady Bay. I'm sure that they will be very interested in your recording data but you'll know this already. Good luck with your work. Have you tried the R.S.P.B. for some help along the lines of feeding birds in the field. I believe they are doing trials at the moment.

souterman said:

I hear that the S.O.C. are putting up a new building at Aberlady Bay. I'm sure that they will be very interested in your recording data but you'll know this already. Good luck with your work. Have you tried the R.S.P.B. for some help along the lines of feeding birds in the field. I believe they are doing trials at the moment.

Click to expand...

SOC : Yes, I'm in SOC, but the serious science is done by BTO. SOC "data" might be useful for rarities but go to the BTO for the important stuff.

RSPB : Yes, I have tried, and I know about their trials.

Ringing 30/10/04

Session at site 1, beside wild bird cover on Saturday.

Date : 30/10/2004

Dunnock new 8
retrap
Greenfinch new 2
retrap
Reed bunting new 5
retrap
Robin new 1
retrap
Wren new 2
retrap
Yellowhammer new
retrap 1

TOTAL 19
(Retraps) 1

Many thanks to all concerned

Also seen / heard at ringing site :
1 stock dove
loads skylark, up to 50 / 60 at a time
2 meadow pipit
plenty fieldfare
few redwing
few blackbird
c.6 linnet
c.12 greenfinch
1 chaffinch
odd brambling
(distant) pinkfeet

tawny owl
male sparrowhawk
merlin

elsewhere
kestrel
buzzard
c.6 yellowhammer
plenty chaffinch
few brambling
few goldfinch
few house sparrow
loads fieldfare, up to 150 / 200 at a time

Forgetting pigeons, corvids, pheasants, red-legs, gulls and tits.

One of the ringers saw a barn owl near E.Saltoun.

Mike.

Ringing on Sunday at Site 1 at feeding station. Many thanks to all concerned.


Date : 07/11/2004

Blackbird new 1
retrap
Blue tit new 1
retrap 1
Chaffinch new 8
retrap
Coal tit new 1
retrap
Dunnock new 4
retrap 2
Goldcrest new 4
retrap
Great tit new 3
retrap
Greenfinch new 9
retrap
House sparrow new 1
retrap
Redwing new 4
retrap
Robin new 3
retrap
Treecreeper new 1
retrap
Wren new 2
retrap
Yellowhammer new 9
retrap
TOTAL 54
(Retraps) 3


Also about :
Pink feet
Buzzard
Kestrel
Tawny Owl
Fieldfare
Starling
Meadow Pipit
Skylark
Linnet
Brambling
Reed bunting

Forgetting pigeons, corvids, pheasants, red-legs, gulls.

Also Barn Owls seen at St.Clement's Wells and Colstoun Mains.

Mike, Gifford.

Ringing at site 2 on Saturday. Many thanks to all concerned.

Date : 13/11/2004

Blackbird new 2
retrap
Blue tit new 1
retrap
Chaffinch new 1
retrap
Dunnock new 2
retrap
Great tit new 1
retrap
Long tailed tit new 2
retrap
Redwing new 2
retrap
Reed bunting new
retrap 1
Robin new 2
retrap
Wren new 3
retrap
Yellowhammer new 4
retrap
TOTAL 21
(Retraps) 1

And at Site 1
Dunnock new 1
House sparrow new 6

Also seen / heard at site 2
Buzzard
Kestrel
Peregrine
2 sparrowhawk
Tawny owl
200+ Pink feet
8 grey partridge
Lark
Fieldfare
Tree sparrow
Brambling
Linnet
Siskin
4 Northern Bullfinch
Common Bullfinch
few small mixed finch flocks

And at site 1
Buzzard
Kestrel
several skeins Pink feet, 100-200
8 grey partridge (yes, eight again)
Fieldfare
Flocks of lark, 15-25
Brambling amongst Chaffinch in beech trees
Loads of greenfinch with chaffinches in garden
Flocks of yellowhammer, 10-20
several small mixed finch flocks

And a barn owl at Colstoun Mains.

Mike.

Eh?

What is a 'pink feet'? :h?:

DKR said:

What is a 'pink feet'? :h?:

Click to expand...

Pink footed goose, Anser brachyrhynchus.

HTH, Mike.

Ringing at site 1, wild bird cover on Saturday. Special thanks to the one ringer who hadn't skived off to the Scottish ringer's conference

Date : 20/11/2004

Blackbird new 1
retrap
Chaffinch new 3
retrap
Dunnock new 7
retrap 4
Greenfinch new 22
retrap
Linnet new 2
retrap
Reed bunting new 20
retrap 1
Robin new 1
retrap
Wren new 4
retrap 1
Yellowhammer new 7
retrap 3

TOTAL 76
(Retraps) 9

Also on ground feeding
House sparrow new 3

Also seen / heard at site 1
Buzzard
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk
Tawny Owl
Barn Owl
8 Grey Partridge
7 Golden Plover
Pink feet (distant)
loads of Skylark, flocks up to c.30
Meadow pipit
Fieldfare
Goldcrest
Brambling
2 Starling

And on 21st
11 grey partridge
?? hundreds of fieldfare buzzing round all sides of the house
GS woodpecker on peanuts
up to c.6 each of chaffinch, greenfinch and house sparrow feeding on the lawn at one time.

Forgetting corvids, gulls, pheasants and pigeons.

Mike, Gifford.

citrinella said:

What with corvids, cushies and pheasants it takes about 4 tonnes each winter.

Click to expand...

I am sure I should know this, but what's a cushy?

Mícheál

Mícheál said:

I am sure I should know this, but what's a cushy?

Mícheál

Click to expand...

I beg your pardon This is a copy of a post I draw up for a local audience.

A cushy (also cushie, cushat, cushie-doo etc) is a wood pigeon, Columba palumbus.

Mike.

citrinella said:

I beg your pardon This is a copy of a post I draw up for a local audience.

A cushy (also cushie, cushat, cushie-doo etc) is a wood pigeon, Columba palumbus.

Mike.

Click to expand...

Thanks Mike!

Ringing at Site 3 on Sunday, 28/11/04. Many thanks to all concerned.

Blackbird new 7
retrap
Blue tit new 18
retrap 1
Chaffinch new 5
retrap
Dunnock new 3
retrap 1
Great tit new 3
retrap 1
Greenfinch new 6
retrap 1
House sparrow new 3
retrap
Robin new 1
retrap 3
Wren new 2
retrap 1

TOTALS New 48
Retrap 8

Also seen / heard at or near site 3 :
Buzzard
3 Tawny owls
2 Jays
Mistle Thrush
60-80 Fieldfare
Goldcrest
Tree sparrow
Goldfinch
Reed bunting
Yellowhammer

And
2 Barn owls at Colstoun Mains
Tawny Owl at Brounshill

And around site 1 :
Buzzard
Kestrel
Snipe
coveys grey partridge, 8 and 5
scattered lark
odd Fieldfare
40-50 Redwing
plenty blackbird
at least 8 house sparrow
dunnocks, robins and wrens
4+ long tailed tit
20-30 Chaffinch
odd Goldfinch
scattered Greenfinch (up to 22 on my lawn)
few reed bunting
c.6 yellowhammer

Biggest areas of wild bird cover, good stands of oats and triticale, seem to have no birds at all.

(Mainly) forgetting corvids, game birds, pigeons, tits.

Mike, Gifford.

Ringing session at Site 1 on Sunday. Many thanks to all concerned.

Date : 05/12/2004

Blackbird new 3
retrap 0
Chaffinch new 12
retrap 6
Dunnock new 3
retrap 4
Fieldfare new 2
retrap
Greenfinch new 7
retrap 1
Robin new 2
retrap 1
Song Thrush new 1
retrap
Wren new
retrap 1
Yellowhammer new 2
retrap 1

TOTAL new 32
(Retraps) 14

Also seen / heard at site 1

Buzzard
Kestrel
Tawny owl
Grey Partridge
65 Golden Plover
Greater Spotted Woodpecker
20-30 Redwing
10-15 Lark
Tree Sparrow
40-50 Brambling
Goldfinch
Linnet

(Mainly) forgetting corvids, game birds, pigeons, tits.

Mike.

Ringing at Site 2 on Saturday, 11/12/04. Many thanks to all
concerned.

Blackbird new 9
retrap 1
Blue tit new 1
retrap
Chaffinch new 31
retrap
Dunnock new 9
retrap 1
Goldcrest new 1
retrap
Goldfinch new 1
retrap
Greenfinch new 6
retrap
Linnet new 8
retrap
Reed bunting new 19
retrap 1
Robin new 1
retrap 3
Wren new 4
retrap 1
Yellowhammer new 6
retrap
TOTAL new 96
retrap 7

The hoped for breakthrough following a change in tactics after
averaging 16 birds a visit here last season.

Also at site 1
House sparrow new 1
retrap 1

Seen / heard at site 2 :
Buzzard
Peregrine
Sparrowhawk
Kestrel (in the village)
Tawny owls - 3 plus and very noisy
2 mute swans
Distant pink feet
10 grey partridge
2 jays
Fieldfare
Redwing
Mistle thrush
Skylark
Long tailed tit
Brambling
Bullfinch
Flocks up to c.80 Linnet

And at site 1 :
Mixed finches at the feeding station - chaffinch, greenfinch, reed
bunting and yellowhammer most obvious (in order of abundance)
6 grey partridge in the steading
greater spotted woodpecker on the nut feeder
resident kestrel

Made two visits to check on largest plot of wild bird cover. This has
good growth, plenty triticale and oats but is attracting
disappointingly few birds :
5 or less Reed bunting
5 or less finches - probably all chaffinch
10 grey partridge
few skylark on surrounding grass

also
Roe deer
Hares

In scrub along a ditch
1 bullfinch

While watching that, I disturbed two hares. Out the corner of my eye,
I'd swear one jumped down out of the fork of a bush most of a metre
above the ground. There was certainly a loud thud. If it hadn't been
for a very boggy ditch I would have felt for warmth in the fork.
Anyone else seen hares in bushes ?

A steady stream of Fieldfare passed by, ignoring the abundant
hawthorn berries, preferring to forage over pasture and wheat. A wee
while ago c.500 congregated on the wires at the back. Some of these
are now dodging the resident pair of mistle thrush, busy defending
"their" holly bush.

(Mainly) forgetting corvids, game birds, pigeons, tits.

Mike.

Ringing at site 3 on 19/2/05. Many thanks to all concerned.

Blackbird new 13
retrap 6
Blue tit new 2
retrap 1
Chaffinch new 13
retrap 3
Dunnock new 6
retrap 3
Goldcrest new 1
retrap
Great tit new 1
retrap
Greenfinch new 6
retrap
Long tailed tit new
retrap 1
Robin new 1
retrap 3
Tree sparrow new 2
retrap
Yellowhammer new 57
retrap 10
TOTALS new 102
retrap 27

Of the three chaffinches marked retrap, one was a control, with a ring clearly marked STAVANGER.

Also seen / heard round site 3 :
Buzzard
Kestrel
Tawny owl
Grey partridge
Mallard (heard - possibly domestic)
Greater spotted woodpecker
Skylark
Wren

and round site 1 :
Buzzard
Golden Plover
4-5 Mistle thrush
c.200 finch / bunting flock at feeding station, including 2+ Brambling

and on Sunday around site 1
buzzard
kestrel
4+ mistle thrush
loads of blackbirds

at the feeding stations at site 1 :
2+ lark
"only" 60-80 finches / bunting (explained by ? -)
female sparrowhawk on a woodpigeon kill. I stopped about 20 metres away for 10 minutes or so, she seemed entirely unperturbed, so I put the tractor in bottom gear and trickled up to about 3m away (6m shooting distance), taking photos. Unfortunately the budget hasn't extended beyond a 135mm lens yet, and the windscreen isn't very clean !

and a pair of Grey partridge at each piece of wild bird cover, with one reed bunting at one and a wren, blackbirds and a small flock of reed bunting at another

and the first decent flock feeding on my lawn :
15+ yellowhammer
c.12 each chaffinch and greenfinch
with 6+ goldfinch up in the trees

Mainly forgetting corvids, game birds, gulls, pigeons and tits.

Mike.

P.S. No ringing last weekend due to weather.

Ringing at site 1 on 27/2/05. Many thanks to all concerned.

Blackbird new 3
retrap 1
Brambling new 3
retrap
Chaffinch new 5
retrap 1
Dunnock new 2
retrap 7
Goldcrest new
retrap 1
Goldfinch new 1
retrap
Great tit new
retrap 1
Greenfinch new 3
retrap
Long tailed tit new 2
retrap 3
Reed bunting new 8
retrap 1
Robin new 4
retrap
Song Thrush new
retrap 1
Woodpigeon new 1
retrap
Yellowhammer new 11
retrap 4
TOTAL new 43
retrap 20

Also seen / heard round site 1 :
Buzzard
Kestrel
Sparrowhawk
Barn owl
Grey partridge
Golden Plover
Several flocks of fieldfare, largest 5-600, another 200+
Greater spotted woodpecker
Skylark
Wren

and round site 3 :
Buzzard
200+ finch / bunting flock at feeding station, predominantly yellowhammer

Mainly forgetting corvids, game birds, gulls, pigeons and tits.

Mike.