The five Blackbird chicks that hatched in a nest in my garden over the weekend 18/19 May have been doing well and both parents have been busy taking food to the nest.
Yesterday my trainer was able to pay a visit and all five chicks have now been ringed.
If all goes well they should fledge anytime after the 30 May so I'll be keeping an eye out for them appearing in the garden.
28 May 2013
12 May 2013
A trip to the NRBO
I have just got back from my first visit to the North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory (NRBO) having spent five days over there.
This post will cover just my ringing activities, I have put a post covering my other birding activities on North Ronaldsay on my other blog - Burray Birding
There are two main ringing sites on North Ronaldsay, the first is just up the road from the Observatory (Obs) at Holland House where a number of mist nets are setup in the garden and the other is at the Obs itself. Generally there are two ringing sessions a day at Holland House, one early in the morning and the other in the evening. The traps around the Obs can be used at anytime depending upon what is about.
All of my ringing activities apart from two birds were done at Holland House. The other two birds were caught at the Obs.
I have only listed the birds that I have processed, with any retraps/controls being in ( ). I have also given each species their status, on first mention, from a North Ronaldsay perspective to give them a bit of context.
Sunday 5 May
Having arrived mid-morning my first ringing session was in the evening with Simon from the Obs and Neil, a visiting ringer from Lanarkshire.
This session resulted in Goldfinch [Scarce migrant] 1, Linnet [Common migrant/common breeder] 3 (4) and Meadow Pipit [Common migrant/common breeder] 1.
Monday 6 May
Early start this morning, up at 5:30am and at Holland House by 6am with Mark from the Obs and Neil.
This session produced Chiffchaff [Common migrant/occassional summer resident] 1, Goldcrest [Common migrant] (1), Meadow Pipit 1, Starling [Common resident/breeder] 2 (1) and Wren [Common resident/common breeder] (1).
The evening session with Mark and Neil produced Chiffchaff 1, Linnet 1 (2) and Tree Pipit [Common migrant] 1. A second Tree Pipit was ringed by Neil.
Tuesday 7 May
This morning's session was with Alison and Kevin from the Obs and Neil. This session produced Blackbird [Common migrant/common resident/breeder] 3, Chiffchaff (1), Goldcrest (2), Redwing [Common migrant] 1, Siskin [Common migrant] 3 (1), Tree Pipit (1) and a Willow Warbler [Common migrant].
The evening session with Kevin and Neil produced Blackbird 1 and Linnet 2 (1).
Wednesday 8 May
The morning session with Simon and Neil was very quiet with just a single Goldfinch. This spring is proving to be a good year for these birds with a flock of 8 being seen this week. To put this into context so far this this year the same number of birds have been ringed as in the entire Obs history.
The evening session with Simon and Neil was a bit more productive and started with a Pied Flycatcher [Common migrant] 1 before tea and after tea Chiffchaff 1 (1), Linnet 1 (2) and a White Wagtail.
Thursday 9 May
The morning session with Mark and Neil was the last session of my stay and produced a retrapped Blackbird, Chiffchaff 2 and Willow Warbler 1.
On the way back to the Obs for breakfast I was met by Gavin from the Obs to be informed that he had a bird for me to ring. A few cryptic clues made things sound very interesting. On entering the ringing shed I found Alison and a birder who had just flown in that morning waiting for me. I took the bird from the bag and immediately knew it was a bird I hadn't seen before. It was like a Sedge Warbler but without the characterisitc eye stripe with an olive-brown back that had dark streaks, a pale yellowish breast and an off-white belly with hardly any markings. This was a bird that I have heard in Orkney but never seen, this was a Grasshopper Warbler [Regular migrant].
Ringing Summary
A summary of the birds that I processed during my trip:
Ringed Retrapped
1 Blackbird 4 1
2 Chiffchaff 5 2
3 Goldcrest 3
4 Goldfinch 2
5 Grasshopper Warbler 1
6 Linnet 7 9
7 Meadow Pipit 2
8 Pied Flycatcher 1
9 Redwing 1
10 Reed Bunting 1
11 Siskin 3 1
12 Starling 2 1
13 Tree Pipit 1 1
14 White Wagtail 1
15 Willow Warbler 2
16 Wren 1
Totals 33 19
I'd just like to say a big thank you to Alison, Kevin, Mark and Simon for their time, knowledge and patience and for giving me the opportunity to ring some new species. Hopefully I'll be back out there later in the year.
This post will cover just my ringing activities, I have put a post covering my other birding activities on North Ronaldsay on my other blog - Burray Birding
There are two main ringing sites on North Ronaldsay, the first is just up the road from the Observatory (Obs) at Holland House where a number of mist nets are setup in the garden and the other is at the Obs itself. Generally there are two ringing sessions a day at Holland House, one early in the morning and the other in the evening. The traps around the Obs can be used at anytime depending upon what is about.
All of my ringing activities apart from two birds were done at Holland House. The other two birds were caught at the Obs.
I have only listed the birds that I have processed, with any retraps/controls being in ( ). I have also given each species their status, on first mention, from a North Ronaldsay perspective to give them a bit of context.
Sunday 5 May
Having arrived mid-morning my first ringing session was in the evening with Simon from the Obs and Neil, a visiting ringer from Lanarkshire.
This session resulted in Goldfinch [Scarce migrant] 1, Linnet [Common migrant/common breeder] 3 (4) and Meadow Pipit [Common migrant/common breeder] 1.
Monday 6 May
Early start this morning, up at 5:30am and at Holland House by 6am with Mark from the Obs and Neil.
This session produced Chiffchaff [Common migrant/occassional summer resident] 1, Goldcrest [Common migrant] (1), Meadow Pipit 1, Starling [Common resident/breeder] 2 (1) and Wren [Common resident/common breeder] (1).
The evening session with Mark and Neil produced Chiffchaff 1, Linnet 1 (2) and Tree Pipit [Common migrant] 1. A second Tree Pipit was ringed by Neil.
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| Chiffchaff |
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| Tree Pipit |
Tuesday 7 May
This morning's session was with Alison and Kevin from the Obs and Neil. This session produced Blackbird [Common migrant/common resident/breeder] 3, Chiffchaff (1), Goldcrest (2), Redwing [Common migrant] 1, Siskin [Common migrant] 3 (1), Tree Pipit (1) and a Willow Warbler [Common migrant].
The evening session with Kevin and Neil produced Blackbird 1 and Linnet 2 (1).
Wednesday 8 May
The morning session with Simon and Neil was very quiet with just a single Goldfinch. This spring is proving to be a good year for these birds with a flock of 8 being seen this week. To put this into context so far this this year the same number of birds have been ringed as in the entire Obs history.
The evening session with Simon and Neil was a bit more productive and started with a Pied Flycatcher [Common migrant] 1 before tea and after tea Chiffchaff 1 (1), Linnet 1 (2) and a White Wagtail.
Thursday 9 May
The morning session with Mark and Neil was the last session of my stay and produced a retrapped Blackbird, Chiffchaff 2 and Willow Warbler 1.
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| Willow Warbler |
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| Grasshopper Warbler |
A summary of the birds that I processed during my trip:
Ringed Retrapped
1 Blackbird 4 1
2 Chiffchaff 5 2
3 Goldcrest 3
4 Goldfinch 2
5 Grasshopper Warbler 1
6 Linnet 7 9
7 Meadow Pipit 2
8 Pied Flycatcher 1
9 Redwing 1
10 Reed Bunting 1
11 Siskin 3 1
12 Starling 2 1
13 Tree Pipit 1 1
14 White Wagtail 1
15 Willow Warbler 2
16 Wren 1
Totals 33 19
I'd just like to say a big thank you to Alison, Kevin, Mark and Simon for their time, knowledge and patience and for giving me the opportunity to ring some new species. Hopefully I'll be back out there later in the year.
21 April 2013
Goldeneye Weekend
No I haven't been on a James Bond activity weekend, I'm talking about Goldeneye the duck.
This weekend I've headed South on one of my work trips and instead of staying at my usual B&B stop on the way down I was invited to stay with my friend Nigel in Newtonmore and to go out with him checking the Goldeneye nestboxes he has at various locations around his local area.
Nigel has been studying Goldeneye for around the last 25 years and during the breeding season he regularly checks the nestboxes and records when the first egg was layed, how many eggs are laid, whether the nest was successful or not and whether the same bird uses the same nestbox each year. If a nestbox is found to have a duck in it then the duck is ringed and their weight, wing length and tarsus length are also recorded.
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| A female Goldeneye |
The Goldeneye nests in holes in trees. To assist the ducks in finding suitable nesting sites Nigel has erected a number of nesting boxes. These are attached to trees at least six feet above the ground, which in one case during our tour of the boxes was just as well.
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| The water level is usually nowhere near the base of the tree. |
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| A closer view of a nestbox. |
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| Nature attempting to blend the nestbox in with the surroundings. |
Saturday 20 April
I arrived at Nigel's place at the backend of lunchtime and after a quick bite to eat we set off to the first location. When we arrived at the loch the water level was quite a bit higher than usual. I was glad I had taken my chest waders but even they wouldn't let me get to one of the nest boxes!!
The five boxes that were accessible were all empty including one that had eggs in it on an earlier visit. The box had been robbed by either a Pine Marten or a member of the corvid family, most likely a Jackdaw.
Whilst walking around the site we saw our first Common Sandpipers of the year.
At the second site there were six boxes to check. Three were found to be empty, two had eggs and the third had eggs with a female in attendance. This gave me the opportunity to ring my first Goldeneye and to do the weighing and measuring.
Another good indication that Spring was definitely here was a mixed flock of 30+ birds made up of House Martins, Sand Martins and Swallows all flying back and forth over one of the lochans. There were also another couple of Common Sandpipers and a solitary Pied Wagtail.
We then moved onto the third and final site for the day. This site had four boxes. One was empty, two had eggs and the fourth had eggs and another unringed female. My second Goldeneye to ring.
As we were walking back along the river towards the car we heard a Dipper calling from under a nearby bridge.
Sunday 21 April
This morning we visited the final two sites that Nigel monitors. The first site had five boxes, three of which were empty and the other two holding both eggs and females. Although these two ducks were already ringed they were still weighed and measured.
While working our way around this site we saw 20+ Oystercatchers, 10 Common Gulls, 6+ Redpolls, a couple of Blue Tits, a Coal Tit, a Robin and a Treecreeper. Flying along the river were a pair of Goldeneyes and a couple of Swallows and overhead was a Buzzard which agitated some of the other birds in the area. We also heard some Pink Footed Geese and a Greenshank.
The final site held three boxes. None of them had any Goldeneye eggs, but two of them had been taken over by Jackdaws with one of them holding two Jackdaw eggs, which were a lot smaller than I expected.
We also saw a Little Grebe on the loch.
So at the end of our tour we had visited 23 boxes in total, 15 of which were empty (including the one that had been predated) and eight boxes with eggs of which four had females sitting on the eggs.
Although one of the boxes had lost its eggs since Nigel's last visit there were two boxes that had eggs in which had been empty on his last visit. Also a couple of the boxes had more eggs in them on this visit compared to the last one. So Nigel considered it to have been a successful tour of the boxes.
Back at Nigel's house there were also signs of breeding preparation going on with Song Thrush, Dunnock and Greenfinch all seen collecting nesting material and taking it off to bushes in the garden.
Also in the garden was a Robin, Chaffinches, Blue Tits, a Coal Tit, two Long-tailed Tits and a Rook.
I'd like to thank Nigel for inviting me along and giving me the chance to help out with his project and to ring a new species. I look forward to hearing how the nests get on and hope that at least some of the eggs hatch and the ducklings make it to the water.
9 March 2013
Garden ringing
Spent a few hours with my trainer this afternoon doing some whoosh netting in his garden.
We caught a total of 16 birds, 15 of which were new birds consisting of five House Sparrows, nine Greenfinch and one Blackbird and one retrap which was a Greenfinch which had been ringed in my trainer's garden on a previous session.
There was also a Dunnock and a Song Thrush in the garden but they both kept clear of the net.
Not much activity in my garden yet but hopefully with Spring approaching the birds will start coming back and we can have a ringing session here.
We caught a total of 16 birds, 15 of which were new birds consisting of five House Sparrows, nine Greenfinch and one Blackbird and one retrap which was a Greenfinch which had been ringed in my trainer's garden on a previous session.
There was also a Dunnock and a Song Thrush in the garden but they both kept clear of the net.
Not much activity in my garden yet but hopefully with Spring approaching the birds will start coming back and we can have a ringing session here.
17 February 2013
Off island Feb 13
Saturday 9 Feb 13 saw me heading South on my latest work trip. The first leg was down to Pitlochry. After a fairly calm crossing it was an uneventful drive and very quiet on the birding front. My usual Buzzard count only managed to reach two.
The second leg to Preston on the Sunday was a bit more demanding from a driving point of view as the weather kept changing between rain, sleet and snow all the way down. Because of the poor weather the birding front was even quieter and no Buzzards were seen.
After a busy week in the office it was time to head home again on the Friday. An early departure allowed me to make a small detour to meet up with Seumus at his feeding station. As I drove down the track I was greeted by a Kestel coming up over the hedgerow and across the track right in front of me. I parked the car and wandered down the track to help Seumus set up the two mist nets that we were going to use. These were put up parallel to a row of Hawthorn trees with plenty of seed on the track itself to encourage the birds in.
As we got back to the cars we spotted a Barn Owl flying across the field on the other side of the Hawthorns.
The morning had started calm and was looking promising but then the wind suddenly picked up, then dropped, picked up then dropped, so after two net rounds we decided that we weren't going to catch very much and took the nets down.
In total we caught 11 birds, 6 new birds to be ringed and 5 retaps (in brackets):
Blackbird - 1 (1)
Blue Tit - 1 (2)
Brambling - 1
Chaffinch - 3
Goldfinch - (1)
Tree Sparrow - (1)
At the time I thought the Brambling was a new species for me, but on checking my records later it turned out that I had ringed one before on the 31 Dec 10. However it was the first time that I had extracted one from the net so that was good.
The Goldfinch was a new species for me to process. I had extracted one from a net before but I didn't get to process that bird so that was good.
Apart from the species that we caught we also heard Tawny Owl and Great Spotted Woodpecker and saw a Redwing, Fieldfares, Lapwings and Yellowhammers.
The drive back up to Pitlochry was much more pleasant than the drive down the previous week and a bit more productive on the bird front. I saw a total of 27 Buzzards along the route with over half of them being pairs that were flying together. The remainder were predominantly sat on fence posts at the side of the road. There was also a group of eight Mute Swans swimming around in a flooded field.
The second leg of the journey from Pitlochry to Orkney added another four Buzzards to my count and as I crossed onto the Black Isle I spotted my first two Red Kites of the year.
My thanks as usual to Seumus for letting me join him at his feeding station and also for the photo of the Brambling. I look forward to meeting up with him again on my next trip South, weather permitting.
The second leg to Preston on the Sunday was a bit more demanding from a driving point of view as the weather kept changing between rain, sleet and snow all the way down. Because of the poor weather the birding front was even quieter and no Buzzards were seen.
After a busy week in the office it was time to head home again on the Friday. An early departure allowed me to make a small detour to meet up with Seumus at his feeding station. As I drove down the track I was greeted by a Kestel coming up over the hedgerow and across the track right in front of me. I parked the car and wandered down the track to help Seumus set up the two mist nets that we were going to use. These were put up parallel to a row of Hawthorn trees with plenty of seed on the track itself to encourage the birds in.
As we got back to the cars we spotted a Barn Owl flying across the field on the other side of the Hawthorns.
The morning had started calm and was looking promising but then the wind suddenly picked up, then dropped, picked up then dropped, so after two net rounds we decided that we weren't going to catch very much and took the nets down.
In total we caught 11 birds, 6 new birds to be ringed and 5 retaps (in brackets):
Blackbird - 1 (1)
Blue Tit - 1 (2)
Brambling - 1
Chaffinch - 3
Goldfinch - (1)
Tree Sparrow - (1)
At the time I thought the Brambling was a new species for me, but on checking my records later it turned out that I had ringed one before on the 31 Dec 10. However it was the first time that I had extracted one from the net so that was good.
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| Brambling - Photo by Seumus |
Apart from the species that we caught we also heard Tawny Owl and Great Spotted Woodpecker and saw a Redwing, Fieldfares, Lapwings and Yellowhammers.
The drive back up to Pitlochry was much more pleasant than the drive down the previous week and a bit more productive on the bird front. I saw a total of 27 Buzzards along the route with over half of them being pairs that were flying together. The remainder were predominantly sat on fence posts at the side of the road. There was also a group of eight Mute Swans swimming around in a flooded field.
The second leg of the journey from Pitlochry to Orkney added another four Buzzards to my count and as I crossed onto the Black Isle I spotted my first two Red Kites of the year.
My thanks as usual to Seumus for letting me join him at his feeding station and also for the photo of the Brambling. I look forward to meeting up with him again on my next trip South, weather permitting.
23 January 2013
Garden ringing
The majority of garden birds caught in Orkney are either by using mist nets or whoosh nets. The mist net is a fine net, suspended between two poles, which the birds fly into and drop into a pocket at the bottom of the net. The whoosh net is designed to catch birds on the ground and uses elastic to pull the net over the top of the birds.
To use either type of net requires the ringer to have the relevant endorsement on their permit. Before a ringer can get the endorsement they need to be able to demonstrate that they can safely setup and use the net and that they can safely extract the birds from the net.
So today saw me round at Colin's house using a whoosh net to catch some of the birds visiting his garden as the garden at my house is currently lacking on birds. There are a couple of Blackbirds and the occassional Starling. All the House Sparrows and Greenfinch have disappeared. Although I am putting food out for them it appears they are seeking food and shelter from elsewhere and I have a theory that when the weather gets colder some of the birds vacate rural areas and head for built up areas. Presumably because the air temperature maybe slightly warmer and the food supplies a bit more abundant within a small range. So rather than stripping one location of all its food they take some of the food available and then move on to the next location knowing that they can go back for more from previous locations. I'd just like to point out that this is my theory and isn't based on any scientific evidence!!
Earlier in the morning Colin had seen a Waxwing about so had put some apple on his lawn within the capture area of the whoosh net hoping it would entice it in but it wasn't to be. It wasn't wasted though as the Blackbirds seemed to enjoy it.
Once there was a good gathering of birds in the capture zone the net was released and we had a catch of 22 birds consisting of eight house Sparrows, seven Starlings, four Greenfinch and three Blackbirds.
Having reset the net we then processed the birds that had been caught.
Hopefully the birds will soon return to my garden and Colin can bring the whoosh net here so that I can have a go at setting it up and make a start on ringing some of my garden visitors.
To use either type of net requires the ringer to have the relevant endorsement on their permit. Before a ringer can get the endorsement they need to be able to demonstrate that they can safely setup and use the net and that they can safely extract the birds from the net.
So today saw me round at Colin's house using a whoosh net to catch some of the birds visiting his garden as the garden at my house is currently lacking on birds. There are a couple of Blackbirds and the occassional Starling. All the House Sparrows and Greenfinch have disappeared. Although I am putting food out for them it appears they are seeking food and shelter from elsewhere and I have a theory that when the weather gets colder some of the birds vacate rural areas and head for built up areas. Presumably because the air temperature maybe slightly warmer and the food supplies a bit more abundant within a small range. So rather than stripping one location of all its food they take some of the food available and then move on to the next location knowing that they can go back for more from previous locations. I'd just like to point out that this is my theory and isn't based on any scientific evidence!!
Earlier in the morning Colin had seen a Waxwing about so had put some apple on his lawn within the capture area of the whoosh net hoping it would entice it in but it wasn't to be. It wasn't wasted though as the Blackbirds seemed to enjoy it.
Once there was a good gathering of birds in the capture zone the net was released and we had a catch of 22 birds consisting of eight house Sparrows, seven Starlings, four Greenfinch and three Blackbirds.
Having reset the net we then processed the birds that had been caught.
Hopefully the birds will soon return to my garden and Colin can bring the whoosh net here so that I can have a go at setting it up and make a start on ringing some of my garden visitors.
14 January 2013
Purps first for the year.
Today saw the first ringing session off 2013.
It started yesterday while I was on my way home from a week South on business. Thanks to modern technology I received an email from Colin to say he was planning on going for a cannon net catch over on West Mainland on monday morning and was I available. I quickly replied that I would be and we arranged to meet up in Kirkwall before heading over to the ringing site.
Last night's clear skies and aurora had been replaced by overcast skies and rain when we met up. Colin informed me that Davey had said that it was dry over at the ringing site so we set off and it rained all the way. We did a quick recce of the ringing site and there were good numbers of Purple Sandpipers (Purps) and Turnstones on the shoreline.
As the rain got heavier we retreated to the car and awaited the arrival of Davey. It wasn't long before he arrived and thankfully the rain eased. We went back to the ringing site and selected a suitable area for setting up the net. Then it was back to the car to get all the equipment and set it up. At this point Brian joined us to complete the team.
With everything ready Colin and I remained at the firing point while Davey and Brian headed off to locate where the birds had moved to. With high tide due at 11:00 it was time to play the waiting game which was the signal for the rain to start.
Eventually as the rain eased the tide turned and started to expose the area in front of the net. A few times the flocks of waders further down the beach were spooked and they headed for our catching area only to turn away at the last minute and go back to where they had come from.
Just when it looked like we may not get a catch a small group of Purps were spooked from down the beach and this time they landed just outside the catching area. The net was armed and Mother Nature lent a hand in the form of a couple of waves pushing the birds into the catching area. The net was fired and a catch of about 50 birds was caught.
The birds were duly extracted from the net and taken to a drier spot to be processed.
In total 47 birds were caught, 46 Purps (including about half a dozen retraps) and a solitary Turnstone.
A good catch to start the 2013 ringing season off.
It started yesterday while I was on my way home from a week South on business. Thanks to modern technology I received an email from Colin to say he was planning on going for a cannon net catch over on West Mainland on monday morning and was I available. I quickly replied that I would be and we arranged to meet up in Kirkwall before heading over to the ringing site.
Last night's clear skies and aurora had been replaced by overcast skies and rain when we met up. Colin informed me that Davey had said that it was dry over at the ringing site so we set off and it rained all the way. We did a quick recce of the ringing site and there were good numbers of Purple Sandpipers (Purps) and Turnstones on the shoreline.
As the rain got heavier we retreated to the car and awaited the arrival of Davey. It wasn't long before he arrived and thankfully the rain eased. We went back to the ringing site and selected a suitable area for setting up the net. Then it was back to the car to get all the equipment and set it up. At this point Brian joined us to complete the team.
With everything ready Colin and I remained at the firing point while Davey and Brian headed off to locate where the birds had moved to. With high tide due at 11:00 it was time to play the waiting game which was the signal for the rain to start.
Eventually as the rain eased the tide turned and started to expose the area in front of the net. A few times the flocks of waders further down the beach were spooked and they headed for our catching area only to turn away at the last minute and go back to where they had come from.
Just when it looked like we may not get a catch a small group of Purps were spooked from down the beach and this time they landed just outside the catching area. The net was armed and Mother Nature lent a hand in the form of a couple of waves pushing the birds into the catching area. The net was fired and a catch of about 50 birds was caught.
The birds were duly extracted from the net and taken to a drier spot to be processed.
In total 47 birds were caught, 46 Purps (including about half a dozen retraps) and a solitary Turnstone.
A good catch to start the 2013 ringing season off.
4 December 2012
Sanday Waders
It's that time of the year again when members of the Orkney Ringing Group (ORG) and the Higland Ringing Group (HRG) go over to Sanday to do some wader ringing with target species being the Sanderling and the Purple Sandpiper. This year's visit took place between the 28 Nov and 3 Dec.
Also this year was some survey work for a Scottish National Hertiage (SNH) shorebirds study was also carried out over the first couple of days.
28 Nov
Colin, Brian R, Dave A, Helen and Lorna from ORG and Simon, Kenny and Nigel from HRG travelled out to Sanday and carried out some of the shorebird survey work and also started identifying potential sites for this year's ringing.
29 Nov
I travelled out on the morning boat and met up with the team at the Ayre Rock Hostel which was to be our base for the trip. I went out with Brian R to take a look along the beach to the North of Hine Greenie to see what waders were about. We found a small flock of Sanderling and identified an individual bird that had been colour ringed on a previous visit. On the way back to the car I saw my first Jack Snipe when we flushed it from the grass on the dunes.
In the afternoon I helped out with the shorebird survey covering an area of shore line to the North of Otterswick Bay.
30 Nov
Alison from the North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory (NRBO) arrived on the morning boat to join the team.
With the survey work completed it was time to focus on the ringing. Two catches were made today, both at the Bay of Lopness. The first catch consisted of 2 Purple Sandpipers and 9 Turnstones.
The second catch of consisted of 10 Purple Sandpipers, 5 Turnstones and 2 Sanderling.
One of the Purple Sandpipers was a retrap and was originally ringed on North Ronaldsay in May 2009.
Gavin from the NRBO and Ron and Brian E from the HRG arrived on the evening boat to complete the team.
1 Dec
Another two catches were made today. The first catch was at the Ness of Brough and consisted of 32 Purple Sandpipers and 1 Turnstone. While Ron, Nigel, Gavin and myself processed the catch the rest of the team set off to look for another location to set the nets. While we processing the birds Ron explained to Gavin and myself about using the bill length of the Purple Sandpipers to identify where the birds had originated from. Those with the longer bills had migrated from Canada/Iceland and those with the shorter bills had migrated from Scandinavia. He also talked us through aging the birds explaining that there were thrre different things to look for. These were the colour of the lesser and median coverts, the colour of the tertials and the wear on the tips of the outer primaries.
The second catch was back at the Bay of Lopness and consisted of 3 Purple Sandpipers and 5 Turnstones.
2 Dec
Another two catches were made today. The first catch was at Hine Greenie and consisted of 42 Sanderling and 1 Dunlin.
The second catch was at Whitemill Bay and consisted of 7 Purple Sandpipers and 11 Turnstones.
Dave A, Helen, Brian R, Lorna, Alison and Gavin departed on the evening Ferry as they had other commitments on the Monday.
3 Dec
Simon and Kenny departed on the morning boat leaving Ron, Nigel and and Brian E to do some sand sampling at Hine Greenie to try and identify what the Sanderling were feeding on and Colin and myself to drive around the island looking for colour ringed Sanderling.
Unfortunately the weather was against us with strong winds and heavy rain. Colin and myself met up with the sand sampling team and took them back to base to analyse the samples they had recovered from the beach. The analysis revealed that there wasn't much food in the sand which may explain why we weren't seeing large numbers of birds in the usual spots. Why there was a lack of food still needs to be investigated.
Nigel, Colin and myself left Sanday on the evening boat with Ron and Brian following the next morning. All in all it had been a good weekend with some more Sanderling being colour ringed. There should be a couple of follow up visits over the winter to look for colour ringed indiviuals and it will be interesting to see if any are spotted on their breeding ground next spring.
Ringing Summary
The totals caught were:
Dunlin 1
Purple Sandpiper 54
Sanderling 44
Turnstone 31
Totals 130
Also this year was some survey work for a Scottish National Hertiage (SNH) shorebirds study was also carried out over the first couple of days.
28 Nov
Colin, Brian R, Dave A, Helen and Lorna from ORG and Simon, Kenny and Nigel from HRG travelled out to Sanday and carried out some of the shorebird survey work and also started identifying potential sites for this year's ringing.
29 Nov
I travelled out on the morning boat and met up with the team at the Ayre Rock Hostel which was to be our base for the trip. I went out with Brian R to take a look along the beach to the North of Hine Greenie to see what waders were about. We found a small flock of Sanderling and identified an individual bird that had been colour ringed on a previous visit. On the way back to the car I saw my first Jack Snipe when we flushed it from the grass on the dunes.
In the afternoon I helped out with the shorebird survey covering an area of shore line to the North of Otterswick Bay.
30 Nov
Alison from the North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory (NRBO) arrived on the morning boat to join the team.
With the survey work completed it was time to focus on the ringing. Two catches were made today, both at the Bay of Lopness. The first catch consisted of 2 Purple Sandpipers and 9 Turnstones.
The second catch of consisted of 10 Purple Sandpipers, 5 Turnstones and 2 Sanderling.
One of the Purple Sandpipers was a retrap and was originally ringed on North Ronaldsay in May 2009.
Gavin from the NRBO and Ron and Brian E from the HRG arrived on the evening boat to complete the team.
1 Dec
Another two catches were made today. The first catch was at the Ness of Brough and consisted of 32 Purple Sandpipers and 1 Turnstone. While Ron, Nigel, Gavin and myself processed the catch the rest of the team set off to look for another location to set the nets. While we processing the birds Ron explained to Gavin and myself about using the bill length of the Purple Sandpipers to identify where the birds had originated from. Those with the longer bills had migrated from Canada/Iceland and those with the shorter bills had migrated from Scandinavia. He also talked us through aging the birds explaining that there were thrre different things to look for. These were the colour of the lesser and median coverts, the colour of the tertials and the wear on the tips of the outer primaries.
The second catch was back at the Bay of Lopness and consisted of 3 Purple Sandpipers and 5 Turnstones.
2 Dec
Another two catches were made today. The first catch was at Hine Greenie and consisted of 42 Sanderling and 1 Dunlin.
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| Setting the cannon net on the beach at Hine Greenie |
The second catch was at Whitemill Bay and consisted of 7 Purple Sandpipers and 11 Turnstones.
Dave A, Helen, Brian R, Lorna, Alison and Gavin departed on the evening Ferry as they had other commitments on the Monday.
3 Dec
Simon and Kenny departed on the morning boat leaving Ron, Nigel and and Brian E to do some sand sampling at Hine Greenie to try and identify what the Sanderling were feeding on and Colin and myself to drive around the island looking for colour ringed Sanderling.
Unfortunately the weather was against us with strong winds and heavy rain. Colin and myself met up with the sand sampling team and took them back to base to analyse the samples they had recovered from the beach. The analysis revealed that there wasn't much food in the sand which may explain why we weren't seeing large numbers of birds in the usual spots. Why there was a lack of food still needs to be investigated.
Nigel, Colin and myself left Sanday on the evening boat with Ron and Brian following the next morning. All in all it had been a good weekend with some more Sanderling being colour ringed. There should be a couple of follow up visits over the winter to look for colour ringed indiviuals and it will be interesting to see if any are spotted on their breeding ground next spring.
Ringing Summary
The totals caught were:
Dunlin 1
Purple Sandpiper 54
Sanderling 44
Turnstone 31
Totals 130
6 November 2012
Waxwing time
With the increasing number of Waxwings appearing in Orkney there is now a large number of apple halves out in the garden in an attempt to see some in the garden.
However it was a phone call from Colin this lunchtime to say he had just caught some in his garden if I was interested in ringing them. I was soon on my way.
A total of 11 Waxwings were ringed, one adult and ten youngsters.
You can tell the difference between the juvenile and the adult by looking at the markings on the primary feathers. In the photo above of the adult you can see the white bands on the bottom edges of the primary feathers. These would be absent on the juvenile's feathers.
Hopefully I'll see some in my garden soon. There is already plans to plant lots of berry producing plants with the aim of making the garden more attractive for next winter.
However it was a phone call from Colin this lunchtime to say he had just caught some in his garden if I was interested in ringing them. I was soon on my way.
A total of 11 Waxwings were ringed, one adult and ten youngsters.
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| An adult Waxwing |
Hopefully I'll see some in my garden soon. There is already plans to plant lots of berry producing plants with the aim of making the garden more attractive for next winter.
21 October 2012
A pleasant Sunday afternoon.
After the heavy rain of Friday night/Saturday morning today turned out to be rather pleasant. The morning was spent doing outdoor jobs around the garden and after lunch I managed to finish strimming the lawn. Just as I had finished the strimming Colin rang to say he was going to go over to a ringing site on Deerness to see if there were any Autumn migrants still about.
I met up with him just after half three and we put two nets up. Just as last time as soon as we put on the Goldcrest soundtrack we got an immediate response and there were Goldcrests popping out of the bushes to see what was going on but only one ended up in the net.
It wasn't long before they lost interest in the soundtrack and just carried on flitting through the bushes feeding, the same as the last time we were at this site.
In between net checks we had a wander down the lane to see what else was about. There were good numbers of Goldcrests flitting through the vegetation along the side of the lane and Redwings flying around between the fields. A stop at one of the nearby gardens revealed a couple of female Blackcaps, three Brambling, a couple of Chaffinch, half a dozen House Sparrows, a Robin and a Wren was heard calling.
Back at the ringing site we decided to put a third net up along one of the outer edges of the site as there was a lot of Blackbird activity on that side of the site.
The net checks produced another Goldcrest, a Robin and a couple of Blackbirds. Then as it started to go dark another net check produced a female Chaffinch, two female Blackcaps (could they have been the two we saw earlier in the nearby garden?), three more Blackbirds and the Robin we caught earlier came back for another go!
By now it was dark and a final net check didn't produce anything else so it was time to pack up and head for home. Still no Redwings in the nets.
Final catch for the day was 14 new birds:
Blackbird 8
Blackcap 2
Chaffinch 1
Goldcrest 2
Robin 1
I met up with him just after half three and we put two nets up. Just as last time as soon as we put on the Goldcrest soundtrack we got an immediate response and there were Goldcrests popping out of the bushes to see what was going on but only one ended up in the net.
It wasn't long before they lost interest in the soundtrack and just carried on flitting through the bushes feeding, the same as the last time we were at this site.
In between net checks we had a wander down the lane to see what else was about. There were good numbers of Goldcrests flitting through the vegetation along the side of the lane and Redwings flying around between the fields. A stop at one of the nearby gardens revealed a couple of female Blackcaps, three Brambling, a couple of Chaffinch, half a dozen House Sparrows, a Robin and a Wren was heard calling.
Back at the ringing site we decided to put a third net up along one of the outer edges of the site as there was a lot of Blackbird activity on that side of the site.
The net checks produced another Goldcrest, a Robin and a couple of Blackbirds. Then as it started to go dark another net check produced a female Chaffinch, two female Blackcaps (could they have been the two we saw earlier in the nearby garden?), three more Blackbirds and the Robin we caught earlier came back for another go!
By now it was dark and a final net check didn't produce anything else so it was time to pack up and head for home. Still no Redwings in the nets.
Final catch for the day was 14 new birds:
Blackbird 8
Blackcap 2
Chaffinch 1
Goldcrest 2
Robin 1
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