Ticking over

It was a sub-zero start at Crawford this morning and the near calm conditions were ideal for mist-netting. The feeders have been emptying quite quickly and the loose feed has been going equally fast so a busy ringing session was anticipated. I erected a couple of nets by the feeders at first light and waited for the birds to arrive.

The first round of the nets was very disappointing with just 2 Chaffinches and a 6 Long-tailed Tits being caught and it didn't really get much better after that. The variety improved as the morning went on but it only ticked over in terms of numbers.

On the plus, if frustrating, side a flock of 31 Corn Buntings flew over uttering their liquid ticking calls and part of this flock landed in the hedge near one of the nets with the others landing in a tree nearby. I haven't seen any Corn Buntings down on the feed yet but perhaps it is only a matter of time. It is the prospect of catching some Corn Buntings that tempted me to start feeding this site in the first place and their appearance today will ensure the feeding continues.

The best bird caught was this Mistle Thrush. Although I see them in the vicinity of my ringing sites they rarely turn up in nets. It has been around 10 years since I last caught a full grown Mistle Thrush.

Ringing totals (retraps in brackets) were: Long-tailed Tit 7, Blue Tit 2 (3), Great Tit 2 (2), Dunnock (1), Robin 1 (1), Greenfinch 7 (1), Goldfinch 4 (1), Chaffinch 3, Tree Sparrow 1, House Sparrow 1, Yellowhammer 1, Blackbird 2 (1), Mistle Thrush 1. Total 32 new birds and 11 retraps.

When they're gone they're gone.

The berries on the Rowan trees in the garden have taken a real battering over the last week. Up to 4 Mistle Thrushes, 6 Blackbirds, 2 Song Thrushes and an increasing mob of Starlings have been regular visitors. On Wednesday morning a male and female Blackcap also put in an appearance and consumed a few of the smaller berries. This tempted me to put out the first apple halves of the winter along with a chopped peanut fat cake in the hope of keeping the Blackcaps around. Unfortunately the fat cake only attracted more Starlings.

The forecast for today was for a cloudy morning and sunnier afternoon. This would have been ideal for catching more a Goldfinches for my plumage study in the morning and then taking photographs when the sun moved round to a better position in the afternoon. As things turned out it was crystal clear first thing and clouded over by lunchtime - sods law. At least the wind remained light throughout with the ringing less affected than the photography as a result. I know I am always complaining about the light but it was very poor when the birds performed at their best. I was using ISO 1600 to 2500 in the main, lens wide open and hand held at relatively slow shutter speeds which produced some very smudgy or blurred results.

Ringing totals for 23/11/13
Goldfinch 13 (2)
Starling 5
Blackbird 1
Blue Tit 2
Great Tit 1
Dunnock 1
Greenfinch (1)
Total 23 (3)

More than just Waxwings

I fell asleep on the couch again last night as all the early starts are really catching up with me. I woke up at 05:30 when my son got up to go to work to find there was good covering of snow. At least six inches of snow had fallen over the previous 24 hours and it was still snowing. I had to push his car off the drive by which time I was well and truly awake so I decided to stay up and wait for the Waxwings to arrive.

Only 6 Waxwings arrived at the usual time but there was loads of other activity in the garden. An unringed female Blackcap caught my attention but a little while later the ringed female appeared. There was quite a bit of aggression between these two birds with each trying to chase the other off. They were far more relaxed in the company of other species and it was interesting to watch them feeding with a Robin, House Sparrows, Blackbird and Goldfinch. Watching a Blackcap feeding on the ground with House Sparrows just doesn't seem quite right.

The snow and apples brought quite a few thrushes to the garden and Redwing was the only one I didn't manage to photograph although I did hear one several times. Three Fieldfares tried to stake their claim to the apples and a particularly well marked individual eventually won the battle for the garden. The other two were relegated to apples I had put in the trees in the park across the road. Two Mistle Thrushes sneaked into the garden and were particularly furtive. It amazes me how shy and secretive they can be for such a big bird. The local Song Thrush also put in a appearance as did numerous Blackbirds.

 

The number of Waxwings did increase and 58 were present by mid-morning. The Estonian ringed bird was photographed again. One Waxwing tried to defend the apples in the main feeding tree and drove the others off for a while giving alarm calls as it did so. I didn't stay and watch all day as much as I was tempted to. I went and bought some bird seed and topped up the feeders at one of my baited sites negotiating 5 foot high snow drifts in the process.

When I got back the apples had clearly been battered so I put some more out. Around a dozen Waxwings reappeared and fed until late afternoon. Tonight I spent another finger numbing hour or so putting out apples in the trees ready for tomorrow. I will probably be up early again in the morning although a lie-in is really tempting.

Collared Dove feeling the cold.

And so a New Year begins.........

I decided to start the first day of the New Year looking for Waxwings. I didn’t want to follow up on confirmed sightings and elected to try and find some more of these stunning birds for myself. I knew the roads would be quiet, early on at least, which would allow for some very dodgy driving as I scanned gardens and roadside trees with even more effort than I have been doing in recent weeks. I suppose you could have called it a form of kerb crawling at times. At least I had binoculars and a camera on the front seat had I been stopped and it was around 9am after all.

I didn’t just drive round streets in an aimless fashion but headed for areas that had rowans and other berry baring bushes close by. I eventually headed to one group of rowans that had been holding a good crop of red berries the last time I checked them out. There were slightly fewer berries compared with my previous visit but still a very good crop given the date and the influx. I waited for a while but no Waxwings appeared; only a pair of Mistle Thrushes came to feed and then not for long so my year started with a failure.

 

Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)

I called in at Pennington Flash next to check out the Black-headed Gulls for rings. A frustrating hour or so eventually resulted in the ring numbers of 2 Lithuanian and 1 British ringed bird being read and photographed. The British ringed bird had been recorded at Pennington Flash before in both 2005 and 2010 and was originally ringed as a chick in Gloucestershire in June 2005.

There were more people about than expected for the time of day, a few had unruly dogs and others unruly children and were the cause of some of the frustration given they could see what I was trying to do. However, most of the frustration was caused by the birds themselves as they repeatedly presented me with the same face of their ring or they were obscured by other birds when they turned to show another face of their ring.

Anyway with 3 controls in the bag or rather the camera I headed for home. I called in at Three Sisters on route to check out the gulls there but some muppet was throwing bread at the birds rather than to them. I knew there would be no chance of reading any rings with that behaviour so I quickly continued the journey home.

After a quick coffee I went to the feeding station at Longshaw to top up the feed. The food had been hammered since my last visit; Greenfinches, Chaffinches and Bramblings quickly returned as I walked away but I also think Woodpigeons have started to take advantage of an easy meal judging by the droppings that were present. I am spending between £20 and £30 a week on bird food at the moment or that is what I will admit to and I don’t really want Woodpigeons putting the bill up but it can’t be helped if they do.

A quick check of the gulls on Orrell Water Park and the German ringed bird put in yet another appearance for the camera. I would have checked through all of the birds but for some more inconsiderate dog walkers that +++nk** ###u== be @+## & ---- off.

 

The day was still not done so I headed up to Haigh to top up the feeders there. Again they had been hammered despite the mild conditions and I didn’t have enough food with me to fill all the feeders to the top. It was quite late in the afternoon by this time so there weren’t many birds feeding but at least 48 Goldfinches were gathered nearby.

One day down and only another 364 to go. The weather looks reasonably good for mist-netting later in the week and I hope to take full advantage of it.

 

And finally the first signs of spring were noted today with plenty of hazel catkins on show and some willow catkins budding.

 

Hazel catkins 01/01/2013