11/04/2018: Ivy berry Blackcaps and continental Song Thrush.

I went up to Billinge first thing but there wasn't much doing so I packed up early and went to Crawford to top up the feeders. As I had my ringing gear with me I decided to put a net up there for an hour and as things turned out I am certainly glad that I did. There weren't many birds coming to the feeders, at least not while I was there, but the ivy berries worked their magic and I caught 6 new Blackcaps, all males. These 6 Blackcaps came hot on the heels of 5 that were caught at the site on the 7th and made me wonder how many have taken advantage of this particular abundance of ivy berries so far this spring or will do so while the they last.

Some parts of the ivy have been stripped of their berries but there are plenty left.

 Today's 6 Blackcaps came hot on the heels of 5 caught at the site on the 7th. Everyone is familiar with concentrations of birds on berries in autumn but less so with returning birds in spring. 

While it was good to catch the Blackcaps the highlight, for me least, was catching 2 Song Thrush as one of them was a small and very grey individual of the continental race (T. p. philomelos).

Continental Song Thrushes don't get any greyer than this one.

I would put money on this bird originating from a long way east. Song Thrush of the British race (T. p. clarkei) are much browner and are generally bigger.

There wasn't a hint of warm brown anywhere in its plumage.

Ringing totals (retraps in brackets) for 11/04/ 2019 were: Blue Tit 1; Long-tailed Tit (1); Blackcap 6; Blackbird (2); Song Thrush 2; Dunnock (1) ;Chaffinch (1).

Billinge 18th & 19th October 2018

I didn't get chance to write reports on these visits before going away on holiday, or while I was away for that matter, but I felt there was enough of note to merit this belated summary.

The most notable feature of the 18th was the number of Goldcrests present with the 27 ringed being the highest total of the autumn in terms of new birds but equalling the 26 new and 1 retrap that were caught on 7th October. Thrushes made up much of the rest of the catch with 21 Redwing and 4 Song Thrush keeping me busy in that first hour or so around sunrise.
Ringing Totals for 18/10/2018 were: Coal Tit 1; Great Tit 2; Goldcrest 27; Redwing 21; Song Thrush 4; Chaffinch 1; Lesser Redpoll 2.

Goldcrest 18/10/2018

The 19th saw a big change in the number of Goldcrests present with only 2 ringed and there were fewer thrushes around too. However, there were more finches moving with a good movement of Bramblings in particular. I wasn't able to keep track of the numbers of Bramblings involved but the flocks and groups I counted in between net rounds just got into 3 figures so I am sure the true figure must have been far higher. A few Bramblings also found their way into the nets and 5 were ringed (first to be ringed this autumn).
Ringing totals for 19/10/2018 were: Goldcrest 2; Redwing 9; Brambling 5; Lesser Redpoll 5.

Male Brambling 19/10/2018

First Redwings and a glut of Goldcrest.

There have been some reasonable arrivals of Redwings on the east coast and in the northern isles over the last week so I thought there would be a good chance of seeing and possibly catching my first of the autumn at Billinge this morning. I was so keen I got up extra early and had the first net set up in the top willows before it started to get light but I didn't hear any nocturnal flight calls of Redwings or any other thrushes for that matter. I quickly set another 3 nets (my usual set up of 3 nets generally becomes 4 once Redwings start to arrive) and while I still didn't hear any Redwings flying over there were 2 or 3 Song Thrushes calling in the bushes as it it started to get light.

Initially there wasn't much moving through the bushes or overhead but that changed after the sun was up and it became quite an eventful morning. There wasn't a huge amount moving overhead but there was a quite a bit more than there has been recently. A Redwing, my first of the autumn, was heard shortly after sunrise and groups of 4, 2, 4 and 15 were seen subsequently. A couple of high flying Song Thrushes and 4 equally high flying Blackbirds were also seen and likely to be migrants from the continent. The morning was punctuated by the occasional calls of Siskins and Meadow Pipits but the stand out highlight was a flock of 19 Crossbills which passed me at eye level and close range as they flew SSW over the SE flank of the hill. Other birds on the move included small numbers of Woodpigeons, Goldfinches, and Chaffinches.

The nets were quite productive and produced one of the best catches of what has been a below par autumn so far. Highlights were 26 Goldcrests (the highest day total this autumn by some margin), a Redwing (obviously the first ringed this autumn), 3 Song Thrush (all likely migrants) and 8 Coal Tits (the highest day total for the site and suggestive of irruptive movement). Also of note were 2 Lesser Redpolls but only because they were both adult males; there haven't been many Redpolls this autumn and the appearance of adults without any first-years doesn't bode well for the rest of the autumn.

It was a return to something like normal numbers of Goldcrests today but the big question is will it last or is it just a one off improvement. One thing is certain only time tell.

It is always good to see and ring the first Redwing of the autumn and hopefully there will be some really big movements to come. The forecast for the middle of next week (Wednesday into Thursday) is looking promising at the moment and may bring the first really big arrivals of the autumn, lets hope so.

Ringing totals (retraps in brackets) for 07/10/2018 were: Coal Tit 8; Blue Tit 3; Great Tit 7; Long-tailed Tit 2 (4); Chiffchaff 2; Goldcrest 26 (1); Wren 2; Redwing 1; Song Thrush 3; Robin 3; Bullfinch 3; Lesser Redpoll 2; Goldfinch 1; Reed Bunting 2. A total of 65 new birds and 5 retraps.

A few firsts of sorts.

I have been up to Billinge quite a few times over the last couple of months but apart from seeing up to 6 Woodcock during the cold snap they have been largely uneventful affairs. I decided to pay another visit this morning as the forecast seemed favourable and I hoped few migrants would be on the move. Unfortuntely it was quite misty when I got to site but I decided to set 3 nets in the hope it would soon clear.

The mist didn't clear, if anything it became more of a fog, but I still managed to catch a few birds including a few that were the first to be ringed or retrapped at the site this year. I have never managed to catch Redwings at the site in late winter or spring so catching 5 this morning was a first in more ways than one. I occasionally see a few Redwings on passage in spring but they are never very numerous, like they are in autumn, and they are very difficult to catch as a result. A Lesser Redpoll was the first to be ringed this year but not only that it was the first to be seen at the site this year, making it a double first. It effectively marks the start of spring passage for that species although most usually move through in April. A retrap Goldcrest was also the first of its kind to be caught at the site this year and had been ringed on 23rd September last year. It may have wintered somewhere locally but it could be a migrant that had wintered further south and was on its way back north. Migrant Goldcrests usually start to move through the site from mid-March with passage continuing into April.

The Redwings were in reasonable condition although couple were on the light side and had little in the way of any fat. This is only to be expected as many would have struggled to find food during the recent cold weather.

This Song Thrush was caught with 2 of the Redwings and could be a migrant or a bird that was displaced by the cold weather rather than being one from the local breeding population.

The Lesser Redpoll had a mixture of amber and red coloured feathers in its poll as can be clearly seen in the close-up below. The poll is usually one colour or the other so I don't see birds like this very often.

The fog meant there was no vis mig to speak of but a Siskin was heard and a group of at least 7 Meadow Pipits went north just above tree top height and hinted at what might have been had the conditions been clearer. Unfortunately the fog didn't clear and after a couple of hours some unforecast showers arrived and forced and early end to the session.

Ringing totals (retraps in brackets) for 13/03/2018 were: Redwing 5; Song Thrush 1; Goldcrest (1); Long-tailed Tit 2 (5); Blue Tit (1), Lesser Redpoll 1.

October 2017

A session at Billinge on the last day of the month produced a catch of 38 birds and was made up of 36 new birds, a retrap and a control. There were a few Goldcrests in every net round and they easily took top slot with 24 ringed. There weren't many thrushes moving but a Fieldfare found its way into a net and was the first to be ringed this autumn. Just a couple of Lesser Redpolls were caught but I was pleased to discover that one of them was a control (a bird ringed elsewhere) so it will be interesting to find out where that one has come from.

The control Lesser Redpoll was an adult female with ring number S341203.

Ringing totals (retraps/controls in brackets) for 31/10/17 were; Great Spotted Woodpecker 1; Goldcrest 24; Blue Tit 1; Great Tit 1 (1); Fieldfare 1; Redwing 7; Lesser Redpoll 1 (1).

A total of 746 birds were ringed at Billinge during October which is disappointing by that site's standards and is roughly half the total achieved in previous years. The main reason for this has been the lack of easterly winds which has resulted in much lower numbers of Redwings and Goldcrests passing through the site. However, Redwing and Goldcrest were still the most numerous species ringed by far and they topped the totals for the month with 292 and 259 respectively. Song Thrush came in third with 50 followed by Lesser Redpoll with 29 and Blackbird with 21. At the other end of the scale a Tawny Owl was only the second to be ringed at the site and a Firecrest was only the third ringing and sighting record of that species.

Billinge 29/10/17 and a bit on ageing Redwings too.

A cool northerly breeze and relatively clear conditions contributed to a fairly low-key session at Billinge this morning. A few thrushes were moving early on and most of those that were ringed were caught in the first hour. Otherwise it was fairly quiet which, combined with single figure temperatures, gave the morning an end of season feeling.

Only 1 Lesser Redpoll was caught today but, interestingly, it was another that had a yellowish-orange poll rather than the usual red colour and is the 3rd to be caught with this pigmentation variation this month.  It has been a relatively poor autumn for Redpolls so far with only 37 caught to date. The ages of these birds suggest they have had a poor breeding season as 20 (including today's bird) have been adults, only 15 were first-year birds and 2 were left unaged.

Adult Lesser Redpoll

The 3rd to be caught with an 'Amber' poll this month.

Far fewer Redwings and Fieldfares have been recorded this autumn due to the lack of easterly winds but the same can't be said for migrant Song Thrushes. Their numbers have held up surprisingly well and are only a little down on the number recorded last autumn. Another 3 Song Thrush were ringed today and all 3 were obvious 'continental' birds.

Continental Song Thrushes don't get much more obvious than this one. Cold grey toned above, more extensive white below and smaller than our warmer brown British subspecies 'clarkei'. 

Ringing totals for 29/10/17 were: Goldcrest 8; Blue Tit 2; Blackbird 1; Song Thrush 3; Redwing 14; Greenfinch 1; Lesser Redpoll 1.


I have been meaning to post some photos on ageing Redwings as I have encountered a few interesting individuals recently but here is one from the 27th and another from today to ponder on.

The very plain wing (lack of well defined pales spots on any of the greater coverts and lack of tertial markings) suggest it is an adult but see the image of the tail below. 

Two old tail feathers in an otherwise adult tail show this bird to be a first-year. This bird appears to have undergone a very extensive pj moult and had it replaced all the tail feathers this bird would have been indistinguishable from an adult. According to the literature juvenile Redwings rarely replace any tail feathers as part of their pj moult and if they do it is only supposed to be one or two. This bird obviously didn't read the literature and perhaps we shouldn't be surprised as many species are having more extensive pj moults these days which is probably linked to climate change. There is also the possibility that it replaced most of its tail feathers following accidental loss but the fact that it appears to have replaced all its greater coverts and tertials suggest a more extensive pj moult is the more likely cause of the tail feather replacement.

A very well marked wing with well defined pale tips to the greater coverts, especially the outers, and large, fairly angular pale tips to two of the tertials but what does the tail tell us.

The tail feathers are fresh, broad and quite rounded with some almost being square ended so it is clearly an adult. 

Here is the whole bird just in case you didn't think the wing and tail could be from the same bird. It is just a very well marked adult.

Life before Brian.

Well not all of life just the last couple of ringing sessions on the run up to the arrival of the latest named storm - Brian. The forecast for yesterday (20th) had looked quite good and promised a dry morning with a relatively light breeze but the reality was somewhat different. When I got up at 5am the rainfall radar showed a band of rain approaching from the west and the possibility of some light showers following on behind. It started raining not long after and to say I was not happy is an understatement as I was convinced that Redwings would be moving south in large numbers given the recent arrivals further north.

Now I like to start the day with 3 mugs of coffee so I used that time to keep an eye on the progress of the band of rain on the rainfall app and it looked like it would clear Billinge around sunrise so I decided to head out. When I arrived on site it was still raining but I set up anyway, keeping the nets closed of course, so I would be ready for a quick start when the rain cleared. The rain stopped shortly after sunrise and pretty much as the rainfall app indicated so I quickly opened the nets. It was still only half light because of the cloud cover but a few small flocks of Redwings had already started moving with all of them heading south.

The breeze was quite fresh but the net rides were sheltered by the tree cover and more importantly by higher ground which provided a significant wind shadow. The catching rate was quite good but then the number of Redwings moving wasn't bad either and both increased as the morning went on. Visibility was really quite poor at times with low cloud and occasional mizzle but it didn't stop the birds moving and around 2,000 Redwings went south over the course of the morning but that is only a rough estimate.

There were other bits and bobs moving south, not that I had time to take much notice, and there were a few Goldcrests moving through the bushes. I started packing up shortly after 11am and the next to last bird extracted from the nets was a control Goldcrest. This control Goldcrest turned out to be the most interesting bird of the morning but because of its age and tail shape rather than the fact it had been ringed elsewhere. All ringers would say that they age and sex every bird they catch with an equal amount of diligence but controls often get a little more scrutiny because another ringer may have aged and sexed it when it was first caught and the passage of time between ringing and recapture can add to the information on age if enough time has elapsed.

Goldcrests are mainly aged on the shape of the tail feathers with the adult tail being described and illustrated as being quite rounded while the tail of first-year birds are sharply pointed. Svensson's ageing and sexing guide warns against the ageing of intermediates and while it is clear on that point there is inevitably a degree of subjective interpretation. Most ringers don't get to handle many known age Goldcrests and that is where the problem lies as it is too easy to assume that adults should have quite rounded tail feathers even though that is not what Svennson and some of the other literature actually say.

So I had a control Goldcrest in my hand and on first glance the tail looked quite pointed but the tail feathers were on the broad side and quite glossy which is more indicative of adult. Had it been a new bird I may not have given it the same level of scrutiny but then that is impossible to know after the fact.  It certainly wasn't a stand out first-year, nor was it a stand out adult and with hindsight I would like to think I would have left it unaged had it been a new bird but, at the risk of being honest, I may have lent towards it being a first-year. 

When I am out ringing I frequently exchange texts with David Norman of Merseyside Ringing Group, who rings at a site 16km south of Billinge, and he recognised the ring number as being a MRG bird. It transpired that it had been ringed on the Wirral as a first-year male in October 2016 which confirmed it was over a year old. This made it more interesting as it was an adult (2y+) and its tail shape certainly reinforces the advice in Svennson that intermediates should be left unaged. It wouldn't surprise me if this tail shape is quite common in adults and it is the lack of recaptures of known age birds that limits our understanding of tail shape and ageing of this species.

Adult Goldcrest tail 20/10/17

It is not unusual for me to leave a few Goldcrests unaged but I may just start leaving a few more unaged now I have seen the tail shape of this adult.

So what should have been a good morning actually lived up to my expectations despite some very unhelpful weather. Totals for 20/10/17 were: Goldcrest 9 (1); Song Thrush 2; Blackbird 1; Redwing 50; Bullfinch 1 (1). Total: 63 new birds, 1 retrap and 1 control.

That was the 20th and the prospects for the arrival of Brian today were considerably worse but I decided to put my faith in technology (rainfall radar) and checking conditions on the ground. Yes it was forecast to be even windier but topography protected the net rides and the wind is generally that bit lighter around dawn. I only set a couple of  nets as there was a higher risk of showers in the forecast but the rainfall radar showed they fizzled out before they reached the site during the time I there (occasionally technology is wonderful).

It was amazing to see a total of around 800 Redwings and a few other birds moving into such a strong headwind, especially as a strong southerly component in the wind often kills any movement at Billinge stone dead. The Redwings generally stayed low and appeared to make good headway but a lone, higher flying, Swallow made more laboured progress and clearly struggled against the strong headwind as it battled south. 

I packed up after a couple of hours as the wind was starting to get stronger but I still managed to catch 15 birds before Brian really kicked in. Totals for 21/10/17 were Goldcrest 1; Song Thrush 1; Redwing 13.

Most of the Song Thrushes I catch at Billinge in autumn are of the the greyer continental race, philomelos and today's was no exception. The greyer rump and lower mantle contrast with the much browner tail feathers.

9th October: thrushed with success.

I had high hopes for this morning as large numbers of thrushes (especially Redwings) arrived along parts of the east coast yesterday and decent movements were also recorded at some of the Pennine vis mig sites. Good numbers are often recorded at Billinge the day after such arrivals and movements so the prospects for this morning looked good. I was so eager to find out I got up when the first alarm went off, was out of the house at 05:30 and had set 4 nets at Billinge by 06:30.

A few Redwings and Song Thrushes were heard calling as dawn approached but not as many as expected and a Song Thrush was the only bird caught prior to sunrise. However, a few small flocks of Redwings and one or two Song Thrushes started to arrive shortly after sunrise and the flocks of Redwings generally got larger as the morning went on. Birds were coming and going in various directions but the majority seemed to appear from the east or south east and while some flocks continued west or northwest others turned and headed south. Around 650 Redwings must have moved through over the course of the morning but it's always hard to keep track of numbers when you are busy ringing. The number of Song Thrush on the move was even harder to gauge and the 12 that were recorded is likely to be well short of the true figure, especially as that number includes 7 that were ringed. As for other thrushes there were a few more Blackbirds around and 4 Fieldfare seen heading northwest late in the morning was a bit of a surprise as it is relatively early date for that species.

Song Thrush

Redwing

When there are plenty of thrushes around they usually attract a few predators and today was no exception. A juv male Sparrowhawk was seen several times before it eventually found its way into one of the nets. A little while later a juv female Sparrowhawk was caught which is a bit more unusual as females often manage to climb out of nets due to their much larger size.

1cy male Sparrowhawk

1cy female Sparrowhawk. If looks could kill this one's would.

There weren't many finches moving and only 1 Lesser Redpoll was caught. Surprisingly, it was another that didn't have a red coloured poll, the amber poll on this individual being a bit brighter than the one shown in my last post.

Lesser Redpoll

The morning may have started slowly but Redwings eventually came through in good numbers and accounted for 38 of the 65 birds ringed. Ringing totals for 09/10/17 were: Sparrowhawk 2; Goldcrest 9; Great Tit 2; Coal Tit 1; Chiffchaff 1; Blackbird 3; Song Thrush 7; Redwing 38; Chaffinch 1; Lesser Redpoll 1.

Other sightings of note included: 320 Pink-footed Geese heading east; 4 Ravens (2 pairs) heading south; 2 Swallows (1 south and the other hanging around feeding); 3 Crossbills heading NNE.

10th to 16th October 2016: the Redwing fest continues

I managed to get out to Billinge every day last week although the last two sessions were very short due to the arrival of rain. A total of 384 birds were caught and these were made up of 372 new birds, 10 retraps, 1 control and an escapee.

Lets start with the escapee and when I saw it in the net, at a distance, I thought I had caught something unusual and in a roundabout way I had. At first I though it was a Lesser Redpoll with an aberrant plumage and then I saw the 'closed ring' and realised it was an escaped cage bird. On closer examination I began to suspect it was a cross between a Lesser Redpoll and Twite and when I got home a search of images on the internet seemed to confirm that. One site was quite disparaging of this particular hybrid saying there is little point in crossing these brown based birds other than achieving a hybrid or words to that effect. I thought it actually looked quite smart but as the saying goes there's no accounting for taste.

Escaped Redpoll x Twite hybrid (or at least that is what I think it is) caught 10/10/2016 

Escaped Redpoll x Twite hybrid caught 10/10/2016.

While on the subject of Redpolls there have been very few Lessers moving at Billinge this autumn with only 4 caught in September and 26 since. Interestingly the majority of these birds have been adults and that was particularly true of last week with 7 of the 9 ringed being aged as such. Low numbers and a predominance of adults suggests that Lesser Redpolls have had a poor breeding season rather than it just being a case of them staying close to their breeding grounds, as in autumn 2014. It will, however, be interesting to see what happens over the rest of the autumn and what ringers report from other parts of the country. Although Lesser Redpolls don't seem to be moving much it does look like there is the start of a major influx of Common (Mealy) Redpolls on the east coast and hopefully some will work their way across to this side of the country over the next month or so, I certainly hope so.

Redwings moved through in good numbers on the 10th, 12th and 13th and those dates produced 169 of the 228 that were ringed over the course of the week. Redwings now top the ringing totals for the month and the year with 553 ringed since 3rd October. I have probably got enough photos to show the variation in the appearance of the coverts and the shape of the tail feathers and will put a post together on ageing them fairly soon. There is certainly more variation in the appearance of the greater coverts than the well known ageing guides describe or show and hopefully the photos will help to fill that gap. The images below are examples of the photos that will be used, one is a first year bird and the other is an adult (or at least I think so) but which is which and what did their tail feathers look like? I am not going to give the answers now so if you really want to know you will have to keep an eye on the blog.

RZ37553 Redwing

RZ37674 Redwing

Whenever there are good movements of Redwings there are usually at least 2 or 3 Sparrowhawks around trying to intercept them. Apart from one ringed on the 6th they have either missed the nets or have got out before I could get to them but that changed on the 12th with a 2nd year male in one net round and followed by a first year female in the next; so a bit like buses none for ages then two in quick succession.

2cy male Sparrowhawk 12/10/2016

1cy female Sparrowhawk 12/10/2016

Goldcrests moved through in moderate numbers with 88 caught over the week; this total was made up of 84 new birds, 3 retraps and a control. The number ringed at the site over the late summer/autumn period currently stands at a fairly impressive 518 and there should be plenty more to come over the remainder of the autumn. There were a few paler and brighter continental type birds and one of these was a control so it may have been ringed on the east coast. In fact the ring number was from a similar sequence to one of last year's controls and that bird had been ringed in Hartlepool, but I will have to wait for the recovery report from the BTO before I know for sure.

Control Goldcrest

One of the other 'continental' Goldcrests caught during the week.
This bird is even greyer around the head and nape.

Ringing totals (retraps & controls in brackets) for the period 10th to 16th October were: Sparrowhawk 2; ; Goldcrest 84 (4); Blue Tit 2; Great Tit 5; Coal Tit 9;  Long-tailed Tit (6); Chiffchaff 3; Blackcap 2; Blackbird 4; Song Thrush 13; Redwing 228; Robin 5 (1); Dunnock 2; Chaffinch 1; Bullfinch 2; Lesser Redpoll 9; Goldfinch 1.

Another 13 Song Thrush were caught during the week including 6 on the 10th.
All were of the greyer continental race T. P. philomelos like this bird.

Billinge: 15th & 18th September 2016

The 15th was one of those days were expectations were high but very murky conditions stifled overhead passage and kiboshed my hopes of a good catch of Meadow Pipits and Grey Wagtails. Visibility was poor and restricted to about 1 or 2 km for much of the morning and while you could call it misty the vegetation and nets remained bone dry because of the high temperature. Some birds were moving despite the conditions and a few Meadow Pipits shot through and the odd Siskin and Song Thrush was heard calling through the murk but there were big gaps with nothing moving overhead.

Fortunately there were a good few birds in the bushes and a total of 49 were caught. Chiffchaffs topped the totals once again with 15 new birds and 1 retrap but Goldcrests weren't far behind with 12 new birds and a control (a bird ringed elsewhere). It shouldn't take long to get the ringing details back for this bird and it will be interesting to find out when and where it was ringed as we are still in the early stages of autumn migration for this species.

Control Goldcrest.
Details of when and where it was ringed will be posted in due course.

The remainder of the catch didn't produce any surprises and the totals for the morning were: Goldcrest 12 (1); Blue Tit 1; Coal Tit 1; Chiffchaff 15 (1); Willow Warbler 1; Blackcap 6 (1); Robin 4; Dunnock 1; Bullfinch 1; Lesser Redpoll 1; Reed Bunting 3. Total 46 new birds, 2 retraps and 1 control.

The crown feathers of one of the Blackcaps was a mixture of brown and black with the individual feathers being a mixture of colours rather than some of the feathers being brown and others being black. A small proportion of male Blackcaps have some brown in the crown like this bird although the amount does vary.

I suppose you could call it a brown crown with black highlights or streaks.

September usually sees some good movements of Robins through the site but numbers have been much lower than usual so far this autumn. 

The 18th started off a bit misty but soon became depressingly foggy. The fog just wouldn't burn off and although it thinned from time to time it didn't finally clear until late in the morning when it was time to start packing up. The conditions severely limited movement overhead, as you would expect, although the occasional stratospheric Siskin was heard and the fog also made the nets more visible for much of the session.

One or two Song Thrushes were calling as I was setting up so it wasn't a surprise when one was in the net on the first round. However, it wasn't one of the locals and its colder and more olive upper parts pointed to it being of continental origin. The first migrant Song Thrushes usually arrive in early to mid September and more continental birds reach this part of the country than is often appreciated.

The catching rate was much slower than the final total of 40 new birds might suggest and there were several blank net rounds. Goldcrests topped the totals and the 18 ringed is the biggest catch of the autumn to date. It also brought the number ringed so far this month to 106. There were very few Chiffchaffs around compared to recent visits and only 4 were ringed but Blackcaps continue to move through the site in similar numbers with another 6 being caught.

Ringing totals for 18/09/16 were: Goldcrest 18; Blue Tit 1; Great Tit 1; Chiffchaff 4; Blackcap 6; Wren 1; Song Thrush 1; Robin 3; Chaffinch 5. Total 40 new birds.

Song Thrush recovery.

I recently received a recovery report for a Song Thrush that was ringed at Billinge last October and recovered in southern Portugal earlier this year.

RL87302      Song Thrush
Ringed         12/10/2015    Billinge Hill, Billinge, Merseyside.
Recovered   07/01/2016    Cuba, Alentejo, Beja, Portugal, 1749km SSW, duration 87 days.

The finding circumstances were reported as: 'freshly dead - hunted' which is not an uncommon fate for this species in southern Europe where such hunting is still common place. On the positive side the hunter was clearly interested enough in their quarry to report that it was ringed and has provided valuable information on the movement, timing and cause of death which ultimately can be used for conservation purposes.




This was one of six Song Thrush ringed at Billinge on 12th October 2015 and one of 20+ recorded passing through the site that morning. It was also one of 77 ringed at the site over the autumn with the monthly ringing totals being 2 in September, 70 in October and 5 in November. Peak movements were in early to mid October with 50 being ringed within the fairly narrow period of 8th to 16th October which coincided with the first main influxes of Redwings. Many were continental birds and could be identified by being more olive-grey compared to our more yellowish and warm brown toned British race, although this particular bird wasn't identified as to race.

One of the six Song Thrushes ringed Billinge Hill 12/10/15 but not the bird that was recovered in Portugal.

Weekend highlights including more yellow delights

It has been just over a month since I last did any ringing at Crawford so I was pleased to be able to get out there yesterday morning. I had tailed off the supply of feed towards the end of January due to the wet and windy weather and a lack of birds but I decided to give it another go as it can be a good site for finches in spring. The weather was near perfect and provided the first opportunity for a ringing session since the resumption of feeding so I was there at dawn and set the usual 3 nets (a total of 36m) near the feeders.

The were more Blackbirds and Song Thrushes around than expected although that was probably due to the large crop of berries on the ivy that almost covers large parts of the hedges. The Goldcrest was interesting in that it looked like a continental bird and it may already be starting to edge its way back towards the breeding grounds. Otherwise the catch was pretty much as expected given I've only been putting out food for a little over a week.

Ringing totals (retraps in brackets) were: Blackbird 6 (4); Song Thrush 2 (1); Dunnock 1; Greenfinch 1; Goldfinch 10; Chaffinch 3; Tree Sparrow 2; Great Tit 1 (1); Blue Tit 1 (1); Coal Tit 1; Goldcrest 1. A total of 29 new birds and 7 retraps.

Adult female Blackbird

Song Thrush, also an adult.

On getting home I was greeted by a soundscape of Siskins. There were at least a dozen in the garden and many more chattering in the trees across the road. After making some lunch (or dinner as us northerners call the midday meal) I spent much of the afternoon watching the birds in the garden with the camera at the ready. The garden was buzzing with Siskins and it doesn't seem to matter how many feeders you provide there will still be some scrapping over one particular feeder, even when others are available.

Scrapping Siskins.
The female on the left was the bird that flew in and sparked the interaction with the two males.

Such a large and noisy gathering was bound to attract the interest of a predator sooner or later and a sudden silence with birds darting off in all directions or diving into the privet hedge was a sure sign that a Sparrowhawk had just made an attack. I couldn't see it at first but then is flew across the garden and landed on the privet hedge although my view was obscured by branches from the rowan tree. It had obviously failed to catch anything with the first attack and had gone to the privet hedge to see if any of the hiding birds would break cover.

This adult male Sparrowhawk has probably learned that there is little chance of getting a bird to break cover from such a dense hedge but it probably couldn't help having a little look on the off chance. I have seen young male Sparrowhawks waste time and energy running up and down the hedge and flipping from one side to the other in an attempt to flush hiding birds.

It knows there is something in there and it could have been the Belgian-ringed Blackcap as it often comes out to feed from that part of the hedge.

The Belgian-ringed Blackcap photographed earlier in the afternoon. It has been recorded nearly every day since the first sighting on 17th January.

Seeing so many Siskins in the garden yesterday tempted me to try another short ringing session this morning although I thought there may be a fair proportion of retraps judging by the number of ringed birds I had seen. I set the usual 6m net at first light and waited for the first birds to arrive. At least 30 Siskins gathered in the trees across the road before any came down to the feeders. The first net round produced 8 Siskins and a Robin and there wasn't a retrap amongst them. The final totals (retraps in brackets) for a session that lasted a little more than an hour were: Robin 2; Great Tit (1); Siskin 14 (3). The low proportion of retrap Siskins was a bit of a surprise and the total number of Siskins ringed in the garden since late January now stands at 72 with 37 of them having been ringed in the past 5 days. Not bad for a small front garden and on a par with previous good Siskin years.

A cracking adult male Siskin but then is there any other kind.

Interestingly the number of Goldfinches has decreased even though there is no shortage of food or feeders in the garden. It may indicate that some have started to disperse or migrate and or they could have shifted their diet and be spending more time feeding on alder seeds and the developing flower buds of trees and bushes.

All in all not a bad weekend.