Quiet at Billinge but busy in the garden.

It has been very quiet at Billinge over the last week and 4 visits (22nd, 24th, 25th & 28th) only resulted in a combined total of 7 birds caught [Willow Warbler 1, Blackcap 2, Robin 1, Tree Pipit 1, Great Tit 1 (1)]. Visible migration was minimal, to say the least, and there was no significant change in the numbers of warblers present with Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap the only species on territory.

It may have been a poor week but a Tree Pipit, the 2nd to be ringed this spring, provided some consolation.

While there has not been much happening at Billinge the garden has been getting very busy. The cold spring has delayed breeding in many species but it doesn't appear to have had much of an effect on the local Starlings and most pairs are feeding nestlings now. I run a RAS project on Starlings and attract them to the garden with home made fat blocks but more about that in a future post.

The vast majority of Starlings coming to the feeders were colour-ringed in previous years and 77 individuals have been re-sighted in the last week.

A bit of moon gazing and more Goldcrests

I got up at 4am this morning to take a peek at the lunar eclipse and having ticked it I went back to bed for another hour. When I got up again and started getting ready to go ringing the moon was still partially shaded by the earth so I grabbed a shot while I still had the opportunity. It made a pleasant change to have crystal clear skies over the UK for a celestial event and I am sure the internet is now awash with photographs of the eclipse in its various stages.

The latter stage of the eclipse at 05:30 this morning.

I was out at Billinge shortly after 6:00am and had 3 nets up before sunrise. The first net round only produced 1 Blackcap but after the sun came up I heard the the first Goldcrests and Chiffchaff call.

Goldcrests dominated the next few net rounds and by 9am 23 had been caught and ringed. There wasn't much in the way of visible migration overhead and the little there was mainly involved Lesser Redpolls, Siskins and Meadow Pipits. A couple of migrant Song Thrushes came over at great height and, for a moment, looked like they were going to drop in before they carried on, heading southwest. A few Chaffinches, hirundines and the odd alba wagtail were also on the move but there were frequent gaps with no birds of any description going over. The catching rate slowed as the morning went on but I was more than happy with the final total of 54 new birds and 2 retraps especially as it included 30 Goldcrests.

The 30 Goldcrests ringed today brings the total ringed at Billinge so far this month to 235.

Adult male Lesser Redpoll

Adult male lesser Redpoll (same bird as above).

This Lesser Redpoll is presumably from a very late brood as it hadn't completed its post juvenile moult.

One of today's 3 Siskins 

Ringing totals (retraps in brackets) for 28/09/15 were: Blackcap 3; Chiffchaff 6; Goldcrest 30; Blue Tit (1); Coal Tit 3 (1); Goldfinch 1; Siskin 3, Lesser Redpoll. Total 54 new birds and 2 retraps.

Billinge 10/09/15

Being up at 5 am has become the norm for me in recent weeks, so much so that I now wake up before the first alarm goes off. The 10th was no different and I was out and setting up at Billinge by first light under a crystal clear sky. Although the forthcoming sunrise was starting to brighten the sky to the east it was impossible not to notice and be impressed by the sight of the Crescent Moon with Venus close by. It was one of those sights that would have been worth getting up for in its own right although my photograph doesn't really do it justice. Had I taken the photo a little earlier Mars would have been just visible in the left of the image.

The Crescent Moon and Venus stood out as dawn broke on the 10th.

Anyway back to birds and the stand out species were ones that continue to be conspicuous by their near absence. Meadow Pipit passage is normally well underway by now and this species usually makes up a good proportion of the birds ringed and the majority of the birds passing overhead but yet again there was hardly a Meadow Pipit to be seen. The odd one that was seen or heard seemed to be from the small local breeding population rather than being birds on passage. This is being noted elsewhere across the country and it looks like Meadow Pipits have had a particularly unsuccessful breeding season overall. There is still a slim chance that breeding was just delayed by the cold spring and that the birds will move later as a result but as each day goes by this becomes an increasingly unlikely outcome. Similarly there hasn't been any movement of Reed Buntings as yet and a poor breeding season seems to be the most likely scenario there too. On the other hand Grey Wagtails may have had a reasonably productive summer as passage started more or less on time and small numbers are now passing through daily.

Grey Wagtail

I have said this before but Yellow-vented Wagtail would have been a more appropriate name for the species, not that I am suggesting a change in name now.

The most regular of the migrants passing overhead at the moment are Siskins and frustratingly they have generally been dots in the sky with none coming down to the trees and net level. Today that changed and first 2 were caught in the last couple of rounds of the nets. Hopefully, these will be the first of many and more will drop into the trees to feed in the coming weeks as the the alder cones start to ripen. It is certainly turning out to be an interesting autumn and I am sure there are going to be more ups and downs in terms of numbers of birds to come.

1CY male Siskin

Adult female Siskin

Ringing totals for 10th September (retraps in brackets) were: Grey Wagtail 2; Dunnock 2; Blackcap (1); Chiffchaff 5; Goldcrest 2; Long-tailed Tit (4); Blue Tit 3; Great Tit 2 (2); Chaffinch 4; Goldfinch 5, Siskin 2. Total 27 (7)

Mostly Chiffies and Crests

I was back at Billinge this morning after being away for a few days helping out at the Spurn Migration Festival. The weather was ideal for ringing, being calm and mainly overcast, and I had 3 nets up well before sunrise. The bushes were quiet and seemed to be largely devoid of birds but the first few net rounds showed otherwise and were surprisingly productive with a good number of Chiffchaffs and Goldcrests being caught, along with a few Willow Warblers for good measure. One of the Goldcrests was a control (a bird ringed elsewhere) and it will be interesting to see where it has come from in due course.

Chiffchaff. This is usually the most numerous warbler in September by some margin with peak numbers moving through in the second half of the month.

This is the control female Goldcrest, HKK205. The details have been submitted to the BTO and I should get the recovery report with details of the ringing location fairly quickly.

Six Willow Warblers is a good number for the date.

Migration overhead mainly involved Siskins going south with small parties being seen or heard fairly regularly throughout the morning. I can't be sure how many Siskins went through but it was certainly in the region of a 100 birds at the very least. The first Lesser Redpolls of the autumn were on the move with 15 recorded and it seems highly likely that a great many more will follow in the coming weeks. Meadow Pipits were conspicuous by their near absence with just the occasional bird being noted. Meadow Pipit passage is usually well underway by now but has barely started and this may be due to the birds having bred later as a result of the cold spring. Similarly, only 3 Grey Wagtails were recorded which is well short of the number expected by this date. Other birds on the move were one Tree Pipit and a few Swallows.

The cold spring and unsettled summer may have also resulted in a poor breeding season for Meadow Pipits.

It certainly looks like there is going to be a major irruptive movement of Redpolls this autumn. It has been on the cards for some time and judging by the early and large scale movement of Siskins it could be a whopper.

There were only one or two Blackcaps around but several Whitethroats were noted in favoured blackberry patches. The best bird of the morning, in terms of local scarcity, was a Green Woodpecker which was heard calling a couple of times.

Ringing totals (controls/retraps in brackets) were: Swallow 1; Meadow Pipit 2; Robin 1; Chiffchaff 16 (3); Willow Warbler 6; Goldcrest 9 (1); Long-tailed Tit 2 (2); Coal Tit 1; Great Tit 1; Chaffinch 2; Goldfinch 1; Lesser Redpoll 8; Yellowhammer 1. Total 57.

The adult female Yellowhammer caught hadn't started moulting yet and may have only just finished breeding.

Up with the lark

I had to scrape frost off the car this morning before heading up to Billinge for a dawn start. I was hoping a few migrants had dropped in overnight and that there would be some visible migration but I soon realised there was very little of either. I didn't hear or see a single Chiffchaff and the gin clear skies were largely devoid of passage migrants. I took the nets down that that I had put up in the scrub and turned my attention to the many Skylarks that were chasing each other around in the adjacent grassland.

The Skylarks haven't started nesting yet but are in the process of pairing up and sorting out territories. There is quite a dense population at this site and there is clearly a lot of competition for the prime areas. I watched them for a while and decided to try a single panel net where several had been repeatedly chasing each other low over the ground. Skylarks are not easy to catch in mist-nets but a scattering of low willow saplings in this area helped give some background to the net.

I sat back at a discrete distance to watch and while I was waiting I noticed a male Wheatear, my first of the year, perched in the top of a willow beyond the net. It didn't hang around though and quickly moved on. There wasn't much moving overhead apart from large gulls (mainly Lesser Black-backs) with some moving north towards breeding sites and others moving in the opposite direction towards the nearest landfill sites. I did have 76 Starlings go south-east, 5 Redwings north and a single stratospheric Siskin was heard but that was about it otherwise. My attention quickly turned back to the net when one of the Skylarks headed straight for it and went in, much to my delight. 

Only 147 full grown Skylarks were ringed in the UK in 2013 and in some other years it has been less than that so ringing one counts as a success for me. To give it some context I would have to catch about 485 Blue Tits to ring an equivalent proportion of the national total of that species.

There was so much Skylark activity I thought I would try another spot and I quickly caught a second bird. Third time I was not so lucky and I decided to call it a day at that but I think there is scope to improve my technique and try again before they finally settle down to nest. It is a shame they are not easier to catch as they are a species that would benefit from further study.

It is not often that ringing two birds counts as a good morning's effort but this was one of those occasions. 

'trivialis' pursuits

The weather has continued to put a spanner in the works over the last week with showers and blustery conditions restricting opportunities for ringing to just 3 early morning sessions including one this morning. This has really hampered the monitoring of Tree Pipit movements over Billinge for a second week and crucially when autumn passage normally peaks. On the plus side the showers have grounded some nocturnal migrants as can be seen from the ringing totals below.   

A rain curtailed session on the 27th produced 32 new birds and 1 retrap. There was a noticeable arrival of Robins with many heard ticking before first light and 6 were subsequently ringed. Tree Pipits also featured with 4 ringed from the 13 recorded going south. Goldcrests were more vocal than they have been and may have included birds on the move. Ringing totals were (retraps in brackets) - Robin 6, Chaffinch 7, Willow Warbler 5 (1), Chiffchaff 3, Goldcrest 3, Blackcap 1, Tree Pipit 4, Goldfinch 1, Reed Bunting 1, Yellowhammer 1.

The 28th was a quieter day with only 19 birds ringed. The previous day's Robins had moved on and warblers were few and far between. The only Robin caught was of interest because it was still in full juvenile plumage with no sign of post-juvenile moult so must have come from a very late brood. Tree Pipits continued to move in small numbers with another 6 ringed from a total of 9 recorded going south. Other birds going south were 2 Grey Wagtails and a trickle of Meadow Pipits. Ringing totals were - Tree Pipit 6, Chaffinch 4, Bullfinch 1, Chiffchaff 4, Willow Warbler 2, Blackcap 1, Robin 1.

A very late spotty juvenile Robin (Erithacus rubecula).

This morning (31st) was affected by a few brief light showers but saw a marked increase in Willow Warblers with 13 ringed; the only other grounded migrants of note were 2 Redstarts and a few more Robins. Visible migration was fairly limited but included 7 Grey Wagtails, 3 Tree Pipits, at least 35 Meadow Pipits and a trickle of Swallows. The weather brightened up as the morning progressed but so did the breeze and I finally packed up at 12:30 having ringed 50 birds - Grey Wagtail 2, Tree Pipit 1, Meadow Pipit 10, Willow Warbler 13, Chiffchaff 4, Goldcrest 1, Blackcap 1, Whitethroat 1, Redstart 2, Robin 4, Chaffinch 8, Goldfinch 1, Jay 2.

Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea).

Adult Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus). A rather pale bird with very little yellow and probably of northern origin.

Robin (Erithacus rubecula). Arrivals of migrant Robins are easily noticed at this site due to the nature of the habitat and limited number of resident birds.

Adult female Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus).
The first of the autumn and the first I have caught locally.

Juvenile Male Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus).
Caught in the same net round as the female above.

Juvenile Male Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus).

Adult Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis). The only bird caught today but it brought the total ringed during the month to 51. This total would have been unimaginable just a few weeks ago.

Adult Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis).

The weather is set to improve next week and it will be interesting to see what impact this has on Tree Pipit movements. If a significant number of birds have delayed their migration due to the unsettled conditions it should become apparent over the next few days. Upsurge in numbers or not I will be sure to let you know in due course.

Lesser is more.

My body clock woke me up at 5am this morning so I decided to get up and see if any birds were on the move and Redpolls in particular. I went to my usual watch point near home and put up a single net and set the MP3 going with a view to luring in any Redpolls that may be passing overhead. Although the conditions seemed reasonable there was virtually no sign of any northbound visible migration. The sky was almost empty save for the usual morning southbound commute of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a few Woodpigeons blogging here and there and the like.

Undaunted I decided to stick it out for a while and started to log everything seen or heard on the BirdTrack app on my phone. After about an hour I heard the distinctive flight calls of Redpolls and a couple of birds dropped in, both of which were caught. The birds were duly ringed and were released together so they could continue their migration with minimal interruption. Another 50 minutes passed and I was thinking about packing up when another group of Redpolls arrived from the south and this time 8 were caught. Again they were ringed and then released together. The idea of releasing them as a group in the way they were caught is to see if any of them remain together should they get caught again by ringers further north.

In general there was next to no visible northward migration apart from the groups of Redpolls (all Lessers) that were recorded, most of which were caught and ringed. Only 2 Meadow Pipits were logged along with a single Linnet. The alba wagtail that was heard was probably a local Pied and the few Goldfinches seen were probably commuting between gardens. Despite the lack of movement in general 19 Lesser Redpolls were caught from a minimum of 23 seen. One of these was a control (ringed elsewhere) so it will be interesting to see where that bird came from. Redpolls were certainly on the move today and probably on a fairly unobtrusive broad front so I am glad my body clock got woke me up after all. Anyway I may try again tomorrow, if it is not too windy, to see what if any difference a day makes.

Z019108 6M Lesser Redpoll

Z019110 5(unsexed) Lesser Redpoll

Z019118 5M Lesser Redpoll

Z019119 5(unsexed) Lesser Redpoll

D595550 5M Lesser Redpoll control

Blue Sky Thinking

That sums up the weekend just gone for me, lots of lovely blue sky but sod all in it so plenty of time for thinking about what could have been. This October has been really disappointing for visible migration compared to last year. This must be a reflection of a very poor breeding season overall and not just be down to the weather conditions. A few Meadow Pipits went south but precious few finches. Even fewer Redwings were going this way and that, as can happen when they first arrive, but blink and you would miss them. A fair number of Wood Pigeons went south but were probably outnumbered by feral and racing pigeons going in all directions. Best bird of the weekend for me was a single Crossbill going north over Haigh Hall on Sunday morning.

Looking north at my ringing site at Haigh

Nice tree, shame about the empty sky.

Ringing-wise I didn’t do too badly over the weekend with 93 new birds ringed and 24 recaptures processed but this was a result of a lot of effort. The only species present in similar numbers to last year are the Goldfinches in my garden but numbers have built up a month or so later than last year. Even now some of the birds caught are in full juvenile plumage and some adults are still only just completing their moult indicating an extended breeding season and that later broods have been more successful. This has been commented on in other blogs and seems to be the general trend, in the north-west at least. Notable ringing milestones reached for the year were Goldcrest going through the 100 barrier for the first time, a direct result of effective use of MP3 lures and my fascination with them.

Juvenile Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) caught 20/10/12

Ringing sessions over the weekend included: Longshaw, Scotman’s Flash, Haigh Country Park, two short sessions in my garden at Orrell and an hour in a garden in Hindley. Weekend totals were (recaptures in brackets):

Blackcap 1

Blue Tit 16 (8)

Bullfinch 2 (1)

Chaffinch 6

Coal Tit 1 (3)

Goldcrest 11

Goldfinch 15 (1)

Collared Dove 1

Great Tit 6 (5)

Greenfinch 22 (1)

Lesser Redpoll 4

Reed Bunting 2 (1)

Robin 2 (1)

Willow Tit 2

Wren 2

Nuthatch (2)

Dunnock (1)

Total 93 (24)

Anyway it is all going to change from tomorrow. Birds piling in on the east coast today will make their presence felt, followed by more birds pushed by cold weather coming in later in the week. We hope.

Cold weather should make following the satellite tagged Woodcock interesting:

http://www.woodcockwatch.com/index.php They should really start to move.