Quick Update and Starling RAS progress.

Apologies for the lack of posts recently but I have been busy with one thing or another and there has not been a great deal of interest to report on the migration front. The dearth of migrants at Billinge and other sites I visit has continued with hirundines being particulary scarce. While it has not been a silent spring it has been a pretty quiet one and it wouldn't surprise me if national population declines are reported for many species when all the data is in.

Much of my ringing effort over the last 3 weeks has been directed towards my Starling RAS project and I have clocked up around 75 hours of recording colour-ringed Starlings feeding on the fat blocks in the garden. As I have been running the project for a few years most of my local Starlings are colour-ringed and I have resighted 100 Starlings that were ringed prior to the start of this year's recording period with over 25% of those birds being more than 3 years old. It didn't take long to record the first 60 or so individuals but after that it became more like looking for a needle in a haystack as it gets progressively harder to pick out any that haven't been recorded before from all the ones that visit the fat blocks on numerous occasions each day. In addition to recording all the previously ringed birds I selectively trap and ring any unringed Starlings to add them to the study population with 20 new adults being ringed and colour-ringed so far.

With at least 70+ different Starlings coming they are currently getting through 1.5 to 2 kg of home made fat blocks each day. This will increase as more young fledge.

It is often a bit of a scrum at the fat blocks with the birds jostling for position. This can make reading the codes on the colour-rings quite difficult.

The timing of breeding has been pretty much as expected and the first adult was seen carrying food on 21st April and this was soon followed by many others. The first young started to fledge about 6 days ago and the first juveniles started to follow their parents to the the fat blocks in the garden in the last couple of days. This is very similar to last year and just over a week later than 2016, which was an earlier than average breeding season anyway. While the severe cold spells in the early part of this spring delayed the onset of breeding in many resident species it doesn't appear to have had much of an affect on Starlings, in this area at least, or that is the initial impression. It still remains to be seen what the fledging rates and brood sizes are like overall so it will be later in June before we get a more complete picture.

Adult male A12 is one of the many regulars and was originally ringed in December 2014. This male has been recorded numerous times in each breeding season since being ringed.

The first juvenile ringed in 2018. This bird was caught earlier this morning (14/05/2018). The first juvenile was ringed on the same date last year and on 7th May in 2016.

Billinge: 1st August 2016

A somewhat belated post but hopefully still of interest. The new month started much as last month ended with a session at Billinge producing a decent total of 36 new birds and 3 retraps. Once again Willow Warblers were the most numerous species and they accounted for nearly half the total with 15 new birds and 3 retraps. I don't know of any other ringing site in the area where Willow Warblers can still be caught in such good numbers and can also match Chiffchaff in the ringing totals at the end of the season, give or take a few. Why Willow Warblers occur at Billinge in such good numbers is a bit of a mystery but the combination of the habitats, topography and elevation of the area clearly play a part in attracting and funneling Willow Warblers and a several other migrant species through the site.

Adult Willow Warbler, some of the adults have completed their moult like this bird.

The attraction the site has for birds on passage was also demonstrated by the capture of another 2 Sedge Warblers, this time an adult and a juvenile. If the occurrences of Sedge Warblers only involved the occasional juvenile it could be simply put down to post juvenile dispersal which is fairly random in direction initially and sometimes leads to inexperienced birds being out of habitat. The fact that I catch more than just the odd one and adults as well a juveniles suggests there is more to it than that.

Juvenile Sedge Warbler

Interestingly 5 of the 15 Sedge Warblers ringed over the last 3 autumns have been adults and this is a higher proportion of adults than you would expect to catch at a lowland reedbed site in autumn. There is still time to catch a few more Sedges this autumn so that proportion could change but if I just use the ages of the 10 birds caught in autumn 2014 and 2015 adults still made up 30% of the total. I know it is only a very small sample size but it is still intriguing that such a high proportion of adults is involved, especially as the migration of adult Sedge Warblers is known to be more direct and involve fewer stops compared to that of juveniles. 

Adult Sedge Warbler

It was another very quiet day on the tit front but 2 or 3 Willow Tits were heard and one was caught and ringed.

Juvenile Willow Tit, the first to be ringed this autumn.

Ringing totals (retraps in brackets) for 1st August 2015 were: Willow Warbler 15 (3); Chiffchaff 5; Sedge Warbler 2; Blackcap 4; Whitethroat 2; Dunnock 1; Robin 1; Willow Tit 1; Blue Tit 1; Goldfinch 3; Lesser Redpoll 1.

That Blackcap again

Migration has been like the proverbial watched pot that never boils so far this spring and it has barely got to a simmer even at the south and west coast hot spots thus far. I still haven't seen or heard a summer visitors at any of my regular haunts although a few are creeping into the area. I thought last night's full moon may have encouraged some movement but it didn't even send a Chiffchaff in my direction.

The weather that has been holding up summer visitors may also be the reason the wintering Blackcap is still in my garden. Skies were clear in the early part of last night so I thought it may be tempted to go but when I pulled back the curtains this morning it was the first bird I saw.

I have become a bit obsessed with this bird as I would like to establish the last date it visits the garden as I am not sure how much is actually known about the timing of departure in spring. The reporting rates on BirdTrack are fairly flat throughout the winter and don't show an obvious dip before the arrival of those coming to the UK to breed. This suggest that winter visitors leave at about the same time or a little after the first wave of summer visitors arrive. It has to be said that the reporting rate in winter is relatively low but I still think it would have shown a dip if winterers depart before the summer visiting Blackcaps start arriving in the UK.

To be certain it is the same bird, and not another ringed male Blackcap, I photograph it to check the ring number and I managed to do that again today. It would be easy to assume it is the same bird but for the record to go into the ringing database it has to be read. It can be frustrating and on some occasions I have taken a lot of photos to read the ring but I think it is worth it. It has also been entertaining to watch and it would be hard to resist taking photos of it even if it wasn't ringed.

One of 40 or 50 photos taken today. 882 is in the middle of the ring number and you can just make out BRUSS of Brussels at the bottom of the ring.

It appears to be moulting a few feathers around its face.

If it broke of a big bit of the fat cake it would throw it up and into the back of its throat like Waxwings sometimes do with berries.

The weather is looking interesting tomorrow ahead of a wet and windy weekend so I will be out and about to see what I can find but I will also find time to watch out for the Blackcap in the garden.

Billinge 20th & 22 November 2015

The 20th was quite windy with occasional light showers skirting past the site but it didn't deter birds from moving as might have been expected. Birds heading south included at least 70 Redwings, 90 Fieldfares and 180 Woodpigeons. It was harder to gauge what finches were doing but a few Lesser Redpolls seemed to be moving through the site and a flock of 70 Goldfinch, that paused for a short time, may well have been late migrants. It was far from good mist-netting weather but the lie of the land and the denser patches of the now largely leafless bushes provided just enough shelter for the nets. I didn't expect to catch much given the conditions so I was more than happy with the 25 new birds that were caught by mid-morning, when it became too windy and I packed up. Ringing totals were: Redwing 11; Goldcrest 2; Lesser Redpoll 11; Chaffinch 1.

In stark contrast the calm and overcast conditions of this morning were perfect for ringing but the first couple of net rounds didn't produce a single bird. Things picked up a bit as the morning progressed but it was slow going to say the least. There were very few thrushes around and hardly any moving overhead with only 15 Redwings, 4 Fieldfare and 5 Blackbirds seen all morning. In fact there was very little of anything moving overhead, with only a Snipe being of note, and really did feel as if autumn was finally over. I kept the nets open until lunchtime because the weather remained calm and largely overcast but the final total of 20 new birds and 1 control was less than expected and hoped for. Ringing totals were: Blackbird 1; Goldcrest 6; Wren 1; Lesser Redpoll 11; Goldfinch 1; Blue Tit (1 control). The control Blue Tit was probably ringed at Kings Moss, a couple of km away, as the ring number is similar to others that have come from that site.

Adult male Lesser Redpoll. It was interesting that there were no retraps from previous visits which suggests they are still moving through in small numbers.

A few Goldcrest continue to pass through the site but all of today's birds appeared to be of UK origin. The UK birds being a bit darker than their continental counterparts.

When they're gone they're gone.

With the unsettled weather set to continue for the foreseeable it was a case of try and do some ringing in less than ideal conditions to find out if any birds were still on the move at Billinge. The wind can be a bit lighter than forecast at dawn and the trees are still holding just enough leaves to provide some shelter, although they won’t be there for long at the rate they are dropping, so I set up for a brief session on Tuesday (10th) and again yesterday (12th).

Tuesday’s wind restricted session produced just five new birds – 3 Goldcrest, a Chiffchaff and a Chaffinch but at least it showed a few crests and the odd warbler were still moving despite the conditions. The wind was a bit lighter and allowed for a slightly longer ringing session yesterday and resulted in 12 birds being ringed – 1 Fieldfare, 3 Redwing, 4 Lesser Redpoll, 1 Wren, 1 Robin, 1 Blue Tit and 1 Yellowhammer. The lighter wind prompted a bit more movement overhead with around 900 Woodpigeon, 30 each of Fieldfare and Redwing and a few finches and Meadow Pipits heading south. In addition a flock of around 150 Starling headed north-west and another flock of 25 went south as did a few Jackdaws.

However, the most notable aspect of yesterday’s session was that it was the first since sometime way back in August without a single Goldcrest being seen or heard. The ringing site doesn’t hold any wintering or breeding Goldcrests so they only occur when juveniles start to disperse from the few nearby breeding sites or during spring and autumn migration. Yesterday's no show probably marks the end of autumn migration for Goldcrests in this area but what a fantastic autumn it has been. The Goldcrest totals for the site for the second half of the year are impressive for an inland location with not far short of 700 birds being handled. I will post more information on this autumn’s numbers along with details of the controls and any further recoveries in the next week or two as it merits a much closer look.

With autumn migration coming to an end and the wet and windy weather making fieldwork of any description very unpleasant it is probably time for me to think about finding my fat pants. I will probably pile on the pounds now despite my best intentions to do otherwise so a change of wardrobe will probably be required. My only hope of keeping to my summer weight is if we get a good influx of Waxwings, some wintering flocks of Redpolls and some half decent weather to keep me active.

While autumn migration is coming to an end it could continue for a while for a few species with Redpolls falling into this category. What are often termed as irruptive species like Redpolls and Waxwings are largely driven to move by the availability of a variable food supply rather than the changing seasons per se.

Willow Warbler recovery

I recently received the recovery report for the control Willow Warbler that I caught on Billinge Hill on 7th August and it had been ringed at Leighton Moss 29 days earlier. Not a particularly long or fast movement but interesting nevertheless. Willow Warblers migrate through the Billinge site in good numbers and 157 have been ringed so far this autumn. There has been a fairly constant turnover of birds since mid-July and this recovery is the first to indicate the origin of some of those birds.



Willow Warbler migration across the country is peaking just about now and this first year bird may have already moved on and reached the south coast or be even be further south in France. Not bad for a bird that may only be about ten weeks old, yes little more than ten weeks old and on its way to sub-Saharan Africa.

While on the subject of Willow Warblers the following image shows the tail of a young bird that must have had a severe fault bar that caused the tip of the tail to break off. The two complete tail feathers are replacement feathers and show how much of the other feathers has snapped off. Fault bars are caused by periods of poor nutrition when the feathers are growing and are testament to the grotty summer we have had.

IY Willow Warbler tail. The juvenile tail feathers have sheared off along the line of a fault bar. The 2 complete feathers are newer replacements and are easily recognised by being darker and more glossy.

Adult Willow Warblers have or are just about to complete their moult now and can often be recognised by having whiter bellies than first year birds. It is not a totally infallible criteria, as a few intermediates do occur, but is true in most cases. The condition and shape of the tail feathers is usually the clincher where there is any doubt.

Willow Warblers: First year left and freshly moulted adult right.

Waxwing lyrical part 45 - Unexpected departure.

The Waxwing was not seen at all yesterday or so far today and it appears the bird has moved on. There is also the possibility that she has been predated or met some other fate but I prefer to think that it has started the long return migration to the breeding grounds in north eastern Fenno-Scandinavia or Siberia. This departure was a little sooner than I had expected but then her arrival was not expected at all so what do I know. There was a clear sky yesterday evening so the conditions were potentially suitable for a nocturnal departure if that is what Waxwings do.

This was one of the last photos taken on 01/03/15. Gone but never to be forgotten.

Despite extensive searching I have not been able to find any references to Waxwings being described as nocturnal migrants but I assume they are or perhaps I should say have that ability. The reality is probably quite complicated with Waxwings having the flexibility to migrate by day or by night but I suspect that long distance movements are mainly undertaken at night. If anyone can point me to any published information on nocturnal v diurnal movements of Waxwings in spring or autumn then please let me know.

It is back to normal birding in the garden but I will continue to put out a few apples for a while as I still have a wintering Blackcap and other species take advantage of them occasionally. The Grey Wagtail still visits the garden and looks particularly scruffy at the moment as it is undertaking its partial winter moult. Up to 20 Goldfinches continue to visit the feeders each day but Siskins are conspicuous by their absence. This appears to be due to a bumper crop of Sitka Spruce seeds which may mean an absence of Siskins from our gardens but should result in an early and bumper breeding season for them.

Despite the regular supply of apples this was the first time I recorded a Song Thrush feeding on them this winter. My garden Song Thrushes prefer to feed on the meal worm laced fat cakes.

This Grey Wagtail is undergoing an extensive partial moult. Some tertials were in the process of being replaced, some feathers are in pin on the head and new yellow feathers can be seen coming through on the breast. This photo also reminds me that I need to start cutting the lawn.

Just a few of the Goldfinches in the garden 01/03/15.

So Waxwing lyrical posts will go back on hold again, but just for how long this time is anybody's guess. We are probably due a Waxwing winter and autumn 2015 may well see the next big irruption.