Recent recoveries

We recently received a batch of recoveries from the BTO. Highlight for me was a Greenfinch from Dumfries & Galloway that was controlled at Longshaw. It would be interesting to know if this bird made a sea crossing, possibly via the Isle of Man, or took the longer route around the coast. It is a while since we had such a long distance movement from a Greenfinch.

Other recoveries mapped are a Brambling from north east England, a Swallow to Spain and a Reed Warbler to Kent. The movement of a Coot has been included because of the birds age rather than the distance travelled. This Coot was ringed as an adult at Pennington Flash on 13/10/03 and found in poor condition at Chester Zoo on 24/11/12 making this bird at least 10 years old given its age at the time of ringing.


View Autumn 2013 finch movements in a larger map



View X924508 Swallow in a larger map



View X927797 Reed Warbler in a larger map



View GH49661 Coot in a larger map

Quick update

I was back in work on Tuesday so don't have much to report but family members have been keeping an eye on things in the garden. The Waxwings are still visiting or at least 3 were all day yesterday and up to 5 today. A female Blackcap was seen this afternoon which is the first for a good while and probably the 5th Blackcap in the garden so far this winter.

I found a berry laden cotoneaster on my way home tonight so I stopped to prune off some branches to add to the apples I have been providing. Earlier this evening I spent half an hour or so up a ladder in the dark tying the berries to the tree and impaling apples on small branches in the front garden. I got some very strange looks from passersby while making this Waxwing fruit cocktail.

Over 20 Siskins were in the garden before I went to work this morning and I noticed one was ringed on the left leg so will have been ringed elsewhere as I always ring birds on the right leg. I hope it hangs around until weekend so I get a chance to try and catch it and find out where it was ringed.

I noticed the first few sprays of Blackthorn flowers today, presumably stimulated by the glorious sunny weather yesterday. Yesterday's sunshine also produced a stunning sunset over Pennington Flash which I just managed to catch the tail end of.

Pennington Flash 19th February 2013.

Waxwing lyrical part 6

I have just received news of the ringing location of the colour ringed Waxwing that featured in yesterday's post. The bird returned again today and I also managed to read the BTO metal ring number. There were 15 birds in the flock and they fed on the apples for an hour from midday. The colour ringed bird had been ringed in Bridge of Don near Aberdeen on 01/12/12, a movement of 403km.


View Waxwing NW65022 in a larger map

Show off. A cracking bird and a good movement.

 



If  you see a colour-ringed Waxwing contact Grampian Ringing Group.

Waxwing lyrical part 5

OK the titles of recent posts may be getting a little boring and repetitive but the prospect of Waxwings in the garden certainly isn't. The forecast was for a lovely sunny day today which isn't good for ringing in the garden as there is very little shade. Sunshine makes nets stand out and birds can easily see them in these conditions. However, I decided to put a net up for an hour or so from first light to try and catch a few more Siskins before the sunshine became a problem.

Sunshine makes mist nets really stand out.

I was entering a few records on Bird Track while keeping an eye on the net when I suddenly noticed Waxwings dropping into the apple filled tree in front of the window. The laptop was thrown to one side and I grabbed my binoculars. A quick count revealed there were 16 and they included a colour ringed bird and another with just a metal ring. All the birds were actively feeding and it seemed that the best apple was the one another bird was eating as the birds constantly swapped places. This made getting the colour ring combination quite difficult as the birds frequently moved or obscured each other.

I eventually noted the combination and then set about trying to get a few photographs. I didn't dare open a window as the birds were so close. Another problem was the window faces east so all the birds were back lit by the rising sun and there was some glare on the double glazing to contend with. I managed to get a few record shots including the colour ringed bird but I didn't manage to get any photos of the bird with just a metal ring.

Colour-ringed Waxwing metal/red right, red/red /lime green left in the garden today.
It will be interesting to see where this bird had been ringed and if there have been
 any previous sightings since then. Details will be given in a future post.

The birds fed for half an hour before departing; presumably flushed by some activity on the street or in a neighbours garden. I thought they would come back as there were plenty of apples but unfortunately they didn't. At least 16 birds know there is food in the garden now so hopefully they will return on a more regular basis as other food sources are depleted. The supply of apples isn't going to run out in my garden while there are Waxwings around and apples in the shops.

I have emailed Grampian Ringing Group with details of the colour ringed bird as it could be one they have ringed in the Aberdeen area.
 
As for today's ringing the totals were:
Siskin 4
Blackbird 2 (2)
Robin 1
Blue Tit 2
Long-tailed Tit 2 (1)
Totals 11 (3)
(retraps in brackets)

Waxwing lyrical part 4

The much anticipated and hoped for Waxwing flock did not materialise yesterday. Three did not become nine or any other number as none visited the garden and it was well watched all day. To add to my disappointment the auto focus and image stabilisation had packed in on my zoom lens too.

This morning the wind was very light so I decided to put up an 18ft net in the garden to try and catch some of the many Siskins that have been visiting the feeders. There have been around 20 to 30 Siskins coming to the garden for the past couple of weeks which is exceptional compared with recent winters. Some of the Siskins are particularly fond of the fat cakes that I make from a mixture of finely chopped peanuts and dripping.

Siskins (Carduelis spinus)

As I was putting the net up I heard the distinctive call of a Waxwing and a single bird landed in a tree above me. The bird watched me as I finished off putting up the net and then it started to feed on the apples as soon as I went back in the house. It was the same adult female that first visited the garden on Wednesday 13th Feb and is identifiable by some missing feathers on the right side of the neck.



Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)

Waxwings are a gregarious species in winter so it is interesting that this bird returned alone after a day's absence. It obviously found an alternative food supply yesterday along with the two birds that accompanied it on Thursday so why did it come back alone today? Anyway I am glad that it did and it will be interesting to see what happens in the coming days.

Back to the ringing and a good number of Siskins were caught with 12 new birds and 2 retraps. This brings the total ringed to 28 in just over a week.

Siskin (Carduelis spinus)

Garden ringing totals 16/02/13 with retraps in brackets.
Siskin 12 (2)
Goldfinch 3
Long-tailed Tit 3 (1)
Robin 1
Wren 1
Totals 20 (3)

Waxwing lyrical part 3

I got up at around 07:30 to an almost bird free garden. All the snow had been cleared by overnight rain and it wasn't particularly cold. After about half an hour I had almost given up hope of the Waxwing returning, alone or with any mates. Siskins and Goldfinches started to arrive along with the Fieldfare and a few other bits and bobs. Then to my delight a Waxwing appeared and started feeding on one of the many apples. It was the same bird as yesterday having a few feathers missing from the right side of its neck. That was pleasing enough but she had brought some more of her kind and another two were sat higher up in the same tree. Presumably there is a communal roost somewhere and the two new birds followed her to the garden.

 

The two new birds didn't seem as keen on apples at first but they soon got the hang of twisting off pieces and settled down to feed. One of the new birds was an adult and the other a first winter bird. They were flushed by a neighbours cat after half an hour or so, much to my annoyance. That particular cooking fat is a real nuisance in the garden at times.





Spot the Waxwing, yes there is one. This is the scene of all the action. A relatively small front garden by a fairly busy road. The pale patches on the lawn are all the sunflower hearts the Siskins and Goldfinches discard. They are real messy feeders.

The original bird came back on its own after a while so I thought the other two hadn't really taken to apples after all. I needn't have worried though and all 3 birds returned to feed twice during the afternoon. It will be interesting to see how many Waxwings, if any, return in the morning. The wind is forecast to be quite light so I may put a net up if it is still enough. The garden was buzzing with Siskins and Goldfinches again so I could be spoilt for choice.

Waxwing lyrical part 2

The much hoped for Waxwings did not return to the garden on Monday or Tuesday but the garden still held plenty of birds. A mixed flock of at least 50 Siskins and Goldfinches were getting through much of the contents of 5 feeders each day. The Fieldfare continued to hog the apples and keep the Blackbird at bay although it would tolerate them to a degree if they fed on the ground.

I am off work for a few days now but started the morning in a bit of a panic because I thought I had lost my phone when out at a meeting last night. After ringing round and searching high and low I phoned the phone company to get it blocked but shortly after, to my relief and embarrassment, it was found under the couch. Panic over I settled down with a coffee to watch the birds in the garden. It had been snowing for a couple of hours and the garden was alive with birds. The Goldfinches and Siskins were joined by a Brambling, a very rare visitor to the garden. House Sparrows, Chaffinches, Starlings, four species of tit, Robins and Dunnocks etc. Generally what you would call buzzing.

Just a few of the Siskins and a Goldfinch at two of the feeders.

After another coffee I noticed the Fieldfare feeding on apple halves in the tree a few feet from the window. I then glanced up and realised there was Waxwing feeding on an apple just above it. I grabbed the camera and took some record shots through the window. It was quite dull as it was still snowing so the shutter speeds were quite low but one or two of the results weren't too bad.

Record shot of the Fieldfare and Waxwing taken through the double glazing.

Another photo taken through the double glazing. The bird was aged and sexed as an adult female based on the number of red waxy tips and the white edges to all the inner webs of the primary tips

I watched it feeding for a while. The Fieldfare made a brief challenge but the Waxwing held its ground. The two birds then seemed to have the measure of each other and happily fed in fairly close proximity at times. After a while I went upstairs and half lowered the blinds, I then opened the window, slowly and carefully. The Waxwing wasn't bothered by this and continued to feed about 20ft from the open window and my camera. The light remained fairly poor and the snow turned to fine hail, then sleet then rain. I got a bit shutter happy anyway and fired off loads of shots, a few of which are presented below.

adult female Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)

adult female Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)

adult female Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)

adult female Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)

adult female Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus)

adult female Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus). The diffuse edge to the bib is another character of females.

The bird stayed feeding in the garden until dusk. Hopefully she will be back tomorrow and will bring a few friends. There are a lot more apples waiting for them if she does.