Returning home and recent recoveries.

This week I returned home from my 7 Month long Scandinavian adventure! In short, it was awesome. Handling well over 10'000 birds of more than 100 species is pretty special!

The last week at Gedser was hit and miss, not so many birds ringed but we did get some quality ones. The highlight being another dose of Waxwings, a Black Redstart and on the last night 2 Long-eared Owls. We also caught an "Eastern type" Chiffchaff; in my book a pale Abietinus. Not brown enough for fulvescens/tristis.

"Eastern type" Chiffchaff - pale abietinus?

 

 

 

Black Redstart 1cy - Phoenicurus ochruros

Long-eared Owls (Male and Female) - Asio otus

 Returning home late Monday night it was a lot of seeing the family and catching up to be done. Tuesday however I was out with my bins and managed to locate an old friend, JHZ2. I also managed to grab and ring 2 juvenile Herring Gulls.

Herring Gull 1cy - Larus argentatus argenteus

JHZ2 was originally marked in Breiavatnat, Stavanger in Norway 25th March 2011, he stayed there until the end of March before disappearing. He was next seen on a local saline lake near to me; Fairhaven lake 12th November 2011 (792 Km from original ringing site) where he was seen on and off until 22nd Feb 2012. He returned to his original marking place by 28th March where he presumably stayed to breed nearby and was seen until Late June. I recorded him for the first time back at Fairhaven Lake 20th November 2012.

Black-headed Gull "JHZ2" - Chroicocephalus ridibundus

 The above photo was taken last February, just before he returned to Norway; hence the moulting into breeding plumage.

Map of Black-headed Gull JHZ2's Movements

I  also received a batch of Blue Tit recoveries from Gedser where I had controlled some Swedish ringed birds back in October. It turns out all 7 of them were from Falsterbo and had each travelled 106Km in times ranging between 12 and 24 days; mean being 17.14 days. All were 1st year birds and 6 of the 7 were sexed as females, (might sound obvious, but )the last was sexed as a male; sometimes birds are left unsexed. These birds were sexed based on plumage and measurements combined and if there was any uncertainty I would have left them unsexed.

Blue Tit movements between Falsterbo, Sweden and Gedser bird obs, Denmark.

All of these Blue Tit were recovered on October 19th or before and this correlates nicely with the peak passage of Blue Tits over Falsterbo October 2nd, if the birds were on average to take 17 days. Interestingly not all of these birds moved at the same speed as of the three birds ringed on 25th September at Falsterbo, two birds were the fastest recoveries; 12 and 13 days and the last was the slowest (24 days).

As you can see above, it's really easy to get out and read rings on some birds. If you do happen to notice any birds with rings on whilst out and about please report them to www.ring.ac and remember to always check any dead birds for rings. 


Chiffchaff picture - Troels Eske Ortvad

Standardised ends.

Having been at Gedser for a little over 6 weeks now, the autumn standardised ringing season has just finished! The autumn season ran from 20th until today and over 11,500 birds were ringed in this time. I was only here for the last 6 weeks however. We have managed to ring just under 5000 since October 1st. Some niceties have also been caught, Firecrests, Waxwings and a Woodcock. Long-eared and Tengmalm's Owls and many Sparrowhawks.

Tengmalm's Owl - Aegolius funereus 2cy

Long-eared Owl - Asio otus female

 

The finer points of a Woodcock 1cy, scolopax rusticola

Sparrowhawk - Accipiter nisus 1cy male (light rufous type)

The birding has been great at times with very heavy migration; over 50'000 birds moving on some days! This week the birding has been fairly quiet though. Long-tailed Ducks, Common and Velvet Scoters, increasing numbers of Red-throated Divers (Ca80 this week) and an occasional Black-Throated too.

Waxwings and Goldfinches seem to be the dominant passerine migrants at the minute with a few hundred of each moving this week, supported by a few dozen Yellowhammer and Reed Bunts! Another (late) Serin has been hanging around but returned again after a second migration attempt.  

I received news this week of a Sparrowhawk ringed back in October which had flown 270Km in 5 days before slamming into a window in Hannover, Germany. (See map below)

Sparrowhawk Movement, 270km in 5days; hit window.

We are trying to catch some more owls tonight, though the weather isn't on our side it seems. Check back soon to see how it's been.

Swift update.

We're still quite busy with all things survey at the moment as all the spring work comes into it's crucial final stages. Ortolan Buntings are feeding youngsters, which is great news, we ringed a brood of 4 chicks last week and they luckily fledged hours before the farmer cut his grass. I was horrified to wake up to see the farmer had mown in the night. See below the open-topped nest remains. 

 

Ortolan Bunting after mowing, a sorry scene.

The Marsh harriers we have monitored through spring have hatched and look amazingly cute. There is a runt, but I'm sure they'll find enough food to equal things out as the adults are hunting non-stop throughout the day.

Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus. Photo; Strahil Peev

Heather has arrived and now work begins to start preparing the nets and net rides ahead of the ringing season; yesterday whilst fixing nets this little gem landed next to me. I was very, very surprised because I've always been told you need to flick-net for Swifts, maybe this one was a stupid individual. Though it was a stunning stupid individual and a very welcome ringing tick. I now know why Seumus told me his fingers were like pin cushions after handling many of them.

Swift - Apus apus

We also finished off the first round of "normal" nest boxes with a brood of Pied flycatcher. Heather also got to grips with a bit of mist netting and caught this known age Tree Sparrow. Ringed here 1 year ago (almost to the day) as a chick. He can now be sexed on his cloacal protuberance.

Heather and Mr Tree Sparrow - Passer montanus

Pied Flycatcher chicks - Ficedula hypoleuca

A few days ago we heard Long-eared Owl chicks near the house and after a short search I found the nest and climbed to it. The result, 3 Long-eared Owlets ringed. 

Long-eared Owl chicks - Asio otus

One of the chicks 8 days on.

Long-eared Owlet in nest - Asio otus