Duck rescue...

Ian and Mike recently had fun rounding up a brood of Mallards. The adult female had decided to nest in the completely surrounded and safe courtyard at a school in Wimborne. The well developed ducklings were soon caught, ringed and released. Hopefully, they might end up somewhere interesting!

 

 

The Whitethroat trials

With a good number of territories of Whitethroats held across Durlston NNR we have decided to undergo trial ringing sessions to see if a Ringing Adults for Survival (RAS) project is feasible. 
This study looks at the longevity of targeted breeding birds and tells us whether numbers are stable, decreasing or increasing. If there is a change in numbers, particularly a decrease, then conservation action can then be targeted appropriately.

With 50 birds (new birds and retraps) needed to satisfy the BTO's scheme requirements, this morning we added to the years totals making it 5 new and 2 retrapped bird so. A bit further to go, but plenty more territories to work through...

Working away from our normal sites we ringed ringed 3 Whitethroats, 2 Blue Tit, 2 Song Thrush and re-trapped a Blue Tit.

Common Whitethroat 

Second Calender Year Song thrush showing nice backward pointing thorns on its greater coverts

Not birds but fantastic to discover this Eyed Hawkmoth back in the centres moth trap.

   Posted by: Simon Breeze

Fleets Corner - spring migration corridor

More ringing at Fleets Corner (AKA PC World Drain) has shown it to be an interesting spring migration route for passerines such as Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Garden ,Willow and Sedge Warblers and Chiff Chaffs among others.

Here are a few pictures of recently ringed birds from the past few weeks. Thank you to Paul M for these.

Lesser Whitethroats 

 

Garden Warbler

And the age of this bird is....?

Ringing Demonstration at Durlston NNR

This morning saw a good turnout of both ringers and  members of the public to our spring ringing demo. Unfortunately the birds didn't appear in anything like the same numbers.

A very slow morning with just small or single numbers of Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, Goldfinch, Great Tit, Blue Tit,Dunnock and just as we were going to pack up a Marsh Tit decided to land in the net.

Although not a great deal to show the public it was a pleasant and sunny morning and the visitors seemed very happy with what they got to see and hear -especially when the Marsh Tit turned up!

Through the course of the morning it was great to pick up 2 Lesser Whitethroats, the first recorded for the year at Durlston, plus a Red Kite that pleased the crowds as it passed by.

   Marsh Tit by Simon Breeze

                

Gryllos blog from a great day on the drain

19th April 2013


Blog extract courtesy of  Ian Lewis http://gryllosblog.wordpress.com/

By far the most exciting birding of the week occurred on the 19th. Shaun and I were planning to ring at Durlston, thinking it was going to be too windy we changed our mind. Mick Cook who lives near Durlston had a go, but ringed just a single Blackcap in three hours! Shaun and I, now joined by Paul Morton set up at PC World drain, our inter Chiffchaff site. This site is well named, it is the unpleasant, somewhat odorous outflow from Poole sewage works that runs from the Broadstone relief road to Holes Bay behind PC World store.

This site is bordered by a strip of scrub sandwiched in-between the Upton by-pass and the Fleets Corner retail park, has earned a reputation as a good place to see Chiffchaffs in winter. Recently the occurrence of one or more ‘Siberian’ Chiffchaffs in winter has brought the place to wider recognition. In 2009 we obtained permission to ring there. Our idea was to examine the extent and site fidelity of wintering Chiffchaffs and we have succeeded in proving the latter twice. we continued the wintering Chiff study into late March this year when we caught a stunning 68 Chiffs. It was now clear that Chiffs used this strip of green as migration corridor as well as a wintering site. Further observations in April showed that Willow Warblers were also using the site but nothing could prepare us for the numbers seen on the 19th.

Common Whitethroat

Garden Warbler by Ian Lewis

Grasshopper Warbler by Ian Lewis

We ringed a total of 37 Willows, 7 Chiffs, 19 Blackcaps, 8 Common Whitethroats with single Goldcrest, Garden, Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers plus a small number of resident species, 81 birds altogether.

But the real surprise occurred about 1030. Shaun had now left for work, Paul and I were discussing what birds we could encounter there in the future. I was trying to curb his enthusiasm in expecting Nightingale or other scarce migrants when he said Subalpine Warbler. From the tone of his voice I could tell it wasn’t a prediction but a reality. I got onto the bird as it flew right and though I’d lost it but it came back and perched up for a couple of seconds. Fantastic! This is the first record of this sub-rarity for the Poole Harbour area although I have seen three previously in Dorset. A small crowd soon gathered, some having rushed from work (indeed one couple left some 40 business associates to have a ‘coffee break’ whilst they twitched it), we remained until about 1500 and some stayed even longer but unfortunately it was never seen again

Why this small area should be so full of migrants when Portland, Durston and other migrant hotspots had next to nothing is a mystery. In spite of all the theories, the sheer unpredictability of birding is what makes it such a fascination hobby. Shaun, Kevin and I had another go at ‘the drain’ on the 20th but all the birds had moved on and we only ringed four Blackcaps and a Whitethroat.

Ringing Trip to Israel, April 2013

Five members of the group have recently returned from a fantastic ringing and birding trip to Southern Israel. We stayed at Lotan Kibbutz, about 60 km North of Eilat.www.kibbutzlotan.com

The Kibbutz provided brilliant accommodation, food and the main ringing base.
After the initial travel and security checks by El Al, which for some reason Mike and Terry were continually targetted, the ringing team of 12 quickly got about setting the nets in the organic garden and the pool area lawns of the Kibbutz.
Each morning was spent ringing on-site at Lotan with some of us focussing on the organic garden while others a few hundred metres away at the swimming pool site. After a few hours we took turns having a delicious and well deserved breakfast. Apparently the spring migration has been slower than previous years, perhaps due to high rainfall in Sudan and birds not requiring a refueling stop in Southern Israel or maybe it's the illegal hunting issues in Egypt beginning to take it's toll. Either way, for those of us with limited Middle East birding experience, it was still a brilliant mix of birds seen in the hand across the week.
By 10a.m each morning, one eye was kept on the sky as the raptor and stork migration continued. Hundreds of Steppe Buzzards, various eagle species and Egyptian Vultures began to kettle above our heads and make their way North. An amazing site.
Each afternoon was spent birding at the numerous local sites. One of the most stunning sites was little known Neot Samadar with it's huge artificial lake. Here we found Little and Bailon's Crake, Night Herons and Little Bitterns, Blue-checked Bee Eater and many more species. Whilst posing for the group photo we realised we had almost stepped on a Spur winged Plover nest!
Overall, the SRG members came to the conclusion that the 'best bird seen' was a Collard Flycatcher. However, on the one afternoon that Terry, Mike and Bob decided to stay at Lotan and bird the local area they managed to stumble across the bizzare sight of a Corncrake running across the desert! With a bit of ingenuity, the Corncrake was soon caught. It wasn't in the best of health so it wasn't ringed but the photos and the memory are good enough!!


Here are some of the ringing highlights!

Kibbutz Lotan

Little Green Bee Eater

 

 



Wryneck



Ortolan Bunting         

 

 

 



The Team at Neot Samadar

Red Throated Pipit



Common Nightingale

Hoopoe

Masked Shrike, Female

Thrush Nightingale

White Throated Robin  eilatbirding.blogspot.com

Wood Warbler 



 

Whilst relaxing on the 'football pitch', Terry spotted a Corncrake running across the desert. We soon had it caught but we decided it wasn't in the best of health to ring.

 

PC World attracts the crowds

Saturday 23rd April

An excellent morning at PC World, Poole this morning for Shaun, Terry, John, Marcus and Gryllo.

A man made water channel behind the store sees treated water flow out towards the bay and has become a magnet for over wintering Chiffchaffs attracted to the warmer urban conditions. 

These overwintering birds have now been joined by early migrants also seeking refuge amongst the bitterly cold March weather.

After a late start at 08:00 the first round was quiet. However lots of Chiffs were seen feeding by the waterline. Next round was really busy and the rest of the morning continued in same vain. We were still catching when we took down at 1pm.

In the end we caught 73 Chiffs of which 68 were new (1 tristis), 4 were re-trapped from previous visits and 1 was a control.

2 Siskins and other odds and end  made up 75 new birds!

    An undoubted tristis (unless the DNA says otherwise!). Pure grey and white except for some green 

    fringing to the outer webs of the primaries - Photo by Ian Lewis http://gryllosblog.wordpress.com/

Sunday 24th April

After yesterdays success Shaun, Gryllo, Sean and Simon returned to see lots of Chiffchaffs still around, including many of yesterday’s birds still present and feeding right down at the water’s edge.

Today we caught 13 new ones and 12 from yesterday or earlier dates.

Other birds ringed included Goldcrest, Wren and Dunnock plus 10+ Sand Martin seen flying around the water.

Another 'possibly' tristis bird was caught, so a feather sample of both this bird and yesterdays will be sent off for genetic analysis to ascertain identification as part of an agreed BTO project.

So after cold toes and locking my keys in the car, definitely a successful weekend

Posted by: Simon Breeze