Progress on my nest boxes

On a previous blog I showed you the boxes I was going to erect in my garden and in the woodland of my neighbours garden. At that stage I had 40 boxes but since then I have made extra. So altogether including the dipper box, I put up 48 with the help of a friend. See

http://birdringers.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/national-nest-box-week-nnbw.html

Out of the 48 boxes 18 were made specifically for Marsh Tit, 10 had a 25mm hole and the other 8 had a 23mm hole. In the UK there are only 2 x RAS's at the moment for Marsh Tit. Because of the numbers of Marsh Tit coming to my garden I thought it may be a good idea to start a RAS myself. After talking it over with the BTO I was told I really needed to establish the number of birds that were residing in my area first. I therefore thought that nest boxes suitable for Marsh Tits may give me this important information. Ken Hindmarsh who does a Marsh Tit RAS and comes from Cumbria advised me that a preferred hole size for Marsh Tits was 23mm, the reason being they stop Blue Tits from using the boxes. He was right three boxes with a 25mm hole were occupied by Blue Tits but unfortunately I have not got one Marsh Tit in the remainder.
This is a disappointment and noticeable the Marsh Tits seemed to disappear altogether for about 5 weeks. Why, I do not know, however this last week they are coming again to my feeders, so where have they been? If anyone has got thoughts about this I would love to hear from you.

I have been checking the boxes once a week since 17th April and recording all the information from these checks. The first box to have Pulli old enough to be ringed were the Dippers. No-one was more surprised than me to have Dippers in a box that was only erected on the 14th February.

In the box were 4 Pulli which were ringed at Feather Small on 29th April. The last bird fledged on the 9th May.

One of the hazards of nest box work is the occupation of the Common Wasp (vespula vulgaris) that builds its whitish paper like nest in the roof of nest boxes. It is made from chewed wood fibres mixed with saliva. It often uses abandoned mammal holes, hollows in trees, wall cavities or rock crevices for its nest sites as well.

Many Blue Tits and Great Tits have occupied my boxes. Other than differences in size of the eggs which is minimal they are still difficult to tell apart. The clue obviously is when the adult is on the nest.

These Pulli are Blue Tits which will be ready for ringing in about a week to 10 days

The Great Tit Pulli above were Feather Medium verging on Long so I was able to ring these.
The three pictures above were all taken on the same day and shows the different stages they can be at at any one time.

Blue Tit on the nest and the Pulli are just visible on the left hand side.

Nuthatch often seal the top of the lid to the nest box base with mud. A little care when opening the lid will prevent damage to the mud and should reseal again ok.

Not the same box that the Pulli were ringed from. It shows the type of nesting material used, leaves and bits of bark.

This box of Nuthatch Pulli were Feather Small and there were 6 in the box

A scary hair do on this young Nuthatch!


A summary of my boxes.

48 boxes
19 reached the egg stage,
29 were not occupied.

2 boxes failed
1 Blue Tit and 1 Great Tit.

17 boxes were successful
1 Dipper
7 Great Tit
8 Blue Tit
1 Nuthatch

I obviously need to do some work on the Marsh Tit project ready for next year. Out of the 29 boxes that were unoccupied 16 of these were boxes specifically for Marsh Tits and the other 2 were occupied by Blue Tits

Ffynnon Gro ringing

During my ringing session this week I caught and ringed numerous young birds of different species.
There is some sort of satisfaction in the knowledge that many species like the Siskin in particular are breeding in my area.

The first juvenile, this robin was still in its full juvenile plumage and no feathers could be found in Pin. There is unfortunately a high mortality rate for youngsters in the first year . However those that survive can live quite a long time and the oldest recorded lifespan of a Robin is 8yrs 4 months and 30 days.

This juvenile siskin has the orange coloured Greater Coverts which are one of the indicators of its age. It is good to know that the long term trend of the Siskin is on the increase, probably due to the maturing of new conifer plantations and the increase trends in the use of garden feeders has helped.

Juvenile Blackbird, probably a male because of its black Retrices which unfortunately are cropped from this picture.

This my first Bullfinch to be caught and ringed in my garden. In fact it is only the second Bullfinch I have seen here in the last two years, the other being a female. This male was a bird from last year with two retained Outer Greater Coverts and had a CP, so another species hopefully breeding locally.

This female is the third Blackcap I have caught in the last two years the others being ringed last year. She had a BP3 and hopefully had/has a successful brood to fledging.
From the BTO Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) scheme in Wales it indicates that from 1994 to 2012 the trend is on the increase especially since about 2009 and its conservation status is green and is therefore of least conservation concern.

Around February this year I erected a lot of bird boxes and have had a reasonable success rate from Tits and Nuthatch. I was really hoping for some Pied Flycatchers which I have seen around, but none occupied any of my boxes. It would be fair to say though the Great Tit above out numbered the Blue Tits on box occupation. This one of course I caught in the net.

Ringing in my garden at Ffynnon Gro

It has been a fantastic year so far ringing in my garden. The total for the year at the moment is 355 birds and the breakdown by species being:-

Dunnock - 1, Robin - 1, Blackbird - 2, Songthrush - 1, Chiffchaff -2 ,
Marsh Tit - 2, Coal Tit - 1, Blue Tit - 61, Great Tit - 11, Nuthatch - 2,
House Sparrow - 8, Chaffinch - 16, Goldfinch - 77, Siskin - 156,
Lesser Redpoll - 9.

Yesterday I had another  session ringing without one Blue or Great Tit. I have feeders in various places in the garden which contain nijer seed, sunflower hearts and peanuts and attract most species in my area. When I have a ringing session planned I only have the nijer seed feeders hanging which will attract Siskin, Goldfinch and Lesser Redpoll. I completely remove the sunflower hearts and put them in the shed, I take down all the peanuts and put them in another part of the garden. The tits very quickly find the peanuts and carry on feeding which keep them away from where my nets and nijer seed feeders are.
It is more than a coincidence having tried this method for several weeks and every time the number of tits in the nets is minimal.

In the quieter parts of the morning I got my camera out and took some pictures of other birds around the area.

Male Siskin, plenty of these around the garden. New birds arrive every day without rings. From what I can gather flocks of siskin are very good this year for most ringers.

This Jackdaw has a nest in the chimney pot of my neighbours house across the road. I think the eggs must have hatched because they were bringing food in on a fairly regular basis.

Same Jackdaw just leaving the pot, returning about 20 minutes later.

The Goldfinch is very similar to the siskin in as much there are plenty around the garden. Again like Siskins they are very vocal when around the feeders.

I am lucky to see Red Kites nearly every day flying around the house. This Red Kite is being attacked by a Raven. This is not uncommon and if it is not Ravens then the Crows have a go. I also have Jays where I live but I have never seen any Rooks.

The sun was very bright and much of the underwing of this Red Kite was in partial shadow. Nevertheless the feather detail can be seen.

There seems to be some movement of Chaffinch at the moment since numbers have started to increase. The males in particular looking splendid unlike the female below.

Female Chaffinch

This is my second Chiffchaff since migration started, there is however still plenty calling in my area so I hope to catch a few more soon.

Lesser Redpoll number 9, a male. The numbers are not great but last year I did not have any at all. My ringing friends from the Teifi Marshes are having quite a lot. the Teifi Marshes is about 30 miles from me and I suspect that the Marsh is possibly more favourable to them than my garden.

As far as bird nests are concerned I have only found one Blackbird nest and a House Sparrow occupying an empty House Martin nest from last year. I am sure there must be more around but I am not trained on how to find them. I hope to have some training very soon which I will be looking forward to. As far as nest boxes are concerned I erected 47 (I think) about 6 weeks ago. From next week I will be monitoring these on a weekly basis. I do know that some of the boxes actually in my garden have gained interest from Tits. I am hoping to get some Pied Flycatchers in the boxes with 32mm holes and the boxes with 23mm holes are there hopefully to attract Marsh Tits. I await and see.

Oxwich Marsh

It was an early start yesterday morning. The sun was up just gone 6.00am as the nets were being erected. So  a bright cloudless day was on the cards which is not always favourable because the nets are more  visible to the birds in the bright sunlight. With the dry weather we have had recently it was really nice not having to walk around on swampy footpaths.
There were a few migrants about and Grasshopper warblers could be heard over the marsh but not seen. It sounded if there were plenty of finches about as well. The air was alive with bird song.

On the very first round this Kingfisher fell to the net. It was a female because of the red lower mandible and its bright red feet makes it an adult bird. Also the primaries and secondaries were that of an adult in a nice unworn condition.

The weirdest thing I find about Kingfishers is when held in the hand they will often turn their head in an almost 360degree circle and then back again. The first time this happened to me was as a trainee, I really thought I had in some way injured the bird.

Greenfinch showed well today, mostly males, both adult and juvenile birds. They had been feeding on the black sunflower seed.

It is believed that a lot of British Greenfinches tend to spend their whole lives near to their birthplace. There is some movement however and it is believed that some Greenfinches do arrive in the UK from the Scandinavian counties.

The first passage of the migrants probably from South West Europe or North Africa was this male Blackcap aged 5. Breeding populations of Blackcaps seem to be more abundant in the south of England and Wales, however they are still widespread throughout the UK..

It is interesting to note that more and more Blackcaps seem to be overwintering in the UK.

This female Blackcap was caught in the same net as the male Blackcap on the next net round.

         

My first Sedge Warbler this year was a nice surprise. The second migrant species arriving from its winter quarters, probably from North Africa and areas to the west of the Sahara. The reed beds of Oxwich Marsh being a perfect breeding ground.

Male Reed Bunting are looking very good as they finally get into their breeding plumage. Ageing is not easy. Many first year birds moult all their Greater Coverts making moult limit difficult to see. The tail feather shape can be a help to establish the birds age, however, some first year birds do moult all their tail feathers which makes it even more difficult. If in doubt 4 it.

Skokholm, Dream Island week 2

Happy birthday today to Giselle one of the wardens on Skokholm.

The start of the second week was again wet and cold, but, I suppose it is early April and it is to be expected. Much of the work had to be done indoors until the weather improved a few days later with warm sunshine being very welcome. Even though the weather was mixed there was a trickle of migrants arriving every day. Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Wheatear, the first two Swallows and Blackcap.

Richard and Giselle the Skokholm wardens have a bird-log every night without fail. They were able to identify the Meadow Pipit from the few numbers you can see on the ring as D295030, a bird originally ringed in April 2013, which would make it an adult.

I always learn something of interest when I go to the Island. In this case it is the "Pollen Horn" often seen on some of the Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers. Richard informed me that the horn was created by pollen sticking to the feathers when the bird is probing for insects in flower heads. This would suggest that these migrants came from possibly a warmer climate like the Mediteranean (where many flowers will be in bloom) before arriving at Skokholm.

Yes, the birds are far away, the noise they made was very loud which turned my attention to them. They were Peregrine which were tumbling together in the sky. Not sure if this is a territorial thing or maybe some sort of bonding between a male and a female. If anyone knows I would like to hear from you.

Certainly my first Redwing of the year but not the first this year for Skokholm. I had one last year as well which had no tail. I was informed it was caught a few times and eventually left the island once its tail feathers grew back.

First Ringed Plover of the year which hung around North Pond for a few days. It's always nice to see some of the small waders drop in.

For the two weeks I was there migration had been slow, the weather was not good for most of the time but someone soon is going to get lucky as the birds start to arrive in bigger numbers. I was really hoping a Ring Ouzel would turn up, not having seen one for a couple of years. Looking around the country there are a few about, so fingers crossed they get lucky soon.

Thanks to the wardens for everything they do to promote the Island and with their past experiences and knowledge Skokholm will be on list of "must go to places". Personally thanks for all the ringing help and advice.

Skokholm, Dream Island week 1

It's that time of year again when I spend a couple of weeks as a Volunteer for the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales on Skokholm Island.

The island came up for sale and was purchased by the Trust between 2007-2009. Once purchased the Island had to be closed as a result of a report carried out by surveyors which concluded there were health and safety risks due to wet and dry rot in all buildings. Repairs were estimated to be in the region of £1m, but, in times when money was tight this huge amount was not available. The Wildlife Trust had meetings with the Friends of Skokholm and Skomer and an ambitious plan was launched to carry out the work using the skill and will of volunteers with a budget of £100,000. In the last 4 years there has been an immense amount of renovation work carried out to get the island buildings suitable for habitation again. The first visitors were in 2011 and each year since there has been further improvements like electricity and running hot and cold water

In 1933 the time of Ronald Lockley the Island was accredited Bird Observatory Status. This Status was lost in 1976 when the Island owners at that time stopped all bird ringing and trapping of birds. As part of all the ongoing work in the last 4 years we have been paving the way to apply for Observatory Status again. Three new Heligolands were built and last year we had two new very experienced wardens. Their primary purpose was to conduct long term monitoring of bird populations and migration and encourage volunteers, particularly ringers, to aid in this study.

The 44th Bird Observatory Council Annual General Meeting took place on the weekend of 11th January this year at Portland Bird Observatory where accreditation was awarded again. Really good news.

The two weeks of my visit this year along with other volunteers was to prepare the Island to celebrate for the launch of the Bird Observatory Status, plenty of painting and general maintenance and also get it ready for the first paying guests of the year. In between all this some bird watching and ringing. I look forward to the 27th.

I digress a little but thought it may be of interest.

My boat trip to get me to Skokholm was delayed by 4 days due to high winds and a large swell and I eventually got there on the 26th March.

The migration was slow because of the wet and cold weather but the odd Chiffchaffs were turning up in the Heligolands. Sorry about the paint stained hands!

There had been a couple of Reed Buntings about the farm and this male was caught in the well Heligoland and processed as a re-trap having being caught a few days before.

This early morning I sat in the Well Hide and 5 Linnets turned up and in total for the day 12 birds were seen.

Oystercatcher and a Meadow Pipit. If gives you an idea how big Oystercatchers are.

The first Puffins arrived this week, but only stayed at sea. They are always a favourite of the many visitors that come to the islands. Every day now a Puffing count is done as part of the sea bird monitoring process.

Finally for week one, which was the highlight of the week for me, was this Chiffchaff. It had been ringed before, the ring looked new as if it had only been ringed in the last few days and when checked I was pleased to discover it was a Control bird. The ring number was Z43481 ringed and belonging to the Aranzadi, San Sebastian scheme which is part of the Basque area of Spain. The warden looked the area up on the Internet and emailed them with the details of the bird. However, no reply was received by the time I left the Island a week later. This was my first non UK Control.

Week 2 to follow.