More Owls

I have been waiting for at least two weeks to go back to Rising Sun CP to try and trap the remaining 2 short-eared owls after all the snow had gone.  I turned up on the site and it was a little breezy and sunny which was not ideal but I was really going for the long-eared owls.  I set the first line of 3 nets and went to the other side of the field to set the next line of nets.  A short-eared was already hunting near the net and was observed flying over the top but soon went into the net, however as I run across the field and when I was at the net the bird managed to escape.  Very frustrating.  I watched for the next two and half hours as 3 short-eareds hunting around and over the nets.  As dusk came though I was in high hopes for a long-eared.  They appeared from the roost earlier than expected and caught me off guard.  It was not long before I trapped 2 in a net together.  As with the last 3, these were both females, one adult and one immature.  Two walkers out for a late evening stroll managed to get great views in the hand and left happy.  Later I had a third long-eared escaped from the net.  I also left that evening feeling like I had been successful but also frustrated that the short-eared managed to escape.  I will just have to keep trying.

Fantastic Four

I had heard of 3 short-eared owls at a local country park.  I gained permission to ring on the land and yesterday I set out to try and trap some of them.  I knew the birds hunted in the late afternoon so I arrived on site at 1330 and started to set up nets in a rough grass field where I had been told they prefer to hunt. As I set up the first line of nets the short-eared owls were already hunting.  I moved to the other side of the field to set the second line of nets and watched one owl fly over the net at least half a dozen times.  Eventually one did make it into the net.  It went quiet from 1530 and as dusk fell I was hoping they would continue hunting or other owls such as long-eared, tawny or barn owl may hunt the same field.  I didn't have to wait long.  The first net check after dark produced a long-eared owl and then a second long-eared in the second line of nets. Bingo! I went to take down the nets only to find another long-eared.  All the long eared owls were adult females so presumably there is a single sex communal roost in the local mixed plantation.

 Short-eared owl © Adrian George

 Long-eared owl © Adrian George

BBC The One Show - Stormie ringing

John was joined by one of the BBC's film crews to record storm petrel ringing on the Isle of Scillies last summer.  Below is the link to a youtube page of the short film.  Very good watch indeed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cKi0Y_F1fno

New feeding station

On Saturday members of the Whitburn Ringing Group and the Coastal Conservation Group joined forces to undertake some habitat management on the Big Mound and to erect a new feeding station in the Nature Reserve.  The feeding station was located near to the stone wall hide and compliments the two new pools which were dug in 2012. Below are some photos of the team and their efforts.

Pictures from the past few days

 pallas's warbler © Andrew Walker 

 dusky warbler © Andrew Walker

Red-breasted flycatcher © Andrew Walker

 ring ouzel © Andrew Walker

fieldfare © Andrew Walker

More photos are available on Andrews website.

23rd October

Over night the wind was NE and after yesterday I had high hopes.  Arriving on site it was misty but unlike yesterday there was hardly a bird to be seen or heard.  A woodcock was trapped on the first net round which was nice after missing two yesterday.  Andrew Walker joined me again today which was a massive help.  After saying that we couldnt beat yesterdays pallas's warbler and red-breasted flycatcher we checked Walters net (The 40' net that has trapped the PG Tips and 2 barred warblers).  The first bird I came across looked like a chiffchaff but was darker and had a distinct supercilium with pale legs.  I noticed the slender bill and realised it was a dusky warbler.  I had to get Andy to take several paces back and look at the bird through his bins as birds in the hand can be very confusing close up.  A few of the local birders were in the vacinity and were lucky enough to see it in the hand.  The bird was relocated in the afternoon by Keith so at least John got to see it as he was working in the morning.  Over the morning it was clear that blackbirds have been replaced by redwings. Robins were also more numerous than yesterday.  The afternoon was similar to the morning with a continuous flow of redwings, goldcrests and robins.  A ring ouzel was trapped and ringed in the afternoon and was another new species ringed in the coastal park.  A great grey shrike dropped onto the Big Mound by the ringing hut however swiftly flew over the the quarry and out of site.  Overall another fantastic day, just a shame I have to work tomorrow.

Ringing totals were 134 birds including 47 redwing 28 robin, 25 blackbird, 22 goldcrest, 8 song thrush and singles of fieldfare, ring ouzel, dusky warbler and woodcock.

22nd October

The wind finally went east after a week or more of southwesterlies yesterday evening.  I got to Whitburn early whilst it still dark.  The place was lifting with thrushes.  The first net round was fairly quiet but it soon picked up with the majority of trapped birds being blackbirds.  A immature male fieldfare was trapped and a few goldcrests.  Two woodcock were flushed in the Big Mound but both missed the nets.  In the afternoon more goldcrests arrived and a pallas's warbler was trapped and ringed.  What a beautiful bird!!  On the next net round an Acrocephelus warbler was trapped, thinking it was possibly a blyths reed warbler, but surely it couldnt be.  I was right and it turned to be a bog standard reed warbler.  A few robins also started to arrive in the late afternoon.  A red-breasted flycatcher was located in the afternoon and was soon trapped and ringed.  In total 147 birds were trapped and ringed.  This was the highest ever day total at Whitburn.  It wont ever beat portland or spurn but it was a terrific day!

Ringing totals included 64 blackbird, 32 goldcrest, 21 robin, 13 redwing, 5 blackcap, 3 song thrush, 3 wren, 2 chiffchaff and singles of fieldfare, reed warbler, pallas's warbler, red-breasted flycatcher.

 pallas's warbler (c) Andrew Walker

reed warbler (c) Andrew Walker