An update from our regular bird ringing team.
Three extra ringing sessions were carried out in September after the end of our normal annual monitoring programme. With no strict methodological constraints, we could set nets at different times of the day (no 4am alarm calls!). As these sessions came after the breeding season had finished, we could also play bird calls (via MP3 players) that attract birds into the area too. The first two sessions were on the afternoon/evening of 14th September and on the following morning.
The third session was held on Friday 20th September and was a thank you event for the Friends of Paxton Pits who have generously funded our ringing over the years. Many thanks to all the visitors who visited us during the day, we hope you enjoyed your day. I must also thank the RSPB for allowing myself and others the time to ensure we could carry out this event (we were allowed a day to undertake a conservation project or attend any of the youth climate strikes as a show of solidarity).
The three session were blessed with fine weather, our plan was to target any late migrants especially Blackcap and Chiffchaff that use the sanctuary to feed up on the bountiful fruit and berries (once the ringers had stopped scoffing them). Both these species responded to calls on the MP3s set by nets which helped increase the catch.
Over the three sessions 143 new birds were ringed of 16 species with Blackcap and Chiffchaff contributing 67% of the catch! Single Garden and Reed Warblers were late migrants and two Coal Tits were very unexpected as only one has been ringed here since 2007.
Ringers for these sessions were: Derek Gruar, Maureen Reeves, Alan Garner, Andy Stanbury, Chantal MacLeod- Nolan, Saskia Wischnewski, Kevin Middleton, Alice Edwards and Viv Gruar scribed excellently.
HOT NEWS
We have been informed of a bird ringed on CES session 12 that has subsequently been recaptured by other ringers in the UK:
Blackcap
Ringed 26/08/19 Paxton Pits
Recaptured 10/09/19 Fields Heath, near Fawley, Hampshire, UK
177km SSW (15 days)