Monday 14 March 2016

Chiffs are first...but news of a Dunlin to Spain

A short session on marsh on Sunday morning produced two new Chiffchaff - a start to Spring...


At night we are still lamping our hillside study sites. Our target species, the Woodcock, become very difficult though the numbers are good. We see up to 15 or more in a night and catch one. Now the Woodcock are migrating they are often in groups making the catching of an individual difficult.

We are still catching Redwing and Fieldfare whilst lamping and Meadow Pipits are now moving and being caught too.


Siskins - another control this week..to go with controls of Greenfinch and Goldfinch.
We now have our second Siskin that has been controlled by Charlie Sargeant 39km ESE in Carmarthenshire. One of these has been recaptured back at our original ringing site.
Several of our Goldfinches are recaptures from previous Spring passages.


Dunlin BT48695 becomes our second Dunlin control....The first was from the Teifi to Newport !!
This Dunlin was controlled in southern Spain.....


Parque Natural Marismas del Odiel is the second most significant wetland reserve in Andulucia. A third of Europe's Spoonbill population lives there.
Dunlin BT48695 was a juvenile when ringed at Newport on 27th August 2014. The adults leave the breeding grounds earlier thus we catch the young in August on their passage south, most likely on route to North or North-west Africa. When controlled a year later, the 14th August 2015, the bird was likely to be returning from spending it's first summer near the wintering ground. In their first summer Dunlin generally do not return to their breeding grounds. This Dunlin would be of a race breeding to the west of their range and not a UK wintering bird from the East.

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