February 2016 - Siskins and Little Owl among highlights

There were some late additions to January to boost the total to 186 new birds but February could only reach 164 of 20 species.

Sites struggled to ring 20 birds and it was left to the Iver Heath garden to supply the numbers with 68 Siskin and 20 Goldfinch topping the list. Six Redwing and a Yellowhammer featured at Woolley Firs and a house-caught Little Owl at Tythebarns was the first for 13 years.

January 2016 - Cetti's Warbler, Redwing & Firecrest among highlights

169 birds of 26 species were ringed, with Blue Tit and Great Tit making up 40% of that number.

There were some good species to have on the list in the first month of the year – a Redwing at Tythebarns and 14 at Woolley Firs, Cetti’s Warblers at Bedfont and Stanwellmoor; Blackcap in the Ealing garden; Chiffchaff at Bedfont and Wraysbury, 5 Yellowhammers at Woolley Firs and a Firecrest at Stanwellmoor.

A Willow Warbler, we ringed near Ripley, Surrey last August passed through Main-et-Loirem, France, 413km away only 10 days later.

BBC Radio Interview about Bird Ringing

I was interviewed this weekend on the Andrew Peach show on BBC Radio Berkshire while running a demonstration of bird ringing at a BBOWT site.

Listen: Interview about Bird Ringing at Woolley Firs, a BBOWT Nature Reserve

December 2015

Six sites held sessions in December although some were fairly short and wind-affected.

219 new birds of 26 species were ringed with Blue Tit at 41 as top species. Second was Goldcrest at 31 showing that many from the October influx are still around.

Other interesting species was a Sparrowhawk at Stanwellmoor, 5 Great Spotted Woodpecker at Bedfont, 3 Meadow Pipit at Bedfont South Side and 9 Redwing from Wraysbury and Stanwellmoor.

Stanwellmoor also provided 3 Cetti’s Warbler and 3 Chiffchaff, with 10 from Bedfont, one of which had characteristics of Siberian.

Both sites provided Firecrest, the first ever for Stanwellmoor and Bedfont's third this winter. In the absence of Chobham visits, 3 Siskin, 7 Redpoll and 5 Reed Bunting are good totals.

November 2015

The weekend weather was not kind for group training sessions and most ringing was in gardens or one-to-one sessions with limited nets when conditions allowed.

However, numbers built up to a healthy 291 ringed plus 150 retraps. Top species was Lesser Redpoll with 109; 106 from Tythebarns, followed by Goldcrest on 46; 28 from Bedfont.

Bedfont also made a late challenge to Woolley Firs’ Firecrest supremacy, with 2 on 28th and Chobham managed 10 Redwing and 7 Reed Bunting. 3 Blackcap, 5 Chiffchaff and 9 Siskin were noteworthy from the sites in use.

October 2015

An October total of 707 new birds of 25 species was helped by a purple patch for Lesser Redpoll, when 158 were ringed at Chobham, mostly between 10th and 18th.

Some of these have already shown some rapid movements from both north and south. With other sites, Lesser Redpoll were easily the top species at 184 with Blue Tit a long way behind at 125.

Next three places were closely grouped: with Lotti on 73; Goldcrest at 70 and Chiffchaff at 68. There were good captures of a Stonechat, 3 Dartford Warblers and 9 Reed Bunting at Chobham and 3 Firecrest at Woolley Firs, but the expected Meadow Pipit movement did not materialise with only 7 from Chobham and 12 from Wraysbury.

The capture record for a Reed Warbler that is becoming a regular between our Windsor site and Hilfield, operated by The Maple Cross Ringing Group.

Reed Warbler Capture Table
L769607	3J	21/8/2011	Windsor, Berks
	4	1/7/2012	Hilfield, Herts
	4	3/8/2014	Windsor, Berks
	4	10/5/2015	Hilfield, Herts
C- Controlled			3y 8m 19d	1358 days	33 km	NE

Talk at Reading & District Natural History Museum

The talk last month was received well at Pangbourne by members of the RDNHS. The talk gave an overview about the history of bird ringing, where research is leading us and how to train to become a bird ringer.

The audience had a broad range of knowledge and this was reflected in over forty minutes given to the Q&A session following the talk.

Carl Hunter Roach during the Q&A session