July 2016 - Barn Owl, Common Tern, Firecrest & House Martin breeding

Birds ringed in July totalled 625 (702 in 2015) with top species Blackcap on 175 (201), well ahead of Chiffchaff on 72 (43), Reed Warbler on 71 (55) and Garden Warbler also 71 (75).

Whitethroat fell to 59 (76) but the 10 warbler species totalled 475 birds (458). Blue Tits only made 13 (50), Great Tit 9 (21) and Lotti 7 (11) following very poor breeding.

The 35 species included 6 Nightjar, 9 House Martins, a Firecrest and a House Sparrow. Common Tern pulli return to the list with 3 at Bedfont and 3 Barn Owls were ringed at Woolley Firs.

June 2016 - Fieldfare leg found at Tawny Owl nest

260 new birds of 24 species were ringed in June of which 41 were pulli. Last June, when three more sites held sessions, 319 birds were ringed but with an earlier fledging season only 18 pulli ringed.

CES sessions at Bedfont and Wraysbury are both running slightly above their 5-year mean indicating good over-winter survival of adults. As expected, Blue Tit was the most-ringed species with 45 (22 pulli) followed by Long-tailed Tit with 35 and Reed Warbler with 32.

Tythebarns provided a Stock Dove and 3 Jackdaws and Wraysbury some out-of-season Goldfinch. 

Some interesting recoveries were received including: a Fieldfare in Sweden (1,618 km from us) - its leg (and ring) found in a Tawny Owl nest site; a Reed Warbler, ringed 5 years ago at Bedfont recaptured at Frimley Station Lakes; and a Blackcap ringed near Wokingham 5 years and 9 months ago and recaptured near Wraysbury.

May 2016 - CES kicks-off

Collared Dove (E Page)

First an update to the April figures from 66 to 91 as a wandering email surfaced. Still low for the month but an improvement.

In May the start of CES and the possibility of pulli towards the end of the month heightened expectations but cold spells slowed migration and delayed breeding tits. The total of 298 new birds of 29 species included a modest 65 pulli Blue and Great Tits and featured some difficult-to-catch species such as Collared Dove, Magpie and Jackdaw.

Blackcap was top species on 32 with Reed Warbler on 30 and Starling at Wraysbury and Iver Heath totalling 27. 23 Garden Warbler and 22 Whitethroat were high numbers for May and a pair of Siskin at Iver Heath were in breeding condition on 3rd.

A Kingfisher at Wraysbury in May and another at Tythebarns Farm in April added colour to a couple of sessions.

Kingfisher (A Kingston)

April 2016 - poor weather dominated

April is often a quiet month for numbers, especially if migration is slowed by weather conditions. The weather across April didn't avail itself for netting - a session at one site turned into a ride clearance session and netting opportunities were thin on the ground across the whole of the month - the result was a lowly total of 66 new birds; less than half that of April 2015.

Blackcap featured at most sites but Whitethroat and Chiffchaff were only at Bedfont and Wraysbury and Lesser Whitethroat, Garden and Willow Warbler only at Wraysbury. Top species for the month was Lesser Redpoll when a short visit to Chobham (another session curtailed by windy weather) resulted in 18 new birds, just beating Blackcap on 17.

The work in between sessions…

Sometimes the forecasters get it wrong and we arrive on site to gusts and showers. This morning was one of those times - as the rain fell we cancelled our plans for a bird ringing session and set to maintaining our rides ready for the start of the CES programme.

Trimming rides (Karl Tarratt, 2016)

March 2016 - Continental Coal Tit visits Buckinghamshire

A total of 276 new birds in March, 120 of which were Siskin from the Iver Heath garden. With no warblers appearing by the month end, species range was limited but Meadow Pipit and 3 Yellowhammer were ringed at Woolley Firs and a single Dartford Warbler at Chobham.

Continental Coal Tit (C&D Lamsdell)

The plumage of a Coal Tit at Iver Heath on 7th was that of the continental race; conveniently it was also wearing a Belgian ring!

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.