Scores on the Doors and Other Bits and Pieces

It's been a week of work and few birds for me this past week so I thought I would report briefly on the ringing totals for Fylde Ringing Group with whom I ring and am secretary of. In 2010 we ringed 3154 adults, 520 pulli and recaptured a further 458 birds, meaning that in total we processed 4132 birds! These are our best totals since 1997, so there is quite a target to aim for this year!

Below are the totals ringed (with recaptures in brackets):

Mallard 1; Tufted Duck 1; Sparrowhawk 4; Kestrel 5 pulli; Coot 89 (55); Oystercatcher 1 pulli; Ringed Plover 4 pulli; Lapwing 20 pulli; Woodcock 3; Curlew 9 pulli; Black-headed Gull 10 pulli; Lesser Black-backed Gull 3; Herring Gull 1; Stock Dove 2 pulli; Woodpigeon 6; Collared Dove 4; Little Owl 1 & 6 pulli; Tawny Owl 1 & 6 pulli; Great Spotted Woodpecker 1; Skylark 1; Swallow 50 (1) 78 pulli; House Martin 2; Tree Pipit 9; Meadow Pipit 84; Pied Wagtail 1 & 9 pulli; Dipper 3 pulli; Wren 46 (16) 6 pulli; Dunnock 66 (27) 2 pulli; Robin 57 (29); Stonechat 1; Wheatear 9; Blackbird 135 (34) 17 pulli; Fieldfare 42; Song Thrush 14 (1) 8 pulli; Redwing 52; Mistle Thrush 2; Cetti's Warbler 2; Sedge Warbler 40 (16); Reed Warbler 54 (10) 8 pulli; Lesser Whitethroat 7; Whitethroat 127 (34) 10 pulli; Garden Warbler 2; Blackcap 12; Chiffchaff 19 (4); Willow Warbler 73 (37) 7 pulli; Goldcrest 31 (1); Spotted Flycatcher 2 pulli; Pied Flycatcher 25 pulli (1); Long-tailed Tit 50 (6); Coal Tit 50 (14); Blue Tit 148 (50) 90 pulli; Great Tit 108 (30) 34 pulli; Nuthatch 6 (4) 14 pulli; Treecreeper 8; Jay 6; Jackdaw 13 (1) 9 pulli; Carrion Crow 3; Starling 31 (1); House Sparrow 69 (7); Tree Sparrow 27 (5) 119 pulli; Chaffinch 665 (49) 9 pulli; Brambling 53; Greenfinch 337; Goldfinch 232 (11) 4 pulli; Siskin 53 (3); Common Redpoll 1; Lesser Redpoll 63; Yellowhammer 13; Reed Bunting 139 (8).

 Female Blue Tit on the nest

Tawny Owl pulli

Nuthatch pulli from the 'you know what' platsered box!

One of the Wheatears ringed this Soring

I realise that all of the above isn't so easy on the eye, so I have listed below a few personal ringing highlights of the year.

• watching Kane pluck a male Tufted Duck out of the water at Stanley park; the first ringed for the Group
• all the hard work Craig has put in catching and colour ringing Coot by hand and also one or two Gulls as well; well done Craig
• Ian finding the first Ringed Plovers to successfully hatch young at Fleetwood for a decade
• receiving a phone call from Ian to say that aWoodcock has got itself caught in the chicken wire surrounding his hen cabin
• the number of Tree Pipits ringed by Phil and Will on Rawcliffe Moss
• the first Dipper pulli ringed for a good few years
• the look of shock on mine and Ian's faces when we caught not one but two Cetti's Warblers in a matter of minutes at Fleetwood Marsh Nature Park
• 171 Whitethroats processed; mainly at Rawcliffe Moss, but with support from the Nature Park
• Spotted Flycatcher still appearing on our ringing totals
• a Nuthatch plastering the hole and lid of the nest box it was using with dog shit insteadd of mud. Nice!
• the number of pulli Tree Sparrows ringed by Paul near Singleton
• the incredible number of Chaffinch tape lured by Phil and Will during autumn at Rawcliffe Moss
• watching Greenfinch dropping out of the sky at the 'obs' and ringing 337!
• Common Redpoll at the 'obs'
• tape luring Lesser Redpolls at the 'obs'
• an incredible 139 Reed Buntings, nearly all tape lured during the autumn by Phil and Will at Rawcliffe Moss

 Common Redpoll

Coot

One of the 337 Greenfinch

Lesser Redpoll

Two of the Ringed Plover chicks

The Woodcock caught by the hen cabin

Let's hope I can report similar if not better highlights at the end of 2011!

As stated earlier I haven't been able to do much birding this week, mainly due to work commitments, but also because of the weather. I was on one farm in the week near Inskip as part of some project work I am delivering and had a male Merlin which was nice, and then I was doing some similar work at a farm on Rawcliffe Moss (already a group site) and Rach and I had 15 Corn Buntings. In fact I said to the farmer Jim, that I would come back in the summer and ring his Swallow pulli.

It was late afternoon today before I got to my feeding station on Rawcliffe Moss to feed, and quite a few birds had already left to roost. I had a mere 19 Tree Sparrows, 5 Yellowhammers and a Buzzard. The forecast is for it to be far too windy, and possibly wet, to do any ringing tomorrow, so I think it might be a sea watch in the morning instead.

Then tomorrow evening I am off to Manchester to see Thin Lizzy. Are You Ready?