We received notification recently, that one of our Redwings had been recovered in Spain. I ringed Redwing RL06461 at the Nature Park on 14th November 2021, and I aged it as a 1st calendar year bird, so sometime during the summer of 2021 it hatched somewhere in Scandinavia, but of course we don't know where. When I caught it for ringing on 14th November, it would almost certainly have not reached its wintering area, as I caught it with another 22 Redwings, two Song Thrushes and a Fieldfare, just as it was getting light, and these birds were on the move.
Where this gorgeous bird was in 2022, we do not know, but what we do know, is that in the spring of 2022 it would have crossed the North Sea and returned to Scandinavia, back to where it hatched, and probably paired up with another Redwing, and hopefully successfully reared some chicks. In the autumn of that year, it would have left Scandinavia, and headed further south and west to winter in a milder area of Europe. Redwings show poor winter site fidelity, and can winter in different countries from year to year.
It would have made another return journey to Scandinavia in the spring of 2023 from its wintering area, and hopefully it would have reared another brood of chicks from some swampy ground, in an area of birch or mixed woodland, perhaps with pines and spruces, or in some birch scrub, with dwarf willow and juniper. And again, in the autumn it would have set off south.
On the 2nd November 2023, RL06461 was in Gaintza in northern Spain, 1,208 km south of where I had the pleasure of encountering it at the Nature Park. On this day, it was to meet a sad end, because instead of encountering an individual with a passion for the natural world, it encountered a f*ckwit with half a brain cell and a shot-gun, who decided that for a giggle they would shoot this delightful thrush. It was probably shot that day in the company of hundreds of other Redwings, Fieldfares and Song Thrushes, not dissimilar to the morning when our paths crossed two years ago, when I had the privilege of handling this Norse wanderer, and spending a couple of minutes in its company. This beautiful Redwing weighing just 58 grams was shot just for fun, not for food, and by somebody who would probably cite 'tradition' for their motivation, when in reality, their motivation is a joy in killing. What a sad world we live in, where our beleaguered wildlife needs all the help it can get, and not obliteration by some twisted individuals.
A week ago, Gail and I were back at our wintering bird survey site, and it was a fairly quiet morning. It was clear and cold, but not frosty, with the northerly wind, and we did our VP sheltering behind the car. The cabbage field still holds a number of birds including 44 Skylarks, 49 Linnets, 69 Woodpigeons, 34 Meadow Pipits, a Grey Wagtail and 14 Pied Wagtails. Walking around this field after our VP, we also flushed two Snipe from a ditch.
Thrushes were once again thin on the ground, and we only had twenty Fieldfares, seven Redwings and a male Blackbird. Just to the north of 'our', field was a flock of 417 Canada Geese that left the field in dribs and drabs for about three quarters of an hour after first light.
Our transect revealed little else other than two Tree Sparrows, a Little Egret, 14 Lapwings, five Whooper Swans, two Stock Doves and 110 Pink-footed Geese. On the way home we called at the feeding station to top the feeders up, and again our two big 20 kg feeders were virtually empty.
We have had a couple of walks along the Wyre estuary from the Quay these past few days, but it has been fairly quiet. We had the usual numbers of waders, with 97 Redshanks, 62 Oystercatchers and a single Dunlin. Wildfowl included 16 Teal, eleven Mallards and 40 Wigeon. The only raptor we recorded was a Sparrowhawk crossing the river, and Twite numbers had increased to sixteen, and ten Long-tailed Tits were in what we call the Buddleia scrub on the old ferry car park.
We've had a few more trips to our feeding station, and again there's lots of birds visiting based on the fact that the 'big feeders' are emptying quickly. Wildfowl have now returned to the wetland, and there was at least 200 Teal, 30 Wigeon and ten Shovelers.
I purchased another piece of artwork this week, in fact it arrived yesterday, from uber talented Orkney artist Tim Wootton. You can see below the beautiful painting of a Ringed Plover, and I think it is superb. So, thank you Tim.
It just remains for me to wish you Solstice Greetings, and we can all celebrate the return of the sun!
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