Black Headed Gull control.

Some details below regarding a Black Headed Gull that Craig Brookes caught/controlled at Lake Windermere back in 2008.

It was ringed by the Severn Estuary Gull group on 24/11/2007 near Wingmore Farm at Stoke Orchard near Cheltenham

Ring number - EL98668

Just 6.

Only 6 new birds this week, I've been quite busy with other things - mainly nest finding! Got several nests lined up that should have ringable chicks next week. Also got many nests with eggs waiting to hatch so should be busy during the next few weeks!

This weeks 6 birds -

Goldfinch - 1
Wood Pigeon - 1
Robin - 4

Herons

After our last failed attempt at ringing some Grey Heron pulli (due to them all being too small) we left it a further two weeks before going back into the heronry. Yesterday (Sunday 19th April) four of us armed with rings, royal mail bags and noses for strong smells headed in!!



Thanks to the expert climbing by Steve Christmas (my trainer) 11 heron chicks were lowered to the ground to be ringed.


Before we went into the heronry, me and my friend/fellow ringer Craig Brookes decided that we would have a look around the site for nests/chicks etc. I decided to check a small shed in the farm yard where Swallows have bred in recent years. As I went in a Swallow darted over my shoulder and out through the door but I could hear another still in there. I can't describe what happened next, due to it all happening too quick! But somehow I raised my hand and caught a female Swallow!!!!!

Other birds ringed in the week 13th April - 19th.

Swallow - 1
Goldfinch - 3 (Including the 100th Goldfinch to be ringed in the garden since December!)
Starling - 6
Collard Dove - 1 (A fledgling from next doors satellite dish!)
Wood Pigeon - 2 (See earlier post)
Mistle Thrush - 2 (See earlier post)
= 15

Pulli season begins!!

The young Blackbirds that were supposed to be ready for ringing today had been predated, so therefore I thought I would check a Mistle thrush nest that I found containing 4 eggs on 01st April. Two of the eggs had hatched (leaving two addled eggs in the nest) and the young were just ready to take rings....

Quiet Week

Another quiet week on the ringing front. Not much done, mainly due to being away from home a lot this week. Managed to get the nets up in the garden once or twice, catching 13 new birds -
7 Starling
3 Goldfinch
1 Siskin
1 Chaffinch
1 Dunnock.

Should have a brood of three Blackbird ripe for ringing either tomorrow or Tuesday.

Siskin

A total of 23 birds caught this week - 20 new and 3 retraps.

8 new Goldfinch (1 retrap), 4 Siskin, 3 Blackbird (1 retrap), 1 Starling, 1 retrap Dunnock, 1 Collard Dove, 2 House sparrows and 2 Canada Geese.

A handful of Siskin dropped into the garden feeding station this week, resulting in four being caught.

We also had our first session in our local heronry, but unfortunately, no birds ringed as all the young were too small.