Recent recoveries.

Steve & Tim Christmas came out to Iceland last week and brought with them a nice batch of recoveries for us to see.

Black Headed Gull

EW70576 - 3 - 24/12/2008 - Bowness on Windermere, Cumbria
20/03/2010 - Nord-Ostsee - Kanal, Germany - 825km (Ring read in the field)

Mute Swan

ZZ4153 - 3F - 12/12/2006 - Chasewater Res, Staffordshire
23/01/2010 - Redesmere Lake, Cheshire - 66km

U6794 - 3M - 24/07/1996 - Llanberis, North Wales
15/04/2010 - Fairhaven Lake, Fylde, Lancs - 101km

ZZ6746 - 3 - 04/10/2008 - Whitehaven, Cumbria
03/05/2010 - Burton, Cumbria - 67km

ZY0002 -3M - 21/09/2008 - Bispham Marsh, Fylde
11/06/2010 - High Foulshaw, Cumbria - 43km (Hit power cables)

W10451 - 5F - 06/06/2003 - Bowness on Windermere, Cumbria
10/03/2010 - Southport Marine Lake, Lancs - 78km

Coot

GC64146 - 4 - 21/12/2008 - Plattsfield Park, Manchester
01/04/2009 - Brockholes Quarry, Lancs - 46km (ring read in field)
30/03/2010 - Southport Marine Lake, Lancs - 57 km (ring read in field)

Wood Pigeon

FS13977 - 4 - 20/12/2009 - Dales Brow, Swinton, Grt Manchester
19/06/2010 - Chelford, Cheshire - 27km (Dead)

Sand Martin

X737328 - 4 - 31/08/2009 - Icklesham
15/06/2010 - Atherton, Manchester (Controlled) 362km

X308574 - 4F - 30/07/2009 - Oxmoor Wood, Runcorn
15/06/2010 - Atherton, Manchester (Controlled) 23km

We've just finished ringing on Flatey Island & we´re in Northen Iceland now, preparing to catch Whooper Swans, Golden Plover & Whimbrel.

Sand Martins & Bless Bless!

Whilst I was away last month, Steve & Jenny netted one of the Greater Manchester Sand Martin colonies. They caught 19 new birds & just as they were about to take the nets down, they controlled two birds on the last net round! Tonight we decided to have another go, but it seems the birds have moved to another colony on the site. A disappointing 1 new bird & 1 recap tonight!

Well the rings & gear have been packed away, data entered onto IPMR & a monthly submission file sent onto the BTO. Tomorrow I'm fleeing the country, heading back to Iceland for 4 weeks & having some familiar faces off this blog accompanying me! We're having a follow up visit to Flatey Island to ring pulli waders, seabirds & terns, as well as floating the boats & touring northern Iceland to roundup Whooper Swans!

Bless Bless (Good bye!)

Worsley Reed beds.

Manchester had turned into Madchester on the roads this evening, with accidents on three of the major motorways (a lorry engulfed in flames just to the right of the reed bed above!). So both me & Steve were caught up in the traffic on the way home from work & were late for an evening of mist netting at the reed beds.

Even though we were late, we ploughed on & placed several nets at different locations throughout the site. Coupled with the lateness & a slight breeze whipping around the site, we didn’t do too badly and ended the evening session on 22 new birds, 4 recaps & another controlled Reed Warbler (X667744).

Species	New	Recap	Control
Reed Warbler	4	2	1
Sedge Warbler	1	1
Whitethroat	1	0
Reed Bunting	7	0
Blue Tit	0	1
Swallow	3	0
Goldfinch	6	0
	22	4	1

Hopefully, depending on the weather tomorrow – I’ll try and get into the reed bed to ring pulli Reed Warblers.

Tree Sparrows.

Just a quick post tonight....


Out monitoring the Tree Sparrow boxes at WWT Martin Mere this afternoon. Lots containing nests at various stages.

60 chicks ringed
1 adult ringed & 1 controlled (dead in nest box).

Barn Owling.

Out with Dave Edwards this morning, checking a few Barn Owl farms in Greater Manchester.

2 Barn Owl chicks ringed, along with 4 Kestrel chicks. A few photos below.