Tuesday 30th
The heat brought an early end to bird activity and to ringing. There were 12 new birds today. Another juvenile Green Woodpecker contiued their improved performance after a poor year last year. As usual the warblers were birds of the year. Another young Cetti's Warbler was particularly pleasing. After the poor showing in our nest boxes it is good to have a trickle of new tits, even if it is in ones and twos ( one Blue and two Great Tits).
Monday 29th
Clear and calm overnight and getting hotter during the day. Now the waether is settled the number of new birds is droppinjg. Today there were 11 new birds. Yesterdays warblers only accounted for one each but there were three Garden Warblers.
Sunday 28th
Clear and calm again and more migrants arrived. Thirty-six birds were ringed of which the highlight was the first Wood Warbler of the year. There were also 14 Willow Warblers, 11 Sedge Warblers, two Reed Warblers and singles of Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat and Blackcap. The other new birds were all locals with singles of Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Great Tit and Chaffinch.
Saturday 27th
A clear and calm start soon warmed up with a strong sun. There were 17 new birds with four Reed and four Willow warblers leading the way. There were also single Cetti's Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and House Sparrow plus three Chaffinches. The Cetti's compliments the two adults who have been around the last week or so. Although a small flock of Sand Martins were tempted into the area they were not going into the nets.
Friday 26th
An early start paid off with 26 new birds and 25 retraps. The highlight was a Grasshopper Warbler. Other migrants getting ready to go included one Sedge Warbler, two Reed Warblers, one Lesser Whitethroat, two Whitethroats, five Chiffchaffs and eight Willow Warblers. Some of this catch was helped by the mixed tit flock passing through but all 13 Long-tailed Tits were retraps. A Magpie was the pick of the rest of the bunch.
Thursday 25th
Rain prevented ringing this morning. We received notification of three birds ringed here and then caught elsewhere. All fairly standard movements. A Chiffchaff ringed here on October 8th 2023 and controlled at Kelsall, Cheshire this july 17th (394 Km NW). A Siskin ringed here on October 22nd 2023 and controlled nr Fochabers, Moray on June 26th (760Km NNW). A Blackcap ringed here on September 23rd 2023 and controlled at Emmeloord, Netherlands on April 26th ( 343km ENE).
Also news of a colour ringed Oystercatcher seen in Pegwell on July 11th this year. It had been ringed as a chick near Berkel and Rodennrijs in the Netherlands.
Wednesday 24th
Warm and calm to start with and the slow trickle of migrants continues. Ten birds were ringed. This included the first Sedge Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat of the autumn. The other birds were two Robins and singles of Green Woodpecker, Dunnock, Song Thrush, Whitethroat, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler. No hirundines or Swifts could be tempted in though.
A Robin retrapped in the Whitehouse was from the nest ringed in the Observatory garden. It was nice to know at least one got away from the attentions of the local cat.
Tuesday 23rd
After a very windy night it calmed down enough to try some ringing first thing. After a while drizzle and rain arrived (but no Swifts) to stop our activity for a while. In the end there were seven new birds - two Blackbirds, two Blackcaps (both of which seem to be enjoying the damper weather), and singles of Reed, Garden and Willow Warbler.
A check of boxes on Sandown Road showed House Martins starting second broods and three small broods of House Sparrow.
Saturday 20th
Whilst most of us are hoping for hot sunny days like this to show that summer can happen, the first birds are heading home to Africa. Amongst a catch of 19 new birds was the first Reed Warbler and Willow Warbler of the autumn plus a juvenile Cuckoo, the first of the year. The other birds were locally bred. Namely two Dunnocks, a Robin, four Blackbirds, three Whitethroats, two Blackcaps, three Chiffchaffs and a Chaffinch.
Friday 19th
Hot, calm, conditions yielded another 18 birds. Best of all was a Sand Martin. The others were all local young birds - Wren 2, Dunnock 1, Robin 3, Song Thrush 1, Whitethroat 2, Blackcap 5, Chiffchaff 2 and Great Tit 1.
The House Sparrow struggles continue. There were two nests to check today and in one the eggs had disappeared but the other had three healthy chicks. There are still some eggs being laid though.
Wednesday 17th
Well, it had to be done. We started checking the nest boxes to see how the tits had faired and so far it is not good. Out of ten occupied boxes in the Elms and Guilford Road two successfully fledged all the chicks, two failed completely, and the others only had partial success. In one there was even a dead adult.
Lets hope Middle Field boxes fair better.
Tuesday 16th
Sunday was a successful mornings ringing with 30 new birds. Singles of Swallow and Starling were notable and a juvenile Bullfinch was good news. Blackcaps appear to be bucking the unsuccessful nesting trend with another nine ringed.
A check of the sparrow boxes last week showed just one brood to be ringed - they are having a terrible year.
It would be great if members could help by recording any colour ringed birds. Has there been a die-off of adults or are they just not finding it suitable to nest.
Sunday 7th
After a very windy night the day started very calm. The sprinkling of fledging birds continues and eleven were ringed. Blackcaps continue to suggest they, at least, are doing well with six more ringed. The other new birds were two Chiffchaffs and singles of Blackbird, Song Thrush and Whitethroat.
Friday 5th
Five movements of birds ringed at the Observatory have been reported to us. The furthest was a Blackbird ringed as a juvenile female on November 25th 2022 and taken by a cat in Finland (1813 km NE) on June 16th this year. The second demonstrates the value of checking any dead bird you find. It was a House Martin ringed as a chick at the Sandown Road colony on June 15th 2022 and found dead on a lawn on the Estate on May 25th. The third was a Chiffchaff ringed here on April 21st and holding territory 93km to the north at Witnesham, Suffolk in May and June. The other two were returning birds which passed through here as juveniles. A Blackcap here on September 8th 2023 and near Southend on June 30th, and finally a Reed Warbler here on August 12th 2022 and in breeding condition near Slough (143 vkm WNW) on May 1st.
Monday 1st
Nesting birds continue to find conditions challenging. A check at the weekend showed one of the Barn Owl nests had gone from four chicks and two eggs to one, at least fat, chick. Today there were no House Sparrows ready to ring and a couple of failed nests.