Friday 30th
Clear overnight with a calm start meant there were lots of birds around. By the time the wind arrived we had ringed 192 birds. This was made up of 93 Blackcaps (+ a control), 74 Chiffchaffs, six Goldfinches, five Blue Tits, four Goldcrests, three Song Thrushes, two each of Robin and Great Tit, and singles of Wren, Reed Warbler, and Chaffinch. Groups of tits have been more obvious recently and so it was good to catch some of them. Several Song Thrushes dropped in and so it was not a surprise to catch three.
Wednesday 28th
We finally managed to get the weather and a team together and it proved worth it. There were 86 new birds including the first Yellow-browed Warbler and Coal Tit of the autumn plus a control Chiffchaff. The other new birds were a Dunnock, a Blue Tit, two Great Tits, three Goldcrests, nine Goldfinches, 21 Chiffchaffs and 47 Blackcaps.
Sunday 25th
Heavy overnight showers coupled with a stiff breeze this morning restricted new arrivals. Twenty-nine birds were ringed - 22 Blackcaps, five Chiffchaffs, and single Robin and Great Tit. At first it seemed as if the majority of hirundines had moved on but as the wind dropped in the afternoon a few appeared so we may still have a chance of catching one or two.
Saturday 24th
Having spent the previous evening trying to pick which forecast to follow we finally plumped for the Met Office one as it was most optimistic and only one with ringable conditions. The usual online BBC one proved totally inaccurate as there was no overnight rain and indeed only drizzle late morning. No forecast picked up the true strength of the breeze which was the limiting factor on which rides could be used. Seventeen birds were ringed - one Robin, a smart immature male Redstart, a Song Thrush, 12 Blackcaps, and two Chiffchaffs.
Friday 23rd
Very overcast and calm but the forecasts threatened rain which did not materialise in the morning. Eighty-five birds were ringed - 42 Blackcaps, 38 Chiffchaffs (plus a control) and singles of Swallow, Dunnock, Cetti's Warbler, Goldcrest and Great Tit. Although lots of hirundines were passing through we were not in a position to catch them.
Thursday 22nd
Just a small sample possible today and 20 birds were ringed including a Lesser Whitethroat.
Wednesday 21st
A calm, overcast start meant a small team had to think carefully about which rides to use. There were 99 new birds and four retraps. Blackcap continued to be number one with 75 followed by 13 Chiffchaffs. The rest were an interesting mix- a Dunnock, two Redwings, a Cetti's Warbler, two Reed Warblers, a Lesser Whitethroat, two Goldcrests, a Firecrest and a Great Tit.
Tuesday 20th
Hopes were high for this morning but sadly the forecasters got it wrong. Instead of lightly overcast with a very gentle breeze it was clear and a northerly breeze got up. It started well with the first Cetti's Warbler of the year and the pipit triangle yielded a Tree Pipit. That was the last pipit as the northerly picked up. There were still 79 new Blackcaps, 11 Chiffchaffs, two Blue Tits and a Wren. There was also a Chiffchaff ringed elsewhere in the UK.
Sunday 18th
It still felt cool in the breeze but it dropped just enough to allow us to tap into the ongoing Blackcap migration. One hundred and forty one birds were ringed of which 121 were Blackcaps. Six Goldcrests and 12 Chiffchaffs reflected the approach of autumn. The other two new birds were a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Swallow. A Reed Warbler had been ringed elsewhere in the UK.
Saturday 17th
A very fresh northerly restricted what could be used and so 30 new birds was actually a reasonable catch - 27 Blackcaps, two Chiffchaffs and a Great Tit.
Friday 16th
After the frustration of missing yesterday it was back into full swing today. The day started reasonably calm before a strong breeze brought proceedings to a halt.
One hundred and eighty seven birds were ringed. One hundred and sixty seven of these were Blackcaps. Three Meadow Pipits were the best catch of these since b.c.
There were also nine Chiffchaffs, three Reed Warblers, two Goldcrests, and singles of Robin, Willow Warbler and Blue Tit. It is pleasing to get a few early Goldcrests, maybe they have had a good year at last.
Tuesday 13th
A cloudy day with a stronger east breeze than expected which limited which rides could be utilised. We still caught 111 birds, 109 of which were new, plus a control Blackcap and a retrap Dunnock. The new birds were 98 Blackcaps, three each of Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler plus a Goldcrest and a Reed Bunting.
Sunday 11th
Calm and clear overnight and so more Blackcaps arrived. There were 154 ringed plus two UK controls. None of yesterdays birds were retrapped. The accompanying cast included a Robin, the first Grasshopper Warbler for a couple of years, two Reed Warblers, eight Chiffchaffs, two Willow Warblers, a Goldcrest, and a Spotted Flycatcher. Larger birds put in an appearance as well with a retrap Jay and a retrap Magpie.
Saturday 10th
Although there was a bit more breeze than expected it was overcast after a calm night. The hoped for Blackcap surge began and 130 were ringed, along with one ringed elsewhere in the UK. As it was a small group of ringers we only used three rides and so that total was pleasing. We also caught the first Sparrowhawk of the autumn plus a Kestrel, two Robins, two Willow Warblers, a Reed Warbler, and a Lesser Whitethroat.
The Blackcaps were in good condition with plenty of fat which was good to see after the drought and storms.
Friday 9th
For the third morning in a row heavy rain showers were forecast, this time they did not materialise but it was too late for us to get in. Anyway some news from August when The flock of 19 White Storks turned up. It was possible to read the colour rings on most of them and the details are below;
GB9Z - 1721070 - Juvenile male bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August.
GB4X - 1721045 - Juvenile female bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August.
GB0Z - 1721061 - Juvenile male bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August.
GB9X - 1721050 - Juvenile male bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August.
GBA4 - 1721075 - Juvenile female bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August.
GB4U - 1721025 - Wild born juvenile male from one of the nests at
Knepp.
GB2X - 1721043 - Juvenile female bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August.
GB2Y - 1721053 - Juvenile male bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August.
GB7V - 1721039 - Juvenile female bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August.
GB5Z - 1721066 - Juvenile female bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August.
GB4Y - 1721055 - Juvenile male bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August. Sadly hit by a train and killed in
Shoreham, West Sussex on 19th August.
GB8Y - 1721059 - Juvenile male bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August.
GB9Y - 1721060 - Juvenile female bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August.
GB9V - 1721040 - Juvenile male bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August.
GB8X - 1721049 - Juvenile male bred at Cotswold Wildlife Park and
released at Knepp in early August
Well done to our assistant warden Greg for reading them.
Tuesday 6th
There was a big thunderstorm overnight and with unsettled weather to the west and north it was no surprise that there was no notable arrival here. There were 13 new and five retrap birds caught before the increasing wind put a stop to proceedings. The new birds were a Wren, eight Blackcaps, two Willow Warblers and two Chaffinches.
In the late afternoon a Collared Dove was caught which showed an interesting mixture of moult. One wing was in active moult and the other wing was in suspended or arrested moult. As a species which can breed at any suitable opportunity in the year we do come across interesting moults but not often two different ones on the same bird.
Monday 5th
With clear, calm and dry conditions overnight it would seem migrants took the opportunity to move on. Only 14 birds were caught.
Sunday 4th
Conditions were good again and 50 birds were ringed. Firecrest and Pied Flycatcher were the highlights and 35 Blackcaps constituted the bulk.
Saturday 3rd
As the weather settles Blackcaps are starting to move out. Twenty-seven of the thirty-six new birds were Blackcaps. Also new were a Whitethroat, two Chiffchaffs, three Willow Warblers and a Goldfinch.
A check of the Barn Owl nest showed the chicks had fledged and a Stock Dove had moved in.
Friday 2nd
After two days of unsuitable wind strength it dropped overnight and we were able to resume ringing. There were 22 new birds and three retraps. The morning started with a Spotted and a Pied Flycatcher but did not elevate beyond that, Willow Warbler led the way with eight. The birds seemed to be in one of two conditions, either lots of fat probably after hanging around waiting for conditions to improve, or, low in fat probably having just arrived. It is not often we get a Willow Warbler with a fat as high a score 5 (out of 8).