Hello
A couple of recent ringing returns as follows...
A juvenile Starling was ringed at Scaldwell village on 7th June 2017 and was found dead, seemingly predated, in the Headlands district of Northampton on 21st August, a distance of about 10km. This year seemed to be a good breeding season for Starlings, the sometimes moist conditions providing optimum conditions for adults to find sufficient numbers of leatherjackets, the all-important larvae of Crane Flies, a critical food for Starlings during the breeding season. A large proportion of these flying juveniles are thinned out by predators, in particular they regularly fall prey to domestic cats, Sparrowhawks and Peregrines.
An adult Reed Warbler was caught and ringed at Stortons Gravel Pits on 25th August this year and only six days later was again found in a mist net but this time at Icklesham, Sussex, a distance of 185km in a south-easterly direction. It would be interesting to know if this was a breeding bird at Stortons or indeed was perhaps a passage adult from further north?
The weather in west Cornwall today was blustery and grey and sometimes rather wet but we managed to see a few birds including a Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Sennen, the third one in two days!
A two hour walk at Kenidjack provided at least five Choughs, a Peregrine and a heavy passage of Gannets offshore, but passerines were minimal. A Firecrest remained secretive on the outskirts of Penzance and the infamous headland of Porthgwarra was the venue for a little sea-watching in challenging conditions; diversity was limited and Gannets and Manx Shearwaters dominated but also a couple of passing Balearic Shearwaters made it more interesting. We finished the day at a very wet Hayle Estuary where the choice waders were Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper.
Regards
Neil M
A couple of recent ringing returns as follows...
A juvenile Starling was ringed at Scaldwell village on 7th June 2017 and was found dead, seemingly predated, in the Headlands district of Northampton on 21st August, a distance of about 10km. This year seemed to be a good breeding season for Starlings, the sometimes moist conditions providing optimum conditions for adults to find sufficient numbers of leatherjackets, the all-important larvae of Crane Flies, a critical food for Starlings during the breeding season. A large proportion of these flying juveniles are thinned out by predators, in particular they regularly fall prey to domestic cats, Sparrowhawks and Peregrines.
An adult Reed Warbler was caught and ringed at Stortons Gravel Pits on 25th August this year and only six days later was again found in a mist net but this time at Icklesham, Sussex, a distance of 185km in a south-easterly direction. It would be interesting to know if this was a breeding bird at Stortons or indeed was perhaps a passage adult from further north?
The weather in west Cornwall today was blustery and grey and sometimes rather wet but we managed to see a few birds including a Buff-breasted Sandpiper at Sennen, the third one in two days!
A two hour walk at Kenidjack provided at least five Choughs, a Peregrine and a heavy passage of Gannets offshore, but passerines were minimal. A Firecrest remained secretive on the outskirts of Penzance and the infamous headland of Porthgwarra was the venue for a little sea-watching in challenging conditions; diversity was limited and Gannets and Manx Shearwaters dominated but also a couple of passing Balearic Shearwaters made it more interesting. We finished the day at a very wet Hayle Estuary where the choice waders were Little Stint and Curlew Sandpiper.
Regards
Neil M
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| Juvenile Great Black-backed Gull. |
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| Adult Gannet. |
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| Little Egret. |
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