Thursday 20 December 2018

Ringing recoveries

Hello

Jacob finally managed to see the drake Ring-necked Duck at Pitsford Reservoir today, initially picked up in flight and then in the vicinity of the mouths of the Scaldwell and Walgrave Bays. This has been a difficult bird for many local birders to connect with and like all the feeding 'aythya' ducks on the reservoir it clearly moves around a bit!

At least six Bramblings were in the Brampton Valley below Hanging Houghton early this afternoon, again in the vicinity of the large barn.

Stanwick Pits hosted the six White-fronted Geese and the Pink-footed Goose on the Roadside Pit but efforts at seeing the Hen Harrier at the eastern end of the complex between 10.30am and 12 noon proved negative.

Some ringing data has been received reflecting the activities of bird ringing locally and elsewhere...

EZ55626 was a ring placed on a nestling Kestrel near Stanwick on 1st June 2018 and despite fledging successfully sadly this bird was found dead (cause unknown) near Twywell on 6th December 2018.

FH95075 was a ring placed on a leg of a juvenile Carrion Crow at Hanging Houghton on 25th July 2018, not a species we ring very often. This bird was reportedly shot at nearby Lamport in early December 2018.

GV11773 was a ring used on an adult drake Mallard at Pitsford Reservoir on 28th July 2018 and this bird was then shot near Brixworth in November 2018.

Sadly these bigger birds didn't fare too well but better news has been received of the following two much smaller birds...!

Z976742 was the ring placed on a juvenile Blue Tit at a place called Caer Du, Howey in Powys on 19th October 2017 and this little mite turned up in a mist net at Bradden, South Northants on 9th December 2018 by which time it was an adult bird! A 160 km journey for a Blue Tit is pretty astonishing and I wonder what the stimulus for flying almost directly east was -and where is it now and where is it off to next?

AYD7995 was more of a conformist - a ring that was affixed to a first year male Goldfinch on 21st October 2018 at Anglers Country Park, Wakefield, West Yorkshire - this bird was re-caught by Chris Payne at Greens Norton, South Northants on 26th November 2018 having travelled 168 km in a southerly direction.

Regards

Neil M


Kestrel.

Carrion Crow.

Mallard courtesy
of Jacob Spinks.

Blue Tit.

Goldfinch.

No comments: