The RAS is on

A new long term study measuring adult survival in a population of wheatears on Mynydd Preseli has just started. It is hoped to catch and colour-ring all the breeding adults in a defined area on the north slopes of Mynydd Preseli as part of the BTO's "Ringing Adults for Survival" scheme (RAS). Every year all the resighted individuals will be recorded to measure survival between breeding seasons, and any new recruits will also be colour-ringed to top up the sample. It hoped to catch all 60 adults in the study plot over the next month - so far five have been caught during the initial visit.

A smart adult male wheatear with newly fitted colour rings

Des res for dippers and more migrant waders

Last week we checked the nine dipper boxes put up during March and early April under various bridges in the Preseli area, thinking that they were probably put up too late to be used this season. We were very pleased to find that three were already occupied including a dipper nest containing a brood of five that will be fledging any day now from a box that didn't go up until 4th April. They must have started to move in as we walked away from the bridge. Unfortunately I accidentally deleted the pics taken whilst ringing the brood before I could get them off the camera. The other two occupied boxes had a dipper on eggs and a newly lined grey wagtail nest.

The wader passage is still in full swing with whimbrel and dunlin dominating the scene. So far, 34 whimbrel and 9 dunlin have been ringed, all of which are stunning in their summer plumage.

summer plumage dunlin

two whimbrel (one with a bill as long as male curlew)

Tawny Boxes

Over the last two or three years about 35 Tawny Owl boxes have been put up, some in the south of the county in broadleaf woodland and some in the conifer plantations in the Preseli area. Most of these have now been checked, and almost all have shown signs of being used by Tawny Owls, but only four were used for breeding, including this brood of two ringed by John and Paul at Kilpaison.

It seems that the local Tawny Owl population includes many non-breeders, which is perhaps a sign that in terms of numbers we have a very healthy population within the county. More monitoring over the long term is the only way to tell.

Whimbrels worth waiting for

After two or three seasons trying to find a site to catch whimbrels with a lamp and landing net, and failing abysmally, it was a relief to finally catch some using the tried and tested method of a mist net. We have been keen to try and research some of the commonest birds that visit the county and whimbrel pass through every spring in their hundreds or perhaps thousands, though none are ringed to see where they are going or coming from. Tony Cross initiated a colour-ringing scheme which has had some amazing results (see ruffled feathers) but the ten rings he sent me  have just been rattling around somewhere in the back of the car, until last night when Paul brought his lucky mist net and we caught five new birds.

whimbrel

 Also new in recently are most of the summer migrants including  the whitethroat and gropper  below

adult male whitethroat

gropper

Spring at last!

The woods nearby seemed devoid of birds less than a week ago and I was getting a bit worried that spring was not going to arrive. As it happened the first chiffchaff started singing on 13th with a willow warbler the next day. By yesterday many of the residents were busy singing and defending territories rather than silently feeding and skulking. It's always a surprise when ringing the first warblers of the season following a winter of handling much more robust species, and it still amazes how something that only weighs 7-8 grams can cross the Sahara and battle its way back only to be confronted with our lousy weather! Lets hope these migrants have more luck rearing young than they did last year.

chiffchaff

willow warbler

nuthatch

Paul with an immature male Sparrowhawk
caught this week

Winter goes on

With the extended winter season comes more wader ringing and like other ringers in Wales we have ringed our first ever April Woodcock and Golden Plover. Paul has also caught a couple of new birds for the year;

A Drake Teal

and a smart summer plumage redshank

Looking forward to Spring

Despite the chilly conditions and last year's depressing summer weather, we are still inexplicably optimistic  about spring's imminent arrival and John, Paul and PJ have made an assortment of nest boxes over the last month or so using workshop facilities at Valero refinery, Pembroke. Target species this year have been Tawny Owl, Redstart and Dipper. The redstart boxes were trialed last year in open conifer plantations and were a success in that three out of six boxes were used by redstarts rather than taken up by by blue tits and great tits, which seem to have the ability to spontaneously form no matter where the box is placed. With the permission and help from local forest manager, Huw Denman, we now have 30 redstart boxes in conifer woods in addition to another 15 sited in other suitable open habitat.

A box designed for redstarts in open conifers, Preseli

One of last year's redstart chicks from a nest box at  Ty Rhyg

Whilst there is never a bad time of year to put up a nest box, the newly sited dipper and tawny owl boxes are up too late for this breeding season; these are early breeders and many have already laid a clutch of eggs.
However they will become useful as roost sites straight away and especially once this years young become independent.

One of the dipper boxes put up yesterday

More Golden Plover

Last night at one of the regular study sites for Woodcock (Stackpole) there were fewer birds than expected for this site perhaps indicating that some woodcock have taken advantage of the settled weather to start their journey eastwards to their breeding grounds. A big surprise was a small flock of 25 Golden Plover in dairy pasture where they have never been recorded at night before. Perhaps these are birds passing through, or maybe the activities on the nearby Castlemartin firing range displaced them from their usual fields on the range. Altogether, 9 Goldies and 4 Woodcock were ringed.

1st Winter Golden Plover ready to go 

(Paul and Paddy)

Going for Gold

The conditions were not ideal for lamping last night - not a breath of wind and a beautiful starry night -but we decided to go anyway to have a last go at trying to catch woodcock before they migrate east in a week or so. There were still plenty of woodcock, with around 30 seen, but only one caught as they were extremely jumpy and impossible to get close to. We also ringed a skylark and a snipe. Then we came to a field with quite a few golden plover and our depression changed to elation as we managed to catch 14 including two retraps from earlier this winter. Unfortunately, in the excitement we forgot to take photos, but some were starting to moult into summer plumage and starting to look very smart. Here's a photo of the snipe..

Paul W and Paddy J

Almost a hattrick

Last night a visit was made with Den to some fields in the Maenclochog area of Preseli to survey and ring woodcock. Even though only ten days previously the area was welly-deep in snow, there were plenty of birds about with 28 recorded in three fields totaling 15 hectares. This is nearly four times the average density of 0.5 birds per hectare. Clearly if the woodcock in this area vacated during the week long period of snow cover then they returned quickly and brought a bunch of their mates back with them. Catching conditions were good for a change, and 16 were ringed, all of which were new.

We also ringed a snipe and saw a jack snipe which unfortunately was not settled enough to get close to. It's a puzzle why jack snipe are impossible to flush in the day, but almost impossible to approach at night.

Snipe - only the sixth this winter