Hen Harriers

Over the last 6 weeks i have been lucky enough to be involved in the Hen Harrier survey on the island with Manx birdlife. Today after spending hours on vantage points trying to pinpoint these birds was a day to go into known sites and ring the young. I met up with Adam from Manxbirdlife and Katie who is doing a masters on Hen Harrier nests site, measuring depth of slope, altitude habitat so on .
A full day with 7 nests visited and 12 chicks ringed broods of 4 3 2 and 1 and a nest that had fledged 2. 4 more nests were ringed on Saturday and there are some more still to do. A CRACKING DAY.
Thanks to Chris, Adam, Kevin and Katie

Port Lawaigue

2 Nets put up at Port Lawaigue  yesterday.

A nice steady morning with a few newly fledged birds about

3  Willow Warblers  3j {still in juvenile plumage}

6 Blackcaps  3 3j  2 adult females and a male

3 Chiffchaff   all 3j

1 Dunnock   3j

1 Wood Pigeon   just fledged

9 Blue Tits  5 3j birds 4 adults

2 Gt Tit  1 adult female 1 3j

2 Song Thrush 1= 3  1 adult

1 Chaffinch  adult female retrap from 26/03/10  from my garden

1 Blackbird adult female

3 Starlings

Young Blackcap

You Can't see me

I Met up with Erica { Warden of the Ayres} today to check one of the small colonies of Little Tern on the island.

2 Little Tern Chicks ringed and a Ringed Plover Chick.

Thanks to Erica for the invite an enjoyable afternoon.

The rest of the week

After the Cormorants and a few good showers

Sure i can still Smell them.

I set up for Gulls on Friday afternoon another 10 Herring Gulls ringed and a Darvic put on the left leg.

All the Gulls i have ringed in the garden so far have been Adult  Birds euro age 10 {4 Years or older}

On Friday got a nice 2nd year Herring Gull

These are the Numbers we are now using in the isle of Man

Darvic series  * = number 0-9

T*TR -T*TZ           90

T*UA -TUZ         220

T*VA -T*VZ        220

T*WA -T*WZ      220

T*XA -  T*XZ       220

T*YA - T*YZ       230

T*ZA - T*ZZ        220

On Saturday another Ringed Plover caught.

Check out Kevs site for Cormorant Controls the island has had

Coooormorant Ringing

I met Kevin and Adam at 12:30 to go and see if we could ring a few Cormorants. A Great afternoon shame it was so hot the smell from this colony was amazing. But a great time was had, a right mixed bag as sizes go,with Eggs still in nests, young Hatching,  Feathers Short, Medium and Long. 63 young Cormorants ringed.

Thanks to Kevin and Adam.

 

Start the week right

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday i controlled a Herring Gull in the Garden.

Today Kevin  Scott Told me it was ringed in 1994 as an Adult bird

by are very own Chris Sharpe whilst Canon netting in Ramsey.

No great distant travelled but a Gull which is  20 years old and maybe then some. Nice One

Today i was out with Kevin  just checking sites and seeing how some of the nesting birds are coming on.

1 Ringed Plover  Ringed

and

1 Oystercatcher

a nice morning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Became a tourist today

It has been quite windy this week  so not a lot of ringing done

4 More willow warblers  and 5 more Gulls with Darvic rings on

plus a few more House Sparrows in Garden

Today i went for a  good look round up at the point of Ayre but again it was very quite so i stopped of in Ramsey and thought  i would watch the last day of the TT.

Turned out to be great with The boy from Bingley winning again today that's 5 wins out of 5 . I had my camera with me so set up and got some great shots.

 

 

Guy Martin, Last Lap before he crashed out

 

Ian Hutchinson, on his way to win 5 TTS out of 5   last lap .

Nest box in Garden

When we moved here in March the first  thing i did was put up some nest boxes in the Garden . Today i ringed 5 Blue Tit Chicks all Feathers Long  in one of the boxes. Its a Start.

Also went out with the lads from Manx Birdlife on a fishing, Birding Dolphin Basking Shark expedition yesterday, had a great afternoon the weather was fantastic so was the wildlife.

 

Mother and Baby