Today

Chris had some friends staying this weekend  Jeremy and Neome.  Both of them ringers so this morning we decided to go down to Castletown and try for Rock Pipits. Yesterday the weather was great very calm , today we pulled into Castletown and  a strong SW wind was waiting for us. After a coffee we decided to head back up North to Port Mooar  which we thought being on the East would be out of the wind. As we got out the car we were met by an Easterly Wind ???

10 minutes later we were in Ramsey catching Mute Swans. Only 17 Mute Swans seen today in the harbour 

2 Swans caught  1 a new bird  and 1 a control with no colour ring  so a colour ring added.

15 of these Swans now all ringed and showing colour rings  1 Swan still to ring and  1 Swan still needs a colour ring added 

We decided to head in land to the Sulby garden site .

2 Hours later 54 birds caught

Gt Tit   16 new birds  3 retraps

Blue Tit 15 new 5 retraps

Coal Tits 4 new

Long tailed Tit 4

Robin 2 new

Chaffinch  2 new

Greenfinch 1 new 

on the way back home i stopped off at Ramsey Harbour and noticed 2 colour ringed Herring Gulls

TIXB ringed in my garden 9 July 2010

T0XA ringed in my garden 22 June 2010  first time seen after ringing

weekly update

A steady week with 2 visits to the woosh net site. Me and Kev met there on Wednesday and caught another 25 Linnets 15 new birds and 10 retraps

I went up again on Thursday and caught another 6 new Linnets with 2 retraps
no sign of Twite

(469 Linnets ringed since August)

8 Chough were also seen,  4 of which i got colour combinations off

Kev came back with info on them, all were ringed on the same day 

03 June 2008 from 3 different nest sites.  From the Point of Ayre to where they were ringed varies
from 22km to 35km

Yesterday was spent up at one of the plantations for Redpoll and Crossbill

no Redpoll seen 8 Crossbill by the net for at least 2 hours but no joy

a spot of garden ringing in the afternoon with 6 Long Tailed Tits  2 more Siskin
{161 Siskins now ringed in my Garden}
1 female Chaffinch

Last week

A good day out with Kev on Thursday.  We were looking at a few new sights and decided to put a couple of 2 shelve nets up down at Pooil Vaaish.

A couple of Chough bounced and clip the nets which left us with a few ideas

2  Rock Pipits caught and colour ringed and a Dunnock

We decided to head for Castletown to ring the Mute Swans 

5 Swans ringed and a colour ring placed on left leg.           

Friday i spent up at the Point of Ayre .

The new woosh net site is getting a lot of attention now from Linnets

33 New Linnets caught

5 Retraps some from August 2010

3 Retrap Twite

Another Machrehanish Twite was controlled on Monday 

50 Twite ringed so far at this sight and

2 controls from Machrehanish

Last few days

Twite still hanging around with 53 counted today none caught but a nice shot of some of the 36 we have

colour ringed.

Tuesday i met up with Chris and Kev and went to look at a new ringing site,  after the recce me and Kev

went and caught 2 juvenile Mute Swans in Ramsey Harbour.

Good to get the Juveniles they have only been around for the last 3 weeks.

Also two Herring Gulls caught in Douglas.

Twite

After a disappointing week with no Twite seen at the feeding station  it was great to get a phone call of Chris today to tell me  a flock of 50+ had been seen on Saturday/Sunday

I set off up to the Point of Ayre and as soon as i pulled up i counted 53 Twite sat on the fence right next 

to the seed. 

Ten minutes later they were flying down to the seed.

I let them feed and watched for about 2 hours taking shots and looking for colour rings.

I had packed all my woosh net stuff away last week so i decided to set it up again and let the birds get use to the poles.

as i set up they were landing next to me and didn't seem bothered about poles or me.

They stayed about from 11:30 until  3:30 and in amongst the showers and the visits from Merlin and Kestrel i managed to catch 

29 New birds

 now colour ringed with this years colours

Left Leg White ring   {colour for Isle of Man} 

 above

 Blue/Orange  {Year Ring 2011 Jan>June}

2011 Isle of Man colour ringed Twite

also caught were 3 retraps birds from 30 December 2010

Twite caught in IOM 30 December 2010  

and a controlled bird from Machrihanish 

Right leg Green\White split ring

Left leg BTO Metal Green\White Split ring

Machrihanish Twite

Thanks to Chris for the call and to Dave Sowter and Roy Rhoades 

for the colour rings

Click for bigger image

Out and about

A quick visit down the road to Port Lewaigue this aft for a spot of watching.

A nice male Pintail in the bay with 26 Mallard

also saw Colour Ringed Rock Pipit Yellow/Yellow

on the shore. I ringed this bird on the 2 November 2010

In Ramsey Harbour only a distance

 of 1 and a half miles but first time it has been 

re sighted

Manx Ringing Group Totals 2010

Manx Ringing Group Totals 2010

please follow links to see totals and recapture history for the year

Ringing Totals for 2010

Recapture and Recovery Totals for 2010

thanks to Kev for all his work

So a New Year Starts

Manx Shearwater

What a great 9 months it has been since we moved over to the isle of Man

I have ringed 2043 new birds and 64 Pulli 

Also 66 Species ringed

Manx Ringing Group total for 2010

2841 Birds

74 Species

Projects started this year

Herring Gull colour ring project started with 65 birds being ringed

Rock Pipit project started,  individually being colour ringed

Started to carry on with colour ringing of Mute Swans for the North West Swan group

North West Twite colour ring Project now including the Isle of Man 

Kev with LBB Gulls

A big Thanks to Kev Scott for all his help and advice over the last 9 months

some good laughs we have had and will have a load more i am sure

Thanks to Chris Sharp from Manx Birdlife again for his help and support

and to all the landowners and agencies for letting us ring birds on the isle of Man

Sharpy with Hen Harrier

Hopefully this year we will try and do a bit better and have a few more new sites to ring at

watch this space.

January 3

 i was out with Chris and Kay at a garden site in Sulby 105 birds caught

86 New birds
19 Retraps
of these
 60 were  Blue Tits
The rest were

Blackbirds, Robins, Gt Tits, Coal Tits, Chaffinch's and a Dunnock

Gt Spotted Woodpecker seen

a good start to the year