Yesterday

A busy morning yesterday with a visit back to Christine's garden in St Johns with Kev.

It was another great morning with 83 birds caught - 77 new and 6 retraps.

                                                     The totals were (retraps in brackets):

Dunnock 2

Robin 

Coal Tit 24 (+3)

Blue Tit 10 (+2)

Great Tit 11

House Sparrow 5

Chaffinch 13 (+1)

Greenfinch 3

Goldfinch 3

Siskin 4

www.grayimages.co.uk

First net ride we had 8 Coal Tits in the net never seen so many in one net , Coal Tit was the bird of the day after that with 27 being caught

I then met up with Kev for a spot of Dazzling in the evening

2 Turnstone

1 Sanderling

2 Dunlin

Dunlin

Turnstone

Sanderling

Sanderling

Turnstone

Herring Gulls in Dublin

News off kev about 2 of our Juv Herring Gulls being seen on the roof of the fish market at Howth Harbour, West Pier, Dublin on 24 September by Sean Kingston and Chris Honan. 

T8XP i ringed on the 05 July this year at the Gravel Pits at the Point of Ayre. 

Gulls waiting to be ringed

In June this year i made up another 50 darvics and they were sent to the Calf of Man to be

 used on the Gull colonies there the other Gull seen was one of these.

  T5UA was ringed on the Calf on the 27 June

These are the first Colour ringed Herring Gulls to be seen off Island so far 

Today

I met up with Kev this morning at Mr Mrs Colvin's garden near Close Sartfield.

Before the net went up the kettle was on and 4 hours later 112 birds caught.

Mainly Tits with 51 Gt Tits. Also Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Siskin.

Also some birds ringed in the nest by Dave Sharpe this year and early were caught today, 

Great Tit 33 + 18 retrap

Goldfinch 22

Blue Tit 13 + 5 retrap

Coal Tit 7 + 2 retrap

Chaffinch 4 + 1 retrap

Greenfinch 5

Robin 1

Siskin 1 retrap

85 new birds + 27 retraps = 112 total

Thanks again The Colvin's for letting us ring in your garden and for the tea.

End of week

A good end to the week with 60 birds caught at the woosh net site at the Point of Ayre today .

58 New birds and 2 retraps

33 Meadow Pipits

23 Goldfinch

4 Linnets

1 retrap Linnet first caught on 16/09/2011

1 retrap Goldfinch first caught on  21/08/2011

The wind has been to strong all week for mist nets so i persevered with the woosh net and the MP3 for Meadow Pipits.

 111 in 4 mornings i am quite pleased with, we use to catch that in a day back in Yorkshire.

Different sites different migration routes, i know when we use to ring at Kex Gill in Yorkshire 

the Meadow Pipits were constant all morning, with hundreds flying through

Where as here i am getting only 3 and 4 every half hour or so.

Colour ringed Meadow Pipit Yorkshire 2007 over 500 colour ringed

More Pipits

With a nice blue sky over the Point of Ayre this morning there was a bit of Meadow Pipit movement 

at least 80 birds, shame i couldnt mist net as wind was to strong. I set up the woosh net and met Chris doing his survey of the gravel Pits, he stayed for 15 mins as we caught the first 6 and i decided to let him ring them as he needs the practice ( dont get out the office much these days ) another 18 Meadow Pipits and 1 linnet ringed

On the way home i called into Ramsey to check the harbour for Rock Pipits and Wheatear

4 Wheatears about only one caught in spring trap 

and another Rock Pipit Colour Ringed

Wheatear

Last few days

Meadow Pipit

41 Meadow Pipits caught up at the point of Ayre woosh net Site

with

11 Linnets

8 Goldfinch

1 Chaffinch

1 Siskin

another 3 Rock Pipits colour ringed this time at Ramsey Harbour, 2 Blackcaps caught at Port Lewaigue on Saturday evening and a Robin.

3 Whooper Swans in field just out of Bride this morning on the way to the Point of Ayre

Port Lewaigue

Set up for 07:30 down at Port Lewaigue a beautiful morning

3 Blackcaps were the first birds out the nets with another 2 later on

after that

2 Willow Warblers

2 Blackbirds

2 Goldcrest

2 Goldfinch

3 Coal Tits

4 Robins

The Wind Calms down

A nice few hours spent at Port Lewaigue today with 15 new birds being ringed.

No sign of the Spotted Flycatchers and Garden Warbler which were seen on Monday.

Birds ringed

6 Blackcaps

2 Siskin

1 Robin

2 Dunnock

1Wren

1Goldcrest

1 Blue Tit

1 Gt Tit

other birds about 

Redpoll

2 Choughs Over

2 Ravens

4 Hooded Crow

3 Curlew

6 Oystercatcher

2 Sandwich Tern

8 Mallard

4 Rock Pipits

Nice to bump into Brian and thanks for the photos

Photo Brian Liggins

Brian also took this shot today at Port lewaigue

This Rock Pipit was ringed at Port mooar on the 8 September 2011 

Photo Brian Liggins

Thanks to John as well for this great shot of another Rock Pipit
seen at Port Lewaigue on Monday
again this bird was ringed at Port Mooar on 11 August 2011

Photo John Donnelly

Kev also has some great news about another colour ringed Cormorant of ours

Photo by David Henderson

Click picture to see his blog for details

To windy

Last 3 days of gale force winds has put a stop to any ringing so i have been out sea watching.

Good reports of Skuas past the Calf of Man 17 Great and 10 Arctic and at Peel last night 6 Great 7 Arctic and a Pom.

Also yesterday reports of 5 Spotted Flycatcher at Port Lewaigue , one of my ringing sites.

I went down for a good look and dipped on them had a few Blackcaps and Chiffchaff hiding low in the brambles.

Chiffchaff

Today at the Point of Ayre a nice Red Throated 

Diver still showing Summer Plumage was nice

and a Merlin was blown along the coast at about 60mph

Red throated Diver

MOOAR Rock Pipits

Down at Port Mooar for 2 hours today, 2 more Rock Pipits ringed and a Whooper Swan on the sea.

Rock Pipits

The gale force winds have had one benefit, that being the rough seas of yesterday have washed up a good load of kelp on the beach at Port Mooar. This morning i popped down for a look and at least 30 Rock Pipits about. 

I now have some meal worms and with in 5 Min's had caught 2 new birds. 

I stayed 2 hours and caught 8 new birds 

other birds about 

Female Hen Harrier over

52 Mallards on sea

6 Oystercatcher

18 Curlew

Last Blue White on Right leg

Now using Red White on Right leg

More Ringed bird Photos

Out and about today. A Mute Swan which has successfully bred up the Gravel Pits we knew was a ringed bird but we could never get close enough to it to see. Today i got a photo.

H21 was ringed as an Adult Male on 21 December 2010 in Ramsey Harbour 

now a proud father of 1

On the way back from Point of Ayre just before you get to Bride i noticed a Juv Herring Gull T3TR

Ringed at the gravel Pits this summer, checking with Kev for exact date 

 ringed 12 July 2011 

Rock Pipit Weekend

Wind and Rain put a stop to any netting this weekend. So i decided to modernise my walk in duck trap to try and catch some Rock Pipits down at Port Mooar. I had no meal worms either so placed

 the call on inside the duck trap and sat back in the car and waited.

2 New Rock Pipit colour ringed and i also took my camera and got a few shots of combinations.

 Lime Blue Ringed 29 July 2011 Port Mooar

 Lime Yellow Ringed 28 July 2011 Port Mooar

 Blue Blue Ringed November 23 2010 Port  Mooar

 Mauve Orange Ringed 6 August Port Mooar

Mauve Red Ringed 11 August 2011 Port Mooar

Mauve Light Pink Ringed 1  August 2011 Port Mooar

 Yellow Yellow Ringed November 2 2010 Ramsey seen again on the 06
January at Port Lewaigue now at Port mooar

Yellow Yellow Movement

Light Pink Light Pink Ringed 20 August 2011 Port Mooar

A touch of Autumn

Yesterday there was a nice nip in the air i went to look for any signs of Meadow Pipit movement 

only saw 3 and then the wind got up. I went down to Port Lewaigue in the afternoon and set 2 nets out of the wind.

4 Blackcaps

2 chiffchaff

 ringed.

Another good evening out with Kev last night

4 Turnstone

3 Sanderling

1 Dunlin

1 Ringed Plover

ringed