October ends

Well another few hours at the Whoosh site with 14 Birds ringed

9 New Goldfinch

5 new Linnets

Male Sparrowhawk hanging around most of the time and female Merlin racing through

October has been a very windy month here on the isle of Man

which means Mist netting has been out of the question for most of it

Good job we have the Whoosh site which can be operated in windier conditions

422 New birds caught at the Point of Ayre Whoosh site in October

295 Goldfinch

95 Linnets in October 

501 in 2011 so far

397 in 2010

13 Twite

12 Meadow Pipits

4 Lesser Redpoll

3 Chaffinch

as the weather get colder i expect the Linnet flock to get bigger 

and more Twite should turn up over the next few weeks

Another 100 bird day

Met up with Kev and his son Fin at The Close Sartfield feeder site.

A busy morning with 106 birds caught, 76 new birds the rest retraps and a Chaffinch control from the Calf of Man Kev thinks.

Gt Tit

Blue Tit

Coal Tit

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Chaffinch

Blackbird

Tree Sparrow

House Sparrow

Then up to the whoosh site, as we pulled up good numbers of birds about 

only 19 birds caught

3 Retraps

Goldfinch

Linnets

1 Lesser Redpoll

up to 9 Lesser Redpoll seen

and 19 Twite sat on wires

also

 1 Sparrowhawk seen 

1 Hen Harrier over .

Lesser Redpoll

Slow start Great end

4 hours spent at a plantation site for Redpoll today only 2 seen and only 2 birds ringed

Chaffinch and a Goldcrest

Then off to The Point of Ayre

73 new Birds ringed and 1 retrap

36 Goldfinch {still they come}

28 Linnets

and 

9 Twite

great to see the Twite back, thought i had heard them 2 days ago

My wife Niki came out with me today and glad she did 

took care of the writing.

Colour combination for IOM White over Orange Blue
Left Leg
White = IOM
Orange Blue = ringed JULY/DECEMBER 2011

Redpoll at Point

All set for a good day at the Point of Ayre just a small breeze as i set up. The first catch was

 4 new Goldfinch and 5 re traps

1 Linnet 

and

 2  Lesser Redpolls

Now the weather here on the isle of Man has been none stop wind for 2 months and we haven't had the chance to get up to the plantations to try for Redpoll yet, so today they came to me :-)

And that was it, 3 hours later not another bird ringed.

There was a report of Snow Bunting near the Lighthouse this morning so i went for a look i

couldn't find it but saw T9TR on the shore.

Ringed at the Point of Ayre gravel pits on July 12 this year

This Week

An awful week where ringing has been concerned, the wind has been to strong for anything

except Swan catching, me and Kev caught a few Mute swans around the island on Tuesday with a few Mallards. We saw a Kingfisher in Peel inner Harbour on Tuesday so for a few hours on Thursday i went back down to see if i could get a few shots . Kingfisher on the isle of Man are few and far between with the odd one in Ramsey,  the one at Peel was easier to find and a bit closer at times. While i was there i got a text ” Sabine’s Gull at Peel” so i flew off to the breakwater to see if i could get a glimpse. What a glimpse as well 

see more at www.grayimages.co.uk

                                                  

A visit to the Whoosh site this morning before the wind got gale force, 14 New Goldfinch ringed and 10 new Linnets.  I stopped off at Ramsey and set the Gull trap

1  juv Herring Gull colour ringed as well.

Not bad for such a windy day

Today

Gale force winds all week, so i took camera out and had a good day.

Catching birds on film for a change

Down at Port Lewaigue i had a ringed Rock Pipit

left below Lime Red

This bird was ringed at Port Moore on July 28 2011

Then a trip to Ramsey Harbour to check on Mute Swans

7 ringed birds in Harbour

Y21 ringed on January 30 2011 in Ramsey Harbour

J23 ringed on 23 March 2011 in Castletown

B21 ringed December 21 Ramsey Harbour

C21 ringed ringed December 21 Ramsey Harbour

A86 ringed 22 October 2010 Ramsey harbour

A87 was re ringed in Ramsey on 22 October 2010 was first ringed as A68 back in 1998

and 

D23 ringed January 31 2011 at Billown Mansion born in 2010 here 

After that i walked up the river to see if the female Goosander was still showing

as i got to the bend there she was.

see more at www.grayimages.co.uk

I then drove up to the Point of Ayre for a spot of Sea watching. Just the norm a few Gulls Herring Common, Black Headed, Greater Black Backed, Gannets, Cormorant, Shag, Razorbill and Guillemot

on way home spotted

T4XG

and

T8XG

Herring Gulls at Ramsey Pier

Goldfinch still being caught

Another good few hours up at the whoosh net site with 58 birds caught 

54 new Goldfinch and 1 re trap from Wednesday

 and 3 new Linnets.

179 new Goldfinch ringed at Point Of Ayre this October
228 since August

New from Andy back in Wharfedale Yorkshire
He started to catch Redwing and Redpoll yesterday

Anybody Recognise Ring Number V836383 on a Redpoll

Rnging in Garden

Gt Tit TK42421 Island Movement

Another day of showers and mist so i decided to give the Point of Ayre a miss today and opened the nets in the garden around midday

First bird in was a Gt Tit  with a B ring on so i knew it had been ringed in a nest box some where.

TK42421 was ringed this year by Dave Sharpe as a chick in a box at Close Sarfield reserve 0n 20 May it was then recaught on the 27 September at The Colvin's site near Close Sartfield by me and Kev and 

now recaught again at Port e Vullen.

Garden So Far   ( ) = retraps

1 Wren
5 Goldfinch
8 Siskin (5)

2 Blue Tits (1)
2 Gt Tits (1)

Feeding Station

After the rain this morning i shot up to the Point of Ayre and set the Whoosh net, plenty of finches about. 

38 birds caught

28 New Goldfinch 2 retraps from last week

8 New Linnets

as well as being a feeding station for the finches, today i had Sparrowhawk, Kestrel and Merlin piling into the flocks of finches.

Goldfinch Siskin Movement

Last few days i have caught a Siskin in my garden which i ringed at the Point of Ayre on the 19/10/2011 i then had a Goldfinch up at the Point of Ayre which i first ringed in my garden on 13/12/2010 and

today i caught another Goldfinch in my Garden which i had ringed at the Point of Ayre on 23/10/2011.

Nets open in the garden this morning, with 22 birds caught.

7  new Goldfinch 2 Retraps

2 new Gt Tits 1 retrap

2 new Siskin 1 retrap

1 new House Sparrow 1 retrap

3 new Blue Tits

1 new Chaffinch

1 retrap Coal Tit

1 Male Sparrow Hawk bounced twice oooohhhhh

Went for a seawatch in afternoon and ended back at Ramsey a couple of Wheatears on Harbour wall

plus  

Rock Pipit  RBRW LBCO  ringed on 16/09/2011

Trip to Peel

A trip to Peel for a spot of sea watching yesterday turned up two of our colour ringed 

Gulls in the harbour

 T1UB was ringed on the Calf of Man on 12/07/2011 

T6TX was ringed at the Point of Ayre gravel pits on 30/06/2011

I had the nets open in the garden this aft the wind died down a little,
6 Siskin 3 Goldfinch 1 chaffinch and 1 Coal Tit caught.

Cormorants turning up thick and fast

Cormorant at Maughold Colony

Got a message of Kev today about 4 more confirmed sighting of Manx Cormorants and 2 probable sightings awaiting clarification.

At Seaforth NR, Liverpool Docks.

Z76 was seen there by Pete Kinsella on 04th October.

ZZN was reported by Steve White on 29th & 30th September.We are awaiting clarification of a further 2 sightings of what is probably one of our birds too - Z3R (reported as 23R) seen on 17th & 30th September

Photo Martin Bennet

A report from Hampshire from Martin Bennet and Bob Chapman. Z7P was photographed by Martin at Ibsley Water, Blashford Lakes Nature Reserve, Ringwood, Hants on 25th September. A distance of 260 miles from Maughold, IOM.

I have driven past Ibsley many times on my way to Fordingbridge a local drinking hole of mine when i was in the Army.

Click on link to see Cormorants being ringed at Maughold Colony

Click on Link to see a map Kev has done with all the sightings of the colour ringed Cormorants so far

This project is proving to be a great success.

Mipits and Rockits

Up at the woosh site again this morning the wind again was to strong to mist net. 13 Goldfinch ringed

and 12 Meadow Pipits. I went down to Port Mooar at High Tide this aft to try for Rock Pipits.

i counted 12, 5 of which were colour ringed 2 were just BTO metal on right, i hope. We have ringed over 50 birds last year before we started to colour ring them could not get close enought to get a shot of the  number.

The birds were not interested in the mp3 or the meal worms  and stayed clear for the 2 hours i was there.

Some resightings below

Left below Light Pink Yellow ringed 05/09/2011 Port Mooar

Left below Mauve Red ringed August 11 2011 Port Mooar

Left below Mauve Lime ringed August 1 2011 Port Mooar

Left below Mauve Orange ringed August 6 2011 Port Mooar

Left below Lime Yellow  ringed July 28 2011 Port Mooar

T8XG

Herring Gull T8XG was seen today near the pier at Ramsey first sighting of this Gull since it was ringed in my Garden on the 12 May this year

Up at the Point of Ayre this morning what a difference a week makes not one bird ringed in 4 hours

i called into the tip to hand the key in and the lads there have put up some feeders so i set up for a hour, 5 House Sparrow Ringed.