Lower Derwent Valley NNR

29/02/12 - A ringing success!

2012-02-29T13:57:00.000-08:00

February 2012 can only be described as a record breaker, a total of 407 new wildfowl being the highest monthly total ever achieved, and beating the previous best February (2005, when 174 waterfowl were ringed) by an impressive 233!

Wildfowl totals for the month/year are as follows:

January February Total

Little Grebe	1	0	1
Brent Goose	0	1	1
Shelduck	4	54	58
Wigeon	42	65	107
Teal	88	166	253
Mallard	19	111	130
Pintail	0	5	5
Moorhen	1	3	4
Coot	1	3	4
Total	156	408	563

Whilst it’s obviously pleasing to have had a successful month with large numbers of ducks ringed (which will hopefully lead to some useful data coming back over the next decade or so), the totals here are of national significance. Looking back over the national totals for the last published years (2008-2010) it shows that 57 Shelduck represent c20-30% of the annual UK totals, with figures of 30-70% for Wigeon, c20% for Teal and 2-24% for Pintail. Nice that the LDV NNR and the team are really adding to the national dataset as well as providing some useful local data.

The Shelduck numbers have increased since our last post, with 58 new birds now ringed, a further 14 re-traps from previous years (8 from 2011, 2 from 2010, 2006 and 2005) and the control from Martin Mere WWT. That’s 73 individuals out of the 100+ present in the valley recorded with rings on this year - many with black darvics too. Interestingly more of the recent ‘new’ birds have been females supporting the theory that they arrive back in the valley later than the males - so maybe more to come yet.

The weights and wing lengths of many ducks but especially Teal have been interesting (as posted previously) during the cold weather. Although 110,000 Teal have been ringed in the UK over the last 100 years, the Ringing and Migration Atlas suggest Teal show ‘a remarkable capacity to respond to local conditions, either moving almost continually, to a cessation of movement, all carried out on a continental scale. The fluidity that this implies has considerable conservation implications. It goes on to say ‘continued ringing....particularly of birds using the UK during the winter, is important if the use of cold weather refuges is to be monitored successfully’.

We are aware that the blog has become somewhat ‘waterfowl dominated’ this year. Obviously that’s one of our priorities given the interest of the NNR/SPA/Ramsar designations and the blog is intended to be a reflection of what we get up to and there are plenty of other blogs about passerine ringing out there, but don’t worry - we have other things planned too....watch this space!

Finally, a few sightings whilst we’ve been out and about and other records from the reserve - a Short-Eared Owl and several Barn Owls are still showing well at North Duffield Carrs in recent days, whilst there has been a sudden big arrival of Curlew (c200) and Oystercatcher (20) back into the valley during the last week, along with the first five Black-tailed Godwits. The Wheldrake Gull roost has also been providing interest with up to 5 different Iceland Gulls (part of the nationwide influx) and 2 Glaucous Gulls present. A wintering Chiffchaff is still present in the Wheldrake car park but it won’t be long now until the first migrants return!

28/02/12 - 2011 final totals

2012-02-29T06:01:00.001-08:00

After putting together all the data from the various ringers and places within the Lower Derwent Valley we now have the final totals for 2011, shown below along with the totals from 1989. 2011 finished with 6810 birds ringed and new additions to the species list were Hobby, Common Gull and Crossbill, making that 148 different bird species ringed in the Lower Derwent Valley. This year, we've already added another new species to the list - the Brent Goose that appeared in the catching area of the whoosh net at North Duffield last week! Which special bird is going to be number 150 we wonder....!

		1989-2010	2011	1989-2011
1	Little Grebe	35	3	38
2	Great Crested Grebe	1	0	1
3	Black-necked Grebe	13	0	13
4	Manx Shearwater	1	0	1
5	Cormorant	272	6	278
6	Grey Heron	95	0	95
7	Mute Swan	466	14	480
8	Bewick's Swan	1	0	1
9	Whooper Swan	40	5	45
10	Pink-footed Goose	3	0	3
11	Greylag Goose	515	80	595
12	Canada Goose	146	16	162
13	Barnacle Goose	1	0	1
14	Egyptian Goose	1	0	1
15	Shelduck	286	59	345
16	Mandarin	1	0	1
17	Wigeon	1618	282	1900
18	Gadwall	208	7	215
19	Teal	1373	217	1590
20	Mallard	2698	373	3071
21	Pintail	16	7	23
22	Garganey	15	0	15
23	Shoveler	116	9	125
24	Pochard	5	0	5
25	Scaup	1	0	1
26	Tufted Duck	133	1	134
27	Ring-necked Duck	1	0	1
28	Goldeneye	4	0	4
29	Ruddy Duck	13	0	13
30	Marsh Harrier	1	0	1
31	Sparrowhawk	19	8	27
32	Buzzard	6	0	6
33	Hobby	0	2	2
34	Kestrel	96	22	118
35	Grey Partridge	11	0	11
36	Quail	17	0	17
37	Spotted Crake	3	0	3
38	Water Rail	47	0	47
39	Moorhen	1358	33	1391
40	Coot	497	6	503
41	Oystercatcher	18	0	18
42	Little Ringed Plover	14	0	14
43	Golden Plover	1	0	1
44	Ringed Plover	1	0	1
45	Lapwing	686	27	713
46	Little Stint	2	0	2
47	Buff-breasted Sandpiper	1	0	1
48	Dunlin	21	0	21
49	Ruff	20	0	20
50	Black-tailed Godwit	2	0	2
51	Jack Snipe	85	0	85
52	Snipe	275	8	283
53	Woodcock	1	0	1
54	Whimbrel	97	0	97
55	Curlew	90	6	96
56	Redshank	307	17	324
57	Greenshank	2	0	2
58	Green Sandpiper	16	4	20
59	Wood Sandpiper	1	0	1
60	Common Sandpiper	4	0	4
61	Black-headed Gull	508	0	508
62	Common Gull	0	1	1
63	Herring Gull	2	0	2
64	Great Black-backed Gull	2	0	2
65	Collared Dove	2	0	2
66	Turtle Dove	1	0	1
67	Stock Dove	165	10	175
68	Wood Pigeon	42	7	49
69	Barn Owl	772	38	810
70	Little Owl	52	1	53
71	Tawny Owl	77	12	89
72	Long-eared Owl	7	1	8
73	Cuckoo	1	1	2
74	Nightjar	1	0	1
75	Swift	124	47	171
76	Kingfisher	74	13	87
77	Lesser Spotted Woodpecker	1	0	1
78	Great Spotted Woodpecker	31	27	58
79	Green Woodpecker	2	0	2
80	Skylark	42	6	48
81	Woodlark	5	4	9
82	Sand Martin	924	168	1092
83	Swallow	1992	193	2185
84	House Martin	31	0	31
85	Tree Pipit	3	3	6
86	Meadow Pipit	197	66	263
87	Yellow Wagtail	2	2	4
88	Grey Wagtail	4	0	4
89	Pied Wagtail	39	1	40
90	Waxwing	11	0	11
91	Wren	330	82	412
92	Dunnock	454	109	563
93	Robin	375	86	461
94	Nightingale	1	0	1
95	Redstart	3	0	3
96	Whinchat	5	2	7
97	Stonechat	3	0	3
98	Wheatear	3	2	5
99	Blackbird	571	86	657
100	Fieldfare	57	5	62
101	Song Thrush	126	28	154
102	Redwing	52	8	60
103	Mistle Thrush	1	0	1
104	Cetti's Warbler	3	0	3
105	Grasshopper Warbler	5	15	20
106	Sedge Warbler	341	376	717
107	Reed Warbler	596	243	839
108	Lesser Whitethroat	59	10	69
109	Whitethroat	118	110	228
110	Garden Warbler	115	42	157
111	Blackcap	306	193	499
112	Chiffchaff	377	359	736
113	Willow Warbler	547	450	997
114	Goldcrest	63	29	92
115	Firecrest	1	0	1
116	Bearded Reedling	1	0	1
117	Spotted Flycatcher	25	0	25
118	Long Tailed Tit	375	169	544
119	Marsh Tit	56	15	71
120	Willow Tit	114	14	128
121	Coal Tit	142	95	237
122	Blue Tit	1837	386	2223
123	Great Tit	1500	518	2018
124	Treecreeper	82	47	129
125	Nuthatch	3	8	11
126	Great Grey Shrike	1	1	2
127	Red-backed Shrike	1	0	1
128	Jay	10	1	11
129	Magpie	11	2	13
130	Jackdaw	103	10	113
131	Rook	9	0	9
132	Carrion Crow	21	0	21
133	Starling	92	5	97
134	House Sparrow	215	7	222
135	Tree Sparrow	1123	190	1313
136	Chaffinch	900	240	1140
137	Brambling	108	2	110
138	Greenfinch	1096	108	1204
139	Goldfinch	390	110	500
140	Siskin	46	3	49
141	Linnet	182	44	226
142	Crossbill	0	1	1
143	Lesser Redpoll	23	69	92
144	Common Redpoll	2	8	10
145	Bullfinch	283	151	434
146	Yellowhammer	87	19	106
147	Reed Bunting	1346	511	1857
148	Corn Bunting	199	28	227
	Total	31786	6810	38596

25/02/12 - More Shelduck...more old friends!

2012-02-25T11:22:00.002-08:00

Another good day (Friday 24^th) with a catch of 13 new and 10 re-trap Shelduck in one of the traps (along with 10 new Mallard and a Coot).

The next Webs count in March will tell us how many Shelduck are present throughout the valley but 90 were counted by a local farmer roosting on his pond one evening last week - probably a good indication that it’s around the 100 mark at the moment. A quick look at the figures caught this year reveal 47 new birds ringed so far, with 13 re-traps from previous years and the one control - a total of 61 different birds handled so far this year.

It’s nice to have a good sample of the population marked and once again shows a high degree of turnover of breeding birds from one season to the next, especially as we ringed 59 birds out of the population last year. Of the 11 re-traps from previous years, 6 were originally caught in 2011 and 2 from 2010, 2006 and 2005. So clearly some of the birds are site faithful (certainly for one or two years and some even longer). Smaller numbers of birds, mainly pulli (with a higher mortality rate), were ringed in 2007-2009 which may account for the ‘non-appearance’ of birds from those years.

Although the whole reserve covers over 1000 hectares, which stretches some 10 Km along the River Derwent and the Pocklington Canal corridors, its often amazing how site specific some birds are. A male Mallard caught at Bank Island in a whoosh net catch yesterday was originally ringed in the same whoosh net area (10 x 10m) at Bank Island on 30/05/10. Nice to know he’s dodged the lead shot and wintering Peregrines for two winters! However, topping that was GN12614, a Mallard caught and ringed at Wheldrake on 28/06/99 and re-caught today at North Duffield Carrs. That’s nearly 13 years since ringing and makes it atleast 14 years old. Interesting that it’s not been re-caught since, so you have to wonder where it’s been since we last saw it. It’s certainly a good age for such a popular quarry species, the longevity record from the BTO ringing in the UK is 20 years and 5 months.

Continuing the Mallard theme, Mike & Craig had a control female Mallard - GR37501 today (one ringed somewhere else by another ringer). This is the first time we've controlled a Mallard in the Lower Derwent Valley, so it will be most interesting to see where it's come from....

20/02/12 - A new surprise...

2012-02-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

Things have been ticking over in the last few days with one or two new birds being caught each day, mainly Shelduck, 34 new birds and 10 different re-traps from previous years have now been caught during 2012.

On arriving to check the trap today there were two Shelduck up on the grain in the whoosh net area - with a similar sized dark bird just behind them. A quick double take followed by an instant fire of the net added a fine first winter Dark-bellied Brent Goose onto the LDV ringing totals. The species is rather scarce in the valley, being less than annual with 15 records in the last 35 years. Occurrences can be rather sporadic but there is a trend to fall largely between January - March, but birds tend to move on quickly and seldom linger for more than a day. All in all a big surprise, and the 150^th species to be ringed in the valley (not bad for an inland site!).

Also on a scarce goose theme - Egyptian Geese have been increasing in the valley over recent years. There were five records between the first in 1979 and 2002, with another 5 between 2003 - 2009. A pair arrived in the valley in early March 2010 and the male found this way into a whoosh net area on 25/03/10. They attempted breeding (but appeared to fail) in 2010 and again (along with a second pair) which attempted but failed in 2011. They have turned up again over the last few days as the photo below from Hagg Bridge shows. It’s obviously of value to have at least one of the birds ringed so we can keep tabs on what’s happening with them, especially as it may be the start of colonising the valley.

15/02/12 - 'Shelducking'

2012-02-15T21:10:00.000-08:00

Following the successful hard weather catching of recent weeks, numbers have now started to decrease as both the ice released its grip on the valley and melt water from the North York Moors caused birds to spread out around the valley and revert to natural food sources. Still, we can’t complain as it was good whilst it lasted and we certainly made the most of it.

However, February is typically the start of Shelduck ringing in the valley, and with Shelduck numbers starting to increase and now beginning to use some of the trapping areas it’s looking promising. Today saw the best catch of the year so far for the species with 9 new birds and four re-traps. It’s always nice to catch a mix of new birds and ‘old friends’ so it was really good to see GN81934 (black darvic FL) who was originally ringed in the same spot on 04/02/05, seven years and a week earlier!

The following photos were taken to explain how we’re ageing Shelduck. The bird in the photograph below is a 7 (which means it’s definitely two years old and so it hatched during 2010). Notice the white tips to the secondaries and some of the primaries, but otherwise it’s an adult looking wing. It’s possible that not all birds of this age can be confidently aged to this level.

The Shelduck in the photograph below is an example of a bird that might be a 7 (definitely hatched two years ago) because it’s still got white on the tips of the secondaries but no white on the primaries - and so it was aged as a 6 (hatched at least 2 years ago) as we can’t be sure it was hatched in 2010.

The bird below is a 6 (adult) there’s no grey on the coverts and no white tips to the secondaries and the wing is bright and colourful. Birds like this one may be 3+ years old (which would make it an 8), but again we’re not sure these could be recorded with confidence. There is still a lot to be learned about ageing waterfowl!

Until Shelduck are atleast two years old they can't be sexed, from then on it is based on knob size and shape/colour of the bill nail. Some adult males have large prominent knobs, the one in the photograph below is on the small size, and males have a well defined 'v' nail. Female birds show a blue coloured tip with a less defined nail, and they lack the knob of the males.

Male

Female

Whilst at North Duffield, Steve managed a couple of nice photographs of the local Barn Owls, they were out and about day flying this afternoon, enjoying the milder conditions and disappearing snow cover.

Before we went out this morning the net at the base was open for a few hours whilst we were doing hide repairs, a nice small catch of 14 birds, made up mainly of Greenfinch (8).

Greenfinch (juvenile male)

13/02/12 - Breaking records

2012-02-13T14:19:00.000-08:00

As of today we have ringed 203 ducks this month making it the best February to date after 174 in February 2004 (and we are only half way through the month). That’s 359 ducks during 2012, including exactly 220 Teal, which represents between 10-16% of the UK annual ringing totals over the last 5 years. It should hopefully generate a few recoveries in the years to come...

Although most of the effort has been focused upon wildfowl ringing, the net at the base feeding station has been open for a couple of hours during the last week in-between other jobs around the base. This accounted for 30 new birds with suggestions of an influx of un-ringed Robins, Dunnocks and Blackbirds mirroring other local sites. Three Reed Buntings were nice at this site whilst a Fieldfare was the first of the year to be caught. Up to 6 Short-Eared Owls were present in the southern half of the valley on Saturday (11^th) whilst 2 Kingfishers are also still present on the River Derwent at North Duffield Carrs.

Following on from Saturday it was a similar picture yesterday (but slightly warmer one) with 6 new Wigeon, 4 Teal, 2 Mallard and a Moorhen, whilst amongst the re-traps was another different Shelduck, originally ringed in the valley in June 2010.

Today (Monday 13^th) once again delivered another huge catch - 46 birds in the trap with another 26 new: 20 Teal, 5 Wigeon and 1 Mallard, with re-traps including a Moorhen, Coot and Pintail - 6 species of wildfowl.

11/02/12 - Back on track, in style!

2012-02-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

At the end of the last blog post (Wednesday 8^th) we mentioned how the ice had finally beaten us and blocked the funnels. This was extremely frustrating given that the traps had been so successful in catching during the present conditions. A bit of head scratching and a quick dash to B&Q saw us back at the trap in the evening with a hammer and blow torch to melt away the ice from around the trap entrances.

Obviously the ducks had been kept out the trap for 36 hours and we had put additional ‘free’ food around the outside of the trap to encourage them to keep the water around the trap ice-free. The result was just two ducks on Thursday morning, but for Dan Lombard who joined us from the coast for some duck experience, a superb adult male Pintail and drake Wigeon - a nice way to start your duck ringing! Quality not quantity!

The following morning (Friday 10^th) we were back on track making the most of the conditions once again - with another great catch of 29 new Teal and 4 new Wigeon. Temperatures then plummeted reaching -10 during the night of the 10^th/11^th, this greatly reduced the size of the open water on the Top Pond and also increased the ice build up on the entrances to the trap again. However, it was so cold that even the River Derwent started to freeze (see below) with a constant movement of ‘ice flows’ downstream. This forced larger numbers of ducks onto the Top Pond and despite the ice build up, another 16 new birds were ringed - 12 Teal and 4 Wigeon.

It’s been interesting to watch the weights and wing lengths of the birds involved this week - after a sharp fall in weights last week as the cold spell kicked in, this week weights have gone back up to around the average despite the prolonged freeze - interestingly wing lengths of the birds have also gone up with some very long winged Teal (up to 204mm), Mallard (292mm) and Wigeon (up to 285mm) - have our wintering birds moved out and been replaced by continental birds moving west...??

08/02/12 - ‘Teally good times’

2012-02-08T05:59:00.000-08:00

Freezing conditions continue to see all the open water on the reserve frozen solid except for the River Derwent and a small patch of less than 10m surrounding the Duffield duck trap. It’s still only being kept open by the family party of Mute Swans dining out on the free grain around the trap, and the sheer number of birds coming to feed around (more particularly in) the trap itself. We are constantly reviewing the conditions but as there is actually very few birds on the pond during the day when we visit, the disturbance to wider waterfowl is very very low and probably far outweighed by the presence of open water and food, neither of which would be present had we not been running the trap. It also obviously continues to provide good data.

Monday (6^th) produced 31 birds in the trap - totals with re-traps in brackets were: Shelduck 4 (5), Wigeon 8 (3), Pintail 1, Teal 1, Mallard 2 (7). 16 new birds but the five re-trap Shelduck were also particularly pleasing as they were all from March 2011 and all ringed within 1km of the trap. Pintail are ofcourse always special and bring the winters total to 8 - our best winter so far and there may be more to come yet. A drake Smew seen on the river at Duffield was a nice bonus, along with an obliging Kingfisher that's obviously trying to sit the cold snap out locally.

A very cold day at Duffield

Female Pintail

Weighing the Pintail

Tuesday (7^th) produced another impressive total of 34 birds, 33 new, comprising of 29 teal and 2 each of Mallard and Wigeon. A photo taken of the trap on entry (see below) suggests that actually there may have been over 45 birds in the trap but that some escaped back up the funnels during the longer and colder than usual extraction period. A Bittern was stood on the frozen pool at Wheldrake Ings today with 14 Mallard - the only birds on the site today compared with the 10,000+ of ten days ago. Clearly lots of cold weather movements going on so who knows what might appear on the reserve (or in a trap). There were also good numbers of otter prints (and slides into the river) visable today and some in the snow around Bank Island and Wheldrake Ings.

However, this morning (Wednesday 8^th) the weather finally beat us in that the ice build up on the funnels got so dense they blocked up. So despite the water remaining clear and lots of birds around the trap they couldn't get in and so it’s come to a halt at the moment. That brings the totals for the month to 102 and for the year to 258, whilst Teal are still in top spot for the year with 144 new birds ringed!

05/02/11 - Minus 4.......200+!

2012-02-05T22:07:00.000-08:00

Falling temperatures (reaching -4C) have resulted in the whoosh netting coming to a grinding halt - partly because the whoosh nets won’t fire in such conditions but also due to the fact that Bank Island has completely frozen and is now duck free!!

The duck trap at North Duffield Carrs Top Pond has however been producing the goods, the resident Mute Swans are keeping the water around the trap ice free as they pick up any surplus grain. Combined with a few odds and sods picked up elsewhere, at total of 52 new ducks have been ringed during the first five days of February, bring the years running total to 208. Teal are still making up the bulk of the catch, numbers ringed in 2012 have reached 116, whilst as usual in February, Shelduck are starting to feature with 8 caught and colour-ringed so far in the last few days. 45 were present around the traps this morning (5^th) so hopefully we’ll get a few more in the coming days.

It’s not just the numbers that are important - it is clear that the hard weather and freezing conditions are already having an effect on the birds. Over the last 8 days the average weight of Teal has fallen by about 30 grams (8-10% of total body weight) - probably due to both difficulty in accessing food and also in maintaining body temperature, so useful data too. It highlights the value of conservation measures such as voluntary restraint periods and why addressing access and disturbance issues are important, especially during cold weather.

There was also an interesting re-trap at North Duffield Carrs this week - a female Wigeon originally caught as a breeding female there in July 2010. The breeding population of British Wigeon is relatively small and very few are caught and ringed so we don’t know much about them and their movements. A significant proportion of those UK breeding birds that are ringed are probably done in the Lower Derwent Valley NNR but that only numbers c30 out of the 1950 Wigeon ringed in the valley. This is the first one we’ve re-trapped and it is interesting that it has chosen to winter on site as well.

Finally, whilst it might be hard on the birds, the weather is also impacting on us, the ringers. There’s been a fair amount of cold hands and feet during the week, but lots of ice breaking that’s had to be done in order to get to the traps. Tough these volunteers!!

Whimbrel recovery

2012-02-01T02:59:00.000-08:00

Way back in 2009 during the Whimbrel roost catch on 29^th April we managed to catch a bird wearing a Belguim ring (E277977). Details finally received this week showed that it was actually ringed in the wintering grounds on 14th January 2002 in Senegal, over 4000 km to the south of the Lower Derwent Valley. This bird, along with another 101 Whimbrel caught at the Wheldrake Ings spring roost since 2004, is now carrying colour-rings, so we may hear of further sightings of this individual over coming years. We’ve had another two to the wintering grounds in Africa, both further south than this, whilst we have also controlled a Spanish ringed bird that was taken into care and released on the Canaries.

There is further information on the Lower Derwent Valley Whimbrel project website which can be found at www.whimbrel.info/

29/01/12 - 'Catching up'

2012-01-31T13:21:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a better week after last weeks frustrations – in that the cold weather and at sometimes freezing conditions appeared to help this week as the duck trap at North Duffield was set and produced a steady number of new birds.

It was set on Thursday (26^th) and despite there being very few ducks using the Top Pond during the day, it caught several new Teal, Wigeon and Mallard the next morning, and has been steadily catching since with just under 30 birds by month end including the first Moorhen and Coot of the year.

The whoosh nets at Bank Island also produced during the week, 5 catches resulting in nearly 40 new Teal, one catch of six birds coinciding with a party of students visiting the reserve as part of our outreach programme. They all got some first hand experience of ringing, seeing Teal in the hand, and helping to let them go – maybe inspired the next generation of ringers in there.

All in all a good duck catching month with totals reaching 156 new birds – including a January record 88 Teal and another 45 Wigeon. In fact this is the second best January total we’ve had – probably due to the mild conditions and lack of flood water throughout the valley, both concentrating birds and allowing us to get to them.

The reason of course we do all this is not to catch birds and ring them – it’s to get the data back on what they do to help build our knowledge of certain species and aid our conservation management of them. We received a few bits of news this week concerning birds we’ve ringed or controlled in the valley.

Firstly, the Shelduck we controlled in the cannon net catch (GN63293) on 10^th Jan 2012 was originally ringed at Martin Mere WWT on 22/11/05. We’ve had two of our birds ringed in the valley move to Martin Mere WWT in recent years (as well as one to Ireland) so a bit of a east-west movement going on.

The next was initial details on another colour-ringed Ruff being reported in Lancashire – but still awaiting full details.

22/01/12 - Minus temperatures = frustrating times!

2012-01-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

Well it’s been a pretty frustrating time due to the cold weather we’ve been experiencing again lately, everywhere has been frozen apart from the river at Duffield for the majority of the week.

After seeing several hundred birds on the river at Duffield a suitable area was baited and in 24 hours all the grain had gone, so on Wednesday (18^th) a new whoosh net was set up. Craig & Mike returned on Thursday at dawn with high hopes...however by Thursday the weather had become a lot milder and so the several hundred Wigeon that were on the river only came up onto the banks to graze the grass and totally ignored the grain! That has pretty much been the situation since with birds on the river and on the banks but none that were catchable.

The position at Bank Island has been somewhat different, much of the water was frozen at the beginning of the week and the birds were more inclined to feed on the grain. Mike & Craig took a catch of 2 Teal and 5 Mallard on Wednesday morning (18^th), and then on Thursday Craig had a catch of 20 Teal, most pleasing!

So all in all a frustrating week but we’re edging towards 90 non-passerines for the month so far! :)

15/01/12 - A week of Ducks, Buntings & Snipe!

2012-01-15T13:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a great week ringing within the LDV - a cannon net catch, whoosh netting ducks, mist netting Snipe and a Corn Bunting roost have really built up the totals already for January!

Monday 9^th - Craig headed off early to check the duck traps (both were empty) and to have a look at the cannon netted area, 10 Pintail, 150 Wigeon and 100 Greylags were in the catching area! Typical...! We considered a late afternoon catch but because most of the grain had already been hoovered up we were unsure as to whether the birds would venture back into the area, the decision was taken to leave it until tomorrow. We headed to Swantail Hide late afternoon to try a Reed Bunting roost, two nets were positioned along the boardwalk, ofcourse not long after the still afternoon turned windy...only two birds were caught, a Dunnock and Reed Bunting! As light was fading we waded out to re-grain the area with the view of hopefully taking a catch tomorrow. It was definitely the right decision not to go with the catch this afternoon because as predicted not many birds ventured into the area, just a handful of ducks searching for remains of the grain.

Tuesday 10^th - We met at half 8 this morning at the base and headed off shortly after with the hope of a big catch! On arrival there weren’t all that many birds in the area just like Sunday but there were atleast a few milling about in the water, mainly Teal with a few Wigeon mixed in. Eventually a few birds made their way onto the grain and then 6 Shelduck paddled into the zone which clinched the decision to fire (around half past 11).

Ready to ring

Paddling!

Comparing Teal

Male Teal

Clearing up

A long walk back!

The total catch was 37 birds, made up of 6 Shelduck, 9 Wigeon and 22 Teal. Even though we didn't get the 300+ we'd aimed for it was worth the wait! Catching the Shelduck was particularly pleasing as two of them already had darvics on, CL and XB, and another had a single BTO ring. After the catch we looked back over the database and found that CL was ringed on 16/04/11 at Wheldrake and XB was ringed on 22/03/11 at Thorganby ponds. We’re still waiting to track down where the other Shelduck has come from as it's not one from the valley, we'll post the details when we get them. Out of the 9 Wigeon caught today we had 8 new birds and one re-trap which was ringed in the valley in 2009.

Also today, Dave ringed (and colour ringed) the first Snipe of the year on Skipwith, 6 Common and 1 Jack.

Thursday 12^th - This afternoon we headed down to Swantail to set the new dummy net and cannons with the view of taking a cannon net or whoosh net catch there next week. Later whilst down at Thorganby and measuring up for the new fence line we found a dead Wigeon on the river bank (probably shot) - FH42237 originally ringed on 25/10/11 at the Top Pond Duffield.

Friday 13^th - After a morning spent at Duncombe Park we came back to the office to find 30+ Teal in the whoosh net area on Bank Island. This led to a quick sprint to the hide to fire the net but unfortunately only one half of the net fired due to only one pin coming out....leaving us with a catch of 2 Teal and a single Wigeon. Once the ducks were processed and back on the water we headed to Melbourne for the Corn Bunting roost. A few birds were on the wires when we arrived and an hour or so later the highest count had reached 70 just before they dropped into the reed bed. Three walks through the reeds resulted in 28 birds being caught - 20 Corn Buntings (17 new, 3 re-traps), and 8 Reed Buntings (6 new, 2 re-traps).

Tonight’s catch of Corn Bunts has equalled the best ever catch and the biggest one for quite a few years and it is particularly pleasing to catch three re-traps! All the birds caught tonight were fitted with colour rings, the three re-traps had colour rings on already, leading us to believe they were birds we’d ringed before on this site. Once we looked back through the database it was found that the re-traps were originally ringed in March 2010, January 2011 and November 2011. In addition to the Corn Bunt re-traps we also had a Reed Bunting control, possibly from a ringing site at Allerthorpe gravel pits, just over 5km from Melbourne.

Craig helping Jean fit the colour rings

Each ring was glued to prevent them getting caught/falling off

Showing off his new colour rings!

Male Corn Bunting

Thanks to everyone who helped with the roost tonight, it’ll be left now until mid February to minimise disturbance to the birds.

Saturday 14^th - Mike was up early doors this morning to release the Corn Buntings and Reed Buntings after roosting them overnight. Bank Island was frozen this morning but the pool at Wheldrake was still open, there he found a new Teal in the duck trap plus a re-trap male Mute Swan!

08/01/12 - All for nothing!

2012-01-08T22:09:00.000-08:00

Saturday afternoon Mike, Craig, Robin, Jean and Dave headed down to Wheldrake to set the net for tomorrows planned cannon net catch. On arrival there were 7000+ Wigeon and 2500+ Teal on the water plus Shoveler, Gadwall, Pintail and Shelduck.

Setting the net

Robin & Craig checking the firing line

It was an early start this Sunday morning, 7.30am meet at the office so that we could be on Wheldrake before first light. On arrival there weren’t all that many ducks present but thousands of gulls. Not long after the gulls started to move off and the ducks arrived, however not in the right place! Thousands of Wigeon were present but they were all infront of Swantail Hide, nowhere near the firing area...we watched in frustration as a large group of Teal dropped in but again not where we needed them to be. The hours ticked by and nothing was happening, then a Peregrine arrived on the scene flushing all the Lapwing (2000+) and managing to take one out but it lost its grip and the bird tumbled downwards. The Peregrine didn’t give up and continued to stay around for the next hour, constantly flushing the Lapwing and Teal. The Wigeon didn’t seem all that bothered but were making no movement towards the grain. Then just when we were thinking it was looking more promising as a group of Teal were swimming in the direction of the area, a large group of Greylags dropped in but then straight back out again & unsettled the Teal causing all the birds to take off!

Whilst we waited patiently in the Landrovers along with having stunning views of the Peregrine hunting (which we could have done without though!), there was also a Marsh Harrier and Sparrowhawk around. After almost 5 hours of waiting and with it not looking promising in the slightest the decision was made to call it a day and try again tomorrow or later in the week.......

06/01/12 - Happy New Year, Happy New Grebe!

2012-01-06T01:35:00.000-08:00

Well 2012 has got off to a good start in the valley with 16 birds caught in the first few days, including a Little Grebe!

Sunday 1^st - Mike & Craig took the first whoosh net catch at Bank Island this morning and caught 8 Teal! Afterwards they identified and grained up a potential area on Wheldrake for a cannon net catch next week.

Tuesday 3^rd - This morning Mike had 2 Mallard in the Wheldrake duck trap and Dave caught another 3 Mallard on Skipwith Common. After finishing clearing up the trees which had come down in the wind on Skipwith we headed to Wheldrake to re-grain the cannon net area and put in dummy cannons and a net to get the birds used to them before the weekend. It was quite hard work carrying over the buckets of grain, wooden stakes, dummy cannons etc in the gale force winds the LDV and the rest of Yorkshire experienced today!

Wednesday 4^th - Mike & Craig had just the one Mallard in the Wheldrake duck trap this morning. The water levels are rising rapidly with all the heavy rain from the last few days, which has resulted in a lot of water coming on to Bank Island and with it a Little Grebe appeared there this morning. Mike & Craig attempted catching it using the same technique that we’d used on the Pocklington Canal, the Little Grebe did go in the net but managed to get out...will try again another day, can’t win them all!

Thursday 5^th - Mike & Craig headed to Wheldrake early this morning, nothing was in the whoosh net area or in the duck trap. After spotting the Little Grebe at Bank Island again we set the net and crossed our fingers! Not long after another one appeared, we waited patiently as they both swam and fed around the net. They even swam over it and dived several times but to our amazement didn’t get caught up in the net! After a bit of a wait eventually one of them did but the other promptly swam off! Once in the hand the bird was identified as a young bird, it was ringed and also fitted with a yellow colour ring. Out of the two we did on 01/12/11 the bird sporting the pink colour ring has since been seen again on the Pocklington Canal.

Mike showing Ian how to shape the ring

Craig & Ian ageing the Little Grebe

During the afternoon we headed down to Wheldrake to check the area for Sunday, the water level is still high but we’re hopeful it’s going to be able to go ahead. It was much harder work today wading through mud/deep water to get to the area whilst carrying the buckets of grain in the strong winds again! We adjusted the net slightly and took out the wooden stakes which seemed to be putting some of the birds off. Hopefully Sunday will come off and it’ll have been worth it!

Friday 6^th- Plenty of birds were around today but none in the catching area of the whoosh nets and just the one Mallard in the duck trap on Wheldrake.

2011 - Year Summary

2012-01-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

Well, where to start, it’s been a fantastic year ringing wise on the LDV for many species of birds. 2010 saw a record 3500 new birds caught, and this year the provisional total at the minute is looking in the region of over 7000! This includes the LDV itself, Skipwith Common and ringing on nearby sites in the adjacent wider LDV area such as Allerthorpe and Thorganby.

We’ve had the second best ever year for wildfowl – 1125 for the year, 2004 is the best on record with 1250. A target of 2000 has been set for 2012....watch this space...!

However, we’ve not had such a good year for waders (62), compared to 98 last year. Although we have colour ringed good numbers of Snipe, Curlew, Redshank and Lapwing.

It’s been a bumper year for migrants/warblers/buntings – 428 Willow Warblers, 337 Chiffchaffs, 374 Sedge Warblers, 231 Reed Warblers, 508 Reed Buntings and 110 Whitethroats.

We’ll put an updated list on the blog with the final totals as soon as we’ve collected all the data from the various places/ringers!

So a big thank you goes out to everyone who’s helped contribute to ringing in the valley this year – the massive end total is fantastic but it doesn’t really relay the sheer effort of numerous early mornings, late nights, wet and muddy evenings, moving traps, setting nets, baiting traps, ferrying grain to and from sites etc etc!!

Without the ringers we have on site none of this would have been possible so a big thank you goes out to everyone who makes up the LDV Team. Also thanks to Robin Ward and Mark Fletcher for helping with the cannon netting sessions, and to visiting ringers - Chris Blakeley, Chris Brown and Eric Wood who were also involved.

Thank you to Ian Nicholson and Paul Thorpe for all the ringing they’ve done this year and to volunteers John Cahill and Ernie & Kath who have helped with habitat management, moving nets, baiting traps etc. Thanks goes to Jean Thorpe for the all the hard work and countless hours she’s put in this year rehabilitating so many birds and other wildlife of which many have been successfully released within the LDV.

Also thank you to Steve Huddleston of www.wheatear.biz for support and provision of traps and equipment, and thanks to Pete Reid for his excellent whoosh nets which have added so many waterfowl onto the totals.

Additional thanks must also go to the landowners CCT, YWT and Escrick Park Estate and other private individuals who’ve allowed access and permission to their land.

THANK YOU!

Here’s hoping 2012 is an even better year for the Lower Derwent Valley!

December - Summary

2011-12-31T23:24:00.000-08:00

The total number of wildfowl caught within the LDV this month = 116

Little Grebe 2

Mallard 19

Moorhen 5

Pintail 2

Teal 37

Whooper Swan 4

Wigeon 47

31/12/11 - Last few for 2011!

2011-12-31T22:35:00.000-08:00

During the last two weeks of December Mike & Craig managed to keep the duck ringing going right through the festive period, adding another 16 birds to the monthly totals, bringing it to 116 for December. The heavy rain during the last two weeks meant that the water levels rose which saw a lot of the birds move from the river and Top Pond at North Duffield and on to Wheldrake which has started to flood.

Here’s a brief summary of the catches from the last two weeks.

Wednesday 21^st - Craig & Mike headed down to Duffield before dawn, and watched as the Wigeon moved around the catching area without ever actually going in it! After a long and frustrating wait they finally fired on two Moorhens. Most of the ice has melted from the Top Pond now, leaving the duck trap much easier to access! 2 Mallards and a Wigeon were in today.

Thursday 22^nd- Mike went down to Wheldrake before dawn, there were lots of birds on the pool, plenty of ducks and 60 Whoopers. The Wigeon were being very wary and not coming up to the grain, after waiting over an hour and no birds coming into the area Mike packed up and headed to North Duffield. There were very few birds on the river and just the one Wigeon in the duck trap.

Friday 23^rd - Mike headed down to Wheldrake this morning in the dark, again lots of birds were on the pool but not coming up to the grain. After another long wait he eventually managed a catch of 3 Wigeon, all young males. The river was starting to come up so the whoosh net may need moving sooner rather than later! 2 new Wigeon in the duck trap at Duffield.

Tuesday 27^th - Today Jean brought in a Mute Swan for Mike to ring and release on the reserve, whilst down at Wheldrake they found a single Mallard in the duck trap. Since last Friday Mike has not managed a catch, possibly due to the water levels changing. A lot more water coming is now coming on to Wheldrake which has brought thousands of ducks (7000+ Wigeon) on to the area between the scrape and the Cormorant trees. There are equally many birds on Bank Island however there are no birds on the river at North Duffield or on the Top Pond. The pool at Wheldrake is also relatively quiet at the moment.

Friday 30^th - Another quiet few days catch wise, however today Mike had 2 new Moorhens in the duck trap on Wheldrake.

Saturday 31^st - This morning no birds could be caught in the whoosh net but there were two new Mallard in the duck trap on Wheldrake and so the year didn’t end on a blank! After leaving Wheldrake Mike & Craig headed to North Duffield and spent a couple of hours un-setting the whoosh net there and then re-setting it at Bank Island with the hope of catching there from now on as the Top Pond and North Duffield are both virtually bird-less at the moment!

20/12/11 - Duff Rewards

2011-12-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

Early this morning Mike & Craig headed to Wheldrake, it was completely frozen & the traps were empty. On to Duffield next and one of the poles for the new whoosh net had fallen over! Meaning they couldn’t take a catch which was frustrating as there were lots of Wigeon milling about on the river infront of the area! The Top Pond was frozen but a Wigeon & Mallard had made their way into the duck trap.

Today whilst working down at Duffield we decided to try the new feeding station which was put in place a few weeks ago. Two nets were put up by the feeders whilst we worked nearby, a good catch was had, 34 birds over a couple of hours, the highlights being a Fieldfare & Great Spotted Woodpecker!

Fieldfare

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Total catch:

Blackbird 4

Blue Tit 3

Chaffinch 3

Dunnock 2

Fieldfare 1

Goldfinch 7

Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Great Tit 1

Greenfinch 8

Reed Bunting 1

Robin 1

Tree Sparrow 2

19/12/11 - Teal Fest!

2011-12-19T22:07:00.000-08:00

The last few days have seen very few Wigeon caught and instead a good number of Teal, 34 since Thursday! These have been mainly from the duck trap at North Duffield and the whoosh net at Wheldrake.

Today (Monday 19^th) Wheldrake & the Top Pond at North Duffield were both frozen again but 5 new Teal were in the duck trap on the Top Pond island. A few photos were taken to show the comparison between the adult and juvenile male birds, although darkness was fast approaching so they’re not the best quality!

Adult male Teal

The adult male is on the left and the two juvenile birds are middle and right. The adult bird had a very white breast compared to the browny coloured juveniles.

One adult (left) with two young male Teal

Along with looking at the breast and tails, the feathers on their back (shown below) can separate the adults and juveniles, which still have a lot of brown feathers and are yet to gain their full adult plumage.

Showing the contrast

There were hundreds of birds on the river so a whoosh net was rigged up this afternoon on the banking, Craig had started to grain it up on Saturday so we hope to get a catch in this week!

At the weekend Mike had a few more birds to add to the totals. Yesterday (Sunday 18^th) both Wheldrake & the Top Pond were still frozen over, 3 new Teal were in the duck trap at North Duffield early in the morning, then a check again in the afternoon found another 3 new Teal plus a Mallard & Wigeon.

Saturday (17^th) both pools were frozen over so no birds were around although approximately 1500 Wigeon/Teal were on the river. Two more Teal were in the duck trap at North Duffield.

On Friday (16^th) Craig & Mike checked Wheldrake early am, lots of birds were on the pool but there was nothing in the area to fire on. A visit to the Top Pond at North Duffield found just the one Teal in the duck trap. Late afternoon Mike, Fal & Lucy headed to Wheldrake to try for a catch, there were hundreds of birds on the pool on arrival (around 4pm), mainly Wigeon and Teal, along with a couple of Pintail and Curlew. A flock of Lapwing dropped in low down, gliding over the whoosh net! Nothing was in the area on arrival but after a 45 minute wait a few Teal made their way up to the grain, so it took awhile but the net was eventually fired just as daylight was fading! Had to extract by torchlight! A catch of 15 Teal, well worth the wait!

Thursday (15^th) Craig headed to Wheldrake early am, there was nothing in the area but a few birds on the pool. Moving on from Wheldrake a check of the duck trap at North Duffield found 5 new Teal! Late afternoon (just before dark) Craig & Fal headed back to Wheldrake, hundreds of birds were on the pool including 10 Curlew. After a bit of a wait they eventually fired on a few Canada & 4 Mallards. The geese escaped leaving them with just the 4 ducks to ring!

15/12/11 - December Recoveries

2011-12-15T01:36:00.000-08:00

Today we received a couple more recoveries, two Teal, both ringed last year on Skipwith Common.

Teal (EX26592) ringed as a 4F on 02/11/10 on Skipwith Common, recovered on 26/11/11 in Denmark (shot).

Teal (EW65175) ringed as a 4M on 17/10/10 on Skipwith Common, recovered on 14/11/11 near Petworth, West Sussex (found dead).

13/12/11 - Patience needed...!

2011-12-14T01:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning saw an early start at the base, we met at half 7 to allow enough time to get down to Duffield & into position before the majority of the Whooper Swans arrived. The birds started coming in early, by 07.50 the first 10 were on the grain so it was looking good, but gradually went downhill....! As more birds started to arrive they seemed to unsettle each other. They were very flighty and kept taking off in threes and fours, circling the fields and then landing again. Two birds with different darvic rings were spotted, meaning new birds had arrived over night. We believe that the new birds had unsettled the flock which had been there over the last couple of weeks. Also the strong winds meant that instead of feeding on the grain the majority of birds that were in the field had their heads down instead and were sheltering.

We waited patiently until around half past 12 before trying anything, during this time the birds had been to’ing and fro’ing & had been nowhere near the catching area. Also the count had reached 77!

It was decided that we’d have to try something or accept that we might be going home empty handed, and so one of the Landrovers was sent along the edge of the field behind where the birds were. Creeping along slowly resulted in the whole flock taking off and landing back in the field where the net was. Not long after the birds seemed to become more active and found their way onto the grain. Atlast!

When it was believed that approximately 20 birds were in the catching area the decision was taken to fire (around 2pm), however as the day had gone on the wind had increased in speed & so it had become very windy indeed! With the net facing into the wind as it fired it lifted high up into the air and came down so slowly allowing plenty of time for the majority of birds to take off! We caught 5 in the net but 1 escaped leaving us with just 4 birds to ring. Better than no birds though!

Chris & Chris with their hands full!

All birds caught were adults and each one was fitted with a darvic ring, in sequence – G5A, G5B, G5C and G5D. Let’s hope these birds make their way back and return again next year! A photograph of each bird was taken with the darvic ring before it was fitted to assist in a study of Whooper Swans which is looking at if they can be identified by individual beak patterns like Bewick Swans.

Whooper Swan G5C

Many thanks to Mark & Robin for providing their expertise & all the gear which allowed the catch to go ahead. The LDV team were also joined by Chris & Eric from the Tees Ringing Group & Chris Blakeley from the EYRG - ringing a Whooper Swan was a new bird for all 3 making it extra special for them!

Chris - very pleased with his new bird!

After the catch we took the guys on a quick tour of the valley and checked the duck traps, there was a re-trap Wigeon, Mallard & Coot at Duffield and nothing at Wheldrake but hundreds of Wigeon & Teal on the pool.

A worthwhile day in the end!

12/12/11 - Start of the freeze...

2011-12-12T21:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning (10^th) Mike headed down to Wheldrake with the hope of a catch only to find it completely frozen! The same was found at the Top Pond at North Duffield so there wasn’t a bird in sight other than 5 new Mallard, 1 Wigeon and 2 new male Pintail(!) in the duck trap, the only bit of water which hadn’t frozen. 25 Whoopers were counted feeding on the grain.

Male Pintail

Sunday morning (11^th) both pools of water were still frozen and the only bird in the duck trap on Wheldrake was a surprise Fieldfare! Mike went down with a couple of buckets to grain up the area for Whoopers and counted 61!

Today (Monday 12^th) no birds were in either whoosh net area early in the morning or late afternoon, however 4 Moorhen were in the duck trap on Wheldrake, only one new bird though and 3 re-traps.

The count of Whoopers reached 69 this afternoon, all were spotted feeding on the grain. We waited until they headed off to roost (around half past 4) and then set the net in the dark! Fingers crossed tomorrow comes off!

09/12/11 - A Week's Summary

2011-12-09T12:44:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday (6^th) we headed down to North Duffield to check on the Whoopers and see if they were feeding on the grain. They were indeed and the flock had increased to 57 birds, including 18 juveniles. There was one bird still present with a darvic but we couldn’t get in the right position to be able to read the full number, various tussocks of grass and ditches were in the way! At the end of the day we drove up to the Top Pond to check the whoosh net area, about 500 Wigeon were present but most of them were on the banking sheltering from the strong winds. We sat it out for a while, a Barn Owl (already ringed) dropped into the area followed by 4 Carrion Crows! The Wigeon milled about in the water infront of the net, gradually coming up in ones and twos. Then with very little daylight left we finally fired on 5 when it looked like no more were going to come!

On Wednesday (7^th) Mike went down to North Duffield early in the morning, no birds were in the catching area, but 2 new Teal were in the duck trap. Later the same day Mike returned to try his luck again, about 40 birds were present but with it being so windy they were sheltering on the bank again. There were 30 Whoopers in the field again today so hopefully the planned catch next week will come off!

The net was open at Bank Island for an hour this morning, it was abit blowy but there were lots of Blackbirds and a few Redwing around the car park, we caught 2 Blacki’s which had been feeding on the apples by the net.

Early Thursday morning (8^th) saw a catch finally come off at Wheldrake! Despite the net being well trodden into the ground it fired well, catching 11 Wigeon, bringing that to 1000 ducks for the year! There was also 1 Mallard in the duck trap at Duffield.

Craig & Mike headed off before first light for a catch this morning (9^th) but there were no ducks on the pond, instead they moved the whoosh net at Wheldrake to a better position - and to where it's less muddy! In the afternoon they had a catch of 8 Wigeon at North Duffield, plus a Teal in the duck trap at Wheldrake.

04/12/11 - Ageing Wigeon

2011-12-05T09:36:00.001-08:00

On Saturday (3rd) there were no ducks on the pond (again), but 2 Mallard and a Wigeon were in the trap on the island at North Duffield, only a day after re-setting!

Yesterday morning (Sunday 4th) Mike fired on 2 Wigeon at North Duffield, but one took off, leaving just the one in the net! After lunch Craig headed down to see if numbers had built up, none were in the area when he arrived but not long after a few made their way up and he ended up firing on 11 and catching 11!

Here's a few photographs showing how we’re ageing/sexing the birds.

These two birds are both adult females, notice the big broad black tips to the greater coverts and well defined tertials.

Adult female Wigeon

This bird is a juvenile female, notice there's no black tips to the greater coverts, the lesser & medians have buff tips compared to white tips on an adult, and the tertials are diffuse with buff edges.

Juvenile female Wigeon

This is the wing of a juvenile male bird, notice the grey on the inner web of the greater coverts, white on the outer web and there's a lot more white in the wing.

Juvenile male Wigeon

This last photo is from a juvenile bird, notice the notches in some of the tail feathers, the others have already been replaced, once the whole tail is done we will have to rely on the wing to age the bird.

Juvenile tail

01/12/11 - A Grebe? Yes please!

2011-12-01T08:46:00.000-08:00

Early this morning we headed back down to Wheldrake to try for Jack Snipe again now we know where they are. We swept the net up & down the field but it wasn’t to be, a few Common got up but not as many as yesterday.

Before lunch we zipped down to Church Bridge, Melbourne after being notified of a pair of Little Grebes that had been frequently seen over the past couple of weeks. On arrival just the one was spotted but after we’d set the net we counted 5! To catch the Little Grebe’s we used a technique Mike had tried on the Isle of Arran to catch Red Throated Divers, it involves attaching a wader net to two poles, then turning it on its side and floating it on to the waters’ surface. We did this & then backed off and watched from the bridge as the Little Grebe’s came back out from the reeds, they were feeding right by our net & sure enough not long after two of them swam over the net & then dived straight into it! Resulting in a very quick sprint down the canal! By the time we got there they were back on the surface sitting in the net, result!!

Extracting the Little Grebe’s by the canal

We caught one adult and one juvenile which was really good to see the difference, both birds were colour ringed (just one colour on each bird - cyan on the juvenile and blue on the adult).

Colour ringing the adult bird

The birds were aged by looking at the wing and body colour, the juvenile had gingery brown tips to the coverts and the body feathers generally had a warmer brown tone. In comparison the adult had no gingery brown tips to its coverts and had more grey on the body feathers. The crown on the adult was more defined compared with the juvenile which was quite diffuse and had warmer tones.

Juvenile on the left, adult on the right

Juvenile Little Grebe

Almost ready to go!

& they're off!

November - Summary

2011-11-30T08:45:00.000-08:00

The total number of wildfowl caught within the LDV this month = 172

Canada Goose 2

Mallard 13

Moorhen 3

Pintail 2

Shelduck 2

Teal 42

Wigeon 108

The total number of birds caught at Bank Island = 47. The highlight being the Treecreeper on the 16^th.

Blackbird 1

Blue Tit 6

Chaffinch 3

Coal Tit 1

Dunnock 1

Great Tit 7

Greenfinch 8

Long Tailed Tit 4

Tree Sparrow 15

Treecreeper 1

Treecreeper

30/11/11 - A shorty drops in!

2011-11-30T08:27:00.000-08:00

Following the large numbers of Snipe on the reserve at the moment we tried drag netting again this morning. We headed down to Wheldrake and tried alongside the pool at Swantail, none were flushed so we moved on. The next field was where most of them were hiding, about 20-25 Common Snipe were flushed and 3 Jacks but again we came away empty handed. Just as we’d put the net away a Short Eared Owl flew up from the side of the van where it’d been sitting in the grass, it quickly dropped back down again not far from us. The net was quickly un-tangled and even though it was a long shot we thought we’d try to sweep the net over it, but before we could get there it took off & left us watching as it glided over us, what a fantastic view!

From Wheldrake we headed off to Duffield to cut the Willow’s, on the way we checked the whoosh net, not a bird in the area but a few on the pool. We waited patiently and soon enough the brood of Mute Swans came up, bringing the Wigeon with them. The Mutes eventually went back down leaving the Wigeon for the taking, 12 were in the area but a few not quite on the grain, the net was fired and 9 were caught! A nice little catch - 5 males and 4 females.

At the end of the day just as it was starting to get dark we decided to have another go for Snipe, we trekked up & down the fields with net, flushing a few Common as we went but no Jack’s, it felt like it was going to be another blank but then just as we were heading back to the van for one last sweep a Common Snipe got off the ground & flew straight up into the net! Not the one we went for but a great result! We colour ringed it too, making it 5 for the year.

As we were driving back across the fields we came across the Short Eared Owl again from this morning! It landed on the ground infront of the van dazzled by the headlights, but not long enough for us to try and catch it! Plenty more Snipe were getting up after dark which has left us thinking of having a go dragging & dazzling during an evening next week instead.

29/11/11 - Just Rewards

2011-11-29T10:24:00.000-08:00

After a very frustrating few days with not catching due to wire snapping, the birds not being in the area, the net not firing properly due to either being trodden into the mud by the birds or being so heavy with water Mike & Craig were finally rewarded with a catch early Sunday morning at North Duffield – 11 Wigeon!

Later the same day Mike went back to try his luck again and came away with 3 more Wigeon.

This morning (Tuesday 29^th) North Duffield produced another catch - this time 8 Mallard and 2 Wigeon. This brings the wildfowl total to 956 for the year.

Later this afternoon Craig headed down to North Duffield to bait up the area for the Whooper Swans with the view of taking a catch next week. 35 were present including 1 with a darvic which isn't believed to be one of our previous returning birds. Also with the Whoopers were 3 Bewick's & 30 Tundra Beans.

Whooper Swans at North Duffield Carrs

22/11/11 - Wigeon.. Teal.. Mallard.. PINTAIL!

2011-11-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

A few more birds to be added to the years total!

This morning (Tuesday 22nd) another worthwhile hour was spent at Wheldrake - 4 Wigeon, 4 Mallard and 1 Teal. Also present at Wheldrake this morning was approximately 130 Common Snipe and 5 Jacks, hopefully we’ll be able to fit a catch in soon!

Yesterday (Monday 21st) - after an early start to check the whoosh net our SRM was rewarded with a pair of Pintail! Unfortunately no one else was there to see them! Later the same day just before it got dark Craig & Steve went off to check the catching area at North Duff – another 27 Wigeon! Result!

Sunday 20th - a check of the whoosh net at Duffield this afternoon resulted in Mike bagging another 4 Wigeon, 3 Teal and 2 Moorhen.

Saturday 19th - Mike spent a couple of hours this morning trying out the new feeding station at Thornton Ellers and came away with 41 new birds, 36 of which were Lesser Redpoll!

A very good few days! Total birds ringed - 47 wildfowl + 41 passerines = 88.

18/11/11 - A visit to Forge

2011-11-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

The first visit of the year to Forge Valley took place today, we went with a view to doing some work there over the winter months and during lunch we put a net up for an hour and had a very good catch of 58 birds! Including 6 Nuthatch (3 new, 3 re-traps) and 8 new Marsh Tits.

Marsh Tit

Nuthatch

What a pair!

Total birds caught = 53 (5)

Blue Tit 10

Chaffinch 10

Coal Tit 12 (2)

Great Tit 9

Marsh Tit 8

Nuthatch 3 (3)

Siskin 1

16/11/11 - Just keep ducking

2011-11-16T08:26:00.000-08:00

This morning Craig & Mike headed down to Wheldrake at first light with the hope of getting another successful catch at the whoosh net, there were hundreds of birds on the pool but not many in the catching area. They came away with 4 Wigeon and 1 Mallard.

From Wheldrake we then headed to North Duffield to try our luck there, no birds were in the area at first but not long after a few Wigeon started heading for the catching area. 8 birds made their way up to the grain but as the net fired 5 took off leaving us with 3 new birds to ring, 2 adult males and an adult female. Also, the duck trap continues to be successful with 4 new Teal, all female.

Female Teal

Mike & Craig comparing Teal

Out of interest this is as it stands today for the total number of wildfowl caught on the reserve since January = 865.

Canada Goose 16

Coot 6

Cormorant 6

Gadwall 7

Greylag Goose 80

Little Grebe 1

Mallard 328

Moorhen 17

Mute Swan 13

Shelduck 59

Shoveler 9

Teal 187

Tufted Duck 1

Whooper Swan 1

Wigeon 134

15/11/11 - They just keep coming!

2011-11-15T08:22:00.000-08:00

A catch at both sites again today - 12 Wigeon and 2 Shelduck were caught at Wheldrake. Then a trip to North Duffield resulted in 12 Teal and 1 Wigeon in the duck trap.

The catches today bring the years totals to:

Shelduck 59

Teal 138

Wigeon 127

& a total of 820 wildfowl ringed on the reserve since January!

13/11/11 - Three in three!

2011-11-13T08:14:00.000-08:00

On Friday (11th) a visit to both whoosh nets brought two catches, the first a very early start at Wheldrake, getting there at first light and coming away with 2 Canada & 1 Wigeon. A late afternoon catch at North Duffield was far more rewarding - 12 Wigeon.

Saturday morning (12th) saw a catch at North Duffield - 7 Wigeon & 6 Teal.

Sunday (13th) another catch was had, 8 Wigeon at North Duffield plus 5 Teal in the duck trap.

A very good three days with 41 birds ringed!

09/11/11 - Thrush Roost

2011-11-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

After cutting the lanes last week and repeatedly seeing hundreds of thrushes using the area we tried a thrush roost late afternoon today. Upon arrival the trees were filled with Blackbirds, Fieldfares and a few Redwing. All day big flocks had been going over & so we thought we were onto a winner! 5 nets were set up within the Hawthorn/Blackthorn scrub and two 60 foot nets along the banking in-between two Hawthorn bushes.

Just after setting up a tit flock dropped in, mainly Long Tails and a few Great Tits/Blue Tit. It was a slow start thrush wise with just one Blackbird but as darkness started to approach more Blackbirds came in to roost, however the Fieldfares stayed high. We ended with a catch of 28 birds including a Redwing & so it was worth doing!

Total birds caught = 27 (1)

Blackbird 11

Blue Tit (1)

Dunnock 1

Goldcrest 1

Great Tit 2

Long Tailed Tit 9

Redwing 1

Tree Sparrow 1

Wren 1

08/11/11 - November Recoveries

2011-11-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

Today we received the latest batch of recoveries, some interesting ones in particular two Sedge Warblers & a Redshank to France, and a Teal to Finland.

Barn Owl (AJ59432), ringed as a 1 on 10/06/07 on Moor Farm, Riccall, Selby, recovered as a 6F on 19/05/11 in Stub Wood, Acaster Malbis, York.

Black-headed Gull (ET53810), ringed as a 1 on 31/05/03 on Thorne Moor, recovered as a 6 on 01/01/11 at Amble Harbour, Northumberland (field recording).

Redshank (DB88181), ringed as a 6 on 29/03/03 on Aughton Ings, recovered on 19/10/10 at the Bay of Morlaix, France (dead).

Reed Warbler (T031773), ringed as a 4 on 24/06/07 at Wheldrake Ings, recovered on 24/07/10 at Crabley Farm Creek, East Riding of Yorkshire.

Reed Warbler (X685999), ringed as a 3J on 05/08/10 at Wheldrake Ings, recovered as a 3 on 25/08/10 at Cauldwell Hall Farm, Hollesley, Suffolk.

Sedge Warbler (X437129), ringed as a 3J on 21/08/09 at Wheldrake Ings, recovered as a 4 on 26/08/10 in Paris, France.

Sedge Warbler (L018382), ringed as a 3 on 16/08/10 in Icklesham, East Sussex, recovered as a 4 on 24/04/11 on Wheldrake Ings.

Sedge Warbler (L751812), ringed as a 4M on 12/05/11 at Wheldrake Ings, re-trapped on 22/07/2011 and then controlled on 10/08/11 in Paris, France.

Teal (EL49846), ringed as a 4F on 12/11/07 on Skipwith Common, recovered on 27/08/09 in Finland (shot).

Wigeon (FA51531), ringed as a 3M on 04/12/04 at North Duffield, recovered on 01/01/11 near Long Sutton, Somerset (shot).

02/11/11 - Up up & away!

2011-11-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

A good day bird wise round the valley, whilst to’ing & fro’ing between different jobs/places today over 10 Kestrels were seen. Also, good movements of thrushes, mainly Fieldfares and large flocks of Golden Plover went over North Duffield around noon.

A new feeding station was set up today at North Duffield, and after seeing hundreds of Fieldfares and Blackbirds in the Blackthorn/Hawthorn/Bramble scrub at the side of Top Pond lanes were cut in preparation for trying a roost next week.

The whoosh net was checked whilst we were down there, a few Wigeon were in the catching area & many many more on the pond, but as we were waiting/hoping for a few more to join something spooked them & they all took off!

01/11/11 - No ducks, no grain, no chance!

2011-11-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

Another attempt was made today to drag net Snipe on Wheldrake, nothing was caught again and even less were seen...we only flushed two Common.

After finishing work at North Duffield this afternoon we tried for a catch of Wigeon in the whoosh net, a few were on the pond but nothing in the area...nevermind! We went up to re-set the net and scattered more grain, yesterdays bucket load had been completely hoovered up!

Just as we were heading back over the bank we spotted two Barn Owls hunting at dusk which is always good to see.

October - Summary

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

The total number of wildfowl caught within the LDV this month = 93

Mallard 12

Moorhen 3

Teal 32

Wigeon 46

The odd hour spent ringing before work at the office resulted in 65 birds caught at Bank Island this month.

Blue Tit 8

Chaffinch 4

Dunnock 2

Goldcrest 1

Goldfinch 3

Great Spotted Woodpecker 2

Great Tit 5

Greenfinch 9

Long Tailed Tit 4

Robin 3

Tree Sparrow 23

Treecreeper 1

30/10/11 - Three Owls & a Grebe!

2011-10-30T06:50:00.000-07:00

Today Jean Thorpe brought in a treat in the form of a Little Grebe! It had been found in Bridlington on a road. Jean looked after it for a few days and then brought it in to ring & release in the valley. Two colour rings were attached along with the BTO metal ring. It was released in the valley at Wheldrake Ings. Jean also brought in two Barn Owls and a Tawny Owl which were almost ready to head back into the wild.

Juvenile Little Grebe after colour ringing

Recovering at Ryedale

Steve ringing one of the Barn Owls

29/10/11 - Slowly does it

2011-10-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

A whoosh net attempt at North Duffield today resulted in a small catch of Wigeon (9), 2 adults, 7 juv’s, 7 males and 2 females. The small catches are adding up!

Adult male Wigeon

26/10/11 - October Recoveries

2011-10-26T06:12:00.000-07:00

A few recoveries received today, two more Wigeon to Russia and two Mutes identified by the colour rings.

Mute Swan (Z84393), ringed as a 1 male on 08/08/98 at Derwent Ings, recovered 26/08/02 on Hornsea Mere (identified by darvic).

Mute Swan (W00243), ringed as a 1 female on 26/07/03 at North Duffield, recovered on 12/06/04 on Hornsea Mere (identified by darvic).

Teal (EL99885), ringed as a 4M on 18/10/08 at Wheldrake Ings, recovered 08/01/11 at Round Close Wood, near Haverthwaite, Cumbria (shot).

Wigeon (FH02692), ringed as a 3 on 10/11/06 at North Duffield, recovered on 29/10/11 at Ellerker, Brough (shot).

Wigeon (FH10123), ringed as a 3 on 23/10/07 at North Duffield, recovered on 01/01/10 in Solotcha, Russia (shot).

25/10/11 - A good catch atlast!

2011-10-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

This morning Jean Thorpe brought in 3 Mute Swans which were ready to ring and release after being cared for. All three swans were released on the river at North Duffield and took off well, another good job Jean!

Waiting to be ringed

Tricky rings, our SRM showing how it’s done

After releasing the swans we checked the whoosh net at North Duffield, 21 Wigeon were in the catching area and lots more on the pond. After losing out on the last two goes (18th/19th when just as we were about to fire the birds took off both times!) the net was promptly fired & all 21 caught! The biggest catch yet for the autumn. It was a mixed catch of males (4), females (17), 12 adults and 9 juveniles. This brings the total to 35 for the year and 1650 for all time!

21 Wigeon!

Steve with his hands full!

Adult male Wigeon (eclipse)

17/10/11 - Trying for a Jack or two...

2011-10-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

We tried drag netting for Snipe again at Wheldrake today, none were caught, however atleast 1 Jack was flushed this time and 12 Common. In comparison to last weeks’ attempt (07/10/11) when none were caught and no Jack's seen but 16 Common were flushed.

Here are a couple of snaps from last autumn (Oct/Nov) - 14 Jack Snipe were ringed on 4 attempts over 3 days!

07/10/11 - Great Spots!

2011-10-07T05:02:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday the net was open at Bank Island for an hour before we started work, it was blowing a gale and only one bird was caught – but it was a goody – a lovely young female Great Spotted Woodpecker! Then this morning as we went to do a round expecting a few finches an adult male Great Spot was swinging in the net! We also had the first Goldcrest for the autumn.

Adult male G.S.Woodpecker

Juvenile male Goldcrest

01/10/11 - First Wigeon for the autumn!

2011-10-01T04:35:00.000-07:00

This morning the first Wigeon (8) of the autumn were caught in the whoosh net at Wheldrake and another go early evening also brought a catch of 10 Teal!

Total birds caught today = 19

Moorhen 1

Teal 10

Wigeon 8

September - Summary

2011-09-30T04:25:00.000-07:00

The total number of wildfowl caught within the LDV this month = 63

Mallard 27

Moorhen 3

Teal 33

The odd hour spent before work on a morning ringing at the office produced a total 93 birds and 2 re-traps for Bank Island this month.

Blue Tit 4

Chaffinch 5

Coal Tit 1

Crossbill 1 (new bird for the Ings!)

Dunnock 4

Goldfinch 27 (2)

Great Tit 5

Greenfinch 35

Robin 3

Tree Sparrow 8

28/09/11 - September Recoveries (2)

2011-09-28T04:19:00.000-07:00

Today we received another four recoveries, three from colour rings which is very pleasing, especially the two Whoopers to Iceland!

Coot (GC59953) ringed as a 3M at North Duffield on 23/10/98, sighted on 26/08/11 on Shibdon Pond, Newcastle (identified by colour rings).

Whooper Swan (W09345), ringed as a 3M on 16/12/05 at North Duffield, sighted on 02/04/09 in Iceland (identified by darvic).

Whooper Swan (W24873), ringed as a 3 on 30/11/08 at North Duffield, sighted on 02/04/09 in Iceland (identified by darvic).

Wigeon (FP68613) ringed as a 4M at North Duffield on 11/11/07, recovered 07/05/11 in Russia (shot).

27/09/11 - & we’re off!

2011-09-27T04:16:00.000-07:00

Ta-dah! An early rise to fire the whoosh net this morning resulted in the first two Teal of the autumn!

16/09/11 - September Recoveries

2011-09-16T04:07:00.000-07:00

A few recoveries received today, two more Wigeon to Russia and a Whooper to Iceland.

Whooper Swan (W24868), ringed as a 4 on 30/11/08 at North Duffield, recovered on 16/06/11 in Iceland (dead on beach).

Wigeon (FP65520), ringed as a 3M on 14/12/03 at North Duffield, recovered on 09/05/11 in Russia (shot).

Wigeon (FP93603), ringed as a 4M on 25/10/05 at North Duffield, recovered on 23/04/11 in Russia (shot).