25/01/19 - Woodcock

Throughout January we've seen an increase in the number of Woodcock in the valley, although this has been an influx only observed by a few diligent observers present around the Ings on or after dusk, whilst two have also been caught, ringed and released on an evening. The exquisitely camouflaged Woodcock is mainly nocturnal, hiding in the dense undergrowth of woodlands and heathlands (i.e Skipwith Common), during the day where its cryptic plumage makes it virtually impossible to spot until flushed unexpectedly. Woodcock feed by probing damp ground for earthworms and beetles, and often move away from their day time woodland haunts, to visits wet grasslands and pastures to feed. Birds have been seen flying over the meadows at Bank Island and Wheldrake at dusk and we’ve spotted a few feeding on the Ings after dark – we’ll be doing more work on the importance of the reserve for these birds over the coming months and will feed back any results here. 

 

As well as ringing during the nights, we've also spent time doing some early morning catches on days when our team of volunteers are in, which have resulted in a number of garden species caught. Blue Tits are a familiar species and there can’t be many gardens or feeders that don’t receive visits from these entertaining little birds. Not surprisingly they are quite a scarce visitor to the Ings themselves, instead frequenting the Willow Carr and more wooded areas and hedgerows on the edge of the reserve. However one location we do get large numbers coming to is our feeding station at the reserve base, where they also nest in boxes provided on the building. Although we don’t target Blue Tits, large numbers have been caught and ringed over the years in and amongst the finches and sparrows, and have helped train the next generation of ringers and researchers. Blue Tits are quite sedentary, seldom moving far from their natal area, and have an expected life span of just 2-3 years if they survive their first winter. So, it was a pleasant surprise when checking the ring number of a bird we caught at the base feeders last week to find out it had been ringed in the exact same spot as a juvenile some 9 years, 1 month and four days earlier – only a few months short of his tenth birthday!