13/04/12 - 2011...an impressive year!

Last week the BTO published the provisional UK ringing totals for 2011, there are still likely to be additions to this as more data is filtered in but here’s a first stab at putting some of our 2011 totals into context. It’s quite impressive (even if we do say so ourselves!).

After looking through the data we’ve pulled out some of the most pleasing species, three in particular have to be Shelduck, Shoveler and Wigeon. Within the LDV area we did 100% of pulli (unfledged) Shelduck in the UK, 43% of the total Shoveler and 46% of all Wigeon! Below are a few stats with each photograph from other species that the LDV Team have really contributed data to:

Little Grebe - 50% of the UK total (3 of the 6)

 

Whooper Swan - 3% of the UK total

 

Greylag Goose - 14% of the UK total, 30% of pulli

 

Shoveler - 43% of the UK total 

Shelduck - 32% of the UK total, 100% of pulli

 

Wigeon - 46% of the UK total

 

Gadwall - 5% of the UK total, 50% of pulli

 

Teal - 30% of the UK total

 

 

Mallard - 36% of the UK total, 82% of pulli

 

Pintail - 24% of the UK total

 

Tufted Duck - 10% of pulli

 

Moorhen - 10% of the UK total

 

Despite a poor wader year, we did 4% of all Common Snipe and 1% of Curlew (plus 3% of the pulli).

Far more surprising was that the LDV area contributed to over 1% of the total Sedge Warblers, 1.5% of the total Willow Warblers, over 1% of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, and 6% of Corn Buntings (18% of adults). Also not forgetting the 1 Great Grey Shrike out the 9 done across the whole of the UK and 1 Cuckoo out the 48.

All in all 2011 was a very impressive year and it just shows what a great contribution the Lower Derwent Valley and we make to ringing in the UK, especially for waterfowl, but also, given the small numbers ringed, to some waders. Additionally the fact that 8 of the species listed above are being colour-ringed too adds to their significance in getting data back. 

Well done and thanks for everyones input, time and effort!

09/04/12 - Night owls...

Well during the last couple of weeks more birds seem to have been ringed during the night with Dave & Craig becoming more nocturnal of late! The month got off to a good start duck wise - on the first a catch of ducks were taken in the whoosh net at North Duffield Carrs, at approximately 3am (no April fool!). Craig had suspected that the ducks were coming up to the whoosh net during the night to hoover up the remaining grain & was rewarded with a catch of 6 Mallard, 2 Wigeon & a single Teal, nice to keep the duck numbers ticking over! 

After having a go for waders last week and getting a rather small catch Dave fancied trying his luck a few days after, despite the rising water levels and a large part of the valley being underwater (see photo below) it didn’t stop him!

Bank Island - flooded

 

Due to the flooding Dave left his vehicle in the car park & made it down to the hide/netting area on foot - leaving his car in 6 inches of water... He opened the nets at 5am and waited as the birds started to make their way back in, & was definitely rewarded for his efforts with a catch of 7 Common Snipe! All colour-ringed too, also, & rather frustratingly he had a Short-eared Owl fly into the net & then back out again before he could get there! Good to know they’re still around, maybe next time........... Whilst there he also spotted a pair of Avocets making a scrape on the bund (which should stay above the water level hopefully). Avocets usually turn up in the valley on spring passage and have shown signs in recent years that they may colonise so fingers crossed they'll stick around this year. All in all definitely a worthwhile few hours & Dave made it back to his car safely (which by that time was in 10 inches of water!).

After Dave’s successful catch Craig fancied trying his luck at the weekend....arriving in the early hours around 3am to open the nets and then sitting it out and waiting for the birds to come in.....five hours later he was back at the base with just 3 birds, but all good ones! & more importantly species that could be colour-ringed - Lapwing, Snipe & a Redshank. The Redshank already had a metal ring on - one of ours from a couple of years ago - hopefully a returning breeding bird.

Redshank, Lapwing, Common Snipe

With both Dave & Craig’s catches that takes us to 23 colour-ringed waders this year (see below). Compared with 2011 we’re already well ahead with Snipe, last year just 8 Common Snipe were ringed and 0 Jack Snipe.

2012 wader totals:

18 Common Snipe

1 Jack Snipe

1 Ruff

2 Redshank

1 Lapwing

It was particularly pleasing to be able to colour-ring all of the above birds, colour rings on species such as Redshank show really well so keep an eye out for our brightly coloured feathered friends!

Redshank

Lapwing - adult male

Not many adult Lapwing are ringed in the valley each year so this one was a nice treat, they tend to be quite wary birds and are very good at avoiding our specially positioned nets! Last year in 2011, 27 Lapwing were ringed in the valley, with just 3 adults and 24 pulli. In general numbers of Lapwing ringed each year is going down - in 2002, a massive 103 chicks were ringed on the reserve but hopefully this year will be a good year and numbers will start to rise again. On Sunday (8^th) the first Lapwing clutch was spotted on Wheldrake Ings, hopefully the first of many!

Lapwing - chick (06/07/11)

 

07/04/12 - FP returns, LM strikes...

After flicking through the 2009 FBOG - Filey Brigg Ornithological Group report the other day, we came across a (superb) photograph of a Shelduck with a black & white darvic ring, taken by Ian Robinson on 08/03/09 at Filey Dams YWT - Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Reserve. Ian e-mailed us the original copy & after a process of elimination we were able to make out the letters ‘FP’. We already knew of a previous record to the Dams - a bird that was ringed in the valley at North Duffield Carrs on 28/02/05 appeared at the Dams just a few days later on the 1^st March, and it was then seen again on the 13^th. Well as it turns out it is infact the same bird!

Shelduck - 08/03/09 Filey Dams

 Ian Robinson

History of ‘FP’

GN81927 ‘FP’        6M (adult male)        28/02/05 North Duffield Carrs

                            VV (field sighting)     01/03/05 Filey Dams

                            VV                          13/03/05 Filey Dams

                            VV                          08/03/09 Filey Dams

Hopefully he's still about!

Lucy, a member of the LDV Team, rings with the group that covers the Filey area, the EYRG - East Yorkshire Ringing Group, and since her arrival Natural England & the LDV Team have been working alongside the EYRG, in helping to cut and strim ringing lanes in the Top Scrub and Parish Wood and have been instrumental in securing permission to ring on Filey Brigg. Dan (a trainee within the EYRG) has benefitted from the recent link between the two groups/areas and has been over on more than one occasion for some duck experience - see ‘Back on track, in style’ & ‘G whizz!’.

Pintail during the cold snap - February 2012

 

 Shelduck'ing - March 2012

Mallards aplenty - March 2012

 

Last week we swapped the valley for a day at the coast which resulted in a new addition to the FBOG list - a Great Grey Shrike! It appeared Thursday morning in the Old Tip Nature Reserve & was trapped and ringed later that evening, the Shrike was a new bird for Luce & a first in the hand for Dan. 

Great Grey Shrike - Old Tip, Filey 05/04/12

 

A few of us from the valley were over at the coast again last week, ringing and releasing the Common Scoter brought in by Jean Thorpe - full story - 'A flying visit'.

Common Scoter - Filey 02/04/12

 

So there’s been lots of recent links between the two areas, and so between us - the LDV & the EYRG, plenty of birds will hopefully be ringed & many recoveries to come! For more details on the Filey Brigg Ornithological Group follow this link to their website - www.fbog.co.uk & the EYRG blog - http://blog.eyrg.co.uk/#category0 has regular updates on the groups ringing adventures.

02/04/12 - A flying visit!

Yesterday we received a call from Jean Thorpe in which she told us of her latest new arrival....a Common Scoter!

Common Scoter

 

The RSPCA had been contacted after it had been found inland in a garden in Hull, which in fact was a bit of a coincidence as only yesterday Craig had been saying that at this time of year one usually turns up in the valley on spring passage. The RSPCA quickly brought it over to Jean so that she could give it the once over, she could find nothing wrong with it & so it was promptly returned to its habitat - the coast. Jean took the opportunity to bring her daughter and granddaughter over for a day at the seaside, Bella enjoyed seeing the Scoter before heading for the donkeys!  

Craig, Jean & Bella admiring the Scoter

 

According to the BTO website during the last ten years only one Common Scoter has been ringed in Britain, and overall (between 1909 - 2011) just 64 birds have been ringed. This is due to them having a rather small and declining breeding population in the UK, and the adults stay out at sea making them rather uncatchable! So it’s really good to be able to add data to the few that have been ringed. Un-surprisingly it’s also a new bird for the Filey Brigg Ornithological Group (due to it being a coastal bird the decision was taken to use rings from the East Yorkshire Ringing Group). Normally birds that have been in care for more than 24 hours are usually excluded from the national ringing totals, however this bird was with Jean for less than 12 hours.

Recently several Scoters (Common & Velvet) have been seen off Filey Brigg and so the decision was made to release it into the bay. Craig explained that Scoters need to get abit of a run-up before they fly and so it was placed in very shallow water. Almost immediately it sped through the water and moments later it was seen ducking and diving over and under the waves! Fab! It was great to see the bird back in its natural environment and looking so well.

Saying Goodbye!

Off....

& away!

31/03/12 - March summary

It’s been another very good month in the valley, a total of 256 birds have been ringed, including 103 passerines & 153 non-passerines (146 waterfowl, 5 waders & 2 raptors/owls). Outside of the valley at our neighbouring NNR’s another 51 birds were ringed (Forge Valley 47, Duncombe Park 4).

	March		Year
WATERFOWL
Mute Swan	2		2
Greylag Goose	3		3
Brent Goose	0		1
Shelduck	19		77
Wigeon	3		110
Teal	25		279
Mallard	90		211
Pintail	0		5
Moorhen	4		8
Coot	0		4
Little Grebe	0		1
WADERS
Snipe	3		10
Ruff	1		1
Redshank	1		1
RAPTORS/OWLS
Red Kite	1		1
Tawny Owl	1		1

We finally managed a wader catch last week (Tuesday 28^th), considering the large numbers of birds about it was slightly disappointing to catch only a handful, however they were good ones! Jean got up close & personal with a Ruff much to her delight! A fantastic bird to catch considering less than 10 Ruff are ringed in Britain each year. The Ruff was colour ringed, along with 2 Common Snipe & a Redshank. 

A sleepy Ruff!

The catch also included 3 Teal, making it 7 birds for the night, out of 720 foot of net...!! As we walked over the fields plenty of Curlew were singing & over 100 Snipe got up - great to know they are there it’s just a shame we didn’t catch more! Whilst we were waiting in the hide for darkness to fall (measured using the Jackson scale!) we also had the pleasure of listening to Snipe drumming!