Time to catch up

Shift work and weather plays a big part at Abbotsbury but we managed five ringing visits from 29th July to 6th August. The bird totals were 29th July (105) 30th July (83) 3rd Aug (76) 5th Aug evening only (22) and 6th Aug (79). The main species trapped as usual were Sedge Warblers with a total of 194 from these visits. The birds do not appear so heavy on average this year. So far only three birds over twelve grams and fat scores low- averaging 20. A couple of 30 and one of 40.

The evening visit on the 5th saw our first attempt at the Pied Wagtail roost- now numbering well over 130 birds. The roost has moved a little into some drier reeds where a 60 foot net was waiting for them. We will be continuing our colour ringing project of these birds this year. The split bi-coloured rings have been discarded now and we are using full colour rings. Please look out for these birds! After a couple of years of intensive colour ringing Pied Wagtails we have almost filled Scotland with red dots on the map and had a sighting in Britanny near Quimper and a bird caught in the Spring in the Netherlands..Hopefully from now on we will be targeting these along with Swallows and Yellow Wagtails with a peak of Swallow catching at the end of this coming week.

Sedge Warbler

Yellow Wagtail

Ten years ago  the Yellow Wagtail roost numbered several hundreds of birds but in recent years we have struggled to count over 100 with about 80 being the norm of a late August evening. A far cry from back in the early 1970's when Yellow Wagtails ringed at roost at nearby Radipole were 702 in 1970, 212 in 1971 and 798 in 1972. In 1975 there were 2279 Yellow Wagtails trapped and ringed there.We shall not see those days again!

Other highlights from the five visits included Garden Warblers on three of the visits and good numbers of Willow Warblers which do not really pass through the Swannery in big numbers. The total to date this year  is about 70 birds.

Reed Bunting (male)

Reed Buntings are also moving about a bit now. They are often drawn in, for some reason, to the Swallow roost.

With a weeks leave forthcoming hopefully more visits will be undertaken- providing the weather holds out.