Ringing..... a rather special bird

A once in a lifetime opportunity? I certainly hope not, but it did feel that way as i arrived at Woods Mill last Tuesday to ring their resident Barn Owl chicks. The nest has been observed closely over the past few weeks, and it appears there is only one adult feeding the chicks, a female! Whats more, it doesn't seem to have a ring, meaning its not of last years brood. None the less, upon examination of the box, we found 4 healthy male chicks and I was lucky enough to be given the chance to ring one of them. As the eggs are laid 1-2 days apart, and consequently hatch 1-2 days apart, there is a distinct pecking order (pardon the pun) and the youngest chick will be fed last, so only in a good year will as many as 4 survive!
The ages ranged from 39 to 49 days, with fledging usually taking place around 56 days, so these birds are nearly ready to leave the nest. As is obvious in the photos, the wings are well on their way to developing, but they still retain a lot of the down that keeps them warm as chicks. At this age, they are often very vocal and needy as they need to be fed alot, and it is not uncommon for the adult bird to roost somewhere else for a bit of peace and quiet, and only return to the nest to feed them.

What a day......

Me ringing a Barn Owl chick, Tyto alba,

Ever wondered how to weigh a Barn Owl chick?

Full profile of Barn Owl chick, Tyto alba, with its new ring



The photo of me ringing the chick was kindly taken and is copyrighted to David Plummer.

Nearly-Fledgling Whitethroat

So, a quick trip to Pulborough in rather blustery conditions didn't yield much in the way of birds for us, but luckily we were treated to an adult Whitethroat feeding its very nearly fledged chicks just in front of one of the hides; for a good half an hour. While the shots aren't great, mainly due to some rather mobile nettles that kept getting in the way, I managed to grab a couple of snaps, including one telling the end of a Common Blue Damselfly. From what I could see, it was the male feeding them as it was a particularly bright bird, with the females often being duller in contrast! Whitethroat young take around 12 days to fledge, and from the looks of things these chicks are pretty much there. Perhaps time for a second brood?

Common Whitethroat, Sylvia communis chicks asking to be fed!



Common Whitethroat, Sylvia communis; with food, Common Blue Damselfly, Enallagma cyathigerum

Common Whitethroat, Sylvia communis fledglings together

Other Flying Beings

So this post is not about birds, but about some interesting flying creatures I have found over the last week. These are creatures I know virtually nothing about, and my iPhone just about records a picture adequate enough for me to I.D them at home. So first of all was this White Ermine Moth I found on my friends patio doors. These little wonders aren't particularly rare, but that doesn't make them any less exquisite. The degree of speckling can vary greatly depending on where you are in the country; this is an example from Herefordshire! These night-flyer's are also poisonous, and thus are not at risk of being eaten, perhaps why this one was so happy to be hanging out in the sun.

My next find was not far from home, in Rewell Wood in Sussex. I have been working on the site for the last few weeks, and have been permanently surrounded by Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterflies. These butterflies are a priority BAP species since populations have been declining dramatically. Common Dog-Violet is the caterpillars favoured foodplant, but it will also use Heath Dog and Marsh Violet. The adult is less picky, using bugle as their primary source but also favouring a  number of other plants species, including birds-foot trefoil, Buttercup, Dandelion and Bluebell. This species relies heavily on woodland clearings for suitable habitat and nectar, and if these are not maintained and become overgrown, whole colonies of Pearl-boarders die unless there is more suitable habitat nearby.

This next moth was a new one found last week. Turns out it's a Cream-Spotted Tiger Moth. Again, not hugely rare, but the size and colour of this one was really startling! They are also nocturnal moths, and this one had recently emerged as when found it was still unfolding its wings. The caterpillars of this species are not fussy at all, and will eat a variety of plants.

Absent Without Leave!

It's been a while, time to get back into the swing of blogging again. To start things off, a late report from the first CES session at Cissbury last weekend. Constant Effort Sites schemes are organised by the BTO to bring in national standardisation of ringing, across 120 sites; using the same nets, at the same time of year, at the same locations every year!

So the session proved to be a very successful one, including having a lovely view over the downs in glorious sunshine at the ringing table. Birds caught included Garden Warbler, Green Woodpecker, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Blackcap, Song Thrush, Chiffchaff and Bullfinch. The Garden Warblers were my first of the year, and despite having been given the rather unfortunate Latin name Sylvia borin, they were lovely little birds to have in the hand!

Garden Warbler, Sylvia borin

Pair of Lesser Whitethroat, Sylvia curruca

Green Woodpecker, Picus viridis

This handsome female Green Woodpecker very kindly displayed its tongue for the photo. It is normally stored in a coil at the back of the skull, and is used to harvest ants and other small insects from and cracks or crevices in trees. The tongue itself is very sticky, and is also slightly barbed on the end, to aid the woodpecker in collecting its food.

A ringing session back at the Mumbles yesterday was very quiet, with a reduced amount of nets up to avoid too much disturbance. There was a nice selection though, with new Reed Warblers, Balckcaps, Blackbirds and Whitethroats. In between the net rounds, we had the company of this Grey Wagtail, which was feeding a fledged youngster, unfortunately too far away to photograph.

Grey Wagtail, Motacilla cinerea

And finally, just as a little extra something, I have some photos of Common Terns that I have been seeing a lot of these past few weeks around the coast. This first bird was one of a pair fishing of the east coast of Thorney Island on Friday, and the other pair were in Itchenor Harbour. I could sit all day and watch these stunning birds dive for fish, and at the moment they are in full courtship mode, as you can see with this male bringing the female (sat on the buoy) a fish.




Common Tern, Sterna hirundo

Pair of Common Tern, Sterna hirundo

One Week Rolled Into One Post

A busy week, but not really with regards to birds. First of all, I can't resist posting this picture of a Hazel Dormouse in a state of torpor, found in a nest box that was due for cleaning. This lovely little arboreal mammal didn't seem to mind being weighed and clipped, and slept happily through it all.......

Hazel Dormouse, Muscardinus avellanarius

On Friday, I was on the Pond Survey Course at Woods Mill run by the SWT. It was a fascinating day, with lots learnt, and also lots found, my favourite being the Smooth and Palmate Newts; the first pictures being of a male Palmate Newt. It is possible to I.D it as a male Palmate due to the presence of the thin filament present on the end of it's tail, and it's black webbed rear feet.

Palmate Newt, Lissotriton helveticus

When it comes to the females, it is slightly trickier to separate the Smooth and Palmate. The most reliable way is to look at the throat. The female Smooth Newt has an orange pigment present in the throat, and it is often (but not always) spotty. The female Palmate lacks both spots and any pigment, giving the throat a much more reddish colour.

Palmate Newt, Lissotriton helveticus

Smooth Newt, Lissotriton vulgaris

Unfortunately we didn't find any Great Crested Newts but we did find an egg (under the supervision of a licence holder I must add). All three species of newt lay their eggs one at a time onto a piece of vegetation, then fold the leaf around the egg to protect it from predators. The Great Crested Newt egg is easy to identify, as it is bright white, compared to the others which are a duller colour and almost impossible to separate.

Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) Egg

And to finish, something bird related. Ringing on Saturday was quiet, but it's not always about quantity. Blackcaps, Chiffcahffs, Long-tailed Tits, Blackbirds and two Song Thrushes were all caught, but the highlight was this Reed Warbler, the first of the year. Even better was that this bird was ringed at Steyning for the first time in 2007! Great to see it still coming back.

Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus

Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus

On a final note, we had a wonderful day out walking the Seven Sisters on Sunday. Despite it being very windy, the sun was out and so were the birds, and we had great views of Wheatear, Stonechat, Raven, Meadow Pipit and Skylark, and the Fulmars put on a wonderful display! A very happy day indeed.

Snipets of Sussex

A few days birding around Sussex during the Easter week were fairly quiet, but very enjoyable. First stop was a sunny Pagham on Wednesday, which was very quiet with the usual waders and ducks around; none the less a lovely day! The Little Egrets were calling from their usual colony location in the trees at the end of the North Wall, and there were some lovely Black-Tailed Godwits in their smart summer plumage.

Black-Tailed Godwit, Limosa limosa

A visit to Pulborough Brooks on Good Friday turned up a few unusual species , in the form of some Barnacle Geese and a lone Pink-Footed Goose, leaving it late to return to it's breeding grounds!

Pink-footed Goose, Anser brachyrhynchus with Barnacle Goose, Branta leucopsis

There were also two Little Ringed Plovers out on the North Brooks, along with Shoveler, Gadwall, Teal, Widgeon, Lapwing and others. The trees were alive with the songs of Blackcap, Goldcrest and Chiffchaff as well as some nuthatches setting up territories and showing very well, including this rather fluffy individual.

Eurasian Nuthatch, Sitta europaea

Two Egyptian Geese also put in an appearance, before the tame Water Rail posed in the sun outside the visitor centre!

Water Rail, Rallus aquaticus

Water Rail, Rallus aquaticus

Mumbling Saturday

A Saturday ringing session at The Mumbles, and the weather was somewhat overcast and chilly, fairly standard for the end of March but not like the weather we've had recently. Overall a fairly quiet day, but with three firsts for me and some real gems. A steady trickle of Reed Buntings, Blue and Great Tits and a few Greenfinches were the only birds for the first few hours. Then on the same net ride on the same round, a brilliant male Yellowhammer and a male Great Spotted Woodpecker were caught. This is the first woodpecker I've had in the hand, but the Yellowhammer was even more special, possibly the first one ringed on this site for 30 years. Then, just to top it off, a female was caught on the next round. Possibly a pair looking for a territory? 

Female Yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella

Male Yellowhammer, Emberiza citrinella

Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos major

After these birds, a few new Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap were rung, and then on the final net round another migrant, a first for the year and a new species for me; a Willow Warbler. This little bird is very similar to the Chiffchaff, and is very difficult to tell apart if not singing. The Willow Warbler is generally brighter in appearance, a more greeny breast and a clearer eyestripe can sometimes be a giveaway, and the legs are sometimes lighter than a Chiffchaff's; even in the hand though this bird was a difficult one. The only properly reliable way to tell (other than song) is by the length of the wing. A Willow Warbler has a much longer wing, with the primary wingtips extending much further down the tail. This longer wing is needed as they generally migrate further than the Chiffchaff; as far as South Africa. This generally gives the bird a sleeker, less upright appearance than that of a Chiffchaff.

Willow Warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus

Willow Warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus