Tawny Owls and CES 1

Jerry visited the Lake on 25th April, to make sure everything was ready for the CES.  While there, he ringed a brood of two Tawny Owls in a shelterbelt box - the first that the Group has done since 2007.  Tawny Owls usually use one of our boxes, but are not generally ringed, because very few April visits are made, and they have usually fledged by the time of the first CES visit.

Gareth completed the 1st CES of 2016 on 08 May. The first nets were put up before a spell of moderate rain at 06:10. The rain persisted until 07:00 with drizzle continuing until 08:00. As a result, the nets were quiet during the first hours of the session but made busy by the need to check them regularly.

The day turned out to be the warmest of 2016, with a high of 21oC. Not a bad turnout of birds either, with a day total of  21 new + (23 retraps), comprising:

Goldc 1

Wren 2 (3)

Wilwa 3 (3)

Chiff (2)

Blaca 5 (2)

Garwa 3 (1)

Reewa 1 (1)

Sedwa 1

Piefl 2

Bluti (1)

Goldf 1

Bullf 1 (7)

Dunno (2)

Blabi 1 (1)

Jerry arrived at mid-morning to assess the condition of the nets and help with nest box checks. The shelter belt and reed bed 2 boxes were checked during late morning, and Cathedine and reed bed 1 boxes were checked following the session.

Piefl nests were present in low numbers at all sites, with redst nests at Cathedine (including one clutch) and reed bed 2 (female sitting). A sitting nuthatch was also recorded in a shelter belt box.

Pied flycatcher. This male was aged '6' (hatched before last year) on account of its broad, round tipped primary coverts. Males of this species moult to a brown and white plumage during autumn and moult again in the spring to their breeding 'pied' plumage (hence the mottled appearance of this bird).