Canada Goose recoveries, and early May update

5287769 was ringed on 30 June 2019, and was found dead (not fresh on a farm pond) on 6 May 2020 at Crai, Brecon - 311 days, 26 km, 262 degrees

5284570 was ringed on 24 June 2018, and was found dead on 7 May 2020 at Llanvetherine (on the road with an injured wing) - 683 days, 24 km, 114 degrees

There was little ringing in early May with only Andy able to operate in his garden (in accordance with BTO guidelines). He was attempting to try and ring some of the (very canny at evading nets) House Sparrow flock in the village. On 3 May, with a double panel net, he managed to catch Blue Tit (1), House Sparrow 2 + (3) and Siskin 1. One of the House Sparrow, having been ringed at the Pennorth bird crop in early December (the other two ringed in Andy's garden last November). On 8 May, he had a better catch (with two nets) of 10 + (6) = Dunnock (1), Blue Tit 1 + (3), Great Tit 1, House Sparrow 7 + (1), Chaffinch (1) and Siskin 1. One of the Blue Tits being ringed in December 2016. On 12 May the birds seem to have fully "sussed out" the net positions, and he had a small catch of Great-spotted Woodpecker (1), Dunnock (1), Blue Tit 1 and House Sparrow 2 + (1) in five hours. The Woodpecker was ringed in Andy's garden in February 2017 (and caught again November 2017), while the Sparrow was ringed at the Pennorth bird crop in December.

Its likely that quite a few early CES visits will not be possible this year, due to Covid 19 restrictions. The last visit we missed was visit 6 (at the end of June) 1988, though the early visits in 2001 (Foot & Mouth year) only had the garden nets in operation. The Ringing Report for 2017 was only recently published in Ringing & Migration, and of the 135 CES sites operating in 2017, only five (one of which was Llangorse) have been monitored since the start. We can only hope that the disease will be under control to a degree that will allow restrictions to be lifted in time for us to undertake some of the mid/late season visits.