To Windy for any mist netting today , but a glorious sunny morning, took a cup of coffee down the garden and saw 5 Eiders all displaying and calling.
Sunday
1st Week over
Well the first week is over in our new house, its been a bit manic with all the building work going on and still unpacking stuff. Weather been a bit poor but managed to get a 60 ft net up in the garden this aft for 2 hours.
5 House Sparrow ringed
7 Chaffinch
1 Blue Tit
Also went to the Point Of Ayre this aft for a nosey.9 Choughs near the light House 1 Colour Ringed i will send this to the chough colour ring coordinator on the island. Lots of Lesser Black backs pairing up for the season. Also saw a wheatear on Ramsey beach today.
New Home New Start
Here we are moved over to the Isle of Man on Friday. Madness still with builders and fitters everywhere. So got my priorities right and put up a feeding station and 10 nest boxes in the garden
Yesterday 1 Female Blackbird Ringed
1 Robin
1 Retrap Coal Tit from September
Elland Gravel Pits
I went down to Elland Gravel Pits today, well the feeding station in Donald's garden. I rang 240 birds here in 2009 and 176 in 2008 mainly from Jan08/09> March 08/09. I thought i would go back today to see if any of the birds had survived this awful winter.
What a morning two 20ft nets put up and 104 birds caught.
71 Blue Tits 46 were new birds 18 were retraps from 2008 7 from 2009 .
13 Gt Tits 9 new birds 4 retraps 2 from 2008
2 from 2009
5 Bullfinch 4 new birds 4 males 1 female 1 male retrap from July 2009
4 Coal Tits all new birds
6 Robins all new birds
3 Dunnock All new Birds
1 Gt Spotted Woodpecker new bird
1 Chaffinch new bird
thanks to Donald for all his support and the coffees and biscuits, posh ringing this is. And for feeding the birds, again it just shows what is visiting your garden , i did not catch the same but twice today.
Photo of Bittern in tree at OGP
As i mentioned about 4 weeks ago the Bittern that Landed in the tree at OGP , Ian sent me the photos last night at least you can make it out in this photo.
Otley Gravel Pits
Back to an early start today left Home at 6:15 and Picked Andy up at 7. 3 Nets up at OGP for 7:30. A nice steady morning with 50 Birds caught.
Chaffinch
Brambling
Greenfinch
Bullfinch
Coal Tits
Gt Tits
Blue Tits
LT Tits
Gt Spotted Woodpeckers
Robins
Dunnocks
Blackbird
This is the last Time i will be out with Andy before i Move to the Isle Of Man.
Andy has helped me so much over the years and with out his enthusiasm for the ringing scheme i wouldn't of progressed as i have .
So a great big thanks mate for the last 4 Years, what a time we have had, most weekends we have been out together only the weather stopping us.
This blog started in May 2006 and if you look through it some of the best moments have been spent with Andy Jowett.
From catching our first Stonechats to finding Barn Owls using the boxes Andy had put up. Ringing Long-eared Owl, Red Kites, Red Polls even colour ringing Meadow Pipits and many more, what a time some times just sat for hours waiting for stuff, taking the piss out of each other and blaring out some Van Halen or Iron Maiden, many a laugh shared.
I know and hope you will be over to visit me and good luck with all the stuff we had planned and never got to do, you were and are a true mate.
More on Wireless Woosh Trigger from Zdenek Maudry
I have had a few emails on this device asking for some pictures and how it all goes together so here goes
Shot 1
One small rechargeable 12v battery pack which clips neatly onto
Shot 2 The Receiver which connects to
Shot 3 The Trigger , solenoid mechanism .
Shot 4 shows the end of the 5ft bungee i got with the kit staked in the ground.
Shot 5: shows the other end of the bungee with a screw shut carabiner attached , on the right hand side you attach the cord to the woosh net .
Shot 6 : show the trigger mechanism {solenoid} unset, in the top left corner you see a pivoted switch attached to the solenoid by a piece of white string with a small brown attached pin hanging of the end.
Shot 7: shows the trigger set and the carabiner attached to the trigger with the pin, you can see the white string attached to the brown switch and the whole thing is staked to the ground.
Shot 8: the bungee has been pulled about 4ft to give it some tension so when the remote switch is pressed the solenoid is pulled closed this pulls the white string which pulls the pivoted brown switch which release the pin and the bungee moves left pulling the woosh net cord firing the woosh net .
Have tried firing from about 50 metres so far all fine , any further away and i cannot see the net as the terrain is in the way so will have to try it at a different sight next week.
This afternoon, 6 goldfinch , 12 Greenfinch, 2Chaffinch and a Male Reed Bunting caught.
Bad weather starting to show
Andy has just got these back on 2 kestrel chicks from the BTO this morning.
both were ringed on 12/6/09. both came from broods of 5, one at Little Ribston and one from Spofforth.
the one from spofforth was recovered at Newton Kyme, Tadcaster 28/12/09 - freezing conditions/starvation - 12km, 199 days
the one from Little ribston was a road casualty found on 30/12/09 at Bowgreave, Garstang, Lancs - 201 days, 90 km
shame theyre dead but nice to know where theyre going all the same
Remote wireless trigger for Woosh net
Over the last 2 years i have bought Spring traps and other stuff of Zdenek Maudry in the Czech Republic. The spring traps and Potter traps are first class and i have had some good success with them, Wheatears, Common Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plovers, Stonechat, Whinchat to name a few goodies.
Zdenek is a very active ringer and contacted me some time back about woosh netting Twite and the distance i have to be away from the net. We exchanged a few emails and he told me he was developing a wireless trigger.
To my surprise two weeks ago he told me he was sending me one to trial for him, today i received it and it is superb.
below is a link to Zdenek you tube site.
http://www.youtube.com/user/moudrydaubyZdenek own video
Ringstone edge today
12 Greenfinch. 5 Goldfinch 5 Chaffinch 2 Reed Bunting 1 Dunnock
all new birds .
9 Whooper Swans flew into reservoir about 9ish still there at 5 pm.