Hen Harriers

Over the last 6 weeks i have been lucky enough to be involved in the Hen Harrier survey on the island with Manx birdlife. Today after spending hours on vantage points trying to pinpoint these birds was a day to go into known sites and ring the young. I met up with Adam from Manxbirdlife and Katie who is doing a masters on Hen Harrier nests site, measuring depth of slope, altitude habitat so on .
A full day with 7 nests visited and 12 chicks ringed broods of 4 3 2 and 1 and a nest that had fledged 2. 4 more nests were ringed on Saturday and there are some more still to do. A CRACKING DAY.
Thanks to Chris, Adam, Kevin and Katie

Over the last 6 weeks i have been lucky enough to be involved in the Hen Harrier survey on the island with Manx birdlife. Today after spending hours on vantage points trying to pinpoint these birds was a day to go into known sites and ring the young. I met up with Adam from Manxbirdlife and Katie who is doing a masters on Hen Harrier nests site, measuring depth of slope, altitude habitat so on .
A full day with 7 nests visited and 12 chicks ringed broods of 4 3 2 and 1 and a nest that had fledged 2. 4 more nests were ringed on Saturday and there are some more still to do. A CRACKING DAY.
Thanks to Chris, Adam, Kevin and Katie

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Port Lawaigue

2 Nets put up at Port Lawaigue  yesterday.

A nice steady morning with a few newly fledged birds about

3  Willow Warblers  3j {still in juvenile plumage}

6 Blackcaps  3 3j  2 adult females and a male

3 Chiffchaff   all 3j

1 Dunnock   3j

1 Wood Pigeon   just fledged

9 Blue Tits  5 3j birds 4 adults

2 Gt Tit  1 adult female 1 3j

2 Song Thrush 1= 3  1 adult

1 Chaffinch  adult female retrap from 26/03/10  from my garden

1 Blackbird adult female

3 Starlings

Young Blackcap

2 Nets put up at Port Lawaigue  yesterday.

A nice steady morning with a few newly fledged birds about

3  Willow Warblers  3j {still in juvenile plumage}

6 Blackcaps  3 3j  2 adult females and a male

3 Chiffchaff   all 3j

1 Dunnock   3j

1 Wood Pigeon   just fledged

9 Blue Tits  5 3j birds 4 adults

2 Gt Tit  1 adult female 1 3j

2 Song Thrush 1= 3  1 adult

1 Chaffinch  adult female retrap from 26/03/10  from my garden

1 Blackbird adult female

3 Starlings

Young Blackcap

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You Can't see me

I Met up with Erica { Warden of the Ayres} today to check one of the small colonies of Little Tern on the island.

2 Little Tern Chicks ringed and a Ringed Plover Chick.

Thanks to Erica for the invite an enjoyable afternoon.

I Met up with Erica { Warden of the Ayres} today to check one of the small colonies of Little Tern on the island.

2 Little Tern Chicks ringed and a Ringed Plover Chick.

Thanks to Erica for the invite an enjoyable afternoon.

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The rest of the week

After the Cormorants and a few good showers

Sure i can still Smell them.

I set up for Gulls on Friday afternoon another 10 Herring Gulls ringed and a Darvic put on the left leg.

All the Gulls i have ringed in the garden so far have been Adult  Birds euro age 10 {4 Years or older}

On Friday got a nice 2nd year Herring Gull

These are the Numbers we are now using in the isle of Man

Darvic series  * = number 0-9

T*TR -T*TZ           90

T*UA -TUZ         220

T*VA -T*VZ        220

T*WA -T*WZ      220

T*XA -  T*XZ       220

T*YA - T*YZ       230

T*ZA - T*ZZ        220

On Saturday another Ringed Plover caught.

Check out Kevs site for Cormorant Controls the island has had

After the Cormorants and a few good showers

Sure i can still Smell them.

I set up for Gulls on Friday afternoon another 10 Herring Gulls ringed and a Darvic put on the left leg.

All the Gulls i have ringed in the garden so far have been Adult  Birds euro age 10 {4 Years or older}

On Friday got a nice 2nd year Herring Gull

These are the Numbers we are now using in the isle of Man

Darvic series  * = number 0-9

T*TR -T*TZ           90

T*UA -TUZ         220

T*VA -T*VZ        220

T*WA -T*WZ      220

T*XA -  T*XZ       220

T*YA - T*YZ       230

T*ZA - T*ZZ        220

On Saturday another Ringed Plover caught.

Check out Kevs site for Cormorant Controls the island has had

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A Cute Fledgling House Sparrow

His dad led him to the safety of the Holly bush, and told him to stay there where he would be safe. such a cute little fledgling House Sparrow.


He kept watching out for his dad in the hope that he would soon return.


You can see from the yellow at the base of it's beak that this youngster has not been long from the nest.

After sitting in the sun and preening ones self, there is nothing quite

His dad led him to the safety of the Holly bush, and told him to stay there where he would be safe. such a cute little fledgling House Sparrow.


He kept watching out for his dad in the hope that he would soon return.


You can see from the yellow at the base of it's beak that this youngster has not been long from the nest.

After sitting in the sun and preening ones self, there is nothing quite

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5 Jun 10 - 5 (Five) Black-winged Stilts!

It took a bit of racing about, but I finally connected with 5 Black-winged Stilts at Titchwell RSPB.
I was just arriving in Holt when the pager bleeped to tell me there were 4 Black-winged Stilts at Titchwell, so I drove passed my exit to Cley and headed off to Titchwell. By the time I arrived, the number had grown to 5, a Norfolk record, so I quickly parked up and head out onto the marsh only to meet Paul Eele who informed me they'd just flew off east, but may have landed just over the bank at the end of Gypsy Lane.
I dashed back to my car and headed off to Gypsy Lane. After 10 minutes I was nicely situated in the middle of the saltmarsh when my pager bleeped to tell me they'd returned to Titchwell - doh!
Anyway, I headed back to Titchwell to find all 5 birds feeding on the freshmarsh.
Although they were fairly distant and didn't stay together as a group very much, I did manage to get a couple of shots of 4 birds together.

It took a bit of racing about, but I finally connected with 5 Black-winged Stilts at Titchwell RSPB.
I was just arriving in Holt when the pager bleeped to tell me there were 4 Black-winged Stilts at Titchwell, so I drove passed my exit to Cley and headed off to Titchwell. By the time I arrived, the number had grown to 5, a Norfolk record, so I quickly parked up and head out onto the marsh only to meet Paul Eele who informed me they'd just flew off east, but may have landed just over the bank at the end of Gypsy Lane.
I dashed back to my car and headed off to Gypsy Lane. After 10 minutes I was nicely situated in the middle of the saltmarsh when my pager bleeped to tell me they'd returned to Titchwell - doh!
Anyway, I headed back to Titchwell to find all 5 birds feeding on the freshmarsh.
Although they were fairly distant and didn't stay together as a group very much, I did manage to get a couple of shots of 4 birds together.

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9 May 2010 - Winterton Dunes

It's been ages since I updated my blog. I blame this on Stoke City's great season and my general tardiness.
Anyway, I got down to Winterton Dunes this afternoon to see the rather showy Woodchat Shrike that had been hanging around.

It's been ages since I updated my blog. I blame this on Stoke City's great season and my general tardiness.
Anyway, I got down to Winterton Dunes this afternoon to see the rather showy Woodchat Shrike that had been hanging around.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad