tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31357913223151204062024-03-16T01:09:34.558+00:00West Cornwall Ringing GroupMark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.comBlogger261125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-84915408353523441322023-12-05T09:18:00.002+00:002023-12-05T09:18:32.387+00:00Start of the winter Chiffs<p>It's not often we start our winter sewage works ringing in December, but a couple of weekends of cold weather recently gave us the chance to venture out to a couple of sites.</p><p>Gwennap is often our most productive site and a few hours last weekend saw us catch 101 birds, including 59 Chiffchaffs. Of these, just four were birds ringed in previous winters, predictably all at the site. The highlight though was a smart Grey Wagtail which was already carrying a ring, but not one of ours. It had actually been ringed as one of three chicks in a nest in Budock Water in April, 9km from Gwennap.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0P7o2T71Mp8K4hyphenhyphen6irkrjFH-VoVuRYWVrP0uJwlEkPyZMBp17OhtWSGgcatuS4jc8SqagH3LVLUtXD1lVobhiHXS1CgY6Wd5o3yZV0N13GiJAcSdyjeWgVnALVRgiAOcDJ_QPIegbrd1UQrPQ1XLZFwOJjBPIJDicGq2QRgU-2qJZ83pDpkQ5pAkaEAc/s1024/PHOTO-2023-11-25-14-48-35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0P7o2T71Mp8K4hyphenhyphen6irkrjFH-VoVuRYWVrP0uJwlEkPyZMBp17OhtWSGgcatuS4jc8SqagH3LVLUtXD1lVobhiHXS1CgY6Wd5o3yZV0N13GiJAcSdyjeWgVnALVRgiAOcDJ_QPIegbrd1UQrPQ1XLZFwOJjBPIJDicGq2QRgU-2qJZ83pDpkQ5pAkaEAc/w300-h400/PHOTO-2023-11-25-14-48-35.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Grey Wagtails in the nest (Sam Pitt Miller)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This last weekend we were then able to get into Brew sewage works, near Sennen, right down in the far west. It needs a calm day to net this exposed site, so we have to make the most of the chance. A short morning produced 61 birds, of which 45 were Chiffchaffs. Being so close to the autumn ringing site at Nanjizal, several of these were already ringed, which gives a nice insight into the arrival timing of wintering birds (more on that later). Most were from this same autumn, but four were ringed at Nanjizal in autumn 2022, so were returning birds.</p><p>Brew is also our best site for Siberian Chiffchaffs (<i>tristis</i> race) of which we caught two, both of which were quite subtle birds (as below), not the cold grey birds we sometimes see.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNRvD2uR2w5RBsBVO-VF1wQoKe4Uj_nQna1TaZK2_67Se196NQenSQWCII8uwC5-9Qs6nny-EXswbsaEQMfv06RNn1S8IRAEobg6kvcbwuIe4aQlO0jqXMwsLnafzMM60zNai-S_sX1knXLdXlHNsOWGg845gnGqTF5iLltiogVGHMGRm-OWt53-Okgg/s2677/IMG_3703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2677" data-original-width="2003" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwNRvD2uR2w5RBsBVO-VF1wQoKe4Uj_nQna1TaZK2_67Se196NQenSQWCII8uwC5-9Qs6nny-EXswbsaEQMfv06RNn1S8IRAEobg6kvcbwuIe4aQlO0jqXMwsLnafzMM60zNai-S_sX1knXLdXlHNsOWGg845gnGqTF5iLltiogVGHMGRm-OWt53-Okgg/w299-h400/IMG_3703.jpg" width="299" /></a></div><br />Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-90817366030369158092023-07-30T11:13:00.003+01:002023-11-25T17:12:43.562+00:00Barn Owl 2023 update<p>After one of the strangest springs weather-wise, the Barn Owl season seemed to be all over the place in 2023. We had regular sites unoccupied, non-breeding birds at some sites and some exceptionally late broods. Even now we have a few sites where we need to revisit to ring chicks!</p><p>With some new funding from the FiPL project (Farming in Protected Landscapes) managed by the Cornwall AONB, we are continuing to expand our monitoring, this year onto the Roseland peninsula, with some new ringer recruits this year as well from the National Trust.</p><p>Our totals for the year were still quite impressive (note we've knocked off a couple of the early years to make space):<br /></p><table align="center" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2015</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2016</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2017</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2018</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2019</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2020</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2021</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2022</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2023</b></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Sites visited</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">41</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">47</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">64</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">85</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">87</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">106</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">93</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">112</span><br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">127</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Unoccupied</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">11</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">12</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">23</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">34</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">36</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">43</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">35</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">34</span><br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">29</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Occupied, no breeding</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">7</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">8</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span><br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">10</span></td>
</tr><tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Average clutch size<br />(where observed)</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.6</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.6</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5.3</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5.2</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.7</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.6</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.5</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.5</span><br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.6</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Average brood size<br />(where observed)</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.5</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.8</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.0</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.3</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.0</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.2</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.8</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.1</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.2</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Chicks ringed</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">70</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">47</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">90</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">132</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">119</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">177</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">133</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">189</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">193</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Adults ringed/recaught</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">17/8</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">14/9</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">21/14</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">18/14</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">16/15</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">22/17</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">19/17</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">20/22</span><br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">30/24</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><p>Unsurprisingly there was again some variety in the brood sizes across the area, with the highest average again along the north coast fared the best though (average brood size of 3.7), followed by the east of the county (3.5, compared to just 2.3 last year) and then 3.0-3.1 elsewhere.</p><p>There seemed to be more movement between sites this year, with one adult even on its third site in as many years! The movements between bixes (mostly birds ringed as chicks dispersing) are shown here.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvJEY-JPDnnj7n2qiYGp1FlbCLQKbfjiexYhCsmTL3lDXbceWTrLrMWZu9DBkJUaR1DCxv7yX1Cz42PF2JbPunLuKTutaDHBUYJlANKj7dCprFTBntPxvVx8p2LZEi-LfXWpw1btbPkzcEzRleCbXR2oJktUwSFxEdqe2zxWo4k428bwX3SCaItIg2lU/s664/owl1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="664" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKvJEY-JPDnnj7n2qiYGp1FlbCLQKbfjiexYhCsmTL3lDXbceWTrLrMWZu9DBkJUaR1DCxv7yX1Cz42PF2JbPunLuKTutaDHBUYJlANKj7dCprFTBntPxvVx8p2LZEi-LfXWpw1btbPkzcEzRleCbXR2oJktUwSFxEdqe2zxWo4k428bwX3SCaItIg2lU/w400-h279/owl1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbl3dh84Dj7blB-Kzu5v3IcF7CAxsKORKTtEgExf5op4f5I2w7PF2GbPWZAedn28PKfMaLNJheqrfyz9hD-bPwT_mhgty3C925_Xwfr3JAFuVzqrn5A4CsxNZWBtBhapShg6H3TwhwadBiVTtajXGyil2DBUaZ0V7atgpscRy7jtOsO6AXGuRGdij9RbQ/s576/owl2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="576" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbl3dh84Dj7blB-Kzu5v3IcF7CAxsKORKTtEgExf5op4f5I2w7PF2GbPWZAedn28PKfMaLNJheqrfyz9hD-bPwT_mhgty3C925_Xwfr3JAFuVzqrn5A4CsxNZWBtBhapShg6H3TwhwadBiVTtajXGyil2DBUaZ0V7atgpscRy7jtOsO6AXGuRGdij9RbQ/w400-h333/owl2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-4334100590378315662023-07-14T18:40:00.002+01:002023-07-14T18:40:56.362+01:00Stormies on the move<p>Last month saw us able to mist net Storm Petrels down at Porthgwarra on two nights, catching a total of 119 birds. Of these, 113 were unringed, three were ringed by us in previous years and three were already wearing rings from elsewhere:<br /></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>ringed on Great Saltee Island (Co Wexford) three days earlier</li><li>ringed on Little Saltee Island (Co Wexford) in July 2022</li><li>ringed at <span style="margin-right: 0;">Torre de Hercules in northern Spain in July 2015, although since then it had managed to lose a foot, a surprisingly regular phenomenon in Storm Petrels!</span></li></ul><span style="margin-right: 0;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiTF2iv8MVDsZFQWXlpCqmkfeJM2i782S-1NkiiGaId2cCEnjKkT9YoQLxqx3eg4iORNMzlJAGz5hpDuDVeOQB6chgucA1YvQYzwNP3PRq1FgIX6RWV4WtQoQa7doL-Hc2V-RGDsGAR1v86sFTT-EbO6j8KUxgr9-a4nDEPEobTz7W8Eaod2vXD81S84k/s766/Clipboard01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="766" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiTF2iv8MVDsZFQWXlpCqmkfeJM2i782S-1NkiiGaId2cCEnjKkT9YoQLxqx3eg4iORNMzlJAGz5hpDuDVeOQB6chgucA1YvQYzwNP3PRq1FgIX6RWV4WtQoQa7doL-Hc2V-RGDsGAR1v86sFTT-EbO6j8KUxgr9-a4nDEPEobTz7W8Eaod2vXD81S84k/w400-h331/Clipboard01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><div>Two birds we ringed on the same night were also recaught 21 days later on Bardsey, also on the same night! Another was then recaught on Lundy Island 29 days later, alongside birds we'd ringed here in July 2016, June 2017 and August 2020, which may well now be recruited as breeding birds on the island.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ul62Ej8mAhi0bCnn_BVUaYrN-0mCno-3YzZF3hYZLkOTHQV8EBnpziEhrqq5LRQtiRR-JhtXlqM3cVsNdHjQStHpYBeA42dzOAlFaZ7dtRU7d5PhvzMJQSL8v2oKbZZat-XjK7BNraTQAwjqY1Y6aO-NVMUZCeaHTxLOszNRF2NnL2G0kALo3S6qXoo/s972/Clipboard01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="972" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ul62Ej8mAhi0bCnn_BVUaYrN-0mCno-3YzZF3hYZLkOTHQV8EBnpziEhrqq5LRQtiRR-JhtXlqM3cVsNdHjQStHpYBeA42dzOAlFaZ7dtRU7d5PhvzMJQSL8v2oKbZZat-XjK7BNraTQAwjqY1Y6aO-NVMUZCeaHTxLOszNRF2NnL2G0kALo3S6qXoo/w400-h339/Clipboard01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Hopefully more Stormies to come next week, with a public ringing session likely to be on Monday or Tuesday, so <a href="https://cbwps.org.uk/cbwps-events/storm-petrel-ringing-demonstrations-2023/" target="_blank">see here</a> for details.<br />Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-43793896163797483722023-05-24T18:28:00.004+01:002023-05-24T18:30:18.919+01:00Strange goings on at Mullion Island<p>We took the opportunity of a fine evening to do a quick Great Black-backed Gull nest count on Mullion Island yesterday. Quite bizarrely, almost the first breeding bird we saw on landing was this Canada Goose, which actually had a nest with six eggs.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrL10C8x8KUccrG254WBbm3Yz_0K6Mrf6k8dEuX39NhlYgUYx5Yj16uepj9BGcs_kd24F0xgWFpFFp7MmnnPL1VGiUhVYlvoNtceUYWhJbmBXL8-ExCHYllSWn-ldDtCbpNf0I9t2EZVgM1vPeko_WuJPDJW82Lmb5b9HsAF9zLLpu7csXp6qlYx2/s4608/DSCN5976.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCrL10C8x8KUccrG254WBbm3Yz_0K6Mrf6k8dEuX39NhlYgUYx5Yj16uepj9BGcs_kd24F0xgWFpFFp7MmnnPL1VGiUhVYlvoNtceUYWhJbmBXL8-ExCHYllSWn-ldDtCbpNf0I9t2EZVgM1vPeko_WuJPDJW82Lmb5b9HsAF9zLLpu7csXp6qlYx2/w400-h300/DSCN5976.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPeFvuh7HEIH67tlVgJ5nbWMTlEp_eut8g2cYCi9SU93Uo-_K7EYwagTMbYQzckq7sU6vzuHoct4eN_5ouTTkk1jX9uK5kM0Z9Y8rDk-PtQCERp5MH3dJgLD2f9at32-Xempyq9KUxFeGCyZBAth5x-aTq2Xjl23-WEhBfqh3tJSMB8xvjq2Gi8w6/s4608/DSCN5978.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPeFvuh7HEIH67tlVgJ5nbWMTlEp_eut8g2cYCi9SU93Uo-_K7EYwagTMbYQzckq7sU6vzuHoct4eN_5ouTTkk1jX9uK5kM0Z9Y8rDk-PtQCERp5MH3dJgLD2f9at32-Xempyq9KUxFeGCyZBAth5x-aTq2Xjl23-WEhBfqh3tJSMB8xvjq2Gi8w6/w400-h300/DSCN5978.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1u7uInvwa8Xr2ddP83R4qdGWgkrvCRtqS9OiOX-h8rPuqCXuDRp1NFh2UM1eKOi7jfYpgGpGZYQBwUF19gUNCweYFvYYhuDUH6QA98WMgxhrQoJAA_Vp_9A-tXUhvHSBB9zmF5MRUin8YT-5aevX7Acmhov-Z1qcwNYzJxr0dLkW4eVXGETSzkb0n/s4608/DSCN5980.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1u7uInvwa8Xr2ddP83R4qdGWgkrvCRtqS9OiOX-h8rPuqCXuDRp1NFh2UM1eKOi7jfYpgGpGZYQBwUF19gUNCweYFvYYhuDUH6QA98WMgxhrQoJAA_Vp_9A-tXUhvHSBB9zmF5MRUin8YT-5aevX7Acmhov-Z1qcwNYzJxr0dLkW4eVXGETSzkb0n/w400-h300/DSCN5980.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nest with a view!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This is the first time we've even seen Canada Goose on the island, so quite a aurprise. At the other end of the island, we also found a second pair, but with an apparently failed nest with just one egg found near the empty nest.</p><p>As for the gulls, we covered most of the island, bar two areas close to nesting Shags, with a final count of 64 nests (178 eggs/chicks). Most were clutches of three eggs, some of which were just hatching, with just two small chicks seen.</p><p>Surprisingly we only saw one colour-ringed bird (L:DD2), which was a chick ringed on the island in 2018. Since then, it's been on its travels, seen on Ares beach in northern Spain in January, September and December 2020 and then at the nearby Playa de Santa Cruz in January 2021, so nice to see it back breeding.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboHcE-42XZf0DwtcLAbzGRc_43wINiE-WRXzMz9CMp9FCW7mQZiX1_0iG3dfFSKQ8Uj5CHMJLoIwvpLd1gasKIa16i5HUKEitUy--kB1f38BqJGtiZBoIWXSkVpkoN1V32rbqiiJ98lcksFwdORP7NRUfiCLrgPcTt49Bx6n8XMgWPl-ZUHwAWe99/s4608/DSCN5984.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboHcE-42XZf0DwtcLAbzGRc_43wINiE-WRXzMz9CMp9FCW7mQZiX1_0iG3dfFSKQ8Uj5CHMJLoIwvpLd1gasKIa16i5HUKEitUy--kB1f38BqJGtiZBoIWXSkVpkoN1V32rbqiiJ98lcksFwdORP7NRUfiCLrgPcTt49Bx6n8XMgWPl-ZUHwAWe99/w400-h300/DSCN5984.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Coincidentally, on a non-birding kayak earlier in the day (but always with camera at hand) we also recorded L:DD1 near Rosemullion Head, which is the first time it's been seen since being ringed on the island in 2018.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwOAIqAjOT7DrDNM5ZzOjPnpj-yhtS3KReoEeS0_nSfVcB8Hg6yEbbAA1yGTkvwtWoZkR54_pRiNPBGwdehzC88autjUewDR8FxBdV1Wwd9EaekyNIbm6ocsyWqOvaEf-uJFibAKOknBJXd-oRGO0F3rqyNQsC9qClZY8oaUX2PS3PJXXvs3QAaf_/s4608/DSCN5963.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwOAIqAjOT7DrDNM5ZzOjPnpj-yhtS3KReoEeS0_nSfVcB8Hg6yEbbAA1yGTkvwtWoZkR54_pRiNPBGwdehzC88autjUewDR8FxBdV1Wwd9EaekyNIbm6ocsyWqOvaEf-uJFibAKOknBJXd-oRGO0F3rqyNQsC9qClZY8oaUX2PS3PJXXvs3QAaf_/w400-h300/DSCN5963.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-17809416077447570872023-05-18T08:50:00.005+01:002023-05-24T19:28:39.100+01:00Herring Gull and Kittiwake wanderings<p>We've not blogged anything for a while, but with a quiet winter devoid of Siberian Chiffchaffs there's not much to report! But this week we've had a couple of exciting colour ring sightings, so thought we'd share.<br /></p><p>On 4th May we heard from the assistant warden at the newly-accredited Lundy Bird Observatory, with news of one of our blue-ringed Herring Gulls; W:377, which was ringed as a chick on a roof at Tregoniggie Industrial Estate, Falmouth in June 2020. It is a bit of an explorer though, having been seen locally until August 2021, before being report on the French coast in February 2022. The next winter (January 2023), it was reported from a French landfill site, before returning to the coast in March. It was last reported there on 6th April before swapping France for Lundy.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0yVSzeVV1djBAZ6C-2TWdHpW3kRZ7kNPGCgHUW8WlwkyVlEJgNN2dsW3Azlx2W8B7LtSbN2tU9MU5RGS7kkPylSP1mApTxP9L3FXRXb_4gD_NhQmo7SJ3KcIDB1FG-uZMQZNQLoUmAvwec8VOJtINpd0nLb_NnYqXPIm1c85wxlzw7jTCm4fKe93/s4608/W377_2021-08-23_Stithians_MJG.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0yVSzeVV1djBAZ6C-2TWdHpW3kRZ7kNPGCgHUW8WlwkyVlEJgNN2dsW3Azlx2W8B7LtSbN2tU9MU5RGS7kkPylSP1mApTxP9L3FXRXb_4gD_NhQmo7SJ3KcIDB1FG-uZMQZNQLoUmAvwec8VOJtINpd0nLb_NnYqXPIm1c85wxlzw7jTCm4fKe93/w400-h300/W377_2021-08-23_Stithians_MJG.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">W377 at Stithians in August 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9Mvk-64Gzu13gaZ-94QKyBZZG7g8lFFFSdCrrUP4dSmjU5Q-5fHqmZmwsKFbSEeujPP-kRUjg74SZNDDi3kdPWR6XtPMCinqYB9nFbHXc4nTIvaOns9D2awrQRLFpAC0_i72IvBbbhFMsjvT0p4_iFX8u8e8YeXNHCiyIz8ICgQyAjplvsNkm3ta/s2268/image0.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1893" data-original-width="2268" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu9Mvk-64Gzu13gaZ-94QKyBZZG7g8lFFFSdCrrUP4dSmjU5Q-5fHqmZmwsKFbSEeujPP-kRUjg74SZNDDi3kdPWR6XtPMCinqYB9nFbHXc4nTIvaOns9D2awrQRLFpAC0_i72IvBbbhFMsjvT0p4_iFX8u8e8YeXNHCiyIz8ICgQyAjplvsNkm3ta/w400-h334/image0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">W377 at Marais de Suscinio in February 2022 (Catherine and Michel Marcaul)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9NZj3-JWZDdLyjyU0Bxg7OrEUrCgK7MxMQfx-TvLeAHaBw5WQ7TC9b8UInt4BYv3laV5uBBI_OHmekYrm5Gl5_HpZjyGYVQMnqUBCaETMcrph9TuRZAFA4ppal66SB9jK1YjFN_2RTnWgw6JZ7SYy_JaqwbsSfuuyTIgVYuNla_eUZvtKBiUpJjZ/s1953/20230306_170335.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1457" data-original-width="1953" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9NZj3-JWZDdLyjyU0Bxg7OrEUrCgK7MxMQfx-TvLeAHaBw5WQ7TC9b8UInt4BYv3laV5uBBI_OHmekYrm5Gl5_HpZjyGYVQMnqUBCaETMcrph9TuRZAFA4ppal66SB9jK1YjFN_2RTnWgw6JZ7SYy_JaqwbsSfuuyTIgVYuNla_eUZvtKBiUpJjZ/w400-h299/20230306_170335.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newly-moulted W377 back at Marais de Suscinio in March 2023 (Anne-Sophie Hochet)</td>
</tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvV_f7T4cMeZhPdWG-eG-SZ2P5Z1bjJ9SnbVilgjQYWvGHb3Lsfq7xr5Aaa5T4XsoU1kFjuIkEeiAb1jREC_but2zLE9vD5yomV-sngcMzhBfV7YW9XN_xiYGoinC_aRV8-_WMGSSbCkmxNBWe7JRCRR7E2-a_BLsyh2oYsMj1ccfgJY7RDggX4YDD/s4608/DSCN3452.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvV_f7T4cMeZhPdWG-eG-SZ2P5Z1bjJ9SnbVilgjQYWvGHb3Lsfq7xr5Aaa5T4XsoU1kFjuIkEeiAb1jREC_but2zLE9vD5yomV-sngcMzhBfV7YW9XN_xiYGoinC_aRV8-_WMGSSbCkmxNBWe7JRCRR7E2-a_BLsyh2oYsMj1ccfgJY7RDggX4YDD/w400-h300/DSCN3452.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">W377 on Lundy in May 2023 (Luke Marriner)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Then on 15th May, we had a report of one of our Trewavas Head Kittiwakes, seen pair bonding and attending the beginnings of a nest maintenance on Skellig Michael, Co. Kerry, Ireland. KJ was ringed as an adult at Trewavas Head in 2017 and bred there (when the site was doing well) until 2020. As the main site started to fail, it then moved a short distance along the coast to Trequean Zawn in 2021, but then wasn't seen in 2022.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gQ9Df8AVzBdpNA5oxSxSvw9LQ-GWFX7PFqk3TVv331NJrzjwMWat5kETuLqPdJEGTR3xe1Vb4nbDxYuZ01hxBtcwFsNQgyIWHMRD3S4B4NQJyxWOCK8wT2LnfAO_bigbqpODPitCOlzUMnNoTYuJaWJkGlGeLht0DIyS-sfT-vg0RUK1VYAMXzeh/s1957/DSC_0044.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="1957" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gQ9Df8AVzBdpNA5oxSxSvw9LQ-GWFX7PFqk3TVv331NJrzjwMWat5kETuLqPdJEGTR3xe1Vb4nbDxYuZ01hxBtcwFsNQgyIWHMRD3S4B4NQJyxWOCK8wT2LnfAO_bigbqpODPitCOlzUMnNoTYuJaWJkGlGeLht0DIyS-sfT-vg0RUK1VYAMXzeh/w400-h249/DSC_0044.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KJ on its travels (Brian Power)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>We rarely see movements between our sites and Wales/Ireland as it's far more likely for us to share birds with the French colonies. In fact, this is our first Kittiwake to be found in Ireland and only the second Cornish-ringed bird to make the trip.<br /></p>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-22206547486007452262022-10-19T19:26:00.004+01:002022-10-19T19:26:45.498+01:00Barn Owl 2022 update<p>It's been a strange summer for lots of our regular projects, with freak weather, bird flu and remnants of Covid still making life difficult. Some of our birds have fared particularly badly, with Kittiwake reduced to just one successful sitre across Cornwall, a crying shame.</p><p>Our Barn Owl monitoring continued pretty much unaffected though and despite the drought, birds actually seemed to do OK. The project continued to grow and we personally visited over 100 boxes for the first time, which is no mean feat. Despite clutch sizes being nothing special, birds survived quite well and were about average.<br /></p><table align="center" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2012</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2013</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2014</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2015</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2016</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2017</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2018</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2019</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2020</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2021</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2022</b></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Sites visited</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">34</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">32</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">44</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">41</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">47</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">64</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">85</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">87</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">106</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">93</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">112</span><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Unoccupied</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">7</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">12</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">11</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">11</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">12</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">23</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">34</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">36</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">43</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">35</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">34</span><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Occupied, no breeding</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">7</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">7</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">7</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">8</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span><br /></td></tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Average clutch size<br />(where observed)</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.1</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.6</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.6</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.6</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.6</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5.3</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5.2</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.7</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.6</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.5</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.5</span><br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Average brood size<br />(where observed)</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.1</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.4</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.5</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.5</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.8</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.0</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.3</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.0</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.2</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.8</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.1</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Chicks ringed</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">46</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">20</span><br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">63</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">70</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">47</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">90</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">132</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">119</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">177</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">133</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">189</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Adults ringed/recaught</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">11/9</span><br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3/4</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">9/13</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">17/8</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">14/9</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">21/14</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">18/14</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">16/15</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">22/17</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">19/17</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">20/22</span><br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><p>It did seem that pairs along the north coast fared the best though (average brood size of 3.7), followed by Lizard and
Penwith (3.4), central Cornwall (3.0), whilst those in the east of the county suffered
most in the dry weather (just 2.3).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8THAgkqGGRtMgyPI9jSvpgIaswZ32cgU7bGHemv92aovQzLdW0j--NqI5tBN4Q0YPmAGx3iEb30v6rn8nOIpvp6XyPQUe0p-P0SAIz6N8_Xc8Xn2Jc8ybCC7XiMrdR92fIF17bt3VlaZWLZjGLHwgLlMKYtKrMGsGm0vbga0dGMsjFtQC1KrRzkUz/s3024/IMG_2214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2585" data-original-width="3024" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8THAgkqGGRtMgyPI9jSvpgIaswZ32cgU7bGHemv92aovQzLdW0j--NqI5tBN4Q0YPmAGx3iEb30v6rn8nOIpvp6XyPQUe0p-P0SAIz6N8_Xc8Xn2Jc8ybCC7XiMrdR92fIF17bt3VlaZWLZjGLHwgLlMKYtKrMGsGm0vbga0dGMsjFtQC1KrRzkUz/w400-h343/IMG_2214.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLOzo3PCQxKkKgd1Gx-wLhGQT1DZt04foa21_Pnyds-6pOxJnKuv4oVL_g6lxv2--oWHv4zvXrb8EWkyOG8HbrG00wZSX9lvfXq9QPfBqYbbCV6FjObknSUIkyv5gwQ4upZuEAfN27IfdaD67mJaczE6RLkOaX6Ny6S0WNC5cxuGYggW1RCbNnHl4/s3196/IMG_2476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3196" data-original-width="2282" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLOzo3PCQxKkKgd1Gx-wLhGQT1DZt04foa21_Pnyds-6pOxJnKuv4oVL_g6lxv2--oWHv4zvXrb8EWkyOG8HbrG00wZSX9lvfXq9QPfBqYbbCV6FjObknSUIkyv5gwQ4upZuEAfN27IfdaD67mJaczE6RLkOaX6Ny6S0WNC5cxuGYggW1RCbNnHl4/w285-h400/IMG_2476.JPG" width="285" /></a></div><br />We continued our run of bizarre movements as well, with a non-breeding male (with a regular female) in an established site in Penwith having been ringed as a chick in 2017 in Northumberland. This is our furthest movement to date (at 587km) and it'll be interesting to see if it stays to breed now.<p></p><p>We sadly also received three reports of ringed birds dead on the A30 during the year, all on the open dual carriageway between Carland Cross and Fraddon. Along with a bird that had to be put to sleep after becoming tangled in a barrbed wire fence, this was a poor year for our chicks.<br /></p>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-90567454313240457592022-04-17T10:06:00.003+01:002022-04-17T10:06:45.629+01:00Portreath Kittiwakes<p>With spring migrants back in earnest and everything singing and nest-buiilding, it was a good time to have another look at the Portreath Kittiwakes.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-LRaKbOLi_XHtk5dF_R6UH5Vf6-CKta_JKm8VSLBji7xUI57lxOW0XL1tW1XIKPckMFP56di6mRCnZeamSZhNiVKdcgAMe4ZvTtlLzb2UCJPsE6MZvWU2k6EDFTKL4xennoF9x_6aTqxiRZ4OoOtsk2upINyAvfxNNy663hNvlWYSqCZHwEqEME8/s1024/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-04-17%20at%209.51.15%20AM.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA-LRaKbOLi_XHtk5dF_R6UH5Vf6-CKta_JKm8VSLBji7xUI57lxOW0XL1tW1XIKPckMFP56di6mRCnZeamSZhNiVKdcgAMe4ZvTtlLzb2UCJPsE6MZvWU2k6EDFTKL4xennoF9x_6aTqxiRZ4OoOtsk2upINyAvfxNNy663hNvlWYSqCZHwEqEME8/w400-h300/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-04-17%20at%209.51.15%20AM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Probably only 75% of the birds were back on ledges, with plenty of space left to fill, so hopefully birds just aren't settled yet. Despite the sun, a bit of hazy sea fret made life a bit difficult ring-reading but we still managed to pick up three of our regular French-ringed birds.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-5ka6iUo5Z5wsYHA1MSHw2q5kwDlrDhjJCCKffvEEA_Qpz_rxwoNAwh7P-b0bc-L0dyGEMadwwQoxOJWo3XTjWV-PGJsLOJTYJlBi3yzkpofhMWGUOHfrPEmiSGE7EIYoYJ-bjluPR5YwLPqJGlJFFIKcGjK04p18wmDoBuV5Z06k3y8ytqXazjd/s3133/DSCN8656.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2319" data-original-width="3133" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-5ka6iUo5Z5wsYHA1MSHw2q5kwDlrDhjJCCKffvEEA_Qpz_rxwoNAwh7P-b0bc-L0dyGEMadwwQoxOJWo3XTjWV-PGJsLOJTYJlBi3yzkpofhMWGUOHfrPEmiSGE7EIYoYJ-bjluPR5YwLPqJGlJFFIKcGjK04p18wmDoBuV5Z06k3y8ytqXazjd/w400-h296/DSCN8656.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OBM-WLN was ringed as a chick at Pointe du Raz in 2011<br />and has been seen regularly at Portreath ever since <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8_z_mGYsOmy-0QSQdIE_icJ9vAxyihPjhARMdyXwblujoWwtA1VbVVYBgHTBbMIfn8ZrqRgcrEsXAcjVlmZSlFPwBKsSw8yeGisRhBD_QHhFTS7mMQ2yiTaQf6zEcKZBnm5zSnE59Sw2VUxs9lY5YrrcUzosD_s538t0CvIIgLU5Ff30LC8UAlJB/s3577/DSCN8762.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2111" data-original-width="3577" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8_z_mGYsOmy-0QSQdIE_icJ9vAxyihPjhARMdyXwblujoWwtA1VbVVYBgHTBbMIfn8ZrqRgcrEsXAcjVlmZSlFPwBKsSw8yeGisRhBD_QHhFTS7mMQ2yiTaQf6zEcKZBnm5zSnE59Sw2VUxs9lY5YrrcUzosD_s538t0CvIIgLU5Ff30LC8UAlJB/w400-h236/DSCN8762.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RYM-ROO is a 2014 chick, first seen at Porthmissen (near Padstow)<br />in June 2018, then at Portreath in July 2018 and regularly since <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The third bird avoided being photographed, but NRL-ROM was a 2015 chick and has been at Portreath since 2018. All useful information of course on how our birds roam around the Channel between breeding sites, so fingers crossed this will be the start of a productive season.<br /></p>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-20895883839153017242022-03-22T09:36:00.004+00:002022-03-22T09:36:45.595+00:00So the breeding season starts<p>With the run of fine weather this week, it's the perfect chance to have a first look at some of our breeding seabirds. First stop yesterday was Mullion Island, where a few photographs from the cliffs revealed that the Cormorants were well into the breeding season, with some nests even having half-grown chicks exercising their wings. A scan of the photos revealed at least 69 nests, which is on a par with last year's record 73 nests.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfurXQ0kpNg5JWj-bnhLxKzD3p_wIrljNKMh3XgTs_RR3zE-Di_tvX4eKuLJPyFt-JkIguwnI6V3b7U35rKnkcbMSKOC3a1y9dj33P1aDtAd6hi-fClwIRZOyJF4eCMGxkbuyguMhwQInXjBkkkCSMS4PBOXSQqlI8xUsTVSnKOudSGMlT2FzUzZR/s4608/DSCN7666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfurXQ0kpNg5JWj-bnhLxKzD3p_wIrljNKMh3XgTs_RR3zE-Di_tvX4eKuLJPyFt-JkIguwnI6V3b7U35rKnkcbMSKOC3a1y9dj33P1aDtAd6hi-fClwIRZOyJF4eCMGxkbuyguMhwQInXjBkkkCSMS4PBOXSQqlI8xUsTVSnKOudSGMlT2FzUzZR/w400-h300/DSCN7666.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutHQEd8BgFghNAr5Uwj55J-BS-TyFZIw2KXzVYQchmETgMoFj-hcccfANJ92uxGy1GqRVj_MMUCTY87DEbV0mbhwnfDlu6hq3WuV3wTiBscCmzoL1IrkFwJJ4dxIn8jln6ZBJZMT9Ktl94ojEE7f77VGZFfm8rKZYdSZyOt_N362bi4Kes9Kg1zYC/s3653/DSCN7677.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="2816" data-original-width="3653" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhutHQEd8BgFghNAr5Uwj55J-BS-TyFZIw2KXzVYQchmETgMoFj-hcccfANJ92uxGy1GqRVj_MMUCTY87DEbV0mbhwnfDlu6hq3WuV3wTiBscCmzoL1IrkFwJJ4dxIn8jln6ZBJZMT9Ktl94ojEE7f77VGZFfm8rKZYdSZyOt_N362bi4Kes9Kg1zYC/w400-h309/DSCN7677.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>We then sat on the cliffs overlooking Rinsey zawn and waited patiently for sitting Shags to shuffle and show us what they're up to. In total there were 11 occupied nests, but of these just one had laid, with three eggs present. This compares to well to previous years, with first eggs noted (from 2013-19) on 8th March, 22nd April, 13th March, 1st April, 22nd March, 9th April and 25th March.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMm_0wU_1tFbbdYdg0H5Svg-P1xqCBGrLpIlu2G283tL85svgaOOGMMvUgw878lrQtNZY03TUoYfYadep8FfiQqU2xr8LNIbjlHhrl9HBbFSUmPo0aqva_JA-sgzX2zd_64qGgKnMrB9Uu7pfgLgoMXcQkApVIzoRHJYQiG7F8hPV4DYOdZNaVNJ16/s4608/DSCN7707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMm_0wU_1tFbbdYdg0H5Svg-P1xqCBGrLpIlu2G283tL85svgaOOGMMvUgw878lrQtNZY03TUoYfYadep8FfiQqU2xr8LNIbjlHhrl9HBbFSUmPo0aqva_JA-sgzX2zd_64qGgKnMrB9Uu7pfgLgoMXcQkApVIzoRHJYQiG7F8hPV4DYOdZNaVNJ16/w400-h300/DSCN7707.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-61447200817639299992022-03-02T13:01:00.000+00:002022-03-02T13:01:30.845+00:00Storm Eunice delivers a lost swan<p>Storm Eunice brought a fair amount of destruction to the southwest, but there was one arrival that was a rather unexpected. When going out onto their farm near Lelant, one family were surprised to find an exhausted young swan in one of their fields. They picked it up and found that it was ringed, with both a metal ring and a yellow colour ring: CDBH.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUXZT2AcY1wUo5Z1GF2wUPaamD4f6DJLkr4cd3l3Ea0HHbJHhWXYr1RN9oNfOQ1rt4NslNliZOq9iyah7fitizlLgI1H8_dwMdFLHTPta4i1f1PZmdPJWIesEp37ncojMKsrl_hI1-3hPuWvM5KcQq9-zgScKqaks5FT28uZgMvXZXrtnro0AnjL36=s998" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="998" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUXZT2AcY1wUo5Z1GF2wUPaamD4f6DJLkr4cd3l3Ea0HHbJHhWXYr1RN9oNfOQ1rt4NslNliZOq9iyah7fitizlLgI1H8_dwMdFLHTPta4i1f1PZmdPJWIesEp37ncojMKsrl_hI1-3hPuWvM5KcQq9-zgScKqaks5FT28uZgMvXZXrtnro0AnjL36=w400-h325" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CDBH recovering on a Cornish farm (Selena Richards)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />With a bit of detective work, it was found to be a bird ringed as a cygnet in a park in Dublin in September 2021. It was quite happily seen in the park over the winter, last seen on 4th January, but then perhaps got caught up in the storm and ended up in a Cornish field on 24th February. The Dublin project has ringed 800 Mute Swans <span>since 2015 but have never before had a sightings in England. The 353km this bird travelled (wind-asssited) is also a record for the project. </span></p><p>This is the first record of an Irish Mute Swan in Cornwall and in fact there have been very few ringing records of Irish Mute Swans making the Irish Sea crossing at all. There have previously been eight records in England (strangely mostly in and around the West Midlands), five in wales and two in Scotland.<br /></p><p>Many thanks to Selena Richards and family for finding and reporting CDBH, Mark Whittaker for tracking it down and Graham Prole from the Irish Midland Ringing Group for the quick reply with the details.<br /></p>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-63011795000207279842022-02-13T09:54:00.000+00:002022-02-13T09:54:00.989+00:00Our ninth Herring Gull visits France<p>Perhaps it's the fact that the weather is so wet and windy in Cornwall at the moment that another of our juvenile gulls has made the trip across the Channel to France. On Friday, W:377 was seen on the southern coast of Brittany near Sarzeau, loafing on a raft (for terns) with other juvenile gulls.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTK0qrh5xZzzcFqozPNe7qlibBJa5jcIv5mvDrHqMNR1joKVyORWxKIUIwlQUCzYJRyKRixa7NUFPuQoe2tpl-OazgbhztMBQ_yPPmIU8mkcOXBITThNaDVQW_oJ-Aoi8Ccmq_ikJogdFaXOKnQ2jbhSCv6Q563d3FArojtx1H8TYNhuq1UZW5PMYJ=s2268" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1771" data-original-width="2268" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTK0qrh5xZzzcFqozPNe7qlibBJa5jcIv5mvDrHqMNR1joKVyORWxKIUIwlQUCzYJRyKRixa7NUFPuQoe2tpl-OazgbhztMBQ_yPPmIU8mkcOXBITThNaDVQW_oJ-Aoi8Ccmq_ikJogdFaXOKnQ2jbhSCv6Q563d3FArojtx1H8TYNhuq1UZW5PMYJ=w400-h313" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">W:377 at Marais de Suscinio<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>Ringed as a chick in Falmouth in 2020 it hasn't been far before, last seen at Stithians Reservoir in August last year. See below it's short history, very helpfully prduced by the app created for us by Stephen Vickers, which you can use to <a href="https://westcornwallrg.shinyapps.io/sightings/" target="_blank">report gulls to us here</a>.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqnUlpv1l7nN5Acl4SWyGmSRNotpkgCF3ZESNboUiEccP4SyeG7BwMCEf4G5AOcsr-o9Wc0Jdj9tQH_pUdplS6kjtPOC0n-Lru27L16UB2t71dX8vao1MjvNISPOFq7zeb_rsv5igV0Ob2XM1yA7sVtKepKOTBOMa8hGvAiVgLt2IVzM7k76r_cIsw=s1515" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1013" data-original-width="1515" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqnUlpv1l7nN5Acl4SWyGmSRNotpkgCF3ZESNboUiEccP4SyeG7BwMCEf4G5AOcsr-o9Wc0Jdj9tQH_pUdplS6kjtPOC0n-Lru27L16UB2t71dX8vao1MjvNISPOFq7zeb_rsv5igV0Ob2XM1yA7sVtKepKOTBOMa8hGvAiVgLt2IVzM7k76r_cIsw=w400-h268" width="400" /></a></div><br />This is the ninth of our colour-ringed birds to have been seen in France, so it'll be interesting to see if it returns in the spring. Many thanks to Catherine and Michel Marcaultfor reporting W:377 and also for the photos.<br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNmA5c_RAuJPsFV-qFswld08nY4d8loWjIaNl3csGFJV5pepyT2Wx6yCDp6652ACvTHizcQU3CxONoM6XKUBxUKqjqa1LgaKP36Qf6ATcAP13lF31ZTSZdSmhWHma64qJ--TEBkXbtChdSfroaQS74n0rsft-P1DphYQhgv4iK8lswarkCk3-kM52Q=s4608" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNmA5c_RAuJPsFV-qFswld08nY4d8loWjIaNl3csGFJV5pepyT2Wx6yCDp6652ACvTHizcQU3CxONoM6XKUBxUKqjqa1LgaKP36Qf6ATcAP13lF31ZTSZdSmhWHma64qJ--TEBkXbtChdSfroaQS74n0rsft-P1DphYQhgv4iK8lswarkCk3-kM52Q=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">W:377 at Stithians Reservoir in August 2021<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-33786253403487518262022-01-27T14:42:00.000+00:002022-01-27T14:42:12.533+00:00Sibe Chiff overload at the sewage works<p>The middle of January 2022 saw the first spell of cold, calm weather, perfect to start our winter ringing at our local sewage treatment works (STWs). These sites are a haven for insects in the cold weather and where there are insects there are always going to be birds. In winter, the resident wagtails, Wrens and Robins are joined by large numnbers of Chiffchaffs, including Siberian '<i>tristis</i>' Chiffchaffs, possibly from as far east as the Urals. Once considered a rarity in the UK, it's now become more apparent how frequent they are, especially in the far southwest.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgL9_Lb4SRiL6_hEICN_u0Tde3BILWvCkPyojx-SZ-fBaAW8Fpb4JMqBK1DAJvLRMmUfko2_rlcgtkLEdZ_sld6zbbGzwnUetlrHZgiFEEXrftCS3vtUSxZzyd49bnBxQB5QXhNw-E9d8-_0LSoPC0WQAe2LjmpGxSziRwQicKx0wsEfXwjOG25Ak_F=s640" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="640" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgL9_Lb4SRiL6_hEICN_u0Tde3BILWvCkPyojx-SZ-fBaAW8Fpb4JMqBK1DAJvLRMmUfko2_rlcgtkLEdZ_sld6zbbGzwnUetlrHZgiFEEXrftCS3vtUSxZzyd49bnBxQB5QXhNw-E9d8-_0LSoPC0WQAe2LjmpGxSziRwQicKx0wsEfXwjOG25Ak_F=w400-h305" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Over the week of cold weather we managed to ring at four of our regular sites, all of which produced plenty of birds. We've ringed at these sites for several years, so recatching birds from previous winters is always interesting and it's rare to see a bird ringed at one site moving to a different one in a subsequent winter. In fact one of the birds recaught at Constantine had been ringed there five years previously, in January 2017! We do also catch birds from elsewhere which again gives us an insight into where these winter birds come from.</p><p>The table below shows the total number of Chiffs caught at the sites over the week, including new birds and those already ringed: <br /></p><div><table align="center" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="4"><tbody><tr><td><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Chiffchaff</b></span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Siberian Chiffchaff<br /></b></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Gwennap STW</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">44<br /></span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">7<br /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Brew STW</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">39<br /></span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">12<br /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Ponsanooth STW</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">31<br /></span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">2<br /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Constantine STW</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">21<br /></span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">-<br /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td><span style="font-size: small;"><b>TOTAL</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">135<br /></span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">21<br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table> </div><div>It's fascinating to see how the proportion of '<i>tristis</i>' birds varies across the sites, with almost a quarter of birds caught at Brew, down to none at Constantine. This may be due to the surrounding habitat to some degree, as Constantine is very much an inland wooded valley, whereas Brew sits right down near Lands End on a scrubby hill. What's also interesting at Brew STW is that it sits at the top of the Nanjizal valley, where large numbers of Chiffs are ringed on autumn migration. Some of these stay for the winter, so it's interesting to look at when these birds first arrived in the valley. The Nanjizal Chiffs recaught at Brew this week were ringed in February 2020, October 2020,
November 2020, and from 2021, on 22nd September (a surprisingly early date), 10th October, 5th and 11th November. As for the '<i>tristis</i>' Chiffs, they were all ringed much later in the autumn in November 2021, on 18th, 20th and 24th. Some Nanjizal-ringed birds do also move through and winter elsewhere, with birds ringed on 25th October and 11th November recaught at Ponsanooth (44km), and a bird ringed on 6th November recaught at Gwennap (43km).<br /></div><div><div> </div>As for birds from further afield, we saw just one of these, with a Chiff ringed on Hartlepool Headland on 19th October recaught at Gwennap, 565km as the Chiff flies.</div><div><br /></div><div>We're back to mild, wet weather now so fingers crossed for some more cold settled weather and we can get back to the works and see what we missed this week!<br /></div>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-8277233884986288232022-01-19T11:31:00.002+00:002022-01-19T11:31:51.480+00:00Eight colour-ringed gull species from eight countries!<p>We recently received details from BTO of some colour-ringed gulls reported to us over the last cpouple of weeks and it's quite an amazing selection! In total we received details of eight different species from eight different countries:<br /></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Common Gull from Norway on the Asda roof in Penryn</li><li>Yellow-legged Gull from Switzerland on Hayle estuary</li><li>Caspian Gull from Poland at Coverack</li><li>Mediterranean Gull from Belgium at Swanpool, Falmouth</li><li>Black-headed Gull from Denmark at Helston boating lake<br /></li><li>Herring Gull from Wales at Coverack</li><li>Lesser Black-backed Gull from Portugal on Hayle estuary<br /></li><li>Great Black-backed Gull from Loee Island in Newlyn harbour</li></ul><p>This again goes to show a) how important Cornwall is to wintering birds from right across Europe and b) how important colour-ringing is in showing this.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMryyZ_XsZdUV6t3faicb4pA7Yhd8rmSKdaU9qY3mPrdGpLMJIwswh6fihYzbqETSAxQnrtEB43_0TFo4Re3pTDckSQcdJ4bc8qZfChEAfu6XK2iwDZrAMVSFD4FgdTSIHWCPTE8DnjKQvUT6LrZqCCaJRLF12EmoCVgbnZaI2FmVklyC3rXx8v-f2=s512" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="512" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMryyZ_XsZdUV6t3faicb4pA7Yhd8rmSKdaU9qY3mPrdGpLMJIwswh6fihYzbqETSAxQnrtEB43_0TFo4Re3pTDckSQcdJ4bc8qZfChEAfu6XK2iwDZrAMVSFD4FgdTSIHWCPTE8DnjKQvUT6LrZqCCaJRLF12EmoCVgbnZaI2FmVklyC3rXx8v-f2=w400-h390" width="400" /></a></div><br />It also shows that these birds can turn up pretty much anywhere, all seen by local birders with a decent 'scope or camera. So if you're out birding over the winter do keep an eye out for anything out there sporting a shiny colour ring and get reporting.<br /><p></p>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-35007169576893268922021-12-31T18:01:00.000+00:002021-12-31T18:01:00.875+00:00Our first Herring Gull to Spain<p>As 2021 draws to a close, we had an exciting late Christmas present in the form of our first ever Herring Gull sighting from Spain. As we seem to have found, it's our rehabilitated chicks that tend to wander the most and this was no exception, as W:573 was an orphaned chick released at Stithians Reservoir in August 2021 and photographed in NW Spain yesterday.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEik2Mg7qHh7VbXmJULkqlaLEZwopAd2dkNnU15f5L3R_a1z_hNz35GLJ2ibXIsKJT_NUgbpZez8vUUHd91cxEYPwpbjZSj5uDZN1xsDfVr8aXq9l0EDmVmsN0l2jueO8OsKJb1TX71FzDN1q0ej_W3vpxrq3hKZKa-W8VCTwbQ44iNDyFNp0zvSA9_F=s3003" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2001" data-original-width="3003" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEik2Mg7qHh7VbXmJULkqlaLEZwopAd2dkNnU15f5L3R_a1z_hNz35GLJ2ibXIsKJT_NUgbpZez8vUUHd91cxEYPwpbjZSj5uDZN1xsDfVr8aXq9l0EDmVmsN0l2jueO8OsKJb1TX71FzDN1q0ej_W3vpxrq3hKZKa-W8VCTwbQ44iNDyFNp0zvSA9_F=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3I3Tz84aHsyTmUYDa77WX6jDyHPuGhix4AM800YKsj9xmPhP1wg6cfTkgSncoVrmh4RY5zDq1MYPLhFl6LzZyx4mZPcZUa-kLKHsdFVbLRRgmZb1MROuaqrf14UOnDSFUzIqu3NpOW1zaIInnrh0mbRdfeJ6OpXnn88YfD5grG88mN6rTgLF1M5yM=s2712" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1808" data-original-width="2712" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3I3Tz84aHsyTmUYDa77WX6jDyHPuGhix4AM800YKsj9xmPhP1wg6cfTkgSncoVrmh4RY5zDq1MYPLhFl6LzZyx4mZPcZUa-kLKHsdFVbLRRgmZb1MROuaqrf14UOnDSFUzIqu3NpOW1zaIInnrh0mbRdfeJ6OpXnn88YfD5grG88mN6rTgLF1M5yM=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><br />This is in fact the first Cornish-ringed Herring Gull ever to be found in Spain, with the only other foreign movements reported being to France. The map below shows all of our own foreign movements to date from our colour-ringing, with the location of W:573 marked by the red star, so you can see just how unusual the sighting is!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiS1rjTE5JIeye8wZUtqRwmZLONvEyDWfB1mK77tuGQOomDqEMXEmy-ALUhEqFEES727mgEYb9kc67p9LKey-pMuxHRUNaO_8MYdjpycIYFEANgvyMRf8KCGkfF-cs6tlo44iAWnGLGD5SPaG3ewvVIZcKY8nCCT9-MTKckbQSk_a8OglARoU9nKqon=s993" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="993" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiS1rjTE5JIeye8wZUtqRwmZLONvEyDWfB1mK77tuGQOomDqEMXEmy-ALUhEqFEES727mgEYb9kc67p9LKey-pMuxHRUNaO_8MYdjpycIYFEANgvyMRf8KCGkfF-cs6tlo44iAWnGLGD5SPaG3ewvVIZcKY8nCCT9-MTKckbQSk_a8OglARoU9nKqon=w400-h364" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>To put this into some context, the BTO's Online Ringing Report shows only 31 previous records of BTO-ringed Herring Gulls found in Spain, so W:573 really is a special. It'll be interesting to see how long it stays so far south (at the far southern edge of the wintering range for the species) and whether or not it eventually returns to Cornwall.</p><p>Many thanks to Nicolás Magdalena GarcÃa for reporting this bird and allowing us to use his great photos.<br /></p>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-13100109809588671932021-11-18T18:23:00.001+00:002021-11-18T18:23:23.504+00:00Foreign feel to some resightings<p>Having just received information back on most of the foreign-ringed birds that we've been seeing locally over the last week or so, we thought it'd be interesting to map them. This gives a really good idea of just where some of our wintering birds come from, of all sorts of species.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88TyIwIyEac/YZaTQZYmMoI/AAAAAAAAE1U/52fa2o-Viuc-TX7xJO-4NOBcX54FtoOzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s992/map%25283%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="992" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88TyIwIyEac/YZaTQZYmMoI/AAAAAAAAE1U/52fa2o-Viuc-TX7xJO-4NOBcX54FtoOzwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/map%25283%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The latest batch of reports included:</p><div><ul><li>Lesser Black-backed Gull from Portugal</li><li>Great Black-backed Gulls from Channel Islands and Wales<br /></li><li>Mediterranean Gulls from Belgium and Netherlands</li><li>Black-headed Gull from Poland<br /></li><li>Curlew from Netherlands</li><li>Cormorant from Ireland</li></ul><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yerrgQJo1ok/YZEm0nXrODI/AAAAAAAAE1E/EGkLmhy5hZoM_dm3cwYd6dDTW9I7o7gawCPcBGAYYCw/s4608/DSCN3848.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yerrgQJo1ok/YZEm0nXrODI/AAAAAAAAE1E/EGkLmhy5hZoM_dm3cwYd6dDTW9I7o7gawCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h300/DSCN3848.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portuguese Lesser Black-back</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ioX-Z2oM-vc/YZaVRUcWO5I/AAAAAAAAE1c/z0GLhvrrOaM_jS2cVcN5yHtpeCnKL7g2gCPcBGAYYCw/s4608/DSCN4243.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ioX-Z2oM-vc/YZaVRUcWO5I/AAAAAAAAE1c/z0GLhvrrOaM_jS2cVcN5yHtpeCnKL7g2gCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h300/DSCN4243.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welsh Great Black-back<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SKqeoVyUFIA/YZaVrouUCbI/AAAAAAAAE1k/XnTTc4eQb7wXZpuDouyNb0PCtXhfqvMZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/3LP5.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1863" data-original-width="2048" height="364" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SKqeoVyUFIA/YZaVrouUCbI/AAAAAAAAE1k/XnTTc4eQb7wXZpuDouyNb0PCtXhfqvMZgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h364/3LP5.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dutch Med Gull<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CE9iOD9IoY/YZaXcFBKqHI/AAAAAAAAE1s/qNfL1hLr_ngw02V1IzaV4y0EMMnMgtILQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1512/IMG_0198.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="1512" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CE9iOD9IoY/YZaXcFBKqHI/AAAAAAAAE1s/qNfL1hLr_ngw02V1IzaV4y0EMMnMgtILQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h296/IMG_0198.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polish Black-headed Gull<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-68853275020874508992021-11-14T15:12:00.000+00:002021-11-14T15:12:29.296+00:00Big gulls from points south<p>On the back of the Black-headed Gulls from earlier in the week (which all came from points east), this time it's Black-backed Gulls of interest (from points south). Of particular note today were two Great Black-backed Gulls sat close to each other on the island at Gothian Sands, Gwithian.</p><p>Yellow 2AA1 is a bird ringed as a chick on Herm, Channel Islands in 2013. It was first seen at Dawlish Warren in March 2014 before becoming a regular in Cornwall from January 2015.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ad32wMJUbKI/YZEko-dPorI/AAAAAAAAE0g/N6eVZOuwMzcRlGUv-rCN0t5YZi6Dt2rxwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSCN3854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1214" data-original-width="2048" height="238" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ad32wMJUbKI/YZEko-dPorI/AAAAAAAAE0g/N6eVZOuwMzcRlGUv-rCN0t5YZi6Dt2rxwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h238/DSCN3854.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Conversely, L:FZ3 is one of our own, ringed as a chick on Mullion Island earlier in 2021. So far it's the only of of this year's chicks to be seen abroad, seen on a beach in Guernesy on 18th September.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YggFuqB_vbk/YZEltgUUF2I/AAAAAAAAE0s/Bbj3h7lBE5EoyMJGLBJ2094UTbWZoSR5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s801/LFZ3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="801" height="258" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YggFuqB_vbk/YZEltgUUF2I/AAAAAAAAE0s/Bbj3h7lBE5EoyMJGLBJ2094UTbWZoSR5QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h258/LFZ3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Incredibly though, it was back in Cornwall today, at Gothian Sands sat alongside 2AA1.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TIgHneDppic/YZEmPgRzMQI/AAAAAAAAE04/hQIhSDJr9Qwc99WlsnvUqU8gbrMAp_uCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSCN3853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1685" data-original-width="2048" height="329" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TIgHneDppic/YZEmPgRzMQI/AAAAAAAAE04/hQIhSDJr9Qwc99WlsnvUqU8gbrMAp_uCwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h329/DSCN3853.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>The other Black-back from the south was a Lesser seen on Hayle estuary. This is a Portuguese-ringed bird from a rehabilitation project run by <a href="http://rias-aldeia.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">RIAS</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yerrgQJo1ok/YZEm0nXrODI/AAAAAAAAE1A/YETdnfqwXaAh8T6vOs2YrFTLawDrPaWAACLcBGAsYHQ/s4608/DSCN3848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yerrgQJo1ok/YZEm0nXrODI/AAAAAAAAE1A/YETdnfqwXaAh8T6vOs2YrFTLawDrPaWAACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/DSCN3848.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-17576155597710561492021-11-13T10:15:00.005+00:002021-11-13T10:19:18.525+00:00Winter is here and the gulls are coming<p> It's always a good sign that winter must be here when we start seeing returning gulls from elsewhere. We know these aren't local birds as many are ringed, so it's just a case of getting out there and reading some rings and colour rings.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8sRDYdu19cY/YY-LyalE7fI/AAAAAAAAE0M/sMjYe7I-Eege4-E5PpRCTLcZ4foOe8woQCLcBGAsYHQ/s4608/DSCN3228.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8sRDYdu19cY/YY-LyalE7fI/AAAAAAAAE0M/sMjYe7I-Eege4-E5PpRCTLcZ4foOe8woQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/DSCN3228.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow 2PRB was ringed as an adult at Pitsea Landfill, Essex in March 2016<br />and this is the third winter it's been seen in Cornwall <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />In just a couple of days this week, we've managed to read several metal rings and also seen some regular colour-ringed birds at Swanpool, Mylor Creek and Stithians Reservoir. The map below shows where some of the British-ringed birds originate from, most of which were ringed as chicks (from as long ago as 2013). We also recorded a bird ringed as an adult in Dorset in 2011, but still have a long way to go to beat the national longevity record of 32 years!<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tQDf6ljSO-k/YY-LO2JmfhI/AAAAAAAAE0E/zrsF4g_7xZYKrA6EL2C0M54nnEx6cJjigCLcBGAsYHQ/s992/map%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="992" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tQDf6ljSO-k/YY-LO2JmfhI/AAAAAAAAE0E/zrsF4g_7xZYKrA6EL2C0M54nnEx6cJjigCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/map%25281%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We're also waiting on details of a Belgian-ringed bird which will add another nice dot to the map, along with the regular Danish-ringed bird at Helston Boating Lake. So if you are lucky enough to see a common-or-garden gull wearing a colour ring do get in touch!<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UTgku6eaHcc/YY-QJlzjBzI/AAAAAAAAE0U/JTU3a5kMDH0HQ2N16niYpAPq5L-S5ehhACLcBGAsYHQ/s4608/8LZ.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UTgku6eaHcc/YY-QJlzjBzI/AAAAAAAAE0U/JTU3a5kMDH0HQ2N16niYpAPq5L-S5ehhACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/8LZ.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danish-ringed White 8LZ at Helston Boating Lake<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-76199311827678450702021-09-17T11:30:00.001+01:002021-11-13T12:07:24.726+00:00Barn Owl 2021 update<p>Yesterday afternoon we ringed our last (and latest ever) Barn Owl chicks for 2021, with two present in a box near Carnkie. This was a replacement brood after an earlier failure and only the second time we've ringed chicks in September.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aLhS1JuXaNg/YURaThTo28I/AAAAAAAAEyo/DtvFYTtimBIyRY-t15q-t-q-JhnQu_7_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1161/7f1604ca-e21b-4d93-87f7-f896b320ef6d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="991" data-original-width="1161" height="341" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aLhS1JuXaNg/YURaThTo28I/AAAAAAAAEyo/DtvFYTtimBIyRY-t15q-t-q-JhnQu_7_gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h341/7f1604ca-e21b-4d93-87f7-f896b320ef6d.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last Barn Owl chicks of 2021 - a pale male (left) and a darker female<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />This is then the ideal time to have a look at the numbers and see how 2021 was for our owls. It was an unusual year, with some early broods, some late broods, some regular sites unoccupied, some new sites occupied and generally just lots of surprises.</p><p>The totals for the year are below, showing slightly fewer boxes monitored this year, which we can partly blame on lockdown again, so we hope that 2022 will see us back up to checking over 100 boxes. The average clutch size was the lowest we've seen since 2013 which may be a consequence of the spring weather. This also followed through to smaller brood sizes, which were also much lower than in recent years, and fewer chicks ringed than last year.<br />
</p><table align="center" border="1" bordercolor="#000000" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="4" style="background-color: white; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2011</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2012</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2013</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2014</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2015</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2016</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2017</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2018</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2019</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2020</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>2021</b></span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Sites visited</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">32</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">34</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">32</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">44</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">41</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">47</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">64</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">85</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">87</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">106</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">93</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Unoccupied</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">7</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">12</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">11</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">11</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">12</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">23</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">34</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">36</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">43</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">35</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Occupied but no breeding</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">13</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">7</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">7</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">7</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">8</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Average clutch size<br />(where observed)</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.8</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.1</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.6</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.6</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.6</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.6</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5.3</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5.2</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.7</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.6</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4.5</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Average brood size<br />(where observed)</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.1</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.1</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.4</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.5</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.5</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.8</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.0</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.3</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.0</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3.2</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2.8</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Number of chicks ringed</b></span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">33</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">46</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">20</span><br /></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">63</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">70</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">47</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">90</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">132</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">119</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">177</span></td>
<td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">133</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><p>We always see a few short movements during the year, with ringed chicks taking up residence in boxes, so below is a map of these noted in 2021. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DGZA419n_mY/YURl-1v4CoI/AAAAAAAAEyw/sB8bf2jc6mIYfZBIY-i33EGV7gL14Y51ACLcBGAsYHQ/s992/map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="992" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DGZA419n_mY/YURl-1v4CoI/AAAAAAAAEyw/sB8bf2jc6mIYfZBIY-i33EGV7gL14Y51ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/map.png" width="400" /></a></div> <p></p><p>A few of these are quite interesting though. One site near Zennor was obviously very lucky, with chicks from 2016 (with consecutive ring numbers) both found breeding in other boxes in Penwith in 2021. One had bred at a different site in 2019, but then moved on again in 2021, whilst the other was a new breeder five years after ringing. We also had an adult female switch boxes, having bred at a site for at least two years. she moved a few kilometres down the road to a new site to breed.</p><p>One other unusual, and sad, story involved a bird found breeding in a box in June 2020 (with three chicks) that was already ringed. Unusually the ring showed it was of captive origin and had actually come from a breeder in Torquay before ending up at the Screech Owl Sanctuary near Bodmin. It had escaped from there during a flying display and obviously found the wild to its liking, breeding nearby. It then bred again in 2021 but in a different box, but was the sadly found injured six weeks later and was taken back to the sanctuary. The local vet found that it was too injured to be rehabilitated so was sadly put to sleep. It's great to know the full-circle history of this bird, despite the sad ending.<br /></p>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-86028145571598595792021-09-10T09:36:00.001+01:002021-09-10T09:36:10.089+01:00Returning Osprey<p>We've previously blogged about a Scottish-ringed Osprey seen at Devoran on its first autumn migration and then again three years later, <a href="http://cornishringing.blogspot.com/2020/09/colour-ringed-ospreys-galore.html" target="_blank">so read the background here</a>. Remarkably, Blue JF1 has returned again, seen at Restronguet Creek yesterday. We're not sure if it was seen back in Scotland since rigning, but it's great to know that it finds Devoran to its liking and on past performance it will remain on the river for a while yet.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LG7csvFarhc/YTsYXK9ED9I/AAAAAAAAEyQ/YzVEo73yFwwbK8aMN1-oIKzOgiBFOZHXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Osprey%2BRestronguet%2B9th%2BSept%2B2021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1949" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LG7csvFarhc/YTsYXK9ED9I/AAAAAAAAEyQ/YzVEo73yFwwbK8aMN1-oIKzOgiBFOZHXgCLcBGAsYHQ/w381-h400/Osprey%2BRestronguet%2B9th%2BSept%2B2021.JPG" width="381" /></a></div><p></p><p>Thanks to John St Ledger for the report and the classic Osprey photo.<br /></p>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-62474452179758131692021-09-02T15:15:00.000+01:002021-09-02T15:15:33.749+01:00Autumn colour-ringed waders (and a tern)<p>Autumn migration generally sees us receiving a few colour-ring resightings of migrants, especially waders , but this year has got off to a great start! Just over the last week we've heard of some really quick movements of birds leaving the country via Cornwall.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lvnaSPcRRbM/YTDW-0A9OJI/AAAAAAAAExs/COCFI28zEJkCV_z4bKLHd8BxZg5HMI14wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/239390479_10160030750456844_7678313701111461155_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lvnaSPcRRbM/YTDW-0A9OJI/AAAAAAAAExs/COCFI28zEJkCV_z4bKLHd8BxZg5HMI14wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/239390479_10160030750456844_7678313701111461155_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>First up was this Ringed Plover seen on Looe Island on 24th August (photographed by Jasmina Goodair). Incredibly it had only been ringed two days earlier in North Wales, so had made a very rapid departure. It's also the first Welsh-ringed Ringed Plover to be found in Cornwall which makes it extra special.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--140OGweG1w/YTDXEXJgQjI/AAAAAAAAExw/tMRzCkne0ewDcRBBxQOr1GIOpwIPy-dDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/DSCN1971.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--140OGweG1w/YTDXEXJgQjI/AAAAAAAAExw/tMRzCkne0ewDcRBBxQOr1GIOpwIPy-dDwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/DSCN1971.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The plover was closely followed by this Dunlin, seen at Colliford Reservoir on 30th August (photographed by Linda Birtwistle). This too was a Welsh bird, having been ringed on 12th August at Ynyslas NNR, near Aberystwyth. This is now the third colour-ringed bird from this project seen here.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0RB0YRhj8u0/YTDXJU_xpLI/AAAAAAAAEx0/2IQpEzUMMEMDYd_p80gb7SztLgc5wkZQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Ring_ANL_8187%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="2048" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0RB0YRhj8u0/YTDXJU_xpLI/AAAAAAAAEx0/2IQpEzUMMEMDYd_p80gb7SztLgc5wkZQQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h283/Ring_ANL_8187%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>On a slightly different Celtic note, this Sandwich Tern was photographed (by Adrian Langdon) with a flock of Mediterranean Gulls on the Camel estuary on 28th August. It had been ringed as a chick at Lady's Island, Co Wexford in June 2019. Since then though it has been seen on the Isles of Scilly (September 2019) and also in Namibia (March 2020).</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eLr82Diya10/YTDacAT9gGI/AAAAAAAAEyA/qqYkZDsQ5SwLz1EzmkvbDEPwSSlUhBtuACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/ANL_8167.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1448" data-original-width="2048" height="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eLr82Diya10/YTDacAT9gGI/AAAAAAAAEyA/qqYkZDsQ5SwLz1EzmkvbDEPwSSlUhBtuACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h283/ANL_8167.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gulls resting on oyster floats off Porthilly, Camel estuary</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />
So do keep an eye out for any colour-ringed birds and feel free to drop us an email if you don't know where to look to find out where it's from.Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-51042823263711726182021-08-16T10:06:00.001+01:002021-08-16T10:06:29.467+01:00Manxies, some very late owls and a Norwegian Curlew<p>We've been busy over the last couple of weeks, so have a few bits of news to share.</p><p>Over the August new moon we ran two Storm Petrel public ringing demonstrations, aiming to give people the rare chance to see these amazing birds up close. The visitors to Porthgwarra were not only treated to seeing a few Stormies in the hand (and enjoying their distinctive smell), but also a couple of Manx Shearwaters! These are only the second and third we've caught in Cornwall so it was incredibly lucky to have two on the same night. As far as we can tell, only 28 Manxies have ever been caught in the county, including seven in 2002, one by the ringing group at Lizard in 2015 and now two more.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ffqi01fLweE/YRoo_hJhY1I/AAAAAAAAEwE/8q1FT6KkUWk_NohCBDwospCFCTGtIHIjACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ffqi01fLweE/YRoo_hJhY1I/AAAAAAAAEwE/8q1FT6KkUWk_NohCBDwospCFCTGtIHIjACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/IMG_0986.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Over the weekend we also took the opportunity to visit the last two active Barn Owl sites we monitor. both of which we think are replacement clutches after an early failure. Sadly one of these didn't progress past two eggs, but the other had a brood of very young chicks (and possibly two unhatched eggs), so these are likely to be ready to ring in September. We rarely ring chicks this late in the season and in fact we've only ever ringed one brood in September, on the very late date of 22nd September 2020.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jju_LG-zApI/YRoo_3NTfJI/AAAAAAAAEwI/RLplzkxDn9c_PuaNcWaAskLs2YpUvVy7gCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/IMG_1006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jju_LG-zApI/YRoo_3NTfJI/AAAAAAAAEwI/RLplzkxDn9c_PuaNcWaAskLs2YpUvVy7gCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h300/IMG_1006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Lastly, we were contacted this morning by the Head Greenkeeper at Newquay Golf Club as one of their staff had found a dead Curlew on the course, sadly predated. The bird was ringed though and is in fact the first ever Norwegian-ringed Curlew to be found in Cornwall. We've had birds from Sweden and Finland in the past, but this bird completes the Scandinavian trio, so it'll be interesting to see where and when it was ringed.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TJWJb15TwZg/YRopCef7GTI/AAAAAAAAEwg/rwsOowrSbgMU0hUKAjVozotML1zUGszmQCPcBGAYYCw/s608/curlew1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="608" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TJWJb15TwZg/YRopCef7GTI/AAAAAAAAEwg/rwsOowrSbgMU0hUKAjVozotML1zUGszmQCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h300/curlew1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QbKCPoeZM8E/YRopCQLqDtI/AAAAAAAAEwc/_fJJ4ou-UDQPdTJ5LvzIv3zszZUnfGQLwCPcBGAYYCw/s610/curlew2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="498" data-original-width="610" height="326" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QbKCPoeZM8E/YRopCQLqDtI/AAAAAAAAEwc/_fJJ4ou-UDQPdTJ5LvzIv3zszZUnfGQLwCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h326/curlew2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-67914115707312926282021-07-26T10:39:00.003+01:002021-07-26T10:39:32.869+01:00Four nights, four Stormies to Alderney<p>Over the years we've shared a few Storm Petrels with the Channel Islands and in total 19 Cornish-ringed birds have been recaught there and seven ringed on the islands have been recaught in Cornwall. In fact, just 56 BTO-ringed birds have ever been found on the Channel Islands, so Cornwall provides a fair proportion of these.<br /></p><p>This week we received a rush of reports from Burhou, Alderney though, with four of our birds recaught there on consecutive days:</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>15th July - bird originally ringed at Porthgwarra in June 2021</li><li>16th July - bird ringed at Lizard in July 2012 <br /></li><li>17th July - bird ringed at Lizard in June 2016 <br /></li><li>18th July - bird ringed at Lizard in June 2019</li></ul><p>Whilst some of these may be wandering non-breeding birds, it's interesting to see birds from 2012 and 2016 which are now breeding age birds. Presumably these are nesting on Burhou, which is in fact the only site that Storm Petrels breed on the islands.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oKWs8iO2fRY/YP6ChneB--I/AAAAAAAAEvM/GwlSMfC9BMYY3BeJPTKemDmp-33mRl2cACLcBGAsYHQ/s652/map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="652" height="346" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oKWs8iO2fRY/YP6ChneB--I/AAAAAAAAEvM/GwlSMfC9BMYY3BeJPTKemDmp-33mRl2cACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h346/map.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-47690080978472657682021-07-20T11:44:00.002+01:002021-07-20T14:34:23.251+01:00Back in the marsh<p>So with a change of tenancy and Covid rules relaxed enough to allow more ringing freedom, three of us ventured into Gunwalloe reedbed for the first non-roost ringing at the site since September 2016. Since that time we've ringed the Swallow roost just twice (in August 2018 and September 2019), so it was great to get back in for some warbler ringing. The site was originally run as a CES (Constant Effort Site) so we hope to restart that in the future.</p><p>But as is always the way it has taken a bit of clearance and work to get the reedbed net ride back to a usable condition, including finding the original boardwalk and filling in some gaps. We did still manage to find some poles and guys from years gone by though!</p><p>We started early this morning to avoid the heat and with just a small number of nets caught 41 birds before closing up at 9am. Having not ringed at the site for so long it wasn't too surprising to find no local retraps, but we WERE surprised to find two ringed warblers (a Sedge and a Reed), both with AXL rings. The ring sequence did seem familiar and it turns out these were both birds ringed last autumn at Nanjizal (just 30km as the warbler flies), so nice to share some Cornish birds between a breeding site and a migration site.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o3xScXISiw8/YPaoB7g9nQI/AAAAAAAAEuc/8ou6zJaRHAMFRO2E5tEgu1_DRw84JYUpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0911.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o3xScXISiw8/YPaoB7g9nQI/AAAAAAAAEuc/8ou6zJaRHAMFRO2E5tEgu1_DRw84JYUpwCLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/IMG_0911.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the AXL birds from Nanjizal<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Not surprisingly the majority of captures were Sedge and Reed Warblers, but we did also manage a few juvenile Whitethroats and a juvenile Cetti's Warbler. We hope to ring the site more over the autumn so will add updates when we can.<br /><p></p>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-72629252071038206092021-07-13T15:50:00.003+01:002021-07-13T15:50:38.730+01:00Busy seabird weekend<p>This long weekend has been a busy one, with various group members (and even a visitor from up-country) heading out to all parts of West Cornwall in search of (mostly) seabirds.</p><p>We started off with our annual gull-ringing trip over to Mullion Island, which was always going to be an unknown as we were too busy colour-ringing Cormorant chicks on our last visit to count the Great Black-backed Gull nests. We headed over in two kayaks and a dinghy, landing in a quiet cove and heading onto the top of the island. Working our way round we ringed just 10 chicks, but at least another 10 were too big to try to catch. Whilst there, we were also able to photgraph a couple of ringed adults, both of which had been ringed as chicks in 2016 but are now breeding on the island. Interestingly, one (L:CN5) had been ringed as a chick on Looe Island, but has been seen a few times around Lizard and Coverack since.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XReW2ciTf5I/YO2g0xQWm8I/AAAAAAAAEtQ/45bU9G_e31IEjZRzWV70CdeiGpspU-dVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s4608/DSCN7963.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XReW2ciTf5I/YO2g0xQWm8I/AAAAAAAAEtQ/45bU9G_e31IEjZRzWV70CdeiGpspU-dVQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/DSCN7963.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mkv9-EDh4_8/YO2hko-FeXI/AAAAAAAAEtY/nBUEM2mCzLs5kzIniqCbO_7kLkx0dHHFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s4608/DSCN8001.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mkv9-EDh4_8/YO2hko-FeXI/AAAAAAAAEtY/nBUEM2mCzLs5kzIniqCbO_7kLkx0dHHFgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/DSCN8001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p>Next stop was a tour of Barn Owl sites around the Lizard, ringing chicks at 10 sites in total. Several of these later broods had just two chicks, in contrast to those earlier in the season that had three or even four chicks.<br /></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oFK3T8A5QfU/YO2b5QTHX-I/AAAAAAAAEtI/pP1ru-SDUrU03ygtyN3PXOtmWVEDa04zgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0865.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oFK3T8A5QfU/YO2b5QTHX-I/AAAAAAAAEtI/pP1ru-SDUrU03ygtyN3PXOtmWVEDa04zgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0865.JPG" /></a></div><p> </p><p>Back on the seabird theme, the next day found us Kittiwake ringing at Trewavas Head. Half of the team paddled round from Porthleven while the other half walked in with a ladder from Rinsey. We all reconvened at the cliffs to scramble down and kayak round to the main Kittiwake site. With very few birds successfully breeding, we only colour-ringed eight chicks, but at least this is better than the zero of the last two years. We also took the opportunity to read various colour rings at Trequean zawn and also managed to get photographs of two metal-ringed birds. One of these (ET44236) was ringed on the Isles of Scilly in 1999 and had been seen by us at the engine houses colony in 2018 as well, so is a healthy 22 years old now. The other rewmains a mystery at the moment, with the BTO team looking at the possible options for us of what might be a very old bird!<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bU0DLiqXVmk/YO2ai4lzVWI/AAAAAAAAEs0/J4o-kZZuQE0w2zg1GYgnJwV60rUih6xXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/DSCN8065.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bU0DLiqXVmk/YO2ai4lzVWI/AAAAAAAAEs0/J4o-kZZuQE0w2zg1GYgnJwV60rUih6xXwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/DSCN8065.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uT1j2nAVGjI/YO2ae_D6-xI/AAAAAAAAEsw/w0T15_bbH64C8U_I5CEyWFA6s_Y47vGugCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/DSCN8062.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uT1j2nAVGjI/YO2ae_D6-xI/AAAAAAAAEsw/w0T15_bbH64C8U_I5CEyWFA6s_Y47vGugCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/DSCN8062.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rM47Zc7sgso/YO2bmV_SzyI/AAAAAAAAEtA/9dfeqvYc_icesCP2QICrROK2sl18H1fbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0863.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rM47Zc7sgso/YO2bmV_SzyI/AAAAAAAAEtA/9dfeqvYc_icesCP2QICrROK2sl18H1fbgCLcBGAsYHQ/w300-h400/IMG_0863.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><p>After an extra couple of owl boxes, we then headed down to Porthgwarra for dusk to set nets for Storm Petrels. This is often the busiest month for Stormies and true to form the first net round before midnight saw 45 birds in the nets, so it was a busy session for everyone. In total we ringed 95 birds, with recaptures of a French-ringed bird and others ringed on the Calf of Man (in August 2020), St David's, Pembrokeshire (in July 2020) and one of our own from Lizard (ringed in July 2020). Talking of Stormies, we also heard from the BTO that a bird we ringed at Lizard in August 2020 was recaught on Alderney, Channel Islands on 10th July.</p><p>So al in all a very productiove weekend of seabird ringing, contributing to our ongoing colour-ringing projects for some of these species.<br /></p>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-27504294367727032812021-07-04T10:23:00.001+01:002021-07-04T10:23:56.762+01:00A mediocre Kittiwake season<p>At the weekend we had an evening paddle out to the Kittiwake colony at Trewavas Head to continue our Retrapping (or resighting in our case) Adults for Survival project. It was the perfcet sea conditions for a kayak, and two of us managed to cover most of the colony in under three hours.<br /></p><p>Sadly, as in the past two years, the main site was earily quiet with a lot of birds sat by empty nests or just loafing. Just five nests had chicks, with just four other sitting adults, which is a shadow of the 70 pairs of just a few years ago. We did manage to reread colour rings on 10 birds, all ringed as adults at the same site in 2013, 2015 (2 birds), 2016 (2 birds) and 2018 (4 birds). We also took the opportunity to ring a couple more adults to contribute to the project.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tQRV2kjzAMY/YOF65RjrjqI/AAAAAAAAEsI/fTpvm1BlOsQ6x5h5AX0zyDpLSb17l7AXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_0836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1645" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tQRV2kjzAMY/YOF65RjrjqI/AAAAAAAAEsI/fTpvm1BlOsQ6x5h5AX0zyDpLSb17l7AXgCLcBGAsYHQ/w321-h400/IMG_0836.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><br />There was slightly better news at Trequean Zawn, where there were at least six nests with chicks and 10 adults sitting tight. Part of this site can only be seen from the sea, so there are no doubt more nesting birds than this. There were more colour-ringed birds here, many with much more interesting histories. Most of these were ringed as chicks, obviously recruiting to a new site away from their natal site. Birds were recorded that had been ringed as chicks at the main colony in 2015 (3 birds), 2016 (3 birds) and 2018 (3 birds), and there was also a chick ringed at the engine houses area of the cliffs in 2017. Interestingly there were also four adults at Trequean that had been ringed as adults at the main site in 2016 and 2017, and still recorded there in 2020.<p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ibKgaAYILBI/YOF7QZZs0OI/AAAAAAAAEsQ/dqmiFb-tIz48DN5xvvGSP--jTuhJbN9cgCLcBGAsYHQ/s4608/DSCN7797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ibKgaAYILBI/YOF7QZZs0OI/AAAAAAAAEsQ/dqmiFb-tIz48DN5xvvGSP--jTuhJbN9cgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/DSCN7797.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PP was ringed as a chick in 2015 and has successfully<br />bred the last three years at Trequean<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> Additional to these local birds were three French-ringed birds, ringed as chicks in 2007, 2011 and 2015. These also have interesting histories, with one of them seen previously at Rinsey in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and another (OWM-RNN) that was at the main Trewavas site in 2012-19 before moving to Western Cove, Portreath in 2020.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IZ-Qfsq7Ka8/YOF75w7U1nI/AAAAAAAAEsY/EbhakCWluig3mmb7g_xSwPf_OrAze8XCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s4608/DSCN7811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="4608" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IZ-Qfsq7Ka8/YOF75w7U1nI/AAAAAAAAEsY/EbhakCWluig3mmb7g_xSwPf_OrAze8XCgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/DSCN7811.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OWM-RNN</td></tr></tbody></table>It'll be interesting to see how the birds get on at the main site and whether or not more move along to Trequean in the future.<br />Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0Trewavas Head50.0914758 -5.336608350.080461941485915 -5.3537744376953125 50.102489658514081 -5.3194421623046875tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3135791322315120406.post-43543260263634006632021-05-03T07:51:00.007+01:002021-05-03T07:51:54.033+01:00More Mullion Cormorants<p>We've never had the chance to make two Cormorat ringing trips over to Mullion Island, but the spacing of the colony this summer allowed us to get over safely again at the weekend. Thanks again to Lizard Adventure we took a few kayaks over and landed both side of the island so that we could corral the young birds in the Sea Mallow.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IcYJa5wFL70/YI-aTWNJIPI/AAAAAAAAEo8/2JNAjGb4lvY049E7dyaB7eQpQ6qgu32fgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-05-02%2Bat%2B20.34.05%2B%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IcYJa5wFL70/YI-aTWNJIPI/AAAAAAAAEo8/2JNAjGb4lvY049E7dyaB7eQpQ6qgu32fgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-05-02%2Bat%2B20.34.05%2B%25281%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Some of the larger birds we let waddle off onto the top of the island so we could concentrate on the medium-sized chicks. With an efficient team, we were able to ring 25 chicks, 23 of which we also gave a coded orange ring which can be read at distance. We strictly limit our time on the island (to no more than an hour), so had to leave another dozen chicks unringed. But with a record number of nests this year (at least 73) this was always going to be a productive year. We sadly also didn't have time to count the Great Black-backed Gull nests on the island either, but with plenty of birds sat on eggs (and even a left-over Manx Shearwater meal) we hope they too will have a good year.<br /></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CecSAbDQiZQ/YI-bUm5LkcI/AAAAAAAAEpI/gHRh7EGBQiwacG-I-WdH5xM2OBJzR-NrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1536/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-05-02%2Bat%2B20.34.03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="1536" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CecSAbDQiZQ/YI-bUm5LkcI/AAAAAAAAEpI/gHRh7EGBQiwacG-I-WdH5xM2OBJzR-NrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-05-02%2Bat%2B20.34.03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kN_vJIVx7l8/YI-bZF44QqI/AAAAAAAAEpM/2cAHobz3zCMA9noXjKG5dpN0ebi2q5a8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-05-02%2Bat%2B20.34.04.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kN_vJIVx7l8/YI-bZF44QqI/AAAAAAAAEpM/2cAHobz3zCMA9noXjKG5dpN0ebi2q5a8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-05-02%2Bat%2B20.34.04.jpeg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u5TrofpfJ7Q/YI-bPhSxRjI/AAAAAAAAEpE/YTp83SMRlkgVhkZlMeEKruKNyTnaBDz0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-05-02%2Bat%2B20.34.02.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u5TrofpfJ7Q/YI-bPhSxRjI/AAAAAAAAEpE/YTp83SMRlkgVhkZlMeEKruKNyTnaBDz0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-05-02%2Bat%2B20.34.02.jpeg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NlmKklf_tUE/YI-bcqDHkZI/AAAAAAAAEpQ/X726AiTgXcErpA_K1KEU-mszcSRq3U2_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-05-02%2Bat%2B20.34.05.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NlmKklf_tUE/YI-bcqDHkZI/AAAAAAAAEpQ/X726AiTgXcErpA_K1KEU-mszcSRq3U2_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/WhatsApp%2BImage%2B2021-05-02%2Bat%2B20.34.05.jpeg" /></a></div><p>Across the two visits we colour-ringed 44 chicks this year which is by far the most we've ever ringed, so it'll be fascinating to see how these birds get on and where they end up. Thanks again to Lizard Adventure for the loan of their kayaks (and guide) and wehope to be working with them again soon when it's time to ring gull chicks.<br /></p>Mark Granthamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08846208560470995839noreply@blogger.com0