More Mipits on the marsh

With the forecast suggesting no wind today, we took the opportunity to get the triangle out and catch some more Meadow Pipits at Gunwalloe. Unfortunately it wasn't quite as calm as predicted, but we still managed a respectable 61 pipits, along with a scattering of other species.

Highlight for some was a rather fine adult Moorhen, sexed as a female on biometrics.

Meadow Pipit legs and a Poldark encounter

With the wind dropping for a couple of days we took the opportunity to get the Meadow Pipit triangle up for the first time this autumn. We decided on Gunwalloe, as we could ring in the reedbed at the same time, hoping for some late warbler interest.

Over yesterday and today, we handled 134 birds (123 new and 11 retrap) of which 81 were Meadow Pipits. Not too shabby for so early in the autumn, but there were lots of birds passing, but most chose to settle just outside and around the triangle! But it was a good chance for new recruits to get to grips with a nice species with a useful moult pattern.

If you're lucky, you can see the difference in shape of the primary coverts between this adult bird (top)
and a first-year bird (bottom), with the latter being more pointed at the tip.

We also saw a bewildering aray of colours in these birds, with most typically quite bright olive green, but we also saw some rather brown birds, a very grey bird and also one with very distinct orangey flanks and upper breast (but still just Mipits!). It was unusual that these paler birds also had very pink legs and feet, compared to yellow on the greener birds. More on these later in the autumn...

The reedbed nets also produced a few late warblers (two Sedge, four Reed and five Cettis's, including one ringed as an adult in 2011), Stonechat and a smart Kingfisher. A single extra net also did us proud with a Garden Warbler (first ever caught at Gunwalloe) and two Firecrest (also the first caught here!).

We're not used to sharing the overflow car park at Gunwalloe with anyone, especially not at 6 in the morning, so it was a surprise to find it full of vans, lorries and 30+ cars. A quick chat with the security guards later and we found out this was in fact a day of filming for Poldark. We did invite the main man to grab his scythe and clear a new ride, but he declined...

Mipits on the move

It's that time of year when as soon as there's a favourable light wind the Mipits are on the move...

This last weekend was the first settled period for a while on The Lizard and autumn vis-mig started to pick up. The first Reed Buntings of the winter were around the fields and the first real Skylark movement got underway, but it was Meadow Pipits we were interested in. We're lucky enough to be able to ring on a wild bird seed field down near Southerly Point, where we can also target Meadow Pipits in a triangle of nets. The theory is, set the nets in a tight triangle, put a tape lure (or more accurately an MP3 lure!) in the middle and wait for birds to drop in.

As Saturday went on, migration picked up and hundreds of Meadow Pipits were heading south, many dropping in to the triangle. Through the morning, two of us ringed 149 Meadow Pipits and some extra two-shelf nets through the weedy field also produced a few Linnet, Goldfinch, two Stonechat and a late Whitethroat.

Nets along the weedy field margin were particularly effective

The next day saw similar weather, so we repeated Saturday's efforts and ringed a further 114 Meadow Pipits and a more impressive 30 Linnet. In fact, our weekend total of 43 Linnet is the most ringed in the county in any year since 1985! Almost mirroring Saturday's catch, we also ringed two more Stonechat and a late Sedge Warbler.

The weedy field looks very tempting if you're a small finch or bunting,
so will make for interesting days later in the winter

Just to round of the weekend, this morning saw a change of scenery, with the team moving up to Gunwalloe for yet more pipits. This wasn't quite as successful as The Lizard, but it gave us the excuse for some late autumn reedbed ringing, producing a few Reed Buntings, a late Reed Warbler and a Cetti's Warbler.

All in all, the long weekend ringing totals were 449 birds ringed, including 349 Meadow Pipit, 43 Linnet and 21 Dunnock!