Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Monday, 4 July 2011
An awesome morning ringing on Sunday. By the end of the session we had ringed 88 new birds are re-trapped 40 including a 48 bird net-round that used nearly all our bird bags! Mainly young birds (probably 85%) with dunnock, blue tit and blackcap making up the numbers. A net across one of the barns on site produced 14 swallow including 2 re-traps from 2010 and 2009 and a couple of fledged youngsters. Ringing in the garden has been very quiet with only 4 birds caught in about 8 hours of trapping over the weekend, however, a fly-over turtle dove (garden tick 92) on Saturday afternoon made up for it
Finally got round to sorting out some more pictures out.
Finally got round to sorting out some more pictures out.
Male western tanager - imagine what Big Garden BirdWatch could be like with these on your feeders!!
Stellers jay - cool birds
Ferruginous hawk checking out a prariedog town
Caspian tern
Male chestnut-sided warbler. Only the 3rd to be rung at the Chatfield State Park ringing site, operated by the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, and the 2nd this year. It certainly makes ringing exciting when you have yellow warblers, Swainson's thrushes, yellow breasted chat and an array of flycatchers to handle!!
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Still not managed to get any more holiday snaps sorted - need some more wet evenings!
The reserve has been looking awesome at the moment now the water levels are dropping. Last Friday we had a reserve record 706 black-tailed godwits and yeaterday evening there were 350 blackwit, 300 barwit, 200 knot, 12 spotshank, 8 ruff, 4 green sands, 3 LRP and 3 greenshank - and it is still only June!!
Finally got out ringing on Sunday after nearly a month and there was ton of birds. 90% were juvenile robin, dunnock and tits although a new juv great spot was nice. By the end of the morning we had rung 75 new birds and re-trapped 12. Also found out that a greenfinch that I caught in the garden in April was ringed at Holme NOA 3 years ago.
Moth numbers are on the increase. Cloudy and warm conditions last Tuesday produced 83 moths of 41 species. Beautiful hooktip was a new species for me.
The reserve has been looking awesome at the moment now the water levels are dropping. Last Friday we had a reserve record 706 black-tailed godwits and yeaterday evening there were 350 blackwit, 300 barwit, 200 knot, 12 spotshank, 8 ruff, 4 green sands, 3 LRP and 3 greenshank - and it is still only June!!
Finally got out ringing on Sunday after nearly a month and there was ton of birds. 90% were juvenile robin, dunnock and tits although a new juv great spot was nice. By the end of the morning we had rung 75 new birds and re-trapped 12. Also found out that a greenfinch that I caught in the garden in April was ringed at Holme NOA 3 years ago.
Moth numbers are on the increase. Cloudy and warm conditions last Tuesday produced 83 moths of 41 species. Beautiful hooktip was a new species for me.
Sunday, 19 June 2011
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Fantastic birds, amazing scenery, Colorado is highly recomended as a destination for anyone. Still got a touch of jetlag but getting back into the swing of things now.
Final total of 189 birds (with one still pending further investigation) which wasn't bad considering the flycatchers and sparrows were a nightmare to ID. Got loads of photos (ca800!) which need to be edited but I will attempt to put on the highlights in the coming days and weeks.
Top 5 birds
1. Broad-tailed hummingbird
2. Clark's nutcracker
3. Mountain bluebird
4. American avocet
5. Mountain plover
Were very jammy with a few difficult species especially the mountain plovers. The first day we found 3 outside the main area while looking for upland sandpiper and then the next day we had an adult with 2 chicks! - not bad considering there are less than 10,000 birds and only one of two places where they breed! Also got lucky with pine grosbeak, three-toed woodpecker (flushed from the side of the road), rosy-finches and white-tailed ptarmigan.
More to come soon
Final total of 189 birds (with one still pending further investigation) which wasn't bad considering the flycatchers and sparrows were a nightmare to ID. Got loads of photos (ca800!) which need to be edited but I will attempt to put on the highlights in the coming days and weeks.
Top 5 birds
1. Broad-tailed hummingbird
2. Clark's nutcracker
3. Mountain bluebird
4. American avocet
5. Mountain plover
Were very jammy with a few difficult species especially the mountain plovers. The first day we found 3 outside the main area while looking for upland sandpiper and then the next day we had an adult with 2 chicks! - not bad considering there are less than 10,000 birds and only one of two places where they breed! Also got lucky with pine grosbeak, three-toed woodpecker (flushed from the side of the road), rosy-finches and white-tailed ptarmigan.
More to come soon
Monday, 30 May 2011
I am sure that you are wondering why I have been quiet recently. Well that is beacuse I am writing this from Gunnison in central Colorado!! It is 7pm on Sunday afternoon and we have just finished birding.
Weather has been better that expected, high 70's for most of the time with clear blue skies although today was very windy. Seen some spectacular scenery already and we haven't got into the Rockies proper yet.
Birds have been good, 104 spp in 3 days. Highlights of chestnut sided warbler (in the hand!), mountain bluebird (fairly widespread), broad tailed hummingbirds, great horned owl. Missing waders and wildfowl on the list and struggling to ID large hawks and sparrows.
May update again if get the chance to get on the net
Weather has been better that expected, high 70's for most of the time with clear blue skies although today was very windy. Seen some spectacular scenery already and we haven't got into the Rockies proper yet.
Birds have been good, 104 spp in 3 days. Highlights of chestnut sided warbler (in the hand!), mountain bluebird (fairly widespread), broad tailed hummingbirds, great horned owl. Missing waders and wildfowl on the list and struggling to ID large hawks and sparrows.
May update again if get the chance to get on the net
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Another intersting May day.
Started off with an early lagoon count but most of the waders had gone including the yesterdays phalarope. Highlights were a male merlin flushed our of the eastern dunes and 17+ avocet chicks on the fresh marsh. At about 10am, a visitor came in to report 3 Temminck's stints - could they have been the birds that had been seen last on Thursday, or new ones in - who knows!
Just after midday, I popped into the visitor centre to see if there was anything in the sightings book. I looked over the shoulder of the birder who was writing in GULL-BILLED TERN over at fresh marsh at 11:45. I am sure that if I hadn't have been there he wouldn't have said anything. The 2nd one that I have missed in the last year.
A few bittern sightings prompted us to go out onto the reserve to see if there was any breeding activity. After an hour, a birder stopped and said that the gull-billed tern was still on the fresh marsh! Not knowing that it was there at all, I radioed the office and rushed down to find the bird sitting on one of the islands! A UK, Norfolk and Titchwell tick. As a rain storm approached, the bird got a bit more mobile but did give close flight views from the Island Hide. I spent the rest of the afternoon on the lagoons before heading off to the fields to feed. The Temminck's right in front of the Island Hide gave all an added bonus.
Is the brown tinge to the tertials a sign of immaturity? I can't find any reference to it in my books.
Started off with an early lagoon count but most of the waders had gone including the yesterdays phalarope. Highlights were a male merlin flushed our of the eastern dunes and 17+ avocet chicks on the fresh marsh. At about 10am, a visitor came in to report 3 Temminck's stints - could they have been the birds that had been seen last on Thursday, or new ones in - who knows!
Just after midday, I popped into the visitor centre to see if there was anything in the sightings book. I looked over the shoulder of the birder who was writing in GULL-BILLED TERN over at fresh marsh at 11:45. I am sure that if I hadn't have been there he wouldn't have said anything. The 2nd one that I have missed in the last year.
A few bittern sightings prompted us to go out onto the reserve to see if there was any breeding activity. After an hour, a birder stopped and said that the gull-billed tern was still on the fresh marsh! Not knowing that it was there at all, I radioed the office and rushed down to find the bird sitting on one of the islands! A UK, Norfolk and Titchwell tick. As a rain storm approached, the bird got a bit more mobile but did give close flight views from the Island Hide. I spent the rest of the afternoon on the lagoons before heading off to the fields to feed. The Temminck's right in front of the Island Hide gave all an added bonus.
Is the brown tinge to the tertials a sign of immaturity? I can't find any reference to it in my books.
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