Bird Observatories Council 2017 Report

The 2017 Bird Observatories Council Report is now available and makes for a great read!  Along with the usual partners across the UK, Ireland and the Isle of Man, there is a new addition to the line up on the Channel Islands at Alderney Bird Observatory who had a spectacular first year.


You can check it out on the following link - https://goo.gl/2Kqdju

2016 Ringing Totals

As promised, I have put together the groups ringing totals for 2016 and copied them below.  We caught a total of 57 species which is up four species on last year.  We ringed 582 fewer full grown birds but did up the pulli total by 80.  These lower totals are in part down to a poor breeding season but also the reduced effort in garden ringing, for example, there were 106 fewer Great Tits and 228 less Goldfinches ringed this year.  This reduction in garden ringing decreased the totals greatly but the greater focus on Sand Martins and Waders boosted the numbers to reduce the difference. 


We hope to expand our wader ringing activities this year so you may see a wider variety of species caught.  We are also due a passerine scarcity/rarity, so I look forward to plucking a few of those out of the nets! 


Best viewed on a computer/laptop as mobile devices skew the formatting. 
                                                                                                    

                                                                                      Full grown               Pulli     Retraps/Recoveries               Total

             Storm Petrel                                                                66                       0                       5                    71

             Sparrowhawk                                                               2                                                1                      3

             Curlew Sandpiper                                                        1                                                                        1

             Dunlin                                                                           23                                                                      23

             Ruff                                                                                2                                                                        2

             Snipe                                                                              1                                                                        1

            Black-tailed Godwit                                                      3                                                                        3

            Bar-tailed Godwit                                                          2                                                                       2

            Curlew                                                                            1                                                                       1

            Redshank                                                                       26                                                                     26  

            Black-headed Gull                                                         2                    43                       2                     47

            Common Gull                                                                 0                     4                       0                       4

            Sandwich Tern                                                                                     357                                           357

            Common Tern                                                                                       32                                             32

            Woodpigeon                                                                    1                                                                       1

            Kingfisher                                                                       1                                                                       1

             Skylark                                                                           4                       0                       0                     4

             Sand Martin                                                                197                      0                      66                  263

             Swallow                                                                         89                     17                       0                  106

             House Martin                                                                3                        0                       0                     3

             Meadow Pipit                                                               72                       5                       1                    78

             Rock Pipit                                                                      3                                                                        3

             Grey Wagtail                                                                 0                       6                       0                       6

             Pied/White Wagtail                                                       2                       0                       0                       2

             Dipper                                                                             4                       0                       1                       5

             Wren                                                                              51                       0                     18                     69

             Dunnock                                                                        39                       0                     32                     71

             Robin                                                                             74                       0                     44                  118

          Stonechat                                                     16                 4                 1                21

            Wheatear                                                                         1                                                                         1

          Blackbird                                                    72                 4                20                96

          Fieldfare                                                       3                 0                 0                 3

          Song Thrush                                                29                 0                 5                34

          Redwing                                                       9                 0                 0                 9

             Grasshopper Warbler                                                  2                                                                         2

          Sedge Warbler                                             24                 0                 5                29

             Whitethroat                                                                  3                                                                         3

          Blackcap                                                     29                 0                 1                30

          Chiffchaff                                                     5                 0                 0                 5

          Willow Warbler                                           61                 0                14                75

          Goldcrest                                                    34                 0                10                44

          Long-tailed Tit                                             17                 0                 6                23

          Coal Tit                                                      80                 0                56              136

          Blue Tit                                                     146               67                68              281

          Great Tit                                                     78               69                68              215

          Treecreeper                                                   3                 0                 1                 4

          Jackdaw                                                        0               13                 0                13

          Starling                                                        4                 5                 0                 9

          House Sparrow                                             43                 3                 1                47

          Chaffinch                                                  178                 3                33              214

          Greenfinch                                                  21                 0                 0                21

          Goldfinch                                                  122                 0                16              138

          Siskin                                                        17                 0                 0                17

          Linnet                                                        45                 0                 3                48

          Lesser Redpoll                                             33                 0                 8                41

          Bullfinch                                                    34                 0                11                45

          Reed Bunting                                               15                 0                 1                16

                                                Total:                1793              632              505            2930