Another visit to Durlston Country Park for ringing. we had quite a crowd of us this morning and we were able to put six nets up and ring from 0600 to 0930. A total of 82 birds were ringing including six Tree Pipits and four Linnets.
- Tree Pipit, unlike the other breeding pipits in the UK, this species is a summer visitor, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa
The fine streaking on the flanks, face pattern, slightly thicker bill, pinker legs and vocalisations separate Tree Pipit from the similar Meadow Pipit. In the hand the length of the hind claw is diagnostic.
Adult male Linnet
Adult Linnets have a complete moult in summer. Note the fresh moulted secondaries and inner primaries, the very worn one year old outer primaries that have still to be moulted and the primary feather that is still 'in pin'.
A break from the bush cutting.
At 1000 the ringers joined some of the Durston volunteer force to clear some new net rides in an area of scrub. To my surprise one of the volunteers was Pip Bowell, the former head of the Virology depeartment at the West Dorset Hospital in Dorchester.
Although we enjoy examing the birds in the hand, the purpose of ringing is two fold: a) to collect date about longevity, cause of death and population dynamics and b) to establish where and when the birds move to.
Recent recoveries of our ringed birds have included:
Sedge Warbler from Lytchett Bay to Belgium. Caught 10 days after ringing 400km.
Reed Bunting from Lytchett Bay to Abbotsbury. Re- caught in April following ringing last autumn. My first recollection of one of our Reed Buntings going anywhere.
Starling – Juv caught last summer killed by a cat in Upton within 200m this summer.
Sedge Warbler ringed by us in 2005 at Lytchett Bay re-caught in Brittany in 2009 on autumn migration. Another Sedge ringed by us at Lytchett in Aug 2009 was caught at the same spot in Brittany 9 days later.
Goldfinch ringed in Upton in 2009, killed by cat within 200m in summer 2011
Goldfinch ringed in Cheshire in Feb 2010 controlled in Upton in Nov 2010
And a Great Spotted Woodpecker ringed in my Upton garden retrapped in Shaun’s garden also in Upton.
Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker ringed in my garden in August 2010, retrapped recently near Lytchett Bay.
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