2010

DT2 ringing 2010


The end of my first whole year as a C ringer and 1261 birds of 41 species were caught and processed in 2010. That’s 2452 birds of 43 species in the last 20 months with my own rings. My thanks go to Steve Hales my trainer for his continued support and help. Ringing continues at Kingston Maurward College, in Martinstown and a few other places around and about including Eype.

On the College estate we continued to ring pulli. Altogether 241 pulli were rung of 14 species – my thanks to Steve Jeffery and the good work he carries out with student groups particularly the NDCM. Other members of staff with eagle eyes include Rob Murgatroyd and all the gardening team. We continue to ring pied wagtail pulli as part of the colour ringing project that Steve Hales is involved in. Some of the KMC birds roosted in Weymouth last winter. Less farmland birds were rung as I struggle to find a reliable site but the starlings that invaded the dairy gave some interesting sexing and ageing challenges in November and December.

Ringing in the garden and the allotment again showed that there is steady trickle of migrants through Martinstown – it appears you can start and finish August by the presence or not of Garden Warblers.

My thanks to Terry and Radipole Ringing Group and Mike and the Axe Valley Ringing Group for letting ring with them as and when I am available - which has not been enough this year!

Among the highlights in of bird ringing fin 2010 has to be catching a swallow in the top shelf of the allotment mist net that had previously been rung as a pulli at College the previous year, extracting a buzzard from a mist net and finding 2 little owlets when I thought it was going to be stock doves.

Happy new year!


                                         Total 2010    Total 2009    Running total

Sparrowhawk                             1                0                        1
Buzzard                                      1                0                        1
Kestrel                                       5                 0                       5
Stock dove                                4                7                       11
Woodpigeon                              2                4                         6
Collard dove                              4                 1                        5
Barn owl                                    4                 2                        6
Little owl                                    2                 0                       2
Kingfisher                                   4                2                        6
Swallow                                   70               62                    132
Meadow pipit                             1                0                         1
Pied wagtail                              27              28                       55
Wren                                        41              33                       74
Dunnock                                   41              57                       98
Robin                                        51             36                        87
Redstart                                      1               0                          1
Blackbird                                  61             92                      153
Song thrush                                 9               4                        13
Redwing                                     2               0                          2
Grasshopper warbler                  1                2                         3
Sedge warbler                            1                6                         7
Reed warbler                              3                1                         4
Lesser whitethroat                       1                0                         1
Whitethroat                               10              13                       23
Garden warbler                         13              10                       23
Blackcap                                 135            103                     238
Chiffchaff                                   60            103                     163
Willow warbler                          39              49                       88
Goldcrest                                    9              10                        19
Spotted flycatcher                       0                2                          2
Long tailed tit                             21             40                        61
Coal tit                                        5               2                          7
Blue tit                                    156            162                      318
Great tit                                    99            120                      219
Rook                                          2                2                          4
Starling                                     80                4                        84
House sparrow                         55              82                       137
Chaffinch                                  81              41                       122
Greenfinch                                49              45                         94
Goldfinch                                  86             66                        152
Linnet                                         0               1                            1
Bullfinch                                      5               8                          13
Yellowhammer                            8               2                          10