Ringing Report for 2007

Having gradually been increasing my ringing activities over the past couple of years, I had hoped to at least maintain results in 2007. However, a number of factors combined to make this a very difficult year. Firstly a pair of Eurasian Kestrels bred in the box on the chimney of our house. In order to reduce disturbance I did not erect any nets at Ty Coed for the duration of the spring. This measure was some sacrifice, but we wanted to give the falcons the best chance of success. In the end, however, the eggs failed to hatch despite the hard work of both parents.

With the spring behind me, Catherine and I looked forward to the seabird breeding season – always a real highlight of our ringing year. 2007 turned out to be one of the worst seasons I have seen with European Shags virtually failing to breed at all. Instead of ringing 300+ pulli (as expected)…this year we ringed only five…and this was not due to lack of effort.

Combined with this, was a very difficult summer with prolonged periods of windy weather when it was just not possible to land on the gannetries. In view of this we were given a special dispensation to land later than normal…but even with this Catherine, Chris Mourant and I managed to land only on the very last possible day (16^th July). Only one rock could be visited (Les Etacs) and in order to minimise disturbance (as the young were large) we did not enter the main part of the colony. In normal years the total of 291 Northern Gannets ringed would be very disappointing. However, given the difficult circumstances of 2007, we were just pleased to have made it onto the rock and gained an assessment of the breeding season (which looked as successful as ever).

Auks generally did poorly with many usually occupied sites on L’Etac de Serk and the Humps deserted. Only four Common Guillemots were ringed. For a variety of reasons no seabird trip was made to Burhou so the Storm Petrel colony was not worked, and the gull chicks went unringed. A night spent camping on the cliffs at the south end of Sark (with Sophie and Merlin) did produce a single Storm Petrel for Sophie to ring.

With horses in both paddocks over the summer it was not possible to trap gulls in the garden. Despite this some trapping was done at La Petite Valette, St Saviour’s and pulli were ringed on Brecqhou, Sark and Jethou. In the end 71 Lesser Black-backed Gulls were ringed, along with 129 Herring Gulls and 21 Great Black-backed Gulls. The single Iceland Gull was a second year bird picked up exhausted in January and released at L’Eree by the Animal Shelter after a week or so.

With the nets back up at Ty Coed, and along the canal at the Vale Marais, hopes were high for a reasonable autumn, but it delivered very modest results. Two species were added to the garden ringing list with Common Kingfisher and Cetti’s Warbler, while record totals there were achieved only for Eurasian Reed Warbler (23), Willow Warbler (60), Firecrest (15) and European Goldfinch (11).

My personal “bird of the year” was caught in the autumn when I inadvertently flushed a female Eurasian Teal into the canal nets at the Vale Marais. This was a particularly beautiful and well-proportioned duck in the hand. Record totals were achieved for two species - Eurasian Wigeon (two) and Tufted Duck (two).

My efforts to trap Northern Wheatears in the spring at Jaonneusse Bay were reasonably successful, with attempts on ten days between 27^th March and 13^th May resulting in 59 birds ringed. Greater success than normal was achieved with my study of Common Moorhens with a total of 51 new birds being caught at the Vale Marais, Vale Pond, King’s Mills and La Grande Mare.

Foreign Recoveries

Northern Gannet