Greylags AFA and AFC

A new breeding “colony” of greylags appeared in Glen Gairn in the early 2000s. In an effort to determine where these birds may have originated from and where they winter, an effort was made in summer 2008 to catch and neck collar some of the goslings. To cut a long story short, when we approached the family crèche of about 40 birds in mid July, they nearly all used that basic fundamental skill and ability known to most birds as flight and merrily took off and flew around and away. There were however 2 stragglers which we managed to catch and collar. On release one made a u-turn and white water rafted away down the river. Both have since been resighted back at the breeding area in 2009 and in the last few weeks by several observers still together at Tarland, c15km away from their breeding grounds.
Photos by Harry Scott

We chose the collar AFA because it is a local Aiberdeen Doric dialect word meaning awful or very while AFC is a local abbreviation standing for an “Afa Fitba Club” (better known as Aberdeen FC). As Skitts says if we could use the collar ARE we could have AFC ARE AFA…..but the letters R and E aren’t used on collars….shame.

CNJ

Whilst oot and aboot, Walter again proved himself as a star spotter for colour marked birds! With a sighting of a collared Greylag Goose near Kintore.
CNJ was feeding near the road in a flock of about 300. Speedy information from Bob showed that it was originally ringed and collared at Loch Eye in 2005. It has been seen in Grampian a couple of times as well as on the Icelandic breeding grounds last May.

Bunting Bonanza

There roughly 150 corn buntings in the flock of about 800 birds at Old Rattray. The majority were reed buntings of which we caught 134. One corn bunt caught out of 150 highlights how difficult they are to catch compared to reed bunts. We got close a few times but they always just missed the net, rising from the crop higher than the reed bunts and heading for the tops of the nearby trees, rather than diving into lower cover (and nets).
The crop is a specially targeted mix for buntings, including three grain types and some brassica. Earlier in the winter there were 1200 birds using the crop, comprising of mainly buntings, with 400 yellowhammers and 600 reed buntings but only 20 corn bunts. During the second cold snap with snow, there seems to have been a distinct departure of yellowhammers from many of these crops....not sure where to?

There was inevitably a few raptors around the flock during the ringing session, including two merlins, sparrowhawk, kestrel, buzzard and hen harrier. The next day, most of the corn bunts had shifted to the cover crops at Starnafin at the Loch of Strathbeg RSPB reserve. The crops here are very similar to the Rattray one and include some of the same seed mix. They hung around for a few days and I managed to see our green and white ringed female near the visitors centre, but more supinely staff reported red over red, which was the first corn bunt we ever ringed as an adult in 2004 about 20km away!
Thanks to Chris Jones for his pictures from the day.
Hywel

Waxwings at last

Its been a long winter waiting for any sign of a waxwing invasion, but at last a few have arrived. Chris, Walter and Ann caught three birds today in Kintore so keep an eye out for these now colour-ringed birds if move through the country.

White/Red/Yellow
White/Red/Orange
White/Red/Blue

Walter's Waxwing

Raymond Duncan has suggested that I put this info on the blog as he feels that it will be of interested.

Last year my Ann and I were lucky to have the pleasure of appox 22 Waxwings in our garden for about 16 weeks. On Raymond's advice we "spiked" apples on various trees in our garden and every day without fail they turned up and ate us out of apples. I'm scared to think what we spent on apples for all those weeks - but it was certainly worth every penny.

We assisted Chris Jones and Derek Robertson to trap and ring 32 Waxwings in and around our garden. And then sadly they all left. This year as you will know has been a very poor year for Waxies. We have had one in the garden for about 2 week until yesterday when we had 4. But the really good news is that one was ringed and it was a last years coloured ringed bird.


Raymond thinks that this is only the 3rd record in the UK of a ringed Waxwing returning. I wonder what are the chances of a ringed Waxwing returning to the same garden almost 12 months to the day. Ann's records show that it was ringed on the 18 Feb 2009 and it turned up on the 22nd.

I hope this is of interest to you as it certainly makes ringing all the more worth while.

Walter

Jocky the Cormo FCX

News of darviced cormorant FCX (now christened Jocky by observer/photographer David Gray) back at Watermeads Country Park, Leicestershire for its 3rd winter.



Photos at home on the nest (Chris Jones) and away (David Gray) shown.

Raymond

Latest recoveries

The always long-awaited pack of recoveries arrived last week on Raymond's doormat. Among the usual Shag and Cormorant darvic sightings there was the information back on a few birds we had been waiting for.

Oystercatchers
This included information back on another of the three controls we caught last March near Aboyne in the big oystercatcher catches. One was a bird ringed in 2001 at Llanelli Docks as an adult. Another bird from this catch was found dying locally in summer 2009 by a member of the public.



Starling
Finally a report back on a Westhill control Starling caught in March 2009 which was a bit of an abmigrant having been ringed in Wick in January 2008.


Tawny Owl
Another interesting one is a tawny owl chick that was ringed by John Massie in June 2008 that was found dead on the road in Buckie, 54km away in July 09. Quite a distance for a tawny owl!

Swallow
Star bird goes to an adult male swallow ringed at flick-netting on the banks of the Dee in 2004, recovered in Dundee, dead last November. Not much you might think but its Wasbank, Dundee, Kwazulu Natal, SOUTH AFRICA! Thats 10,000km eachway, each year since it was first ringed making 100,000km clocked up in the last five years - WOW!