This is the belated scanned image of one of the two Firecrests we ringed on the 8th Novemebr. Both were first year males.
For notes on ageing and sexing Firecrests (same principles apply to Goldcrest by the way) please click on this link. How to age & sex Firecrest
First session for a while. Bad weather has caused several postponements, but this afternoon the Charnwood roost producesd the following :-
16 Chaff inch
7 Treecreeper (all at once in one net at dusk) mixture of 4 new and 3 retraps.
10 Long Tailed Tits
2 Goldc rest
3 Blackbird (all retraps)
1 Robin
1 Nuthatch (retrap)
4 Blue Tit
2 Great Tit
Final session for 2003 resulted in a group total for the year of just over 1,500 birds ringed (click here for 2003 annual totals). Todays birds included 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and the unusual experience of ringing both Tree and House Sparrows on the same day.
From time to time ringers really get to grips with a particular species or species group and then share their findings in the ringing community. We have recently received an excellent paper on one of the most complex groups we handle here in Leicestershire, the so-called 'alba' wagtails. I say complex because not only does this group have some incredibly complex moult patterns but also because two 'versions' occur in the UK, the nominate race Motacilla alba (aka white wagtail) which we tend to think of as uncommon and the British sub species (M.a.yarrelli) aka Pied Wagtail, which we view as common. The nominate race is reported in Leics almost exclusively in the spring when a few individuals (usually males in striking pre-breeding plumage) are identified by visual observation. Recent roost ringing studies from Scotland have revealed that on passage in September up to 75% of the total catch can be white's!! and that some are likely to over winter. With this in mind and armed with new ID criteria/biometric data we caught 'Pied Wagtails' this lunchtime at Wigston SF and found that one was almost certainly a white wagtail (a first year female, ID'd in the hand on plumage and with good biometric evidence). Two others were also likely whites (a first year male and another female). Why though are they not 'seen' in winter even when it now seems likely that some birds are present throughout? I think the most likely answer with males is abbrasion (or rather lack of it). Two familiar examples of this may help. Male Linnets and Reed Buntings are really dull in the winter (take a look either in the field or in a book and you'll see what I mean). What transforms them in to the spanking birds we see in spring is a process called abbrasion. The red in Linnet and black in Reed Bunting is actually there all the time through the winter but only shows through when the dull sandy/buff tips literally wear away to reveal the more vivid colours further down the feather, the same is true with White Wagtail. By the time a smart male is seen at a local reservoir in April, abbrasion has done its job revealing a stunning bird both to us but more importantly a prospective mate. There is a lot more work to be done to establish how common wintering birds are but other ringers are already reporting birds present in catches this winter including a worker in Devon who has lots of experience ringing 'white's' is still catching them amongst pieds right now.
In view of the above it was interesting to receive this today from one of the bird information web sites:- 29/01/04 White Wagtail Devon Exeter
five trapped and ringed yesterday at Exeter Services, out of a total of 18 Wagtails caught.
Charnwood roost was typical for early spring with no Redwing but a predominance of Chaffinch and Blackbirds, including several 'site faithful' individuals. 3 Woodcock were seen, 12 Golden Plover and a few Siskin flew over, which brightened up the proceedings a little.
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