Germany Calling - news from ex-Tring RG member in Germany

Meisen Wood

Meisen Wood is our ringing site in Germany about 40km from Osnabrück.  Meisen is German for titmice and this reflects the main species of birds that we catch.  The site is c4 acres of woodland on the southern slopes of the Teutonberger Hills and is quite steep in places.  The woodland is predominantly mixed conifers with some birch and an understory of rowan, holly, elderberry and rhododendron; there is a small meadow area too.

We aim to ring, minimally, once a week using 120m of nets.  The net placings are, essentially, constant thus allowing year on year comparisons.  During the Spring and Autumn migration periods the number of ringing sessions per week are increased.  The first ever ringing session was on February 15, 2015.

Within our woodland and in the immediate vicinity we have placed and monitor 65 nest boxes aimed at attracting: Great Tit, Blue Tit, Crested Tit, Nuthatch and Pied Flycatcher – we do ring the pulli.

Elsewhere in the county we ring once a month in an old orchard; monitor 30 more nest boxes placed to attract House Sparrows and Starlings; monitor 26 Tawny Owl boxes; and ring swallow pulli at a couple of horse stables.

Meisen Wood – October 1st: Short Crests

120m nets. Sound: Robin, Goldcrest and Chiffchaff.

Weather: initially damp and misty, slowly clearing to an intermittently sunny morning.

Ringers: CS and EB.

Species	New	Re - trap
Blue Tit	1	-
Chiffchaff	3	-
Firecrest	3	-
Goldcrest	4	-
Great Tit	3	1
Long-tailed Tit	3	4
Robin	-	1
Short-toed Treecreeper	1	1
Wren	-	1
Total	18	8

Final numbers are, again, slightly below average.  The continuing low numbers of Great Tits and Blue Tits is of some concern (a situation expressed by several other local ringers too); why are the numbers down?  We know that many early broods of both species failed (for the second consecutive year) but many of these re-nested and several Great Tit pairs successfully raised two broods.  Additionally, here in Germany, both species are partial migrants (one of today’s Great Tits had a fat score of 4) so the apparent decline in numbers could be a consequence of events elsewhere.

Nonetheless a nice selection of birds caught.

Firecrest

Particularly pleasing were the Firecrests and Goldcrests.  In late September, early October we get a small flush of Firecrests (38 so far) and these seem to be the vanguard to a major Goldcrest movement.  Typically these early Firecrests and Goldcrests are adults, as they were today.  The two Short-toed Treecreepers were welcome additions to the day’s tally.  We catch both Treecreeper species at this site and identification always stimulates discussion (they are the most dog-eared pages in our Svensson). 

Short-toed Treecreeper

Two re-traps were of interest.  One of the Long-tailed Tits was originally ringed, as a 2, in early September 2015; then re-captured twice in January of this year, so is a fairly old bird for this species.

This was the 16^th time we have re-trapped Robin – 90460016, the first time this autumn.

It was the first Robin we ringed at this site in February 2015, when it was aged 6, thus making it at least 4 years old – not a particularly remarkable age for a Robin.  But it has only ever been caught in one of two nets each year between late September and late March; so welcome back “old friend”; but where do you Summer and breed?