Meisen Wood: Incessant Chatter

Date: 25-2-2018

Nets: 45m

Sound: None

Weather: -2 rising to 2 but increasing wind at session’s end

Ringers:  CS and EB

Species	Ringed	Re-trapped	Control	Total
Blackbird	5	1		6
Blue Tit	3	5		8
Brambling	19	2		21
Coal Tit		1		1
Great Tit	2	3		5
Greenfinch	2			2
Nuthatch	1	1		2
Robin		1		1
Siskin	76	32	1	109
Totals	108	46	1	155

It’s been noisy in the woods this week.  During daylight hours the multitudes of Siskins have been chattering incessantly and it was to this pleasant incidental music that we erected the mist-nets this morning.  Indeed at times we have become so habituated to their merry twittering that it is only been when they are suddenly silent that we are re-alerted to their constant presence.  The Siskins sudden silences have usually indicated the presence of a hunting Sparrowhawk or Buzzard.  During the day we witnessed a Buzzard after some Siskins crash dive into a false-cypress bush; its clumsy effort failed, on this occasion.

Unsurprisingly, with so many Siskins in the wood, they comprised most of today’s captures.  The seventy-six new Siskins have, combined with the 200 plus CS caught during the week, taken this year’s tally, so far, to 442.  We are targeting the Siskins as such numbers provide an opportunity to gather good species specific data, such as: the population’s age structure; sex ratios; and make a contribution to the knowledge about this species migratory origins and destinations. 

In 2016 we captured many Siskins and controlled several with some of those that we ringed being controlled too.  Then, early in “the season” we controlled birds that had been ringed (in the same winter period) to the west and south of Meisen Wood.  In that Spring and early Summer several of “our birds” were controlled in north Germany.  This pattern was consistent with the normal migratory movement of Siskins through north-west Germany.  Useful?  Certainly!  An aim of bird ringing is to monitor avian populations and migration.  Many migratory movements have consistent patterns so any deviations can be indicative of environmental problems somewhere thus in these times of climate change such consistent monitoring is very useful.

With each bird being fitted with a unique ring and ringer’s knowing their ring sequences controlled birds are usually obvious.  Thus when EB asked, “Is the ring sequence starting 90553 is not one of ours, is it?”  We knew we had a control?  This was our second control Siskin this month, both from the Heligoland ringing scheme – we look forward to hearing when and where these individuals were ringed.

Unprecedented, for us, is the number of Brambling that we are seeing and catching in the wood.  Nineteen new Brambling ringed today is greater than the combined total for the last three years; and brings our total so far this year to 114.  Bramblings are a handsome bird: their orange epaulettes, breasts and wing-bars are most striking.  Now the males are developing a dark blue-black head colouring which through contrast with their oranges and browns enhances their colourful appearance.  After their summer moult the males’ head feathers are a greyish fringed a buffish colour with dark centres (that are not normally visible). Now these buffish fringes are wearing off revealing those dark centres. Through the next couple of months this abrasion continues, so when the birds arrive back on their Fenno-Scandinavian breeding grounds they will have attained the full glory of their breeding plumage.

As we took the nets down, in a slight but increasingly chilly breeze that was carrying a few snowflakes a Raven flew over kronking loudly.  We had the pleasure of watching the Raven fold its wings against its body and then perform a couple of torpedo style twists; then kronking loudly before repeating the performance several times.  Potentially this was part of a display flight.  Unfortunately the performance elicited no response.  This was disappointing because a pair of Ravens have traditionally nested in the vicinity.  The displaying Raven’s kronks, though not unpleasant were a distinct contrast to the chattering Siskin hordes.  
Chris