Somethings bubbling up!

This year I have been awarded a contract with the Stiperstones and Corndon Hill Landscape Partnership Scheme to monitor breeding Curlews in a small area of the Shropshire Powys Border. We are going to be doing some nest monitoring, chick survival analysis (using radio-tagged chicks) and landowner liaison to try to secure Curlew friendly habitat management. It is an exciting new project to be involved with and will hopefully help to stem the steady decline of Curlews in this part of the world. Running alongside this project we have initiated a colour-marking project to look at adult survival rates. We may try ringing a few birds on their breeding sites but a good way to get started is to mist-net birds at pre-breeding communal roost sites. One such site, close to the study area, is the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust's Reserve at Dolydd Hafren. Staff at MWT have very kindly agreed to allow a limited number of netting sessions to take place during the spring in an attempt to colour-ring some of the 150+ Curlews present. The birds roost on shingle islands in the middle of the River Severn and have several to choose from so netting was not as straightforward as I had hoped. Previously I have netted Curlews at roost on small muddy pools where their flight lines and behaviour has been far more predictable. On the first session we caught a single Redwing. On the second session things improved somewhat and we caught 2 Curlews, an Oystercatcher, a Goosander and a Fieldfare.

Curlew Yellow AA, the first bird marked under our new colour-marking project, being ably displayed by yours truly and the Fenix chin-torch - a must for all ringers!

All Curlews caught under this project will receive a Yellow, 2 letter Darvic on the left tibia

 and a plain Orange ring on the right tibia with a BTO on the right tarsus.

A nice added extra was this female Goosander, one of about 40 present

By the third visit, last night, I think I had finally sussed what to do and myself and Paul Roughley had a very reasonable catch of 9 Curlews, 2 Green Sandpipers and a Fieldfare. 

A record shot of one of the two Green Sandpipers ringed last night

I'm hoping there might be an opportunity to get one more catching attempt in before they all disperse to their breeding grounds but that seems to be happening already so we might have to wait until after the breeding season now.

Please keep your eyes open for colour-ringed Curlews - all records gratefully  received 

Many thanks to Liz Lewis-Reddy and the rest of the staff at Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust for granting permission and to Paul Roughley for invaluable assistance in setting nets. Thanks too to Chris Townsend, Fiona, Fiona's husband and everyone else who came along  to help.