Welcome to my blog all about my birdwatching, wild bird ringing activities and moth recording at Linacre Reservoirs, Derbyshire; in Great Britain and abroad.
Jayne and I had a walk around Clumber Park yesterday, Whilst there we spotted a Mute Swan wearing a darvic ring Y204 and a metal ring W48404.
I sent details off to the BTO, and today received information that it had been ringed just over a year ago, on 19th August 2019, as a juvenile bird (age 3), by Sorby Breck Ringing Group (the group I ring with). It had been ringed 50km away at Pontefract Park, West Yorkshire.
Normally when I go to Rufford CP, it's to catch up with the Black-headed Gulls that over winter there. Yesterday's trip there was for exactly that reason , but I must admit my head was turned a little when I spotted two ringed Egyptian Geese! Not only was this my first record of this species here, but they were also very confiding allowing me to get their metal ring numbers: 1312215 and 1312233. 15 was first seen on 1st January 2004, making it at least 16 years old! 33 was ringed, as a juvenile bird (age 3), in December 2011, making it 9 years old.
Whilst there, I also manged to spot two metal-ringed Canada Geese (5215963, 5230424). 23 had been ringed in September 2006 as an adult, so is 14+ years old, whilst 24 had been ringed, as a 3, in August 2013, making it 7 years old.
I also spotted 2 Greylag Geese wearing metal rings: 5230419 and 5230471. 19 was an 8 year old bird, having been ringed in June 2012, as a 3. 71 was ringed in December 2014, as an adult, so is 6+ years old.
The last species wearing a metal ring was a single Mute Swan. This bird had the ring number W17370, and had been ringed 7th September 2014, as a 3, so was 6 years old.
All of the above birds were ringed by Birklands Ringing Group, either at Pittance Park (part of the Center Parcs complex) or at Rufford itself.
After all the excitement with the geese and swans, I eventually looked at the gulls (!) and spotted 7 darvic-ringed birds: 217A, 240A, 243A, 258A, P519, EUM3 and V77K. These are all well known birds (click on labels for full details), but 243A was the "best" as yesterday's sighting was only the third since being ringed at Center Parcs, 2km away, on 11th December 2019, and the first of the winter.
Yesterday's visit to Rufford Country Park resulted in 5 darvic-ringed Black-headed Gulls (in amongst approximately 2-300 gulls), made up of four birds I've had before and one new bird, along with 2 metal-ringed birds, 1 I've seen before and a new, Swedish-ringed bird.
The darvic-ringed birds were 206A, 217A, V77K, EUM3 and the new bird 210A. 206A and 217A are well known birds, as is EUM3 (see labels for details). V77K is also a familiar bird, originally ringed in Denmark in 2015 (as a pullus) and first seen by me in February 2019. Yesterday's sighting was my first of the winter. Hopefully, it'll hang around again until the new year.
The new darvic-ringed bird was 210A, a bird originally ringed at Center Parcs (2km away), on 2nd January 2019. My sighting was the first since ringing.
This month's WeBS walk was my first visit to Linacre in November. As is usual at this tine of the year, there were good numbers of waterfowl present, along with a singing Wren, Blackbirds, Jay, Crows, Woodpigeons, Goldcrest, Long-tailed, Blue, Coal and Great Tit, 2 Magpies, 1 Sparrowhawk and a fly over Raven.
Waterfowl counts were: 115 Mallard, 80 Mandarin Duck, 48 Tufted Duck, 1 Little Grebe, 1 Cormorant, 29 Black-headed Gulls, 2 "redhead" Goosander, 11 Moorhens, 4 Coots, 1 Kingfisher and 1 Grey Wagtail.
Despite the rain and strong winds, I popped across to Rufford on Saturday, and I'm very glad I did! Not only did I spot 8 darvic ringed gulls (my highest ever in one session), but, more importantly, I managed to read the metal ring of the new gull, JO116, and confirm that it is a Norwegian-ringed bird. It's a first winter bird, so will have been ringed as a pullus this summer. Exact details will be added as and when I get them back.
