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Gloucestershire Naturalists' Society |
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Gloucestershire Naturalists' Society |
The constant effort ringing scheme, administered by the BTO, monitors bird populations by capturing and marking birds each year. The results from approximately 112 sites around Britain are analysed to determine trends in populations of passerines, and contribute to the data used by the BTO to comment on the health of the nation’s bird populations. The nets to capture the birds are erected in the same places each year for the same period of time and in the same 12 time slots if possible. At Ashleworth a total of 270 feet of net is used on each visit, made up of seven nets. The nets are at right angles through a mature hedge and old boundary marked with bushes. The fields divided by the hedge are managed as part of the nature reserve, and are damp meadows. The net sites were chosen following observations of maximum bird activity.
Ringing commenced in 1996 with a couple of preliminary visits to identify appropriate sites. CES was started in 1997, and immediately suspended due to suspected breeding of Little Ringed Plover and Garganey near one of the nets. Ringing continued later that year when breeding was not confirmed, and in order to avoid similar problems in future the sites for nets were re-arranged. The positioning of the nets finally arrived at is as it is now.
Since ringing commenced approximately three thousand birds have been ringed, with over three and a half thousand being handled. Of these just over two and a half thousand have contributed data to the CES scheme. The difference being due to variable numbers of additional visits and preliminary visits. The six years of CES has produced a mean average of 420 birds handled each year and a mean average visit total of 42 birds handled. However this has ranged from 25 to 121.
44 species of birds have been ringed at the site: Kestrel, Wood Pigeon, Kingfisher, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Swallow, Yellow Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Redstart, Whinchat, Stonechat, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, Cetti’s Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler, Aquatic Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Chiff Chaff, Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Long Tailed Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Tree Creeper, Starling, Crow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Bullfinch, Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer.
Of these 35 have been in the CES data and Kestrel, Wood pigeon, Stonechat, Fieldfare, Redwing, Aquatic warbler, Cetti’s warbler, Crow and Yellowhammer occurring on other visits. Thirty three species were handled in 2003.
During 2004 I will keep a log of our visits to Ashleworth, hopefully so that some of the enjoyment we get from this sort of birding, can be shared with other members of the GNS and others who visit the web site. We are very conscious of the privilege we enjoy both in being able to handle wild birds to study them at close quarters, and to work in one of the most interesting bird sites in Gloucestershire. If anyone who reads this is interested in bird ringing and would like to find out more about our activities, please feel free to contact me.
An introduction to the Ashleworth ringing programme can be found here.
The first of Mervyn's reports covering the first visit on 18th April 2004 can be found here.
The report covering the visit on 2nd May 2004 can be found here.
The report covering the visit on 9th May 2004 can be found here.
The report covering the visit on 23rd May 2004 can be found here.
The report covering the visit on 4th June 2004 can be found here.
The report covering the visit on 13th June 2004 can be found here.
The report covering the visit on 26th June 2004 can be found here.
The report covering the visits during July 2004 can be found here.
The report covering the visits on 5th August 2004 can be found here.
The report covering the visits on 15th August 2004 can be found here.
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