From 2016 when our group got the first thermal imager (loaned to us by the West Midland Bird Club) which has started a growing trend of using these machines in ringing, birding and general wildlife study, we have been looking for another major project to carry on similar pioneering work.
So it was that a few weeks ago we became the first group to attach GPS''ultra'' tags onto Jack Snipe at our study sites. Unfortunately tags which are small enough for deployment on Jack Snipe, don't yet have the technology to send a continuous signal to a satellite to enable us to follow the birds as they move around and migrate. However they do collect GPS data from satellites and so they are very accurate; the main issue being that we need to re-catch the birds in order to take off the tags and and download the data.
We are still working on this, and sorting out some red tape around data storage--but as soon as I can I will publish this really innovative work; and give a flavour of what we have found. Below is a picture of one tag which gives an idea of how small ( 1.2 gm) they are--how on earth do they get all that technology into a tag that size?? It's even got a solar panel to charge it's battery!!
In another unexpected turn, Gareth finally got details of a Sedge Warbler he caught in the summer at his new ex quarry site. Here is a photo of the recovery form we get via the BTO....
It's probably difficult for you to read but in essence the bird was ringed on 8th August 2024 at a site on the estuary of the river Seine in France. Astonishingly the bird then flew NORTH for 386 km to be recaptured by Gareth on 20th August 2024! Quite why it flew the 'wrong' way is anyone's guess but it's just one of the mysteries of migration which so fascinates us. We hope it managed to re-orientate and find it's way to Africa--but we'll probably never know; unless it's caught again......
Group members have been working hard again and we have managed some good catches this month--especially of finches as their natural food runs out and feeding stations become more important to them. I hope to provide more information next time on this, but for now I want to show a couple of pictures of Siskins, which are starting to visit feeders around here ( as well as at Pat's Siskin City in mid-Wales!!). These pics show the difference between males ( top) and females....
We are noticing a big imbalance between lots of adult birds compared to very few juveniles This often means they have had a poor breeding season--we will need to see the wider data from around the country before we can be definitive about this. More news as I get it.
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