1st October
Forty Suffolk ewes arrived to eat the grass off the Top Gazing which has grown substantially since being cut for hay. The Suffolk Sheep Society’s website says that the ‘Suffolk is the flag-ship domestic breed in the British Isles and is recognised as the leading terminal sire on a variety of commercial ewes to produce top quality prime lamb. The breed has been in existence since the late 1700s.’
Digesting in the sun
2nd October
Twenty ewes arrived on the Wildflower Meadow. Synchronously Word Perfect today refers to ‘aftermath’, now used metaphorically, however originally meaning ‘an ‘after-mowing’: a second crop or new growth of grass after the first had been harvested.’ So all sixty sheep are dealing with the aftermath.
John has finished the plumbing for the necessarium.
6th October
‘ “Most people look at a forest and say, ‘Here are trees and there is dirt.’ They see nothing of interest unless someone takes them by the hand. I am astonished at how little most people can manage to see.” ‘ (from Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver)
John manages to see plenty, including the first Fieldfare of the year. They arrive in flocks with Redwings. Clare was delighted that Liddells is on a par with Ambridge - Jim Lloyd heard the first Redwing on this same day.
Marsh Tit
Female Chaffinch
This male Chaffinch has been ringed
According to Word Perfect, the Japanese have the expression kasa koso for the rustling sound of dry leaves.
7th October
The ewes did a great job on the Wildflower Meadow and have been moved to join the Suffolks on the Top Grazing.
9th October
John and Clare noticed a Goldfinch near the hide that seemed to be struggling although it was feeding and able to fly.
John and Clare were amused by the trail camera footage below.
10th October
While John added stronger stakes to some of the larches in the verge, Clare visited the hide and found that the Goldfinch had died there. Clare noticed that it was ringed so John sent the details to EURING. A reply came through very quickly:
Dear John Halliday
Thank you for taking the time to report to us details of a bird ring you found. Information about this bird and its movements is given below.
Ringing Scheme: London Ring Number: AJK9171 Species of bird: Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
This bird was ringed by S C Enderby as age definitely hatched during current year, sex unknown on 21-Nov-2019 time unknown at near Acomb, Northumberland, UK
OS Map reference NY9365 accuracy 0, - co-ordinates 54deg 58min N -2deg -6min W accuracy 0.
It was found on 09-Oct-2021 time unknown at near Hexham, Northumberland, UK
OS Map reference NY9269 accuracy 0, - co-ordinates 55deg 0min N -2deg -7min W accuracy 0.
Finding condition: Dying
Finding circumstances: Found Sick, Definite Single cause NOT Known
Extra Information: Sickly. Unable to fly well. Dead the next day.
It was found 688 days after it was ringed, 4 km from the ringing site, direction NNW.
Bird Ringing in Britain & Ireland is organised by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). Each year over 900,000 birds are ringed by over 2,500 highly trained bird ringers, most of whom are volunteers. They follow a careful training process that can take several years to complete to ensure that they have the necessary skills to catch and ring birds. The bird’s welfare is always the most important consideration during ringing activities.
Ringing began over 100 years ago to study the movements of birds. While it continues to generate information about movements, it also allows us to study how many young birds leave the nest and survive to breed as adults, as well as how many adults live from year to year and how many birds disperse to different breeding sites. Collection of this information helps us to understand why bird populations increase or decrease − vital information for conservation. Details of how many birds have been caught and where and when they have been found are available on the BTO website at www.bto.org/ringing-report.
Some interesting facts discovered from ringing data....
Oldest bird – Manx shearwater, 50 yrs 11 months
Furthest travelled – Arctic Tern from Wales to Australia 18,000 km
Strangest recovery – Osprey ring found in stomach of a crocodile in The Gambia!
Many thanks again for reporting this bird and contributing to the work of the Ringing Scheme. If you would like to find out more about the BTO please check out our website www.bto.org.
With best wishes
The Ringing Team
11th - 12th October
Having established that there are indeed three kids this year, they were seen again on the trail camera in the Scrub. The next night the doe went through. John says you can see not only what fine condition she is in, but her two gorget patches. They are on the underside of her neck, show that she is an older doe and help in identification.
15th & 19th October
A fox appears twice on the Scrub camera.
22nd - 23rd October
Footage of hares always proves irresistible. The Scrub camera recorded one passing through several times on these two days; on 22nd at 17.49 and 21.46, and on 23rd at 09.50, 13.49 and 14.05. Of course they may all be different hares. Below is one piece of footage from the selection, the white tail with its black tip and the black tips to its ears showing quite distinctly.
The sheep were taken off the Top Grazing. Again they have done a splendid job in taking the grass down ready for Spring growth.
The Jay is a bird often heard but not so often seen, or maybe you see a flash of the white rump as it flies away. The Woodland Trust describes the Jay as ‘a highly intelligent loudmouth’. (woodlandtrust.org.uk) In its Latin name, garrulus glandarius, the ‘garrulus’ means chattering, babbling or noisy. You can listen here. The whole name can be translated as ‘babbler of the acorns.’ The bird hides acorns for later consumption and it is thought that the ones whose whereabouts have been forgotten can be credited with the growth and spread of oak trees since the last Ice Age. In the footage below, it is unclear whether the Jay is burying or seeking to retrieve acorns, however it is great to have such a clear view of the bird.
A badger appears in the Pit Wood, probably rootling for worms.
24th October
The Scrub proves to be a popular foraging ground for the newly arrived Redwings.
26th October
The trail camera reveals time and again just how watchful and alert the wildlife is all the time. Below you will see a rabbit standing on its hind legs, possibly to see if the surrounding area is safe. Although footage of grey squirrels doesn’t make it into the Blog, the sound of a squirrel chattering is quite dramatic - a subsequent piece of footage (not included), suggests that it is the pheasant that is the source of agitation. Having never seen a kid squeaking before this year, John is delighted that the trail camera is offering so many examples of this phenomenon. Of course saying earlier this month that Jays are rarely seen was asking for contradiction. Not hiding at all. The badger is back - Clare fancifully imagines its satnav saying, “Rerootle, rerootle"!”
28th October
It would seem as though roe deer experience sibling rivalry.
The pheasants have their own back on the hare.
The third piece of footage is calling out for a caption. Any offers….?
29th October
A trio of videos of birds foraging in the Scrub. While Redwings and Titmice share the space, the Pheasants seem to claim it as theirs.
30th October
When Clare went to collect the camera discs today she saw and heard far more Blackbirds than usual - the overwintering visitors have arrived. There was also a large flock of Fieldfares in the Orchard. Sadly the camera has shown that one of the doe kids is limping badly and has lost condition. She hasn’t been seen with the adult doe and other two kids for a while. The young buck displays a passing interest in the bird feeder in the Scrub.