About Two Owls

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

Colour ringed Mediterranean Gull results

I promised to post here the history data when received of our sightings of the two colour-ringed Mediterranean Gull seen at Radipole Lake, on our Sunday (19th) Monthly walk. What is interesting is both birds originated from two different populations and both have turned up within a metre of each other.  It makes you wonder where all the many associating un-ringed Med gull had come from.

The history of these birds and their travels is very interesting.
Bird 1 is very well travelled and has been recorded once before at Radipole in 2013.
Bird 2 hasn't been seen quite so much but is only just starting out as it's a much younger bird.

Bird 1
Legend : 'v' controlled, ring read; 'c' trapped and released; 'x' found dead; '+' shot; 'b' breeding; 
 'r' roosting; '*'  ring found; 'p' picture taken
Green R44R Left pullus Paris  
FS72385  30/06/2009 Barbâtre, Polder de Sebastopol, Vendée, FRANCE  46,56N 2,09W
ringed by team Matthieu Vaslin and Cap Ornis Baguage

vv 05/05/2010 Réserve de Chanteloup, Marais d'Olonne, Vendée, FRANCE  46,33N 1,47W
vv 27/11/2010 Santa Cruz, La Coruña, SPAIN  43,21N 8,2W
vv 07/12/2010 Santa Cruz, La Coruña, SPAIN  43,21N 8,2W
vv 03/05/2011 Réserve de Chanteloup, Marais d'Olonne, Vendée, FRANCE  46,33N 1,47W
vv 04/05/2011 Réserve de Chanteloup, Marais d'Olonne, Vendée, FRANCE  46,33N 1,47W
vv 05/05/2011 Réserve de Chanteloup, Marais d'Olonne, Vendée, FRANCE  46,33N 1,47W
vv 06/05/2011 Réserve de Chanteloup, Marais d'Olonne, Vendée, FRANCE  46,33N 1,47W
vv 10/05/2011 Réserve de Chanteloup, Marais d'Olonne, Vendée, FRANCE  46,33N 1,47W
vv 11/05/2011 Réserve de Chanteloup, Marais d'Olonne, Vendée, FRANCE  46,33N 1,47W
vv 12/05/2011 Réserve de Chanteloup, Marais d'Olonne, Vendée, FRANCE  46,33N 1,47W
vv 17/07/2011 Fishguard Harbour, Pembrookshire, Dyfed, Wales, GB  52N 4,59W
vv 29/08/2011 Beauport, Paimpol, Côtes d'Armor, FRANCE  48,47N 3,04W
vv 14/04/2012 Titchfield Haven National Reserve, Fareham, Hampshire, GB  50,49N 1,14W
vv 15/01/2013 Ares Beach, Ares, Coruña, SPAIN  43,25N 8,15W picture taken
vv 22/04/2013 Barbâtre, Polder de Sebastopol, Vendée, FRANCE  46,56N 2,09W
vv 24/04/2013 Barbâtre, Polder de Sebastopol, Vendée, FRANCE  46,56N 2,09W
vv 24/04/2013 Barbâtre, Polder de Sebastopol, Vendée, FRANCE  46,56N 2,09W
vv 25/04/2013 Barbâtre, Polder de Sebastopol, Vendée, FRANCE  46,56N 2,09W
vv 22/10/2013 Radipole Lake, Weymouth, Dorset, GB  50,37N 2,28W
vv 27/02/2014 Playa San Lorenzo, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,39W
vv 01/03/2014 Playa San Lorenzo, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,39W picture taken
vv 02/03/2014 Playa San Lorenzo, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,39W picture taken
vv 05/03/2014 Playa San Lorenzo, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,39W picture taken
vv 07/03/2014 Playa San Lorenzo, Gijón, Asturias, SPAIN  43,32N 5,39W picture taken
vv 21/09/2014 Porthcawl, Rest Bay, Glamorgan, Wales, GB  51,29N 3,43W picture taken
p   27/02/2016 Ares Beach, Ares, Coruña, SPAIN  43,25N 8,15W
29/02/2016 Santa Cruz, La Coruña, SPAIN  43,21N 8,2W
vv 07/11/2016 Plage de Porsmilin, Locmaria-Plouzané, Finistere, FRANCE   48,22N 4,41W
vv 14/11/2016 Le Conquet, Ria, Finistère, FRANCE  48,22N 4,46W
23/12/2016 Santa Cruz de Oleiros, Ria A Coruña, SPAIN  43,21N 8,21W
p   05/01/2017 San Valentin, Fene, A Coruña, SPAIN  43,28N 8,1W
vv 19/03/2017 Hayling Oysterbeds, Langstone Harbour, Havant, Hampshire, GB  50,49N 0,59W
vv 28/03/2017 Hayling Oysterbeds, Langstone Harbour, Havant, Hampshire, GB  50,49N 0,59W

vv 19/11/2017 Radipole Lake, Weymouth, Dorset, GB  50,37N 2,28W

Bird 2
Metal ring                                                          5411776 
Current colour ring Former colour rings    Green ALER
Central                                                              Helgoland
Species                                                         Mediterranean Gull 
Age at ringing                                          1 Pullus: nestling or chick, unable to fly.
Sex                                                                    unknown
Ringing date                                                   22.06.2013
Ringing place                                                 Pionierinsel Lühe, Steinkirchen, Stade, Niedersachsen
 Latitude/Longitude                                     53° 34' 58'' N 9° 36' 8'' E
Ringer                                                             Team Hamburg
Type of recovery: v colour ring read, m metal ring read, p photographed, b breeding, n trapped on nest, c trapped and released, k colour ring worn, d found dead
 Recoveries
Date           Place                                                                      Country   Latitude / Longitude   Km  Days

v 13.07.2013 Grünendeich, Strand, Steinkirchen,Niedersachsen - Germany - 53° 34' 51'' N 9° 36' 26'' E  - 0  -   21    
p 15.07.2013 Grünendeich, Strand, Steinkirchen,Niedersachsen - Germany - 53° 34' 51'' N 9° 36' 26'' E  - 0  -   23
p 15.07.2013 Grünendeich, Strand, Steinkirchen,Niedersachsen - Germany - 53° 34' 51'' N 9° 36' 26'' E  - 0  -   23
v 09.07.2015 Minsmere RSPB Reservate, Suffolk                             - England   - 52° 14' 0'' N 1° 37' 0'' E      - 556 - 747
v 07.09.2015 Corton, ploughed field. Suffolk                               - England   - 52° 31' 0'' N 1° 43' 0'' E      - 540 -  807
v 19.11.2017 Radipole Lake, Weymouth, Dorset                             - England   - 50° 37' 18'' N 2° 27' 46'' W - 887 - 1611

Tuesday, 21 November 2017

RSPB Radipole Lake visit

First, just to let everyone know Jackie came out of hospital yesterday (Sunday) evening and now is at home convalescing.  Jackie would like to just thank everyone who has sent cards and all the get well's and good wishes that she has received over the last week as it kept her positive and in good spirits. So thank you all.

With Jackie in hospital I led the Sunday monthly, group around RSPB Radipole Lake a location we haven't visited for some time.  It was overcast and cool after the early morning frost but promised to be a bright sunny day which it certainly turned out to be.  

We started searching through the gulls and waterfowl from the visitor centre in case the previous days Ring-billed Gull had returned, which it hadn't.  But there was plenty to see with lots of Mediterranean Gulls, Herring, Black-headed, Common, Great Black-backed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls with a small flock of Black-tailed Godwit, Teal, Mallard, Tufted Duck and Gadwall not a bad start.  Just as we were about to move on all the gulls lifted off when a Sparrowhawk went whizzing through.  We walked the main path to the first viewing platform hearing our first Bearded Tit, little was seen from this location other than a female Brown Rat that we watched scurry along the path and under the platform, which we were informed by Fran that it was a female for obvious reason.

Brown Rat - Radipole Lake © Nick Hull
Continuing on around to the buddleia loop where we checked off some of the more common species including a Great Spotted Woodpecker ,which we first heard calling off the reserve, but it then flew in and perched right above us give excellent views.

Great Spotted Woodpecker - Radipole Lake © Nick Hull
From the buddleia view point looking out over the north of the reserve we had our first views of Marsh Harrier with a stunning male quartering the northern area of the reserve. We added a couple more waterfowl with Shelduck and Pochard also several Water Rail were actively squealing around the reedbeds.  A little further on we added Buzzard and we saw a female Bearded Tit briefly in bushes to the left of the path. 

Female Bearded Tit - Radipole Lake © Nick Hull
Shortly after on reaching the concrete bridge we noticed a male bird on the top of some Reedmace looking stunning in the sunlight.
Male Bearded Tit taking flight © Nick Hull
From the North screen we had better views of the male Marsh Harrier and a little later picked up a female both disappeared into the reedbed. Close views of Little Egret and Grey Heron but it was even closer views of Bearded Tit and Kingfisher that stole the day here.  Eventually we had to leave and whilst walking back over the concrete bridge what surfaced beside the bridge but the male Hooded Merganser, which has been around for a number of years considered an escape species but it is certainly a stunning duck.

Drake Hooded Merganser - Radipole Lake © Nick Hull 
On our walk back we saw more of what had been already seen and we concluded with forty seven species in our two and a half hours on the reserve.  The views of Bearded Tit and Kingfisher fishing certainly topped the day.  The two Mediterranean Gull which were colour ringed I've sent off the information and await the bird history if any and will post results here later.  Thanks to everyone for a very nice morning's birding.

Thursday, 2 November 2017

October Rarities and Visual Migration

Two Owls has been busy over the last month one way and another and it has been a good month for us with a little local rarity chasing and with our groups out and about.

We had visits to  Normandy Marsh, Lymington, Pennington, Lytchett Bay and Middlebere where we were able to get to grips with the identification of all the returning waders and waterfowl now moving back for the winter.  Though its nice to see good numbers of the usual species it's always good to see those we do not.  At Normandy Marsh we had close views of Golden Plover, Greenshanks and our first returning Dark-bellied Brent Geese also Peregrine.  The visit to Pennington gave us sightings of Spoonbill and fantastic views of Bearded Tits.  Then a walk around our local patch again produced good views of Bearded Tit, also of Marsh Harrier. Then yesterday on our walk at Middlebere we saw our first Redwings of the autumn, Lesser Redpolls, Bullfinch, over ten Dartford Warblers and in excess of three hundred Avocet.

On our Two Owls Cornish break, which coincided with the tail of hurricane Ophelia which had a dramatic effect on the birds reducing the number that we should have seen.  Though we did have a few highlights with close views of Turtle Dove, Spoonbill, Firecrests, and the star bird was a Greater Short-toed Lark near the Chapel at Sennen which performed extremely well giving wonderful views.

Short-toed Lark - near Sennen Cornwall internet photograph
We also had a really good selection of autumn Butterflies with Wall Brown, Painted Lady, and Hummingbird Hawk-moth being the highlights.

Returning to Dorset Jackie and I headed to St Adhelm's head, to be precise the stone quarry halfway to the head, where we joined a number of birders patiently awaiting views of a Two-barred Warbler (renamed as it used to be Two-barred Greenish Warbler).  After a wait we had tantalising views of this phylloscopus warbler and eventually we had some excellent views, unfortunately my photographs were not as good as I would have liked.

Two-barred (Greeninsh) Warbler - St Aldhelm's Head © Nick Hull
Then we had a visit to Longham Lakes where a Lesser Scaup had been found on the north lake.  By the time we arrived in the afternoon it had moved to the south lake and was more distant feeding with Tufted Duck.  It stayed for a few days then moved to Blashford Lakes giving Hampshire its first record of this American species.


More recently there has been a large irruption of Hawfinch from the continent into Britain and they seemed to be moving along with the winter thrushes so I've had the Lytchett Night time listening station up and running as much as I could.  Plus Jackie and I have met up with Shaun and Ian doing Visual migration watches at Lytchett Viewpoint off Border Road.  Though this site isn't the best place in the Poole harbour area its on our home patch, Jackie and I started on the morning of the 26th October.  In the first hour we had Jackdaw, Starlings a small group of Redwing and Song Thrush and a few high flying Wood Pigeon all moving west.  It was then that I saw a small group of five Starling coming toward us from the east as they were almost level with us the rear bird was obviously not a starling and was moving slightly slower.  I quickly realised it was a Hawfinch and called it to Jackie and fortunately she got onto it quickly and we watched it fly past and on towards the west, possibly flying over our garden but we will never know.  Though Hawfinch isn't considered a real rarity it was the first record for the Lytchett Patch and it felt like we had seen a mega rarity and one that may not be repeated for some years.
Hawfinch flypast
On the morning of the 28th October we were joined by Ian but only after we had just had a Brambling fly over us going West.  But there was more pigeon movement going on so we changed our position to be able to view to our north, which turned out was a good one as we started seeing large flock moving west, north of Upton and smaller flocks right over us. By the time the numbers died out we had recorded 2664+ Woodpigeon, 67 Jackdaw and 86 Starling and smaller numbers of winter thrushes and finches.

This is the single call of the Brambling that attracted our attention as it passed overhead.


The 30th saw Ian, Shaun and myself at the viewpoint again hoping for another Woodpigeon movement, I arrived a little later than I wanted but I'd missed little and in fact by the time Ian arrived things had just began moving.  Between 07:15hrs and 09:00hrs we recorded 3965+ Woodpigeon and 361 Starlings better than previous days but not a record number.  We think the weather was too good as there was very still condition and usually when we have recorded large passage it has been much windier.