FIRST POST!

This is the first posting to the newly-created GVRS blog. We haven't put any mist nets this year and the ringing site is still being prepared for the start of our Constant Effort Site (CES) ringing, which commences in May. The last few weeks have seen a lot of scrub bashing in front of the ringing hut and around the net lanes.

Log piles and fire site, with the hut (newly painted) in the background.



2011 summary

 

2011 wasn't a vintage year for GVRS. The ringing total for the year was 1,380. This exceeded the annual totals for the previous three years, but was still below the long-term average. Our best year was 2002 with 3,126 birds ringed. We ringed 31 species in 2011, including a new species for the site, common redpoll.
 

The blackcap catch (437) was the highest since 2007 and was close to the long-term average for this species. The bumper catch of 1,296 blackcap in 2002 now seems like a distant memory. For the first time since 2006, we ringed a greenfinch (two actually). Hopefully, this is a sign of recovery from the Trichomonosis disease affecting this and other finch species. Reed bunting reached an all-time high (31 ringed), with most birds being ringed during the usual late autumn to early winter influx. But the real highlight of the year was a minor invasion of redpolls. A record number of 126 lesser redpoll were ringed and 2 common redpoll.
 

On the negative side, there was a record low ringing total (27) for robin. Acrocephalus warblers were also very scarce, with no autumn passage evident (or maybe the catching conditions weren’t right). Although the willow warbler total was higher (at 70) than the previous 3 years, the population seems to have taken a dive. Garden warbler is another species that seems to have crashed locally.

A very big thanks to everyone who helped in 2011.
 

The story so far ...

    

Since GVRS was established in 1991, 34,743 birds (of 74 species) have been ringed and a further 11,984 birds reacptured, taking the total number of birds processed to 46,738.