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Welcome to our blog. Chris and Kay live in Laxey on the Isle of Man. From 1st April 2017 we are back in Sweden working on Landsort Bird Observatory in the Baltic Sea. Click on the link below the picture of the Gannets to see the daily diary of life at the Observatory
Gannets
Monday, 28 October 2013
A bit of a dissapointing week for bird ringing as the weather has finally become autumnal - in the Manx way; that is Windy!!!!
Despite this we have managed to catch some birds, including the two-barred Crossbill. We both passed a couple of milestones this week; Kay has now ringed over 3,500 birds here and Chris reached 1,000!!! We have also managed to make 2013 the 6th best year ever for the Observatory since ringing started here in 1978.
Well this is our last week at Landsort as we leave on the 0635 ferry on Friday to start our way home. It has been a great few weeks, which seem to have gone by very quickly. Our thanks to everyone involved in running the Observatory, particularly the Committee Members and regular volunteers who have all made our stay so memorable. It has also been very rewarding to get to know many of the Islands residents and some of those who have holiday homes here. In particular our friendship with Tore has grown over the time here and i guess it is fitting that he will be the skipper of the ferry when we leave on Friday. Still, before all that happens we have more birds to catch!!!
Sunday, 27 October 2013
This week wefinally caught 2 Two-barred Crossbill. Until this year none had been caught at Landsort, but earlier in the month three we caught by a visiting ringer who sadly did not have the decency to let anyone else ring them - a severe breech of protocol!!!!
Anyway, we finally got a reward for a lot of effort, two young males!! Photos attached.
Sunday, 20 October 2013
Totals as at 20th October 2013 | ||
Species | Kay | Chris |
Treecreeper | 35 | 0 |
Yellow-browed Warbler | 1 | 1 |
Goldcrest | 300 | 37 |
Chiffchaff | 35 | 1 |
Chiffchaff abietinus | 4 | 0 |
Chiffchaff collybita | 3 | 0 |
Red-breasted Flycatcher | 8 | 5 |
Icterine Warbler | 2 | 3 |
Lesser Whitethroat | 121 | 11 |
Pied Flycatcher | 9 | 0 |
Marsh Warbler | 0 | 1 |
Common Redpoll | 591 | 596 |
Common Redpoll flammea | 257 | 54 |
Common Redpoll cabaret | 75 | 11 |
Common Redpoll rostratus | 1 | 0 |
Arctic Redpoll | 1 | 1 |
Redstart | 25 | 1 |
Bluethroat | 0 | 2 |
Reed Warbler | 2 | 0 |
Robin | 436 | 73 |
Marsh Tit | 5 | 1 |
Sedge Warbler | 2 | 0 |
Siskin | 129 | 3 |
Spotted Flycatcher | 32 | 5 |
Whinchat | 2 | 0 |
Wren | 30 | 7 |
Willow Warbler | 174 | 15 |
Coal Tit | 7 | 2 |
Dunnock | 12 | 2 |
Long-tailed Tit | 18 | 0 |
Wood Warbler | 5 | 1 |
Blackcap | 233 | 27 |
Blue Tit | 70 | 17 |
White Wagtail | 13 | 1 |
Wheatear | 1 | 0 |
Chaffinch | 28 | 5 |
Garden Warbler | 47 | 5 |
Tree Pipit | 8 | 1 |
Goldfinch | 1 | 0 |
Whitethroat | 16 | 7 |
Rustic Bunting | 0 | 1 |
Brambling | 8 | 1 |
Reed Bunting | 54 | 8 |
Yellow Wagtail | 1 | 0 |
Common Rosefinch | 4 | 2 |
Great Tit | 84 | 11 |
Nuthatch | 2 | 0 |
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker | 1 | 1 |
Greenfinch | 179 | 27 |
Thrush Nightingale | 3 | 1 |
Tree Sparrow | 19 | 1 |
Bullfinch | 21 | 1 |
Yellowhammer | 19 | 2 |
Red-backed Shrike | 18 | 4 |
Common Crossbill | 1 | 0 |
Redwing | 3 | 0 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker | 28 | 1 |
Blackbird | 43 | 4 |
Nightjar | 0 | 0 |
Fieldfare | 1 | 0 |
Great Grey Shrike | 1 | 2 |
Song Thrush | 60 | 7 |
Cuckoo | 1 | 0 |
Sparrowhawk | 9 | 2 |
Kestrel | 1 | 0 |
Tengmalm's Owl | 0 | 1 |
Totals | 3300 | 973 |
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
We spent today ringing with Monica, one of the keen ringers who run the Observatory. A really enjoyable day which produced 119 birds was topped off with another Red-breasted Flycatcher and, as we were closing the nets, a male and a female Crossbill, both young birds.
These were only the 4th and 5th birds ever ringed at Landsort Bird Observatory, the others being in 1991, 2007 & 2008. Monica ringed the male and Kay the female. They really are lovely birds in the hand.
Also in the photos below is a shot of one of our nets, full of 50+ Redpoll taken on one of the days last week when we ended up ringing 567 birds. Photo taken by Tore Jacobsson.
Monday, 14 October 2013
A busy week last week with over 2,500 birds ringed, mostly Redpoll which descended on the island in large flocks.
Among the species caught were three Bullfinch, including two cracking males, much larger and more colourful than those found in England. We also caught three Great Grey Shrike, and managed to keep all our fingers!!!
Other highlights included some homemade Gravlax, courtesy of our good friend Tore, who not only made it but caught the salmon as well.
Tried catching Tengmalm's Owls again in the week but no joy.
Among the species caught were three Bullfinch, including two cracking males, much larger and more colourful than those found in England. We also caught three Great Grey Shrike, and managed to keep all our fingers!!!
Other highlights included some homemade Gravlax, courtesy of our good friend Tore, who not only made it but caught the salmon as well.
Tried catching Tengmalm's Owls again in the week but no joy.
Totals as at 13th October 2013 | ||
Species | Kay | Chris |
Treecreeper | 21 | 0 |
Yellow-browed Warbler | 1 | 1 |
Goldcrest | 191 | 37 |
Chiffchaff | 31 | 1 |
Chiffchaff abietinus | 3 | 0 |
Chiffchaff collybita | 3 | 0 |
Red-breasted Flycatcher | 8 | 5 |
Icterine Warbler | 2 | 3 |
Lesser Whitethroat | 121 | 11 |
Pied Flycatcher | 9 | 0 |
Marsh Warbler | 0 | 1 |
Common Redpoll | 564 | 596 |
Common Redpoll flammea | 241 | 54 |
Common Redpoll cabaret | 63 | 11 |
Common Redpoll rostratus | 1 | 0 |
Arctic Redpoll | 1 | 1 |
Redstart | 25 | 1 |
Bluethroat | 0 | 2 |
Reed Warbler | 2 | 0 |
Robin | 353 | 73 |
Marsh Tit | 4 | 1 |
Sedge Warbler | 2 | 0 |
Siskin | 126 | 3 |
Spotted Flycatcher | 32 | 5 |
Whinchat | 2 | 0 |
Wren | 22 | 7 |
Willow Warbler | 174 | 15 |
Coal Tit | 7 | 2 |
Dunnock | 11 | 2 |
Long-tailed Tit | 6 | 0 |
Wood Warbler | 5 | 1 |
Blackcap | 231 | 27 |
Blue Tit | 49 | 17 |
White Wagtail | 13 | 1 |
Wheatear | 1 | 0 |
Chaffinch | 27 | 5 |
Garden Warbler | 46 | 5 |
Tree Pipit | 8 | 1 |
Goldfinch | 1 | 0 |
Whitethroat | 16 | 7 |
Rustic Bunting | 0 | 1 |
Brambling | 5 | 1 |
Reed Bunting | 45 | 8 |
Yellow Wagtail | 1 | 0 |
Common Rosefinch | 4 | 2 |
Great Tit | 57 | 11 |
Nuthatch | 1 | 0 |
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker | 1 | 1 |
Greenfinch | 141 | 27 |
Thrush Nightingale | 3 | 1 |
Tree Sparrow | 10 | 1 |
Bullfinch | 5 | 1 |
Yellowhammer | 15 | 2 |
Red-backed Shrike | 18 | 4 |
Redwing | 1 | 0 |
Great Spotted Woodpecker | 27 | 1 |
Blackbird | 16 | 4 |
Nightjar | 0 | 0 |
Fieldfare | 1 | 0 |
Great Grey Shrike | 1 | 2 |
Song Thrush | 58 | 7 |
Cuckoo | 1 | 0 |
Sparrowhawk | 9 | 2 |
Kestrel | 1 | 0 |
Totals | 2844 | 972 |
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