A freezing fog and generally birdless morning in Birkdale dunes didn't stop Mr Gramauskas (relax, he's got an "A" permit) from slinging up a 30ft mist net when we took our lunchbreak from scrub-clearing today.
Been a long, long time since I've been privvy to a bit of ringing, but in just 20 minutes, he'd caught four Long Tailed Tits, Great Tit, Blue Tit and a fine Goldcrest - which was a lot more interesting than sitting down and feeling your blood chill before the onset of the afternoon shift.
Goldcrests are of course, super classy, although I kinda preferred the chance to get some close-up shots of whiskery Long Tailed Tits with their lovely red "wattle" - wonderful little birds.
Even the increasingly vocal Great Tit looks something else at point blank range.
Apart from the Long Taileds, the area had appeared quiet bar a single Bullfinch before the net went up - just goes to show what's lurking about....
Was it enough to get me back into ringing though?
Weeellllllll, not really - nice as it was to see the birds in the hand, memories of icy evenings in the depths of winter at thrush roosts and the stink and brutality of cannon netting gulls on rubbish tips came flooding back all too quickly.
Valuable as the data from ringing unquestionably is, I think I'll stick to the 'scope and bins.
By the way, anyone seen the Weld Road Glauc recently?
I haven't had a chance to get down there for awhile.
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies...
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Hi John,
I've summed up the accessible fruits of our Sandhill Rustic labours in a press release which you may wish to share with BirdBlog readers - perhaps even with pictures, seeing as the wee beastie is mighty photogenic at times. Here's the text, for starters:
Local conservationists are busy finishing the latest stage of a special project this February. The ongoing effort will help protect a threatened moth species on the Sefton Coast.
The Sandhill Rustic is a rare coastal moth in Britain. Wales and the North-West are home to a subspecies found nowhere else in the world. Scientists are testing a statistical model predicting where on the coast it lives.
While many people associate moths with holes in their woollens, only about six of the UK’s 2,500 moth species eat clothes. Moths are important indicators of a healthy environment as well as a significant food source for creatures higher up the food chain. UK moth numbers, though, have dropped one-third since 1968. “Projects like this are valuable because they give us a much more accurate picture of how our moths are doing. They often confirm what a precarious state many are now in,” said Stephen Palmer, an expert for the charity Butterfly Conservation.
“Coastal habitats change rapidly year on year,” explains Dr Richard Burkmar, of Merseyside BioBank environmental records centre in Huyton. “We need to know where the Sandhill Rustic is, but it moves in response to this change. However, running a complete moth survey every year would be costly and time-consuming. Instead, we’ve analysed how well Sefton’s coastal habitats meet the Sandhill Rustic’s needs. We can collect yearly habitat information to map where we think the species is. Land managers can then take practical action using/informed by these maps.”
The People’s Trust for Endangered Species funded Crosby graduate Daniel Flenley to work on the project. “I spent six weeks of my summer working nights on the beach,” he said. “Come September, I then found myself racing against time to survey Crosby dunes before the Council moved them to Hightown! It’s certainly been an interesting experience.” Research started after the Sandhill Rustic was rediscovered in Sefton in 2008.
Thanks Dan - I'll send you an e-mail address to fling a few pix of the little beauties over to the blog if that's okay....you can't beat a Sandhill Rustic in the middle of February!
Female Red Breasted Merg on Southport Marine Lake today.
Two Bitterns at Mere Sands Wood this afternoon, showing well from the Rufford Hide. One is paler than the other. Both visible at the same time.
Also, two immature Shags on the breakwater, Southport Marine Lake.