I've been feeling a bit low recently, and when someone posted on a group saying that SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) should now be RAD (Ringers Affective Disorder), I wholeheartedly agreed! This crazy weather that the UK has been experiencing just doesn't seem to want to blow away, meaning that most methods of catching birds are out. Even though I had a busy weekend in January with two SCAN sessions, a lamping session and a training trip to use a whoosh net, I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed by the incredibly slow start to my records - ok, so I got two new species, but they were also the only two birds I ringed, and my new ringing pliers (No 1s) were yet to be used and tested.
So when I got an e-mail from Steve on Sunday morning saying there was a chance of ringing on Monday, I think I made it quite clear that I was keen "YES YES YES!!!" was my response!
I met Ros at our usual meeting place just before 7am, and we drove to pick up Conor, the newest trainee, then headed out to Arthur's farm, just outside Caernarfon. On our way there, we got caught in a heavy shower, which resulted in some expletives being yelled upwards. It seemed to work, as while Ros and Conor helped Steve finish setting the nets and I walks Noko it stayed dry. Our first net round got a few birds, but it seemed quite slow for the feeder nets that we'd set. Soon the reason was apparent, when a heavy drizzle descended on the farm. We kept the nets open but checked them every few minutes for birds while processing the ones we'd already extracted. We even managed to process in the dry by parking the truck inside a barn (thanks to Arthur!) While me and Ros got on with ringing and processing, Steve talked Conor through some of the finer points to holding birds. It made me think back to little over 12 months ago when I was in exactly the same boat! All my ringing experiences kind of fast forwarded up to then, while I was turned into a pin cushion by yet another Blue Tit, and I realised how far I've come in a relatively short space of time. (See Ringing Reviews 2013)
About half way through the session we got to the net to find a Treecreeper. Ros extracted it, but as she had already ringed one, it came to me. I had to make sure my hands were very warm before taking this tiny bird out of the bag. I've seen Treecreepers on many occasions (usually at Zoos scurrying up trees in Tiger or Wild Dog enclosures!), but never truly appreciated how exotic they look, with the long curved bill and stunning patchwork effect of plumage - wish I'd had my camera to take a photo!
I got some good practice extracting birds too... I had a couple of Blue Tits that had gone further through the net than I'm used to, so needed a bit of assistance from Steve just to confirm I was doing the right thing by pulling wings through the net (a technique we use fairly often with waders on SCAN sessions). When we caught a GSp Woodpecker, I was slightly relieved that Steve didn't ask me to extract it - having seen what they can do, I wasn't keen in donating blood. Plus, it was in a high shelf, so my lack of height may have been to my advantage, on this occasion! Having mentioned blood, you know it's not going to be an easy extraction when the Great Tit "growls" at you as you reach towards it! No joke, it glared up at me with a face that said "I'm gonna get you!"
Ros and Conor both had a lecture at 11am, so we had to keep an eye on the time. Unfortunately at 10.30 when we had to leave, the birds had decide to come out again, so we helped Steve clear the nets before we headed off, leaving him to finish ringing and processing. On the way back to Bangor, we discussed keeping records and when I got home I updated my own spreadsheet to separate my new ringed birds from my retraps (having previously put them all together). This is important so that when I come to get my C Permit (which Ros is in the process of applying for now), I can see exactly what I've done to how many birds.
Oh, and my new pliers are excellent! They ringed 1 Dunnock, 2 Robins, 8 Blue Tits, 2 Great Tits and the Treecreeper, so hopefully this is a case of onwards and upwards! If only this weather would settle down a bit! Fingers crossed for the last SCAN of the season this weekend.
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