An Icelandic Godwit: Updated

On 7th February I spent the day birding around the Exe, which included a visit to Bowling Green Marsh. Scanning the Black-tailed Godwits roosting on the estuary mud from the viewing platform, I was excited to see one showing the Axe Estuary Ringing Group colours of 'yellow, red, yellow' on its only visible leg. The bird stubbornly refused to put down its other leg which would have revealed a unique colour combination, thus allowing me to identify when the bird was ringed & any other sightings. 

However, I then spotted another bird standing nearby which was also colour-ringed, although not with the Axe colours. This one had a light green ring over a dark green one on its left leg, and an orange ring over a paler orange ring with an inscribed black Z on the right leg. 

On 12th February whilst in the Tower Hide at Black Hole Marsh  I was surprised to see a light green ring over a dark green ring on the leg of a roosting Black-tailed Godwit. After quite a wait, it finally put down its other leg, and revealed that it was the same bird, with its 2 orange rings & black Z.

I then set about trying to track down the origin of the rings. The usual place to find a colour-ring project is at cr-birding.org, but not this time. I finally managed to identify the project via the International Wader Study Group website's Colour Mark Register which indicated that the bird had been ringed in Iceland. I emailed the the details of my sightings, and the next day received a reply confirming that the bird, (a female, metal ring number 635383), was ringed in Auðsholt in Southern Iceland on 10.6.2017. The bird has been sighted on 69 occasions since that date. 

The locations where the bird was ringed in Iceland, and the subsequent sightings are shown on the map below:

In order to visualise the movement of the Godwit over time, I've attached a chart to show where the sightings have occurred over the 6 years. This provides a rough estimate of the bird's actual location as it's obviously based only on the available sightings. There are therefore large gaps, and there may have been 'comings-and-goings' between the sightings at one location, whereas it's shown present between the start & end dates. A colour block for a week means that the bird was present for at least one day within that week and not necessarily for the whole week, and the number within the colour block indicates the number of sightings within the period shown. 

Key
	Iceland	Auðsholt, S Iceland
	Netherlands	Coudorpe, Scheldt Estuary
	England	Seaforth Nature Reserve, Merseyside
		Exe Estuary, Devon (various locations)
		Thames Estuary (Thurrock Thameside NP)
		Axe Estuary, Devon
	France	Parc Ornithologique du Marquenterre, Somme Bay
R	Ringed
3	Number of sightings within period.

Month	January				February				March				April				May				June				July				August				Sept				October				November				December
Week	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4	1	2	3	4
2017																						R					1		1															2
2018	3														1												4											2					2
2019			1									5							1									12														5
2020	4																	2													5										5
2021	1																			2											4							4
2022	1	1

If you see any colour-ringed birds on the Axe Estuary, please email your sightings to Ian Stanbridge, and you'll be able to find the bird's history.  More information on colour-ringing projects on the Axe Estuary can be found here,  whilst information on the importance of colour-ringing projects for the monitoring of bird populations & their movements can be found here. 

Update:

The Black-tailed Godwit has been seen again on the Axe, this time on 18th Feb at 1600hrs near Borrow Pit on Seaton Marsh. Thanks to Susie Joy who spotted the bird & took the photo. 

Black-tailed Godwit 635383 sporting its Icelandic colour-rings (Photo by Susie Joy)

 

Cannon Netting Session, Feb 5th 2022

 First Cannon Netting Session since the Pandemic struck

After a two year hiatus, it was great to get back to cannon netting on the Axe, with a catch taken on Saturday morning.  13 hardy souls braved the freezing conditions to take a catch of 59 duck, comprising four species.

A welcome session for all, given the covid-enforced embargo, but particularly for the several trainees present, who gained valuable experience, ringing and aging four new species.

Thanks to all who attended, to those who helped to prepare the catch site by baiting and to those who helped to set the net.

Newly colour ringed shelduck.  We've been colour ringing this species for so long that some of the older birds have worn out their rings and so we've been re-ringing quite a few.

We're also now colour ringing wigeon.  Having started on the Otter Estuary several years ago, we have now migrated this work to the Axe.  The wigeon on the Otter remain inaccessible due to the ongoing work to restore that estuary to a fully tidal system.

A gorgeous male teal.  Nice to have a slightly more challenging species to age.

Busy day

Yesterday morning was a very good session for the Group, with 56 birds caught of 17 species. Of these the highlights were a Green Woodpecker, juvenile Whinchat, ten Chiffchaffs, a Linnet, Sedge Warbler and seven Blackcaps.

The evening session to catch waders on Colyford Marshes was not what we hoped with only two waders caught. Numbers were down and only the occasional Curlew, Oystercatcher and Greenshank passing over. Nevertheless, a Redshank and  a Common Snipe were eventually caught and ringed.

Common Snipe

Redshank

(Photos Mike Tyler)

Best catch since Covid 19 started

 Today the Group spent the morning ringing birds on Colyford Common and was rewarded with 61 birds of 16 species. Highlights included a control of a Reed Warbler ringed in France, Garden Warbler and 12 Sedge Warblers. In addition the mixed bag included:

Robin 4; Wren 2; Whitethroat 1; Blue Tit 9; Chiffchaff 2; Dunnock 4; Goldfinch 11; Greenfinch 1; Reed Warbler (others) 6; Great Tit 2; Blackbird 1; Blackcap 2; Chaffinch 1; and Great Spotted Woodpecker 1.

An enjoyable and exciting morning for those present.

First real catch of juveniles

Today the Group had an interesting session in the far corner of the Seaton Wetlands and caught 33 birds of 14 species. Good numbers of juveniles were caught, which included, 24 of the total ringed. Interesting that a lesser Whitethroat, Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were caught suggest they may have bred not too far away. 

A good session for early summer.