Summer Solstice ringing.

Overview.

Kenny Cramer is one of the senior ringers with Northants Ringing Group (NRG) and is the ringer in-charge of the Linford Lakes Nature Reserve site. Although this site is in North Buckinghamshire, as a bird flies it is right on the border with Northamptonshire, and therefore with British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) permission, we use NRG rings on this site.

Narrative and pictures courtesy of Kenny Cramer.

Early start.

Today was the summer solstice, and the longest day of the year brought us two things - a 2am alarm call... and plenty of birds! Luckily, ringers were also in plentiful supply this week as we set about processing 111 birds of 22 species, 94 of which were newly ringed, the majority being comprised of newly fledged youngsters.

 On the warbler front, we encountered 25 chiffchaffs, 18 blackcaps, 8 reed warblers (one of which was ringed elsewhere in the UK), 3 sedge warblers (our first of the year), 3 cetti's warblers, 2 garden warblers, and a whitethroat. Mercifully we were not over-titted with "only" 13 blue tits and 5 great tits. A roving gang of long-tailed tits remained out of range.

 

Reed Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Adding to the variety were two kingfishers, two treecreepers, a jay, a woodpigeon, a juvenile great-spotted woodpecker, and an imposing carrion crow. To top things off, we added another 2 new cuckoos (male and female) bringing this year's tally to 7.

Cuckoos

Carrion Crow

Tally for the day. 

Figures in brackets denote re-traps (birds ringed previously).

Blackbird 3 (1) Blue Tit 12 (1) Blackcap 18 Wren 6 (1) Robin 8 (1) Jay 1 Whitethroat 1
Dunnock 1 Chiffchaff 22 (3) Carrion Crow 1 Sonth Thrush 1 Treecreeper 2 Kingfisher 2
Great Tit 5 Garden Warbler 1 (1) Reed Warbler 1 (8) Cuckoo 2 Cetti’s Warbler 1 (2) Greenfinch 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Sedge Warbler 3