2020 Report A summary of bird ringing in south in 2020

Edited by Pete Leonard, Kev Hemsley & Jim Lennon

We are volunteers who study the birds of south Nottinghamshire. If you want to know more about bird ringing, you can either contact the BTO (01842 750050) for an explanatory leaflet or go to its website https://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/ringing SNRG Group Secretary contact details: Kev Hemsley, 07986 433 615, [email protected] SNRG blog: http://southnottsringinggroup.blogspot.co.uk/ Please note – at the time of writing (March 2021) pandemic restrictions still make it very difficult for us to take on trainees, but don’t let that put you off getting in touch, just be prepared for delays.

Cover: Goldcrest (P. Leonard)

2 Contents

Editorial ...... 5 Acknowledgements ...... 5 Contact details ...... 6 Website ...... 6 Membership ...... 6 Introduction and 2020 Overview ...... 7 50 years of SNRG ...... 10 Attenborough Nature Reserve...... 14 - Tern and gull chicks ...... 16 Attenborough Nature Reserve – Sand Martins ...... 17 Summer Sites ...... 21 - Holme Pierrepont ...... 21 - Ramsdale Park Golf Centre ...... 26 Nest boxes ...... 29 Nest boxes on NWT nature reserves ...... 32 Winter Sites ...... 37 - Sutton Bonington ...... 37 - Brackenhurst Campus ...... 40

3 Garden ringing at Sibthorpe in 2020 ...... 42 Recoveries & Controls...... 45

Little Owl chicks, , 28 May (P. Leonard)

4 Editorial Perhaps not since the foot-and-mouth outbreak of 2001 have our activities been disrupted as they were in 2020 by the coronavirus pandemic. As I type, we are still living under restrictions and it seems unlikely that we will be back to any sort of normal operations for a while. Jim’s account of garden ringing gives a good flavour of the year - a strange one indeed to be reflecting on our fiftieth birthday. Members will hopefully enjoy the slice of history at the beginning of this report. My thanks, as ever, to Kev and Jim for all their input, and also to Tom and Phil for their contributions. Pete Leonard, March 2021 Acknowledgements The group would like to extend their sincere thanks to all the landowners who have permitted us to operate on their property when it was possible. We thank the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust for their continued co-operation and in particular we would like to thank Michael Walker, Chris Kennedy, Pete Stanyon and the staff of Attenborough Nature Reserve. We would also like to thank Joseph Greenfield at University, Ramsdale Park Golf Centre and Louise Gentle and Simon Taylor of Nottingham Trent University. Thanks also to all the members of the public who have reported our birds. Lastly, many thanks to all the group members who have contributed to this report.

5 Contact details For further information about South Notts Ringing Group, please contact the Group Secretary, Kevin Hemsley [email protected]

Website For the latest news on our ringing activities, visit our blog: http://southnottsringinggroup.blogspot.com/

Membership Below is the list of members for 2020. Abbreviations refer to permit class. Alexander Phillips (C) Kevin Hemsley (S) Pete Leonard (S) Amy Dennett (T) Lewis Aaron (T) Peter Stanyon (T) Christian Boix-Hinzen (T) Linda Lowndes (C) Phil Carter (C) Cliff Butterworth (A) Liz White (A) Richard Williams (A) Duncan Hooton (C) Louise Gentle (C) Sarah Raymond (T) Gary Goddard (S) Maria Scullion (T) Sue Lakeman (T) Geoff White (C) Mick Pearson (A) Tom Shields (C) Holly James (T) Mick Thompson (A) Trish Horlock (helper) Jim Lennon (S)

6 Introduction and 2020 Overview Pete Leonard This was the group’s fiftieth year of ringing, though celebrations were somewhat dampened by the effects of the global coronavirus pandemic. Government restrictions began with a full lockdown on 23 March and restrictions of one sort or another remained in place for the rest of the year. Garden ringing was permitted throughout, and then through the summer and autumn we were able to venture further afield. However, there were still limitations on the number of ringers and training became impossible whilst social distancing was required. 2020 was another warm, wet year: the third warmest and sixth wettest on record. However, it was also the eighth sunniest and therefore remarkable for ranking so highly in all three variables. It was a very wet start to year with widespread flooding in February and again towards the end of the year. Then it was as if a switch was flicked in March, and the sunniest spring in living memory began with seemingly endless days of blue skies. The ground, which had been a bog in the first two months of the year, rapidly turned rock-hard and this undoubtedly affected the breeding success of species such as Blackbirds, which had great difficulty finding worms and other invertebrate prey. Although many of our usual surveys had to be abandoned, the group still managed to ring 4957 birds of 56 species. A glance at the totals sees typical garden species making up a large proportion and a welcome boost came in the autumn with a significant influx of Lesser

7 Redpoll. The 913 birds ringed represent about a fifth of the birds ringed this year. Several resident species and particularly tits were caught in good numbers during the first winter period, suggesting a good breeding season in 2019, though this success was not repeated in 2020. Chiffchaff was the only warbler that appeared to have a notably good year, though several others were trapped in average numbers. Nest box checking was thwarted by the pandemic in the early part of the season, but it was clear that Barn Owls and Kestrels had a terrible year nonetheless. Lesser Redpoll, Holme Pierrepont, 28 September 2020 (K. Hemsley)

8 And a silver lining to the clouds of the pandemic appeared in Jim’s Sibthorpe garden in the form of a female Black Redstart – the first to be ringed by the group and, we think, only the second ringed in the county. Recoveries reported during the year included exchanges with Denmark, France, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway and Poland. Although none were ringed during the year, Cormorants from previous years continued to generate good data and one Kestrel underwent an unusually lengthy dispersal. Naturally, Lesser Redpolls provided many records and a single Coal Tit recovery left us with as many questions as answers. The oldest bird reported was a Black-headed Gull from 2008.

Black Redstart, Sibthorpe, 12 April 2020 (J. Lennon)

9 50 years of SNRG Kev Hemsley December 2020 saw the 50th anniversary of the South Notts Ringing Group. Little did anyone know back then that the group would still exist in 2020, or indeed that our ringing operations and any celebrations would be so heavily affected by a global pandemic. The group evolved from the Ornithological Society of the Fairham Comprehensive School in Clifton, which was headed by teacher (and ringer) Humphrey Dobinson. Some of the students showed so much interest and commitment that at the end of 1970 Humphrey suggested the formation of a ringing group. This was accepted and the group held its first meeting on 5 December 1970. The minutes of this meeting are reproduced below and you may notice that some of the names still appear on our current membership list! The minutes are a little unclear, not because of age, but because they were produced on a manual typewriter and then copied on a Banda machine (some younger readers may need to Google these to discover more). Initially the group was called the South-West Notts Ringing Group but later expansion of our operating area caused us to drop the ‘west’ from the name. In 1994 the Attenborough Ringing Group was disbanded and we also took over ringing operations there. From the outset the group concentrated on training new ringers, nest box studies (mostly tits and Tree Sparrows) along with mist-netting passerines.

10 We have had many members over the years, including many students from local universities who would be with us for just a few years until life led them elsewhere. Although some are no longer ringing, many continue to ring in all corners of the UK and overseas. At least three members went on to be employed by the British Trust for Ornithology. Sadly in 2019 we lost one of our founding members, Mike Peacock, who spent the latter half of his life living in Scotland and working in conservation. Then on the 21 December 2020 the man who started it all, Humphrey Dobinson MBE, sadly passed away in Norway, where he had lived for some years. A few of us visited him in 2018 and this can be read about on our blog here. Our operations today are still based around training new ringers, nest boxes and mist- netting passerines, but the majority of our nest boxes are now much larger and put up mainly for Kestrels, Barn Owls and Tawny Owls. As technology has advanced, so much more about migration routes is now being discovered by electronic tagging of various kinds and as these get even smaller and cheaper they will no doubt become the standard tool for future migration studies. However, I think population studies will still rely on the individual marking of birds with conventional rings for some years to come.

11 12

13 Attenborough Nature Reserve Kev Hemsley The coronavirus lockdown prevented us carrying out virtually all our usual operations at Attenborough. The Constant Effort Site (CES) was not operated; there was no monitoring of herons and cormorants; and the monitoring of gulls and terns was much reduced. There was some monitoring of the Sand Martin colony, some mist-netting for Tree Sparrows at the Visitor Centre and a few late nest boxes were checked. The captures from these operations are shown in Table 1 which lists all birds trapped/ subsequently encountered on the reserve during the year.

Table 1: General ringing totals for Attenborough NR, 2020

Fully Retraps/ Species Pulli Total grown Recoveries Grey Heron 4 4

Mute Swan 1 1 Egyptian Goose 1 1 Black-headed Gull 1 1

Woodpigeon 1 1 Stock Dove 2 2 Kingfisher 1 1 Sand Martin 16 131 22 169

14 Fully Retraps/ Species Pulli Total grown Recoveries Wren 2 2

Dunnock 6 1 7 Robin 5 1 6 Blackbird 1 1

Reed Warbler 7 1 8 Blackcap 2 2

Chiffchaff 1 1

Long-tailed Tit 14 14

Blue Tit 11 13 24 Great Tit 9 3 12 Tree Sparrow 5 19 24 Goldfinch 2 2

Reed Bunting 1 1 Annual Total: 84 133 67 284

15 Tern and gull chicks Gull and tern nesting platforms were not visited as social distancing would have been impossible. However, Phil Carter made some observations on two dates during the breeding season: Beeston Pond 8 June: c.12 pairs of Common Terns and 3 pairs of Black-headed Gulls. An additional pair of Black-headed gulls nested in the shallow water area towards Beeston Marsh. 6 July: still c.12 pairs of Common Terns, most still incubating, but also 3 fledglings. 2 pairs of Black-headed Gulls, both with young and a further family with fledged young near the platform in the water. Main Pond 8 June: the old platform held about 20-25 pairs of Black-headed Gulls and the new platform c.15 pairs. There was a mix of eggs and young (predominantly young on old platform). 6 July: No birds around the Main Pond platforms apart from a few crows. As the incubation period is c.3.5 weeks, all the eggs present previously should have hatched, so presumably most, if not all pairs failed. No other platforms were used, but on 6 July, Sandy Aitken reported c.20 Black-headed Gulls on the Clifton Pit Island, though the majority appeared to be adult birds.

16 Attenborough Nature Reserve – Sand Martins Phil Carter Following the devastation to the colony caused by mink in 2019, the Wildlife Trust embarked on a series of measures to try to prevent any repetition. By mid-March, the predator shelf was removed and a trench about 1m wide and 0.35m deep was dug around the front of the hide. All the holes on the bottom row (which were the holes least favoured by the Sand Martins) were also filled with mortar. Collectively, these measures meant that the lowest row of nest holes was now 1.5 metres above the ground, compared with 0.4m above the predator shelf, which the mink had used in 2019. Filling in the row of holes meant the number was reduced from 137 to 91. We then had to wait to see if any birds would return.

17 The first Sand Martin was recorded over the reserve on 11 March. Before the end of March, the country went into a national lockdown due to Covid-19. This restriction, along with the location of the colony behind the nature centre, which was closed, meant monitoring of the colony was impossible. BTO and Wildlife Trust policies followed national guidelines and it was not until 15 May that a first check was possible. The good news was that some birds had returned, albeit in much smaller numbers than in previous years. And even better news was that the colony was not impacted by mink this year. There was no breeding on the natural bank which was heavily eroded over the winter due to two periods of flooding in November 2019 and February 2020. Based on known breeding patterns, the first egg was calculated to have been laid on 30 April which is 10 days later than the average date over the last 5 years. The first brood consisted of 25 pairs, compared with a 5-year average of 53, and 64 pairs in 2019. 114 eggs were laid in the first brood (282 in 2019), but the fledging percentage was high at 73%. The spring weather was probably a factor as it was the sunniest, fifth driest and eighth warmest UK spring on record. Only 72 eggs were laid in the second brood as the number of pairs reduced to 18. Overall, numbers were significantly down, but crucially the colony does still exist and with a few good breeding seasons, numbers should build up again to their previous levels. The egg laying and first fledging dates were most closely aligned with those in 2015:

18

Table 2: Dates of first egg-laying and fledging in ANR Sand Martin colony, 2014-20

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 First egg laid 15 May 29 April 24 April 7 April 24 April 14 April 30 April 29 May-6 First bird fledged c.27 June 8 June 6 June 18-19 May 25 May 10 June June

Table 3: Sand Martin breeding success at ANR in 2020 Estimated number of breeding pairs 25 (first brood), 18 (second brood) Total number of eggs laid 186 Total number of fledglings 132 Mean total of eggs per nest 6.9 (total for both broods) Fledging success rate 71%

19 Sand Martin Ringing totals Pulli: 131 Mist-netting: There were 3 mist-netting sessions, in June, July and August. A total of 36 birds were caught. Of these 21 were adults and 15 were juveniles with 4 of these having fledged from another site. Recaptures: - Ringed 14/08/2018 as a pullus at Bagworth Heath, , recaptured at ANR as an adult female on 16/06/2020. - Ringed 20/05/2019 as a pullus at Bagworth Heath, Leicestershire, recaptured at ANR as an adult female on 07/07/2020. - Ringed 23/05/2019 as a pullus at Lax Hill, Rutland, recaptured at ANR as an adult female on 07/07/2020.

Bagworth Heath is c 8 miles west of Leicester and 17 miles south of Attenborough.

20 Summer sites The group operated two main mist-netting sites during the summer months: the gravel pits at Holme Pierrepont and Ramsdale Park Golf Centre in Calverton. Holme Pierrepont – Tom Shields The two summer sites at Holme Pierrepont cover reedbed and scrub habitat, with the focus being on monitoring the breeding species, as well as the migrant birds that use the site as a stop-over whilst on autumn passage. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the Grange site was not visited this year as parking was restricted at the Watersports Centre. Luckily, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust kept their Skylarks reserve open to the public and thus ringing activities were able to continue at this end of the site. There were 21 visits during the season, which started a bit later than usual on the 28th May, and these were bolstered by a few more visits than normal in the autumn due to an influx of Lesser Redpoll to the region. A total of 1570 captures of 30 species were made, of which 1398 were new. The total number of captures for selected species from 2010-2020 are presented in Table 4, whilst Table 5 shows the total number of captures divided by the number of visits for recent years, plus the average catch average catch rates, it’s possible to draw some conclusions from the ringing data. However, factors such as weather and daily movements of migrants can have disproportionate effects on figures.

21 It was a mixed season for resident species, with a few species such as Dunnock, Bullfinch and Robin caught in average numbers, but some species didn’t fare so well. Blackbirds were widely reported to have had a poor breeding season, possibly due to the hot dry spring which would have hindered feeding opportunities, and this is reflected in catching rates on site. Similarly, Blue Tits and Long-tailed Tits were trapped in lower than average numbers. Migrant bird numbers remained stable, with steady capture rates for almost all the warblers. Chiffchaff numbers climbed for the second year running, which could be due to the continuing scrubbing up of the ringing site. Blackcap and Willow Warbler captures remain at decent levels. Reed Warbler numbers were lower due to no coverage at the reedbed at the Grange, and Sedge Warblers were also very scarce. Cetti’s Warblers continue to thrive on site, with 17 encounters, including 13 new individuals. This included a bird not seen since it was ringed in 2016. Other highlights were the first Coal Tit for the site, which was made even more interesting by the fact it was a first year bird that had been ringed on the East Coast at Filey only two weeks earlier. A Tree Pipit was also notable. An influx of Lesser Redpolls in the autumn resulted in 281 birds captured on site including several controls, as well as a Siskin (see Recoveries section).

22

Tree Pipit, Holme Pierrepont, 6 August 2020 (K. Hemsley)

23 Table 4: Total number of captures of selected species at Holme Pierrepont, 2010-2020

SPECIES 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Blue Tit 93 54 44 41 50 62 32 33 109 139 55 Great Tit 34 47 36 25 46 22 18 18 64 61 37 Willow Tit 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Long-tailed Tit 86 46 58 40 63 53 59 36 100 68 32 Chiffchaff 41 65 58 28 81 86 88 59 100 177 256 Willow Warbler 35 25 72 41 46 61 28 44 70 69 83 Blackcap 171 198 125 102 170 227 149 256 321 327 259 Garden Warbler 41 23 26 28 15 38 20 50 93 41 50 Lesser Whitethroat 24 10 21 6 20 14 13 12 24 13 15 Whitethroat 54 55 28 26 55 48 32 78 59 58 44 Sedge Warbler 50 52 36 24 10 18 7 7 32 24 3 Reed Warbler 179 191 188 111 112 86 121 147 291 220 160 Wren 43 39 34 20 53 37 36 45 50 67 38 Blackbird 36 19 18 25 21 24 15 29 25 22 13 Song Thrush 15 12 4 4 8 9 5 13 16 15 8 Robin 34 36 40 33 68 56 50 46 41 48 64 Dunnock 40 39 36 11 21 35 36 31 25 38 40 Chaffinch 7 9 6 6 5 5 1 4 5 4 6 Bullfinch 25 26 30 28 22 13 19 53 38 30 26 Reed Bunting 49 64 46 25 56 26 34 23 34 44 28 TOTALS 1060 1013 906 624 922 920 763 984 1497 1466 1217 NB Species’ current UK conservation status (red/amber/green listed) indicated by name cell colour.

24 Table 5: Catching rates – the total number of captures of selected species divided by number of visits at Holme Pierrepont, 2015-2020

2015-19 SPECIES 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 average Blue Tit 4.1 2.3 2.1 5 6.6 2.6 3.8 Great Tit 1.5 1.3 1.1 2.9 2.9 1.8 1.9 Long-tailed Tit 3.5 4.2 2.3 4.5 3.2 1.5 3.5 Chiffchaff 5.7 6.3 3.7 4.5 8.4 12.2 5.7 Willow Warbler 4.1 2 2.8 3.2 3.3 4.0 3.1 Blackcap 15.1 10.6 16 14.6 15.6 12.3 14.4 Garden Warbler 2.5 1.4 3.1 4.2 2 2.4 2.6 Lesser Whitethroat 0.9 1.4 0.8 1.1 0.6 0.7 1.0 Whitethroat 3.2 2.3 4.9 2.7 2.8 2.1 3.2 Sedge Warbler 1.2 0.5 0.4 1.5 1.1 0.1 0.9 Reed Warbler 5.7 8.6 9.2 13.2 10.5 7.6 9.4 Wren 2.5 2.6 2.8 2.3 3.2 1.8 2.7 Blackbird 1.6 1.1 1.8 1.1 1 0.6 1.3 Song Thrush 0.5 0.4 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.4 0.6 Robin 3.7 3.6 2.9 1.9 2.3 3.0 2.9 Dunnock 2.3 2.6 1.9 1.1 1.8 1.9 1.9 Chaffinch 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 Bullfinch 0.9 1.4 3.3 1.7 1.4 1.2 1.7 Reed Bunting 1.7 2.4 1.4 1.5 2.1 1.3 1.8 NB Species’ current UK conservation status (red/amber/green listed) indicated by name cell colour.

25 Ramsdale Park Golf Centre, Calverton – Kev Hemsley Operations continued at Ramsdale and we made 9 visits in 2020, one more than in 2019. Overall, numbers were up on last year, but this was mainly due to increased effort in early November as we targeted Lesser Redpoll that were passing through Notts in large numbers. Otherwise numbers were similar to last year, with only the tit species showing declines, reflecting the poor breeding season they had this year compared to last. Warbler numbers were generally similar to 2019 apart from another large increase in Chiffchaff (up 88%) nearly back to the 2015 level. Table 6 shows the number of individuals caught at the site. Three warblers ringed in previous years were recaptured during 2020, one from 2018 and two from 2019. Two Lesser Redpolls ringed elsewhere were caught at Ramsdale in 2020. One from Lincolnshire and one from South Yorkshire (see Recoveries on p56). Table 6: Total number of individuals caught at Ramsdale Park Golf Centre, 2015-20 SPECIES 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Sparrowhawk - - 1 - - 3 Swallow 1 - - - - - Tree Pipit 1 - - - 1 - Pied Wagtail - 1 - - - - Wren 19 20 16 9 15 12 Dunnock 18 16 15 9 9 10 Robin 19 23 13 10 19 22 Blackbird 27 26 16 6 17 17 Song Thrush - 2 5 4 4 1

26 SPECIES 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Redwing - 12 10 32 48 44 Reed Warbler - 1 - - 1 - Lesser Whitethroat 5 3 2 3 1 4 Whitethroat 32 26 9 12 11 12 Garden Warbler 23 11 4 8 8 3 Blackcap 152 71 56 78 58 53 Chiffchaff 118 53 54 28 49 92 Willow Warbler 36 30 1 17 16 12 Goldcrest 4 1 6 5 9 7 Spotted Flycatcher - - - - - 1 Long-tailed Tit 13 2 24 10 18 6 Coal Tit 4 3 1 - 1 - Blue Tit 32 18 18 24 65 39 Great Tit 6 8 9 19 20 11 Treecreeper - 1 - 1 2 1 Jay - 1 1 1 - - Magpie - - - - 1 - Chaffinch 3 3 - 1 1 2 Greenfinch 10 2 4 7 4 - Goldfinch 25 1 11 4 - 30 Siskin 3 - - - - - Linnet 14 16 7 8 6 8 Lesser Redpoll 22 - 2 6 - 134 Bullfinch 22 31 31 7 10 12 Reed Bunting - - 1 - - - TOTALS 609 382 317 309 394 536 NB Species’ current UK conservation status (red/amber/green listed) indicated by name cell colour.

27 Ramsdale Park Golf Centre – net ride (K. Hemsley)

28 Nest boxes Jim Lennon The group monitors more than 500 large nest boxes in south Nottinghamshire and adjacent counties (mainly for Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, Little Owl and Kestrel). This report covers those in Nottinghamshire (c.350). Most of these boxes are made by the group, with support from the land users. We began putting up boxes in earnest in the early noughties, and data for the last decade or so are roughly comparable. 2020 was the poorest year for ringing owl and Kestrel pulli since the turn of the millennium. It would seem that the main reason was the exceptionally wet preceding winter and the resultant flooding, which not only impeded hunting, but also reduced the main food sources (voles and mice) come the breeding season. In 2019, virtually all occupied boxes had prey cached, but in 2020 only a handful of prey items were found in all boxes combined. Barn Owl, Harby, 19 September 2020 (P. Leonard)

29 Some boxes (mainly those for Tawny Owls) were not checked at all due to pandemic restrictions and others were checked rather late in the season after the lockdown was lifted. It should be noted that the effort put into ringing Stock Doves and Jackdaws is not consistent. Kestrel The lowest number of pulli ringed (25) since 2003. Only eight broods ringed, with an average clutch size of three. Stock Dove The number of Stock Dove pulli ringed (33) was a record total for the group. The Covid- delayed visits to many Tawny and Barn Owl boxes perhaps resulted in more ‘ringable’ young being encountered and the low owl occupancy presumably provided more opportunities for the doves. Barn Owl There were low occupancy levels and signs of pairs either having abandoned their eggs or suspected of eating them in response to a lack of prey. Only 24 pulli were ringed, our lowest total since 2002. Average brood size ringed was two, with chicks underweight and little or no prey cached. Little Owl Only a small number of boxes are occupied by this species, but there was one failure due to bees.

30 Tawny Owl Albeit our lowest number of pulli (11) ringed since 2002. The pandemic restrictions impacted on this total as first monitoring visits were abandoned or delayed by the lockdown. We found several boxes where chicks had probably fledged or ‘branched’. Mainly single chicks were ringed, but it is possible that siblings could have already fledged. Delayed visits also meant no breeding adults were processed. Jackdaw There’s an inverse relationship with the number of owls we ring and Jackdaws ringed. In good owl years there are fewer opportunities for the Jackdaws.

Table 7: Number of chicks ringed in selected large nest boxes in south Nottinghamshire, 2000-2020

SPECIES

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Kestrel 0 12 16 10 58 59 40 93 47 100 49 65 55 51 92 39 74 43 42 43 25 Stock Dove 0 11 17 14 2 7 14 12 12 15 22 11 13 22 14 22 11 8 31 26 33 Barn Owl 4 9 16 36 27 25 33 84 54 88 59 87 85 36 156 24 72 87 52 109 24 Little Owl 0 0 4 2 15 2 0 11 5 8 5 12 9 6 14 3 2 9 3 8 2 Tawny Owl 3 5 11 12 33 25 18 33 22 31 26 39 29 19 54 18 21 29 21 34 11 Jackdaw 0 0 3 5 10 16 16 7 2 20 9 13 16 21 8 11 6 2 0 8 9 TOTALS 7 37 67 79 145 134 121 240 142 262 170 227 207 155 338 117 186 178 149 228 102 NB Species’ current UK conservation status (red/amber/green listed) indicated by name cell colour.

31 Nest boxes on NWT nature reserves Below are details of how the non-passerine boxes were used in 2020 and Table 8 gives the history of each box. ATTENBOROUGH – Both the Tawny Owl boxes on the Delta were occupied by Stock Doves. The large pole box near Tween Pond may have been used early by Egyptian Geese again but the box is now in poor condition. The Kestrel box on the same pole was occupied by Kestrels but they failed to hatch the 3 eggs it contained. BEACON HILL – Two Jackdaw pulli were ringed in the Tawny Owl box and the Kestrel box was empty. BESTHORPE – The Barn Owl box near Mons Pool had Stock Doves and 2 pulli were ringed. The Barn Owl box at the Meering had cold Stock Dove eggs and the Tawny Owl box was empty. BUNNY WOOD – Not checked. DUKE’S WOOD – The eastern Tawny Owl box had 2 cold Tawny Owl eggs, and in the western box 1 Stock Dove pullus was ringed.

32 EAKRING MEADOWS (Penny Pasture) – Nest box empty. FARNDON WILLOW HOLT – The Tawny Owl box contained 2 large Stock Dove chicks. The Barn Owl box in the Withies had a single roosting Barn Owls on two visits, one of which had been ringed as chick at Newark sewage works. The Kestrel box was empty. FOXCOVERT PLANTATION – Signs that Tawny Owl chick(s) had already fledged. GIRTON GRASSLANDS – 2 cold Stock Dove eggs. Bizarrely, a Barn Owl was sat in the box entrance on approach. PLOUGHMAN WOOD – Both Tawny Owl boxes had Stock Doves breeding and 2 pulli were ringed in each. SKYLARKS – Not checked. STAUNTON QUARRY – Box and was replaced in December by the group.

33 Table 8: Summary of activity in large nest boxes on NWT reserves, 2002-2020 Target Nature reserve BOX 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Sp. site: T Attenborough 437 NE NE T NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE NE SQ BD S SQ NE S

T Attenborough 435 T NE NE NE NE NE T NE NE NE NE BD NE T NE T SQ S S

K Attenborough 645 NE NE K

EG/ BBOP EG? B Attenborough K K K ? K K K EG EG K

K Beacon Hill 565 NE NE NE K K K K NE K NE

T Beacon Hill 566 NE SQ SQ SQ S NE NE T T J

B Besthorpe 508 B B B B B W B NE B SQ B SQ S

T Besthorpe 524 T J SQ S S J NE S T S NE

B Besthorpe 525 S B B B S S NE2 B NE ? S

T Bunny Old Wood 333 NE T T T T T NE T T T NE SQ T SQ NE NE NE T NC

T Duke's Wood 401 T T T T T T BD SQ T T NE NE T T T T T

T Duke's Wood 402 NE SQ SQ SQ T T T T SQ SQ T S T T T NE S

34 Target Nature reserve BOX 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Sp. site: Eakring B 390 S S B B B B B B B B NE B B B NE ? NE NE Meadows Farndon Willow T 409 NE NE B NE S T S SQ S T S S BD S Holt Farndon Willow B 558 S S SQ B ? NE S B B S S Holt Farndon Willow B 492 B B B B SQ T NE NE NE T NE S B Holt Farndon Willow K 493 NE K NE NE NE S NE NE NE NE NE NE NE Holt Foxcovert T 432 T NE T NE NE SQ SQ SQ SQ SQ S SQ BD T Plantation Girton B 563 T S J NE B NE S Grasslands Ploughman’s T 428 NE NE NE NE NE SQ NE SQ SQ SQ SQ SQ SQ ? T S Wood Ploughman’s T 665 S Wood T Skylarks 438 NE NE NE T T NE NE NE NE NE BD S ? S NC

T Staunton Quarry 404 T NE NE NE NE T T T SQ S S S T NE T T NE

35 Notes & key for Table 8 This table does not include details of breeding success, just the species that used the box. Target species are colour-coded (see below). Cells shaded grey indicates that box had not yet been put up or is down. 1 Box moved to Girton Grasslands 2 Box closed due to works

B - Barn Owl K - Kestrel W - wasps BD - box down NE - nestbox empty ? - not known EG - Egyptian Goose S - Stock Dove - box not present G - Great Tit SQ - squirrel J - Jackdaw T - Tawny Owl

36 Winter sites This section deals with the winter of 2019-2020. This was another mild and wet winter, with extensive flooding at times. Feeding stations were operated on land owned by Nottingham University at Sutton Bonington and at Nottingham Trent University’s Brackenhurst Campus, near Southwell. Sutton Bonington – Kev Hemsley This was the fifth winter we operated at this site which is on land adjacent to the Sutton Bonington campus. The site was again baited from mid-October and operated until 22nd March. The feeders were situated in the copse again for this season. Table 9 below shows the number of individuals caught at the site in each winter season. This winter produced a higher total catch than the previous winter but this was mainly due to the numbers of Redwing around until just after Christmas. There appeared to be a bigger influx of Redwing into Nottinghamshire this autumn than in previous years. We also experienced issues with large amounts seed being consumed by feral pigeons which we eventually managed to deter late in the season by modifying the wooden seed hoppers. It was also a challenging winter to carry out mist netting operations because of the frequent windy conditions and extreme rainfall. Furthermore, operations were brought to a premature end on 22 March, the day before Coronavirus lockdown commenced.

37 Notable increases were recorded for Blue Tit (again), Great Tit and Long-tailed Tit, all of which seem to have had good breeding seasons in 2019. It was good to see Greenfinch numbers rise significantly as well. Blackbird numbers were back down to usual levels and falls were noted for Chaffinch and Reed Bunting. The surprising catch of 7 Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a Green Woodpecker the previous winter was not repeated, with just 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker trapped.

Table 9: Total number of individual birds processed at Sutton Bonington during the winter seasons of 2015/2016 to 2019/2020

SPECIES 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 Sparrowhawk - - - - 1 Green Woodpecker - - - 1 - Great Spotted Woodpecker - - 2 7 1 Jay - - 1 - - Jackdaw - - - 1 - Carrion Crow - - - 1 - Woodpigeon - - 3 3 2 Goldcrest 2 4 3 1 - Blue Tit 29 18 37 61 80 Great Tit 11 17 15 19 30 Coal Tit - - 1 2 2 Long-tailed Tit 14 11 20 10 31 Chiffchaff - 1 - - -

38 SPECIES 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20 Wren 7 4 1 1 3 Starling - - 2 - - Blackbird 5 8 8 13 8 Fieldfare - 1 6 - 3 Song Thrush 3 2 1 1 - Redwing 7 2 16 9 98 Robin 7 13 14 17 12 Dunnock 17 14 15 8 9 House Sparrow - 2 5 19 17 Meadow Pipit - - - 9 - Grey Wagtail 3 - - - - Chaffinch 16 23 54 36 28 Brambling - - 1 - - Greenfinch 39 4 6 16 46 Goldfinch 78 49 6 4 2 Linnet 1 - - 5 - Lesser Redpoll 13 1 2 7 2 Bullfinch 1 - - - 1 Hawfinch - - 1 - - Yellowhammer 29 28 103 32 29 Reed Bunting 26 13 27 21 10 TOTALS 308 216 350 304 415 NB Species’ current UK conservation status (red/amber/green listed) indicated by name cell colour.

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Brackenhurst Campus – Jim Lennon There are several aims at Brackenhurst. We support farmland birds (mainly buntings) through supplementary, feeding particularly in the hunger months of late winter / early spring. We also run demonstrations for the NTU students and they get their own data for analysis (mainly Yellowhammer). Winter 2019/20 was our poorest ever at Brackenhurst in terms of the number of birds processed. Our last ringing session was in early March, just prior to the Covid lockdown. Before Christmas, catches are typically dominated by tit species and in late winter by buntings. So, this early finish skewed the overall figures (see Table 10), making it difficult to draw firm conclusions. However, it would appear that the tits had at least an average season and the buntings much less so. Table 10 lists the total number of captures per season for selected species. The date limits are 1 October to 1 May and only birds trapped at the feeding station or in Orwin’s are included. As can be seen in Table 10, the Tree Sparrow population appears to have vanished – though such sudden disappearances are known to happen periodically with this species and the reasons remain poorly understood. The Fringilla papillomavirus remains prevalent in the local Chaffinch population and we suspended ringing them on welfare grounds which has had a significant impact on our total for this species.

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Due to the pandemic, only one ringing demonstration was held for groups of students taking environmental courses. Table 10: Total number of captures of selected species during winter seasons at Nottingham Trent University’s Brackenhurst Campus, near Southwell from 2007-2020

07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

------SPECIES 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Blue Tit 48 38 40 79 - 69 76 51 27 31 88 29 74 Great Tit 65 57 50 97 - 111 118 67 39 37 109 50 52 Willow Tit 1 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Marsh Tit 6 12 5 5 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Long-tailed Tit 5 19 22 21 - 36 31 41 13 5 9 11 6 Wren 1 11 5 2 - 3 4 5 4 1 2 3 2 Blackbird 19 30 40 22 - 41 7 34 7 15 41 13 11 Redwing 0 4 0 11 - 1 25 25 11 11 22 2 45 Robin 3 20 25 52 - 31 21 28 18 32 33 18 20 Dunnock 9 44 31 80 - 25 38 18 21 14 28 21 7 House Sparrow 0 0 0 4 - 12 6 3 0 11 6 18 8 Tree Sparrow 7 40 8 14 - 27 18 25 2 1 1 0 0 Chaffinch 57 56 40 80 - 85 100 48 45 32 79 32 5 Brambling 0 0 0 1 - 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 Greenfinch 3 1 0 1 - 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Goldfinch 0 7 1 6 - 0 4 7 4 1 4 0 2 Bullfinch 0 0 1 1 - 2 1 3 3 0 2 0 3 Yellowhammer 172 275 196 327 - 134 204 96 65 171 280 234 40 Reed Bunting 7 19 8 17 - 3 0 0 2 5 37 21 4 TOTALS 409 637 470 837 - 583 672 512 288 381 789 476 297

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Garden ringing at Sibthorpe in 2020 Jim Lennon During the first ‘lockdown’ the only place in licenced bird ringers could ring was within their own curtilage (garden). This and the fine spring and summer gave me more time and opportunity to ring here in my garden at Sibthorpe. At the BTO’s behest, I also tried running a Constant Effort Site (CES) here. More information about CES ringing is on their website. Normally, it’s done in reedbeds, scrub or woodland, but with a ringers stuck at home, it was a chance to try it out in gardens. One notable difference to a standard CES was that you could continue to put out bird food. The overall ringing totals for the year are in Table 11, and these are presented beside the data from CES sessions. A few thoughts on the year:  In terms of habitat, Sibthorpe is an island of gardens surrounded by predominately arable fields, so it is perhaps no surprise that migrants occasionally turn up in the nets. Although Lesser Redpoll might be expected, a Black Redstart was a very pleasant surprise at first light on Easter Sunday. Less than 50 are ringed most years in Britain and Ireland.  Recapture rates show a clear difference between sedentary species (tits, Dunnock, Robin, House Sparrow) and the more mobile (Goldfinch, Greenfinch).

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 In May/June the lawns were rock-hard with the drought-like weather. Our soft lawn (courtesy of the septic tank) and bird food attracted most the village’s blackbirds as they searched for food for their nestlings. More than 40 adults were processed in May and June.  Walk-in traps, baited with seed, fatballs and/or apples, proved very effective too with 104 birds captures (mainly Starling and Blackbird).

Table 11: Total number of captures in Sibthorpe (including CES sessions) in 2020

2020 grand totals 2020 CES totals

retrap retrap total SPECIES new (subsequent new (subsequent processed encounter) encounter) Kestrel 1 1 1 Collared Dove 1 1 Goldcrest 1 1 Blue Tit 22 23 45 10 9 Great Tit 10 5 15 4 5 Long-tailed Tit 15 15 Chiffchaff 2 2 1 Blackcap 1 1 1 Whitethroat 5 5 5 Wren 7 1 8 3

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2020 grand totals 2020 CES totals

retrap retrap total SPECIES new (subsequent new (subsequent processed encounter) encounter) Starling 85 5 90 23 2 Blackbird 34 48 82 13 17 Redwing 1 1 Robin 7 12 19 4 5 Black Redstart 1 1 Dunnock 28 57 85 8 17 House Sparrow 155 66 221 117 27 Chaffinch 8 8 4 Greenfinch 42 6 48 25 4 Goldfinch 47 11 58 13 6 Lesser Redpoll 1 1 Reed Bunting 2 2 1 Grand Total 476 234 710 233 92

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Recoveries & Controls The following records are those that were received by the group during the calendar year of 2020. If records mentioned elsewhere in the report are not included it is usually because details were received during a different year and details will be in that report.

The codes used are as follows: Age/sex codes Recovery codes 1 pullus (chick/nestling) =F female 2 fully grown, age unknown =M male 3J born in current calendar year, still R caught and released by ringer in juvenile plumage RR alive and healthy, ring read in field by ringer 3 born in current calendar year S sick or injured, not known to have been released 4 born before current calendar year VV alive, probably healthy, ring read by non-ringer 5 born in previous calendar year X found dead 6 born before previous calendar year XF found freshly dead or dying 7 born two calendar years ago XL found dead (not recent) 8 born more than two calendar years ago M male F female

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Cormorant 5268881 1 27/04/16 Attenborough Nat. Res. Notts. VV 22/11/19 Loch Insh, Highland. 498km, 1304 days. VV 24/03/20 Loch Insh, Highland. 498km, 1427 days.

5268887 1 18/08/16 Attenborough Nat. Res. Notts. VV 04/12/16 Little Baddow Bridge Pit, Essex. 176km, 108 days. VV 13/12/16 near Boreham, Essex. 176km, 117 days. VV 05/01/19 Dungeness RSPB Reserve, Kent. 266km, 870 days. VV 31/07/19 Hoylake Shore, Wirral, Merseyside. 142km, 1077 days. VV 21/02/20 Havergate Island N.R., Suffolk. 207km, 1282 days. VV 26/08/20 between Rhyl and Rhuddlan, Conwy, Wales. 158km, 1469 days.

5280307 1 09/05/18 Attenborough Nat. Res. Notts. VV 08/08/18 Rutland Water, Rutland. 45km, 91 days. VV 13/05/20 Holme Pierrepont, Notts. 13km, 735 days. VV 15/11/20 Minsmere RSPB Reserve, Suffolk. 206km, 921 days.

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5268899 1 18/04/18 Attenborough Nat. Res. Notts. VV 03/10/18 Cattawade, Essex. 188km, 168 days. VV 17/10/18 Cattawade, Essex. 188km, 182 days. VV 18/04/19 Havergate Island N.R., Suffolk. 208km, 365 days. VV 21/06/19 Cattawade, Essex. 188km, 429 days. VV 17/11/19 Havergate Island N.R., Suffolk. 208km, 578 days. VV 11/02/20 River Stour, Manningtree, Essex. 188km, 644 days. VV 21/02/20 Havergate Island N.R., Suffolk. 208km, 674 days VV 04/11/20 Havergate Island N.R., Suffolk. 208km, 931 days.

Despite not ringing any Cormorant pulli in 2020, we continue to receive re-sightings of our colour-ringed birds from Attenborough NR and we are getting amazing individual life histories. 5268881 to the Cairngorms is easily our furthest movement. 5268887 is in East Anglia in the winter and Merseyside late summer, which suggests it’s breeding in the east. Two birds are regulars at RSPB Havergate Island NR winter roost which numbers several thousand Cormorants (see Fig. 1).

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Fig 1: Cormorant movements reported during 2020

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Kestrel EA34527 1 16/06/20 Brackenhurst. Notts. XF 30/08/20 Heathrow Airport, Greater . 181km, 75 days.

EW74234 1 16/06/11 Kinoulton. Notts. XF 11/09/20 between, Thrussington & Hoby, Leicestershire. 15km, 3375 days.

Late fledging females are more likely to disperse further afield in poor prey years, and EA34527 illustrates this on both counts. This can be driven by poor food supply, which was the case in 2020 due to severe winter flooding. Even so, this is well beyond the median of 50km for chick dispersal in their first winter. For more on this recovery, see here. EW74234 is a more typical movement, but at 9 years old made a good age. The longevity record for Britain is nearly 16 years.

Black-headed Gull 6H2389 8F 19/03/08 Svanemollebugton, Copenhagen, Denmark. RR 15/12/19 Trent Bridge, Nottingham. 942km, 4288 days.

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6J7359 8M 31/03/18 Svanemollebugton, Copenhagen, Denmark. RR 13/02/20 Attenborough Nat. Res. Notts. 949km, 684 days.

6J4237 1 09/06/13 Hirsholm, Frederikshavn, Nordjyllands Amt, Denmark. RR 21/02/20 Trent Bridge, Nottingham. 901km, 2448 days.

6J5298 6 29/03/16 Damhussoen, Sydost, Kobenhavn, Denmark. RR 21/02/20 Trent Bridge, Nottingham. 935km, 1424 days.

FN36630 6 26/02/19 Gdansk-Brzezno, Pomorskie, Poland. RR 15/12/19 Trent Bridge, Nottingham. 1312km, 292 days. RR 21/02/20 Trent Bridge, Nottingham. 1312km, 360 days.

K11905 3 10/08/19 Frognerkilen, Akershus (Oslo included), Norway. RR 13/11/20 Trent Bridge, Nottingham. 1062km, 461 days.

3729818 1 05/12/11 Benthuizerplas, Zoetermeer, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands.

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RR 20/12/20 Stoke Bardolph Sewage Works, Nottingham. 390km, 3486 days.

EP23338 1 29/05/19 Attenborough Nat. Res, Notts. RR 31/10/19 to The Lough, Cork City, Cork, Ireland. 506km, 261 16/02/2020 days.

Group member, Tom Shields, has been busy spotting colour-ringed Black-headed Gulls around Trent Bridge, Nottingham. They show how continental breeders move west to winter in Britain. Another interesting sighting is of an Attenborough chick having its ring read in Cork, by a local ring-reading specialist.

Common Gull 5164438 1 08/07/16 Hovag skole, Lillesand, Aust-Agder, Norway. VV 21/02/20 Trent Bridge, Nottingham. 826km, 1323 days.

A movement typical of Scandinavian, Baltic & western Russian birds moving south-west to winter in Britain.

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Barn Owl GV51441 1 20/07/19 Devon Farm, near , Notts. XL 11/05/20 Steppingley, Bedfordshire. 115km, 296 days.

GV25629 1 05/06/19 Sewerage Works, Newark-on-Trent, Notts RF 21/06/20 Meadow Farm, Kirklington, Notts. 12 km, 382 days.

GV25630 1 05/06/19 Sewerage Works, Newark-on-Trent, Notts RM 22/06/20 Averham Park, Notts. 5 km, 383 days.

GV25641 1 05/06/19 Sewerage Works, Newark-on-Trent, Notts RF 04/09/20 Farndon Willow NR, Newark-on-Trent, Notts. 5 km, 461 days.

Most juvenile Barn Owl recoveries are less than 20 km, and they stay loyal to their natal area, but to find three owls from the same brood is almost unique. GV51441 was the exception to this rule.

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Tawny Owl GR46997 1 03/05/19 Holme Pierrepont, Notts. S 11/06/20 near Clipstone, Notts. 21km, 405 days.

Young Tawny Owls usually establish a breeding territory within 4 km (median) of their natal site, but it seems that they do not breed until they are two years old. Either way, movements of more than 20 km are uncommon and usually made by juveniles.

Sedge Warbler ACB3102 3J 17/07/19 Hazelford Island, Notts. R 12/08/19 PK21, Sandouville, Seine-Maritime, France. 404km, 26 days.

A quick movement of a Sedge Warbler making its first journey to western Africa for the winter.

Reed Warbler ACK9612 3 21/09/19 Titchfield Haven NNR, Hampshire. R=F 22/07/20 Holme Pierrepont, Notts. 236km, 305 days.

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S583371 3J 13/08/17 Holme Pierrepont, Notts R 30/07/20 Pitsford Reservoir, Northamptonshire. 69km, 1082 days.

ABF1554 3J 19/08/20 Holme Pierrepont, Notts. R 02/09/20 Southrop Manor Estate, Gloucestershire. 140km, 14 days.

ACB4584 3J 25/08/19 Holme Pierrepont, Notts. R 31/08/20 Baden Down Farm, Wiltshire. 191km, 372 days.

Three of these recoveries reaffirm Reed Warbler autumn passage route to their wintering grounds, whereas S583371 may still have been on its breeding territory.

Blackcap ABF1887 3M 16/09/20 Holme Pierrepont, Notts. XF 13/10/20 Folkingham, Sleaford, Lincolnshire. 44km, 27 days.

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Chiffchaff JXE350 3 17/09/20 near Bestwood, Notts. R 28/09/20 Hayling Golf Course, Hayling Island, Hampshire. 251km, 11 days.

JXE734 3 31/08/20 Ramsdale Park Golf Centre, Calverton, Notts. R 07/10/20 Dourges, Pas-de-Calais, France. 401km, 37 days.

Long-tailed Tit JXD936 2 14/11/18 Mapperley Wood, near Ilkeston, Derbys. R 18/11/20 Woodhouse, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. 41km, 704 days.

Coal Tit D671884 3 12/09/20 Top Scrub, Filey Brigg Country Park, North Yorkshire. R 28/09/20 Holme Pierrepont, Notts. 153km, 16 days.

The Group rings less than 10 Coal Tits most years, but probably more in winters when there’s a shortage of food (e.g. the beech mast crop has failed). Conversely, abundant beech mast on the continent can cause eruptions that result in birds crossing the Channel. As this

55 juvenile bird was ringed on the coast, one might wonder about its origins. A movement of 153 km is exceptional for this species.

Blue Tit ACB4993 3M 10/11/19 Sutton Bonington, Notts. R 07/03/20 Charnwood Lodge, Oaks in Charnwood, Leics. 12km, 118 days.

Starling LK46207 3J 27/05/20 , Notts. X 06/11/20 Moss, Doncaster, South Yorkshire. 66km, 163 days.

The median first winter dispersal distance for Starling is 20 km. So this Starling travelled a fair way before being predated by a cat!

Lesser Redpoll ABE5446 3 07/11/20 Thornton, Leicestershire. R 02/12/20 near Bestwood, Notts. 44km, 25 days.

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ABF2048 3 28/09/20 Holme Pierrepont, Notts. R=M 19/10/20 Sandwich Bay Estate, Kent. 251km, 21 days.

ABF2153 3 06/10/20 Holme Pierrepont, Notts. R 16/10/20 Keyhaven Marshes, Hampshire. 249km, 10 days.

ABF2704 2 20/11/20 near Bestwood, Notts. R=3 20/12/20 Blackburn Meadows N.R, Rotherham, South Yorkshire. 44km, 30 days

ACB5297 3 08/10/20 near Bestwood, Notts. R=M 07/11/20 Thorpe Marsh, South Yorkshire. 58km, 30 days.

ALP1490 3M 02/10/20 Thorpe Marsh, South Yorkshire. R 20/11/20 near Bestwood, Notts. 58km, 49 days.

AHP1048 3 22/09/20 Smallfield, South Yorkshire. R 28/09/20 Holme Pierrepont, Notts. 68km, 6 days.

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AJL8003 4M 30/10/20 Marston Sewage Works, Lincolnshire. R 04/11/20 Ramsdale Park Golf Centre, Calverton, Notts. 30km, 5 days.

AJN7675 3 28/09/20 Anglers Country Park, Wakefield, West Yorkshire. R 16/10/20 Holme Pierrepont, Notts. 82km, 18 days.

AJN7787 3 28/09/20 Anglers Country Park, Wakefield, West Yorkshire. R 15/12/20 near Bestwood, Notts. 68km, 72 days.

AKP7143 3 10/10/20 Hatfield Moor, South Yorkshire. R 16/10/20 Holme Pierrepont, Notts. 70km, 6 days.

AYP9631 4M 03/11/20 Hatfield Moor, South Yorkshire. R 04/11/20 Ramsdale Park Golf Centre, Calverton, Notts. 59km, 1 day.

AZK6563 3J 08/08/20 Howgill, RSPB Geltsdale, Cumbria. R 02/12/20 near Bestwood, Notts. 227km, 116 days.

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S458903 3 16/09/20 Brockholes Quarry, Lancashire. R 02/12/20 near Bestwood, Notts. 126km, 77 days.

It’s been an exceptional year for ringing and getting controls of Lesser Redpoll. In ‘eruption’ autumns many more move further south either due large populations and/or food shortages. These recoveries reflect this well and also how rapidly these birds can move (see Fig. 2).

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Fig 2: Lesser Redpoll movements reported during 2020

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Tawny Owl chick ‘branching’, Vale of Belvoir, 31 May 2020 (D. King)

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