The BTO Magazine for Ringers and Nest Recorders LIFECYCLE SPRING 2018 ISSUE 7 BREEDING SEASON RESULTS CORN BUNTINGS MONITORING SWALLOWS TREE SPARROWS Monitoring for RAS EDITORIAL | Editorial and Contents Editorial ISSUE 7 SPRING 2018 LIFECYCLE THE BTO MAGAZINE FOR RINGERS AND NEST RECORDERS The BTO Magazine for Ringers and Nest Recorders Welcome to the latest edition of LifeCycle. Spring finally LIFECYCLE SPRING 2018 ISSUE 7 The Ringing and Nest Record schemes BREEDING SEASON RESULTS CORN BUNTINGS MONITORING SWALLOWS arrived here in Norfolk, after what felt like a very long TREE SPARROWS are funded by a partnership of the Monitoring for RAS winter, but the cold weather of a couple of months ago BTO and the JNCC on behalf of the seemed to delay the start of the breeding season. Many statutory nature conservation bodies birds appeared to be late laying this year, which contrasts (Natural England, Natural Resources sharply with the early season in 2017. As usual, this Wales, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Department of Agriculture, Environment issue contains the breeding season results from last year, and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland). produced from the NRS, CES and RAS data that you Ringing is also funded by The National work so hard to collect each year – our sincere thanks to Parks and Wildlife Service (Ireland) everyone for their contributions to the schemes. Thanks are also due to all of and the ringers themselves. The BTO you who have taken the plunge and embraced DemOn so enthusiastically; supports ringing and nest recording for scientific purposes and is licensed by the to date over 1,400 ringers and nest recorders have logged onto the system. statutory nature conservation bodies to The article on page 30 sets out the NRS functionality now available. We permit bird ringing and some aspects of have two articles this month that highlight the results you can achieve from nest recording. All activities described are systematic recording projects (page 11 and page 18) and another showing undertaken with appropriate licences and how a population recovery project can turn into a successful RAS. If you’ve following codes of conduct designed to ensure the welfare of birds and their nests ever considered being an NRS mentor, the article on page 15 should inspire is not adversely affected. you. And for anyone who has ever run a mile from the hornet in your nest box, the article on page 26 explains just how useful records of other taxa are CONTACT US The British Trust for Ornithology is a charity and how to submit them. dedicated to researching birds. For membership As always, we value your feedback on the magazine and content. If you details please contact: [email protected] would like to share your experiences and expertise by writing or contributing British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, to a future article, we would also love to hear from you. Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU Tel: (01842) 750050 Website: www.bto.org Ruth Walker & Carl Barimore Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Registered Charity no 216652 (England & Wales), IN THIS ISSUE . no SC039193 (Scotland) LIFECYCLE PRODUCTION News from ringing & nest recording ..................................... 3 LifeCycle is the biannual magazine of the BTO 2017: the earlier the better? .................................................... 4 Ringing and Nest Record schemes. It is freely available on the BTO website. First come, best served? ........................................................11 Articles in LifeCycle are written by ringers and nest Swallow survival: plugging a gap .........................................12 recorders, so please send ideas and contributions to the editors: Novice to mentor: a nester’s journey ................................. 15 Carl Barimore, NRS Organiser Email: [email protected] Living on the edge ................................................................. 18 Ruth Walker, Ringing Surveys Organiser Sowing seeds of a Tree Sparrow RAS ..................................20 Email: [email protected] Editors: What RIN do for the other 363 days .................................... 23 Carl Barimore, Ruth Walker, Richard Broughton and The Special Methods Technical Panel ................................. 25 Dave Leech. Layout, design, imagesetting and typesetting: What’s in the box? .................................................................26 Ruth Walker and Mike Toms. A better understanding of risk .............................................29 Printing: Swallowtail Print, Norwich. DemOnic nesting ...................................................................30 Copy dates: Are terraces a House Sparrows des res? ............................ 32 Spring edition – 31 December Autumn edition – 30 June ‘Aberrant’ moult: emerging trend? ......................................34 Thanks to the proof readers for all their efforts. Cover CES Ringing – the European way ........................................36 image: John Harding/BTO Publications ............................................................................38 The views expressed by the contributors to this magazine are not Noticeboard ............................................................................39 necessarily those of the Editors, the Monitoring priorities: Little Owl ..........................................40 Council of the BTO or its committees. Quotations should carry a full acknowledgement. © BTO 2018 2 – LIFECYCLE Spring 2018 Ringing & Nest Recording | NEWS NEWS FROM RINGING & NEST RECORDING barn owl how to make it specialist Nestboxes EASY-TO-USE RSPB RESERVES GUIDANCE CONSTRUCTIONWITH FlUsH RooF DIAGRAMS baRN oWl box the roof of an indoor NESTBOXES: YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE COMPLETE YOUR NESTBOXES: box does not need Nestboxes DestiNeD to be placeD BUILDING YOUR OWN NESTBOX AND WATCHING to overhang the A recent review of RSPB policy iNsiDe olD FaRM bUilDiNgs caN A PAIR OF BIRDS RAISE A SUCCESSFUL BROOD entrance hole. be less WateRpRooF aND stURDY concerningWILL BRING PLEASURE ringing TO THE WHOLE on FAMILY… reserves stressed tHaN oUtDooR boxes AND THIS BOOK PROVIDES ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET STARTED. WITH NESTBOXES the value of CES and RAS,A FORWARD but not of eNtRaNce positioN BY WILDLIFE TV place the 150mmm square entrance hole PRESENTER YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE high to stop chicks leaving prematurely. STEP-BY-STEP ILLUSTRATED INSTRUCTIONS FOR pullus ringing, leading to NICKpermissions BAKER CONSTRUCTING PROVEN NESTBOX DESIGNS BY DAVID CROMACK WITH A FOREWORD BY NICK BAKER PROFILES OF GARDEN BIRD SPECIES THAT cUttiNg teMplate being rescinded for some nest box 12mm exterior grade plywood REGULARLY USE NESTBOXES sheet size: 945mm x 2120mm projects.BOX DESIGNS This FOR LESS COMMON oversight GARDEN VISITORS has now been PRACTICAL ADVICE ON THE BEST POSITIONS corrected;FOR YOUR NESTBOXES if you wish to ring pulli on DAVID CROMACK BY 460 HOW TO PROTECT NESTING BIRDS FROM CATS FRoNt laNDiNg iNspectioN paNel platFoRM choose the location an RSPBAND OTHER PREDATORSreserve, please follow the glue wooden battens for an inspection panel to the edge to make the based on where the box guidelinesTHE BEST MATERIALS set AND out TOOLS TOin USE the ‘Ringing on platform more stable. will be placed indoors. TIPS ON REPAIRING AND PRESERVING NESTBOXES back 460 RSPBADVICE Reserves’ ON PROVIDING REFUGES article FOR HEDGEHOGS in Issue 3 (spring 600 RooF AND OTHER GARDEN ANIMALS 2016) of LifeCycle. siDe 600 The British Trust for Jacobi Jayne & Company Published by Ornithology (BTO) is an is Europe’s leading birdcare the British Trust for Ornithology independent charity that gathers specialist. Their professional- with the support of evidence of change in bird and grade nestboxes for wild birds BTO RESEARCH GRANTS Jacobi Jayne & Company. other wildlife populations. Used and mammals are found in 900 base widely by Government and other gardens, parks, woodlands organisations, the BTO’s long-term monitoring and public spaces. They are 250x400 600 platFoRM peRcH HiNge optioNs BTOdata sets theringers standard for understanding are the eligiblealso widely specifi ed by architects, to house- apply for a Young barn owls will Hinges on the side of effects of environmental change on Britain’s birds. builders and civil engineers. Find out more at appreciate a place where an inspection panel. Combining the work of professional research www.livingwithbirds.com. Jacobi Jayne is they can stretch out. BTOscientists, Researchecologists and 40,000 volunteer Grantalso the founding sponsorof of upNational Nest to Box £500. birdwatchers around the UK gives the BTO a Week. Organised by the BTO since 1997, this 485 460 Fix nails or screws into wooden battens previously glued into position. unique, impartial and knowledgeable voice in annual event raises awareness of the need to Grantsnature conservation. are Learn more awarded at www.bto.org. create more to nesting spacesprojects for British birds. focusing PRACTICAL EXPERT ADVICE AND IN-DEPTH SPECIES-BY-SPECIES PROFILES | | on all aspects of field ornithology, 118 nestboxes your complete guide nestboxes your complete guide NB_Covers_164001/002164.indd 1 09/02/2018 9:58 particularly those most relevant to NB_Specialist_108-129.indd 118 05/02/2018 16:38 the BTO’s core research activities. such as EURING numbers to enable us contact Nicholas Watts on: Preference is given to research carried to link to other schemes as required. For [email protected] out in Britain, Ireland and other those particularly interested, we will be parts