We
went Nightjar ringing last night (06/07). Ian had been out with the NDOC the
night before looking for them on Sandleford Heath where we intended to go. The
Nightjars had not appeared until around 22:00 and then only briefly. With this
knowledge we decided to visit Brackenhurst Heath instead. Meeting at the Pyle
Hill Car park at 20:30hrs we made contact with a group of birders from south
Oxfordshire who had come to look for them on Sandleford Heath so we were glad to
have change venue. We drove round to Brackenhurst and I took the Xtrail on to
the heath, down a narrow track for about 500metres (mistake number 1: I forgot
to turn the car in daylight). Out on the open heath we set two 12metre nets in an open L with
players placed on the ground at the junction of the nets. As it was still
only 21:00 we tried for Tree Pipit, playing the contact call. One responded
but we must have been outside the margins of its territory because it positioned
itself in and around three firs to the south west of the nets and there it
stayed. As the bird was reacting we stopped the calls after
10minutes and switched to Woodcock. Ian had seen one fly west just after we
arrived. For the next half hour or so no sign of them. At 09:45 having heard churring
from over the way we switch to Nightjar and go an immediate reaction from a
male that flew around the firs where the pipit had been. It then flew out on to
the heath over and around the nets that it could obviously see. It occasionally
settled and churred. After 10 minutes the calls were turned off, the male still
flying in and around the nets. We then went on to repeat 10 minutes on 5 minutes
off with the same result, on one occasion he perched on the top of one of the
net polls. We even tried a white-ish net bag in the middle and top shelf of the
net. Meanwhile the birders we had met in the car park on hearing our audio had zoned it on it arriving nearby, so we had an audience; they departed at about 22:00 having had excellent views. As hope began to fade two roding Woodcock flew east to west. It was getting
darker so we decided to turn on one more time before packing up. By now it was
22:15 and I was just about to go and turn the audio off when the male flew into
the second shelf; result and one happy Gina who just kept saying awesome as she
ringed and processed it. In the darkness a few difficult to get photos taken and then release back
into the wild.
Nets down, checked everyone had the same equipment they had
taken out and back to the Xtrail. Now I needed to turn the car, it was very dark and trees jumping out all round A four point turn and back up the track. Mistake two: I
missed the turning to the gate. Stopped the car just before the dragons teeth, passengers
out to see me back, tree jumping into my path causing sharp braking. Eventually
centred the mirror on Simon and reversed back to the track
junction. Up to the gate, now open, and round back to the Pyle Hill car park, where
the south Oxfordshire party had just arrived after leaving just before we
captured the Nightjar. Their return journey had been much more successful as
they had seen several birds where they had drawn a blank before, a chat, an exchange
of contact numbers and home just after 23:00. Thanks to IW, GB, SC for their help
Nest
Box Checking
This
morning I bit the bullet and checked my nest boxes on Greenham Common for final
outcome. It is a need to do but I hate it because I always get badly bitten by
bird parasites now very hungry after the occupants have fledged. They can’t do
any major harm, just a few insect type bites that irritate for an hour or so. A
couple of time I have had so many I felt very fluey for a day or so and am very wary of doing the checks. I normally leave it until after the
first frost, usually late October when many of the parasites have been killed
off also bumblebee, wasp and hornet nests will have died but October is a bit late really. In 2017 13 of the 32
boxes were occupied here so the task didn’t take long though it was a bit hot
lugging a ladder through head height bracken. All boxes had fledged and two
boxes had remains of 5 of 11 and 3 of 7 chicks in them.
Only
about three bites on each arm and one on my neck so not too bad;
Just 74 boxes
left to check!
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