Wednesday morning in the park

Askam Park 16 February 2011. Present: JAF.

With the local kids safely locked up in the village school I was able to pass a couple of hours in the little park while waiting for the the engineer to come to service my gas boiler.

13 birds (11 new. retraps in brackets): Dunnock 2; Blackbird 2; Starling 3; House Sparrow 2; Greenfinch 1; Bullfinch 1 (+2).

A quiet corner of Askam village park. 

The mist net is set in front of the hedge on the far right.

Sparrowhawk Reduces Twite Catch

Present JS, RG, CG, and KH.

A beautiful day on Askam Pier promised so much. As we were setting up the Whoosh Net three Peregrines were flying above. One of the males made a food pass to a female whilst a first year male screamed at them.  The three then made off inland.The conditions were perfect and everything looked like the banner Photo. at the top of this blog. Within minutes the first catch produced 3 new birds 2 re-traps from this year and 1 from last year.  We were about to press the button for a second time on the Twite when a male Sparrowhawk attacked.  The Twite escaped and after hanging around for a minute or two the Sparrowhawk moved on.   This was the last we saw of the Twite for 4 hours. When they returned they stayed on the steep rough rocky side of the pier. 

This Years Colour Combination for the Duddon Estuary

Juvenile With Some Old Greater Coverts

Typical Wing Of  Known Adult 

Askam Twite Season off with a Whoosh!!!

Present KH,  RG, AM, JS

32 Twite caught with the first one processed being a Control  This bird had been caught 1 week earlier at Heysham Bird Observatory.If as most birds it had originated from NW Scotland it shows how mobile some birds are in winter.  3 others were re-traps with one being from 3 years earlier

Although the photograph below does not show it clearly this is an old slag bank. It sticks out into the Duddon Estuary.

Superb Twite Ringing Site (Lakeland Fells with First Winter Snow)

Askam Pits 24 October 2010

Present JAF
27 birds ringed, 25 new (retraps in brackets): Wren (1); Dunnock 1; Goldcrest 2; Coal Tit 4; Blue Tit 5 (+5); Great Tit 10; Treecreeper 1; Chaffinch 1.

The feeding station is in the willow scrub on the far side of the pond

Growth bars at Askam Park

Present ES, JAF; 8 August 2010
Just eight birds processed before the kids got up and start playing in the park.
Blackbird 3; Dunnock 1; Robin 1; Chaffinch 1; House Sparrow 2.

Here are more pictures of Askam Park

Emily has to watch her head as she rings a Blackbird under the tailgate of my X-trail

This juvenile House Sparrow displays a conspicuous growth bar in the tail. 

Evidently there was a period of curtailed growth - perhaps during heavy rain

Askam Park Sparrow Roost

Present: JAF, KH. 5 February 2010

There has long been a roost of House Sparrows inhabiting a hedge the runs along the back of a small recreational park in Askam-in-Furness. Today we thought we'd give it a try. We caught 4 sparrows, but have learned something from the trial. Birds ringed were:

Blackbird 1; Bullfinch 2; Chaffinch 2; House Sparrow 4.

Askam Park: The mist net runs in front of the hedge at the back

Ken extracts a Bullfinch

Target species, a male House Sparrow

Pottering at the Pits

Present: JAF

With the weather not suitable for mist-netting I thought I'd try my luck with a couple of Potter traps at Askam Pits, targeting the Moorhens, well fed by the landowner.

Two traps - two Moorhens. Well, what do you expect - Fowler is my name!

An adult Moorhen in the hand

Aren't I a handsome fellow?

Surprise at the Pits!

Present: JAF

Visited Askam Pits to see what was going on. Surprisingly few birds caught, only 15: 12 new and three recent local retraps.

New birds: Woodcock 1; Dunnock 1; Robin 1; Blue Tit 3; Great Tit 4; Chaffinch 2.

The birds caught were well up to weight and the tits appeared to be more interested in attacking the Alder and Larch cones than they were in indulging themselves in my rather expensive bait!

The Woodcock which 'bounced' twice before it was safe in my hands!

Askam - Twite Catches in 2009

Present : JS , KH and JAF.

There were 62 new birds ringed with 30 re-traps and 1 control from Heysham. 7 of the re-traps had not been caught since 2007 and a further 5 had not been caught since spring 2008. The bird which holds a longevity record has not returned so far this winter.

Jack is ready to process a batch of birds (you can see the whoosh net in the background)

Jack's van is an ideal field station

A nice male Twite with bright pink rump

Up to 200 of these curry-coloured little birds inhabit Askam salt marsh through the winter

New Year in the Pits 03/01/2010

Present: JAF

Got the year off to a start at Askam Pits, 16 birds processed. New: Great Spotted Woodpecker 1; Wren 1; Robin 1; Blue Tit 4; Great Tit 4; Treecreeper 1; Chaffinch 2.

The retraps were 2 Coal Tits, one of which was first ringed on 2 November 2003, subsequently retrapped on 26/12/2005, and 6/12/2006.

Always pleasing to catch a Treecreeper

Askam Pits: looking west to East across the larger rectangular pit at the top of the
Google image in the post below.
Enough reedbed to support a couple of pairs of Reed and Sedge Warblers in the summer.

Askam Pits 30/12/2009

Present: JAF

A visit for ride-maintenance on a very blustery day but a net put up in thick willow carr caught 13 new birds: Sparrowhawk, 1; Blackbird 2; Goldcrest 1; Coal Tit 1; Blue Tit 7; Great Tit 1.

Askam Pits are a relic of the old iron-ore mining era of the 1800's and offer a diversity of habitats including hawthorn and bramble scrub, open water, a little reed bed, and thick willow and alder carr. Feeding station in willow carr is indicated.
Ringing with permission of Ray Steele

Feeding station in the willow carr

Askam Twite Finally in the Net

Present: J.S. and K.H.

The first birds of this year, none were caught in the spring, were caught in late November. Only 50+ are on this winter site down approximately 50%. The catch of 24 with none escaping were 94% this years pulli. We have noticed in the past, two separate sections of the flock. As with waders different ages loosely stay together, this may be some sort of pecking order. Statistically 70% of what we catch are 3s with the expected sex ratio of 50%.The actual ringing site is in the middle of the slag bank shown , known locally as the Pier as it sticks out into the Duddon Estuary.

Askam Pier 9th November 2009

Present KH and JS

A Twite in the hand is worth two on the salt marsh. Five hours of patience was rewarded with no birds being caught. Nine were under the net, but we wanted more. Later six were under the net, but we wanted more.Late in the day three could have been caught if they were just a little closer to the middle of the net.

Bungees taught and optimism high

Net flying perfectly over birdless catching area

Twite at Home

Recent recovery forms from the B.T.O. have shown that the birds now known to breed in N.W. Scotland and winter in N.W. England are winter site faithful, but do wander within the N.West. Three birds ringed at Askam have subsequently been controlled twice at Heysham. Two birds ringed on Bank Marsh(Ribble Estuary) have been controlled twice at Askam. These are recent, but not the only controls and re-traps we had from the 368 Twite caught on the Duddon Estuary.