The End of 2011!

There is just enough time left tonight for one last post for 2011. I would just like to wish all my followers and everyone that follows this blog a very happy new year.

Hopefully 2012 will be busier than 2011, ringing and nest recording effort will be doubled and my time at Bangor University will have come to an end, after I graduate in July.

Last but not least is to show you all a video that Kane produced today, of our ringing highlights from 2011 which can be viewed here - 2011 Ringing Highlights by Kane Brides.

All the best everyone, as tomorrow brings a new start to life and the first trip of 2012 - more on this to follow next year.

My Ringing Year!

There have been rather a large amount of changes in 2011 and one in particular is the day that I recieved my C Permit through the post at the end of October.

Ringing began a week or so later after all the necessary kit had been bought. Looking back at all the ringing I managed to squeeze in from October 21st - December 31st, I am very happy with my ringing totals for the year.

Taking into account these birds have all been caught and ringed with a variety of traps, as I don't have my mist net endorsement yet, ringing couldn't have been much better.

The last week in Bangor I visited a friends garden in Conwy resulting in 2 new species being caught. A Blackbird and 3 Greenfinch were very welcome to the traps as was a Goldfinch a week or so before.

Amongst the 12 species I have ringed with my permit, in exactly 72 days, Blue Tit has been the commonest with 87 birds now caught and only 3 re-traps.

Blue Tit - 84 (3)
Great Tit - 11 (1)
Robin - 8
Coal Tit - 8 (1)
Dunnock - 3
Long-Tailed Tit - 2
Wren - 1
Nuthatch - 1
Black-headed Gull 1
Goldfinch - 1
Greenfinch - 3
Blackbird - 1

2011 was a great start for my ringing career, but 2012 will be even bigger, better and brighter for ringing and nest recording. 129 birds in 72 days with traps -bring on 2012!

Pyrenean Paradise!

I've lost track of the amount of times I have stated that I will try and keep this blog updated, but somehow I have always managed to forget. Times are changing and this is now the last time I will say this; from January 1st 2012 I will be keeping this blog upto date and there certainly won't be a long gap between postings.

I thought I would finish the year off with a few posts of my recent activities, mostly from inside the UK, but also from my most recent birding trip abroad, to the Spanish Pyrenees.

At the end of November I flew out to Barcelona with Ralph Jones, Eugene McCann and his son Tom McCann, for a few days of high pyrenean birding.

Throughout our few days of birding we managed to see all the species that we set out to see. These included the 3 main species that all birders seek when venturing into the Pyrenees.

A total of 7 Lammergiers were seen throughout the trip, as well as 2 Wallcreeper, 6 Alpine Accentor and a Black Woodpecker.

I must say a huge thanks to all who came along on the trip and for Ralph and Eugene for doing all the driving and for sorting all the technicalities of the trip.

Where will 2012 take me I wonder?!