Swale Wader Group

 

Over the most recent set of tides two catches have been made, the first at Spitend on the 11th and the second at Harty on the night of the 14/15th November. Conditions were good for both nights with thick cloud cover taking our the light from the 'super moon' and calm winds. The Spitend catch was atypical in that the catch of 21 birds was made up of Starlings and Herring Gulls as well as waders. The Harty catch was more normal for a damp night in November.

The following 21 birds were caught at Spitend:

  • Grey Plover - 1 juvenile
  • Dunlin - 8
  • Snipe - 2 (an adult and a juvenile)
  • Herring Gull - 6
  • Starling - 4

and these 70 birds at Harty:

  • Shelduck - 1 first year male
  • Grey Plover - 1 juvenile
  • Knot - 3
  • Dunlin - 37 plus a retrap and a control of a Dutch-ringed bird
  • Bar-tailed Godwit - 20 plus 2 retraps
  • Black-tailed Godwit - 1 juvenile
  • Jack Snipe - 1 adult
  • Redshank - 1 plus a retrap

The retraps were really rather good, a Dunlin at almost 5 years from date of ringing in November 2011, a Redshank  that was ringed in December 2014 and then the two Bar-tailed Godwits. DB50166 which was retrapped at Harty 17 years 1 month and 6 days after being ringed at Shellness. DB14640 was also ringed at Shellness but even earlier, being ringed on 8th February 1997 making it 19 years 9 months and 6 days old, which is our oldest ever retrapped Bar-tailed Godwit although nowhere near the British longevity record of over 33 years.

Thank you to everyone who helped us to achieve two catches on the same set of tides, and a special thanks to Alan Harris whose knowledge of Herring Gulls was invaluable on the 11th.

Ringing Sessions