Cashmere Rd, Thursday 16 Sept - A good morning

We finally had a session at the Cashmere Rd site this morning. This was after having to cancel the last planned one due to going into lockdown a couple of days before. It was good to get some banding done especially with very good conditions after a light frost. There was a good turn out of banders with a wide range of experiance. We tried an experiment with an Owl model, putting it up near a net hoping birds would mob it - a complete failure.

The total for the morning was 55 birds of 6 species processed with all but 2 being new. As is usual at this time of year most were Silvereyes with 42 new and 2 recaps. Two of the new Silvereyes had what I term Scaly Foot. Not sure what causes this but I hope to find out.

The recaps were banded back in July at our first session at this site. Other species were 3 newly fledged Song Thrush, 4 House Sparrows, 2 Dunnocks and last but not least a Bellbird.

Thursday Morning at Jan's - An unusual session

 We had a session at Jan's place on Kennedys Bush Rd on Thursday morning. In contrast to most mornings in this area there were very few birds about and for the first hour or so we caught only a couple even though the conditions appeared good. It wasn't until about 10am that birds started to arrive, firstly in a trickle and then in increasing numbers. By the time we took the nets down about midday there were heaps about. 

While things were slow Ruud entertained us with a creepy crawly display and Vanessa conducted a Quiz. She claimed that it was guaranteed to bring in birds and it worked.

Our new bag holding contraption - actually a piece of wood bolted to the table with a row of hooks screwed into it. It actually worked. 

In all we processed 58 birds with Silvereyes the dominant species, with 50 new and 4 recaps. Others were  1 new House Sparrow and a recap and a new Greenfinch and Starling. The oldest recap was a Silvereye banded about a year ago and the H Sparrow was banded recently down in the Quarry about 2 km away.

The Starling was sexed as a female with a pale eye ring and pink base to its bill.

Cashmere Rd. A new Site

We have had two sessions at a new site on Cashmere Rd, about 3k from the Halswell Quarry. The site is a large private property where passerines are regularly fed. It is hoped that we will eventually find some movement between here and the Quarry. The first session was last Thursday and we set a couple of nets up under threatening conditions. Unfortunately rain set in after half an hour and we had to abandon any banding for the day. Even so it was a busy 30 minutes with over 20 birds processed.

Most of Wednesday's team relaxing in the sun

Yesterday with totally different conditions, a light frost then bright sun we had a second attempt. Birds were not as easy to catch as last week but we still had a steady flow. It was a very pleasant day with of course good company, great surroundings and mild weather. 

The combined total of the two sessions was 56 birds processed with 46 Silvereyes, 5 House Sparrows, 3 Greenfinches and 2 Blackbirds. All new, no recaptures.

When we were not busy we had two pair of Harriers displaying overhead to watch and the "Bug Man" Ruud brought out a Peripatus for us to look at.

The Peripatus or Velvet Worm making a dash for shelter

We had the pleasure of the company of Ingrid the Exec Officer of Birds NZ (OSNZ) who is down from Nelson for a few days and is attempting to obtain her Level 2 permit.

Ingrid looking very happy after banding her first Blackbird

I also had a short session at Jan's place on Kennedys Bush Rd with Ingrid on Monday with very marginal conditions, it was blowing a near gale but we managed 1 net in a sheltered spot and caught 20 Silvereyes and recaptured a Bellbird.

Halswell Quarry Thursday 8 July - A belated post

We had a session in the Conservation Area of the Quarry on Thursday morning. After a cold frosty start the day was sunny and calm. There were a couple of last minute defections due to injury so the team was a bit smaller than anticipated. It took us a while to get the last couple of nets up due to processing birds.

There were 45 birds processed during the morning and as is normal at this time of year the majority were Silvereyes, with 31 new and 7 recaps. Amongest the recaps were several older birds with the oldest having been banded 1 Feb 2018 only a short time after we comenced banding at this site. At 1253 days from banding it is now the oldest bird recaptured at the Quarry. Other species caught (recaps in brackets) Blackbird 1 (1) Dunnock 1 (1) and House Sparrow 2 (1)

Jan's Place 23 June - A lot of birds but not much variety

We had a session at Jan's place on Kennedys Bush Rd, Thursday morning. It was a busy morning with 82 birds processed, all but 4 new birds. Almost all were Silvereyes with 74 new and the 4 recaps, the only other species were 3 House Sparrows and a solitary Blackbird. There were plenty of other birds around but due to having to be constantly at the nets extracting Silvereyes other species kept their distance. Three of the recaps were banded at this site within the last year or so but the other was banded in Finlays Picnic area down in the Quarry. Even though we set fewer nets than usual we still needed to furl them at times to prevent getting overwelmed with birds. The weather was marginal at time with light misty rain forcing us to move the banding station into a glass house which was a bit cramped but kept the paper work dry.

One of the first birds caught was a Silvereye with a granular type growth on a foot. We seem to catch a couple or so each year with this condition.

We were shouted to a celebratery cake by Kenny to commemerate his achieving his Level 2 permit.

Akaroa - A belated post 22-23 May

A few of the group were invited to join Laura when she was colour banding Tui around Akaroa. This is a project attempting to check on the progress of the population folowing the species reintroduction to the area a number ofyears ago. Laura's permit only allows her to band Tui and not any bycatch, as the permit that the group bands under most passerine species are bandabe. So the plan was that Laura would colour band the Tui and we would band any bycatch. On the morning of Saturday 22 May we started at a site at Takamatua at the head of the Akaroa Harbour.This proved to be vary successful for us but not so for the Tui catchers. All the the birds caught were adult male Bellbird of which there were incredible numbers, although there were Tui about they avoided the net. We were treated to a fabulus morning tea with great view. Ruud also took the opertunaty to do what he is very good at, both entertain and educate younger folk. In the afternoon and on the Sunday morning most of the group moved on to a site in the Akaroa township. I unfortunatly couldn't join them having to head back to Christchurch. I gather that the catch at this new site was fantastic with a total of 17 new Tui banded plus a few recaps from previous sessions. Bellbirds also proved to numerous, with the total for the trip being 22. There was also a few other species like Silvereye and Blackbird banded.

Jan's Place Kennedys Bush Rd 20 May - at last a bit of variety.

We had our first session of the year at Jan's garden this morning. Numbers of birds are slowly building up although there is still a lot of natural food about and it will probably be another month or so until there a big catches.

There were 18 birds of 7 species processed with all but 1 new. The new birds were -

Blackbird 4, Chaffinch 1, Silvereye 2, Dunnock 1, Bellbird 1, Fantail 1 and 7 House Sparrows and 1 recap which was originally banded at this site Sept 2019 then recaptured at Ruud's July 2020 and now back where it started.

The Blackbirds were all Male, two old blokes and a couple of young fellas. 
This is the first two blackbirds caught. The old bird underneath and a young one at the top which must have fledged very late as it hadn't completed its moult.

Ririka and Ruud with the first two Blackbirds.
Ririka has just received her L1 banding permit and this is the first Blackbird she has banded. 

Ririka with her first Chaffinch.

Ruud proudly displaying "his" Bellbird.