Revtangen BO March 25th

All the nets were up early around 06, but unfortunately very few new arrivals. When the nets were closed around 14.30 because of the increasing wind only 8 birds had been ringed: blackbird 1, goldcrest 3, house sparrow 1, tree sparrow 1, greenfinch 2. Also 6 controls, including a first recapture of a house sparrow ringed as an adult male in May 2011.

Observations: A first-winter iceland gull with herring gulls in the fields just east of the station, nearby at Reveparken a fly-by woodcock and a sparrowhawk. 

Håvard Husebø and Alf Tore Mjøs

Revtangen BO March 24th

A two day break on sunday and monday due to bad weather, but today we had nice conditions with partly cloudy and light eastern winds the first part of the day. Nets were up from 07-16, netmeter-hours approx. 2800. Five more nets were put up during the day, and a fair bit of garden work was done.

Ringed: Meadow pipit 1, robin 1, blackbird 11, goldcrest 3, magpie 1, yellowhammer 2. Total = 19. Also 8 controls, including a yellowhammer not from Revtangen BO. 

The first 3 goldcrests og the season turned up in the trapping area today. This one is a 2cy male. 

Todays meadow pipit was by far the earliest ever trappet at Revtangen in spring.

Håvard Husebø and Alf Tore Mjøs 

 

Revtangen BO March 21st

Nice calm weather. Nets were up from around 8-15, netmeter-hours approx. 2000. A few blackbirds but otherwise no migrants in the trappin area. 

Ringed: Blackbird 5, house sparrow 2, tree sparrow 2, greenfinch 2. Total = 11.

4 visitors. 

Alf Tore Mjøs

Revtangen BO March 18th

Nice weather and almost no wind early in the day. Nets were up from around 07.30-15, netmeter-hours were approx. 2200. A few blackbirds around, otherwise still too early for any significant arrival of migrants. We continued preparing the foundations for the new garden pond, and eradicatet some Rosa rugosa from parts of the trapping area where we don't want this invasive plant.

Ringed: Blackbird 6, great tit 1, treecreeper 1, tree sparrow 2, house sparrow 5, yellowhammer 1. Total = 16. 

Treecreepers are scarce at Revtangen. 279 have been ringed since the first one was caught in 1959, but this is only the second ever in spring.  

Håvard Husebø and Alf Tore Mjøs

Revtangen BO March 14th

A cold morning with minus 1,5 degrees Celcius at sunrise. The nets were not opened until 9-9.30 because of the frosty conditions. Very few passerine migrants arrive during cold weather like this, and only four birds were ringed before the nets were closed in the evening: Robin 1, blackbird 2, house sparrow 1. Also 8 controls. The nets were open from 09.30-18.30, the number of netmeterhours approx. 2700.

Observations: Grey wagtail 1, Pink-footed goose 7-800.

A small flock of greylag geese flew over the bird observatory. For the time being greylags are outnumbered by pink-footed geese, with a flock of 7-800 birds in the area.

Part of the pink-footed goose flock staying on the west side of lake Orrevatnet.

The Rogaland-"branch" of The Norwegian Ornitological Society held their annual meeting in the recently restored "Old Building", with 12 adults and one child attending. 

Alf Tore Mjös

Revtangen BO March 11th - first migrants ringed and a surprise catch

Finally a decent morning with little wind, later in the day sunny and calm. Nets were up from 8-14 while we continued preparaing the station for the spring migration. Surprise of the day while Haavard was working with preparations for the new garden pond, when an adult female Peregrine chased a Woodcock into the closest one of the large 8-shelf nets. Both were caught and ringed. The first migrants arrived with six new blackbirds ringed. 

Ringing (total netmeter hours 1750): Peregrine 1, Woodcock 1, Collared dove 1, Blackbird 6, Tree sparrow 5. Total = 14.

Only the second Peregrine ever ringed at Revtangen BO, sixty years after the first one in 1955. The bird was an adult female.

Observations: White-tailed eagle 1, Grey wagtail 3 flew over, Snow bunting 1 flew over.

Håvard Husebø and Alf Tore Mjøs

Revtangen BO March 4th

Finally a sunny day without strong winds, even though we had a little rain in the morning. Five more nets were put up during the day, and the bird observatory is now fully operational for the spring migration. No migrants in the trapping area though, it is still a little early. 

At Revtangen there was a small flock of 23 oystercathers, 3 of them were metal banded but we could not get close enough to read them. Also at Revtangen 1 curlew, 47 wigeon and 9 shelducks (1 pair and 7 males). 12 lapwings flew over the station.

Ringing was slow, only 5 new birds: Sparrowhawk 1 (2 cy female), robin 1, tree sparrow 3.

Håvard Husebø and Alf Tore Mjøs