Revtangen BO August 20th

Easterlies in the morning brought another decent fall of warblers, no doubt in part because of playback overnight on Garden Warbler, Reed Warbler Aquatic Warbler and Grasshopper Warbler. Playback on Tree Pipit and Meadow Pipit during the day. Nets open 05.15-15. Netmeter hours approx. 3200.

Ringed: Sparrowhawk 1 (first this season), Lesser Spotted Woodopecker 1 (first this season), Tree Pipit 12, Meadow Pipit 12, European Robin 1, Grasshopper Warbler 2, Reed Warbler 7, Sedge Warbler 11, Garden Warbler 16, Barred Warbler 1 (first this season), Blackcap 11, Common Whitethroat 2, Willow Warbler 19, Spotted Flycatcher 1, Great Tit 1, House Sparrow 1, Chaffinch 3, Greenfinch 3, Common Linnet 2, Lesser Redpoll 1, Yellowhammer 1. Total = 109.

Ringmerket: Spurvehauk 1, dvergspett 1, trepiplerke 12, heipiplerke 12, rødstrupe 1, gresshoppesanger 2, rørsanger 7, sivsanger 11, hagesanger 16, hauksanger 1, munk 11, tornsanger 2, løvsanger 19,  gråfluesnapper 1, kjøttmeis 1, gråspurv 1, bokfink 3, grønnfink 3, tornirisk 2, brunsisik 1, gulspurv 1. Toal = 109

1 cy Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, the first in 2016. Dvergspett.

1 cy Barred Warbler. Hauksanger 1K. 

Renate Berg, Espen Helgesen and Alf Tore Mjös. 1 visitor.

Revtangen BO August 19th

Still light winds from the NNE turning N, but more sunny today. Nets open 05.15-18.30, netmeter hours approx. 4300. Playback on Garden Warbler and Reed Warbler through the night, Green Sandpiper, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit and Garden Warbler during the day. 

Ringed: Wryneck 1, Tree Pipit 12, Meadow Pipit 17, Barn Swallow 2, European Robin 1, Reed Warbler 7, Garden Warbler 18, Blackcap 17, Common Whitethroat 4, Willow Warbler 8, Spotted Flycatcher 2, Great Tit 1, Coal Tit 2, Eurasian Nuthatch 1, Common Starling 1, House Sparrow 14, Tree Sparrow 1, Chaffinch 3, Common Linnet 3, Common Crossbill 2. Total = 117. Also 2 controls. 

3 interesting catches today: Wrynecks are rare at Revtangen and most are caught in spring. Nuthatch is less than annual but small invasians are noted at irregular intervals. Small movements of Crossbills in Scandinavia at the moment, are there more to come? Vendehals, spettmeis og grankorsnebb.

Ringmerket: Vendehals 1, trepiplerke 12, heipiplerke 17, låvesvale 2, rødstrupe 1, rørsanger 7, hagesanger 18, munk 17, tornsanger 4, løvsanger 8, kjøttmeis 1, svartmeis 2, spettmeis 1, stær 1, gråspurv 14, pilfink 1, bokfink 3, tornirisk 3, grankorsnebb 2. Total = 117. Også 2 kontroller. 

Observations: Most noteable today were yellow wagtails, very hard to put a number but seemed to be a lot more numerous than normal. Perhaps 20 heard flying over? Also hundreds of barn swallows feeding over the fields. Some movements of raptors going north, we counted 20 sparrowhawk, 3 common buzzard, 4 kestrel and a marsh harrier. No doubt a lot more flew past since we had little time to watch for movements. 

Haavard Husebö and Alf Tore Mjös

Revtangen BO August 18th

Much the same weather as yesterday, light wind, less foggy. Nets open 05.30-20.30, netmeter hours approx. 4900. Playback on Garden Warbler, Reed Warbler  and Grasshopper Warbler at night, Green Sandpiper, Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit and Garden Warbler during the day. 

Ringed: Tree Pipit 24, Meadow Pipit 21, Redwing 1, Reed Warbler 1 (first this season), Garden Warbler 12, Blackcap 7, Common Whitethroat 1, Willow Warbler 16, Pied Flycatcher 4, Spotted Flycatcher 2, Great Tit 1, House Sparrow 11, Tree Sparrow 3, Chaffinch 3, Greenfinch 1, Eurasian Siskin 1, Common Linnet 9. Total = 118. Also 8 controls. 

Ringmerket: Trepiplerke 24, heipiplerke 21, rødvingetrost 1, rørsanger 1, hagesanger 12, munk 7, tornsanger 1, løvsanger 16, svarthvit fluesnapper 4, gråfluesnapper 2, kjøttmeis 1, gråspurv 11, pilfink 3, bokfink 3, grønnfink 1, grønnsisik 1, tornirisk 9. Total = 118. Også 8 kontroller. 

 The first Sparrowhawks of the autumn were seen today.

Observations: Sparrowhawk 4, Common Kestrel 2, Eurasian Wryneck 1, Yellow Wagtail 10+. Lots of Tree Pipits on the move during the day. 

This Eurasian Wryneck was perched on a netpole for a while. Vendehals.

A Peacock Butterfly spent the day in our garden feeding on nectar from a late-blooming bush. Dagpåfugløye.

Haavard Husebö and Alf Tore Mjøs. 3 visitors.

Revtangen BO August 17th

Light north-NE in the morning, turning NNV, light fog and slight drizzle in the middle of the day. Nets open 05.30-19.30, netmeter hours approx. 4600. Playback on Garden Warbler, Reed Warbler and Grasshopper Warbler overnight, Green Sandpiper, Meadow Pipit and Tree Pipit during the day. 

Ringed: Green Sandpiper 2, Collared Dove 1, White Wagtail 1, Meadow Pipit 18, Tree Pipit 5, Fieldfare 1, European Robin 1, Grasshopper Warbler 1, Sedge Warbler 4, Blackcap 14, Garden Warbler 5, Common Whitethroat 7, Willow Warbler 8, Chiffchaff 1, Pied Flycatcher 1, Great Tit 1, Common Starling 2, House Sparrow 3, Tree Sparrow 2, Chaffinch 1, Greenfinch 1, Common Linnet 2, Yellowhammer 3. Total = 85. Also 14 controls. 

The first Grasshopper Warbler (1cy) in 2016 was trapped today. Gresshoppesanger 1K.

Ringmerket: Skogsnipe 2, tyrkerdue 1, linerle 1, heipiplerke 18, trepiplerke 5, gråtrost 1, rødstrupe 1, gresshoppesanger 1, sivsanger 4, munk 14, hagesanger 5, tornsanger 7, løvsanger 8, gransanger 1, svarthvit fluesnapper 1, kjøttmeis 1, stær 2, gråspurv 3, pilfink 2, bokfink 1, grønnfink 1, tornirisk 2, gulspurv 3. Total = 85. Også 14 kontroller. 

Haavard Husebö and Alf Tore Mjös

Revtangen BO August 11th

Finally a day with no rain and and only light winds! Nets open 07-21, netmeter hours appox. 4000. Playback on Green Sandpiper, Meadow Pipit, Common Linnet, Tree Pipit (08-13) and Barn Swallow (17-20). 

Ringed: Green Sandpiper 5, Feral Pigeon 1, Collared Dove 1,  Meadow Pipit 43, Tree Pipit 1, White Wagtail 3, Barn Swallow 9, Northern Wheatear 2, Whinchat 2, Sedge Warbler 1, Common Whitethroat 4, Willow Warbler 8, Coal Tit 1, Common Starling 9, House Sparrow 18, Tree Sparrow 3, Chaffinch 2, Greenfinch 4, Common Linnet 27, Yellowhammer 1. Total = 145. Also 13 controls. 

Ringmerket: Skogsnipe 5, bydue 1, tyrkerdue 1, heipiplerke 43, trepiplerke 1, linerle 3, låvesvale 9, steinskvett 2, buskskvett 2, sivsanger 1, tornsanger 4, løvsanger 8, svartmeis 1, stær 9, gråspurv 18, pilfink 3, bokfink 2, grønnfink 4, tornirisk 27, gulspurv 1. Total = 145. Også 13 kontroller.

Feral Pigeon - or perhaps "Rural Pigeon"? This bird belongs to a sub-population of Feral Pigeons breeding on farmland, and they are typically much more shy and closer in plumage details to Rock Pigeon than the urban flocks we see in Norwegian cities. A rare occurrence anyway, since this is the first ever to be caught in one of our mist-nets at Revtangen BO. Bydue, ny merkeart for Revtangen OS. 

The 42nd Collared Dove ringed in 2016. Despite the poor weather this summer resulting in a low number of trapping days we have broken the record 41 from last year! Tyrkerdue nr. 42 i 2016, vi er dermed en forbi rekorden fra i fjor. 

Whinchats are very scarce at Revtangen BO. This one was easily aged as a 1cy by a pale inside of the upper mandible, and can be sexed as a male by the large amount of white in the inner greater coverts. Buskskvett, 1K hann.

Northern Wheatears are ringed with colour-rings from the Norwegian Northern Wheatear colour-ringing project. If you see a Northern Wheatear or a White Wagtail with yellow colour-rings and you are able to read the 3-letter code, please report them to the Norwegian colour-ringing website here: http://www.ringmerking.no/cr/

A record 5 Green Sandpipers caught today took the season total to 20. If you are lucky enough to spot one of our birds wearing a yellow flag with a 3-letter inscription, please report them to: at.mjoes@gmail.com

The first tree pipit of the autumn was trapped today. This species seems to be affected by ticks more than most species. We usually remove the ticks (5 from this one) and make a comment about the number in the "remarks"-column in our ringing software "RingAccess". Trepiplerke med flått.

Observations: Common Buzzard 1, Marsh Harrier 1 adult male, Peregrine 2, Common Greenshank 10, Spotted Redshank 1. 

Alf Tore Mjös. 1 visitor.

Revtangen August 4th

The wind turned SE for a short while, accompanied by some rain which brought 6-700 waders to Revtangen. We managed a short session with 8 walk-in traps in the evening between 17 and 21, before the wind turned back to strong NW on the 5th. 

Ringed: Dunlin 60, Purple Sandpiper 2, Little Stint 5, Red Knot 3 and Turnstone 1. Total = 71. 

Adult Little Stints like this one are rarely trapped. Little Stints are ringed with colourrings from the Norwegian Little Stint colourringing-project, with a red marker above the metal ring on the left tarsus, and a yellow colour-ring with a 3-letter code on the right tarsus. If you see any, please report them to Kjell Mork Soot at kjellmorksoot@fugler.com.

Asbjörn Folvik, Haavard Husebö and Alf Tore Mjös

Revtangen BO August 3rd

The weather is not doing us any favours at the moment, lots of rain and the wind is mostly from the northwest-southwest sector. Not good. We got decent conditions this morning and put the nets up 06-12.30, netmeter hours approx. 2000. Playback on Green Sandpiper, Willow Warbler and Common Linnet.

Ringed: Green Sandpiper 1, Collared Dove 3, Barn Swallow 1, Northern Wheatear 3, Garden Warbler 1, Commion Whitethroat 3, Willow Warbler 11, Great Tit 1, House Sparrow 3, Tree Sparrow 2, Lesser Redpoll 1, Common Linnet 10, Yellowhammer 1. Total = 42. Also 16 controls, including a male Northern Goshawk that we ringed as a 1cy in September 2014!

Alf Tore Mjøs