RSPB Conservation Science Unit

Filming Storm Petrels at night on Mousa. Some infra-red footage of birds flying about; as a means of trying to get a better estimate of the number of breeding pairs. See: bit.ly/2yEyYbt 

A late one

2726805
26.07.2017 ENR
18.08.2017 Holms of Ire, Sanday, Orkney 23days 129km 50d

The 2017 Norwegian trio

Data now back in:

2E07456
Ringed 25.08.2016 Herdlevaer, Oygarden, Hordaland NORWAY
Retrapped 26.07.2017 ENR
335days 560km 247deg

ED06011
Ringed 10.09.2016 Preikestolen, Riste, More og Romsdale, NORWAY
Retrapped 26.07.2017 ENR
319days 670km 233deg

ED00296
Ringed 14.08.2014 Hamnaholmem, Hellandsvagene, More of Romsdale, NORWAY
Retrapped 25.07.2017 ENR
1076days 674km 233deg

226km in a day

Three more recoveries from 2017, all to Shetland. Two to Sumburgh and (an)other one to Fair Isle.

2726664 
25.07.2017 ENR
07.08.2017 Sumburgh, Shetland 13days 226km 51deg

2726729
25.07.2017 ENR
26.07.2017 Sumburgh, Shetland 1days 226km 51deg

2726877
27.07.2017 ENR
07.08.2017 Fair Isle, Shetland 11days 190km 55deg

Time-lapse video of work on The Maze

With thanks to Simon this is a time-lapse video of a ringing session overnight on The Maze. The lights and activity you see right of centre are the ringing station - where the use of lights is permitted. Beyond and to the left - virtually invisible - are two sixty-foot mist nests where all the captures of Storm Petrels takes place.
The points of light that cross the screen are from boats traversing the north coast of Scotland.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXdsnPchg3u/

Some of the 2017 birds

RETRAPS
From our own retraps: twenty from 2017 (ringed on previous nights), twenty-one from 2016, twelve from 2015 and one from 2012.

We also caught some of Stefan's birds from previous years - [no records yet from 2017], but then fourteen from 2016, four from 2015 and then another one from 2012.

CONTROLS - FAIR ISLE (190km to the east)
We then had a raft of UK controls:
Five ringed on Fair Isle and caught by us,

2721573 ringed FI 14.08.2016
2730016 ringed FI 24.08.2016
2731142 ringed FI 15.07.2017 and all caught ENR 24.07.2017
2731123 ringed FI 15.07.2017 and caught ENR 25.07.2017
2717808 ringed FI 06.08.2016 and caught ENR 26.07.2017

and seven ringed by us and caught on Fair Isle.
2716486 ringed ENR 04.08.2016 and re-caught FI 25.07.2017 (355 days, 190km)

2716989, 2726608, 2726611, 2726791, 2726823 and 2726835 all ringed 24-26.07.2017 and re-caught Fair Isle 25.07.2017 - 02.08.2017 ranging from 1-7days to cover the 190km.

CONTROLS - FARAID HEAD (27km to the west)
There was one bird 2622242 ringed at Faraid Head on 24.08.2014 which was caught on ENR on 24.07.2017 (1065days later) and then eleven birds ringed over the period 30.06.2016 - 27.08.2016 which were caught on the 24 and 25.07.2017 on ENR.

CONTROLS - Others Scotland
2580225 ringed 10.07.2015 Eilean An Taighe, ENR 24.07.2017, 745days 140km
2580338 ringed 05.07.2016 Eilean An Taighe, ENR 24.07.2017, 384days 140km
2506384 ringed 26.07.2000 Brough of Birsay, Orkney, ENR 26.07.2017 6209days 86km
2645708 ringed 25.08.2016 Holms of Ire, Sanday, Orkney, ENR 24.07.2017 333days 129km
2694126 ringed 27.07.2014 Twinyess, North Ronaldsay, ENR 26.07.2017 1095days 140km
2708102 ringed 07.07.2015 Twinyess, North Ronaldsay, ENR 25.07.2017 749days 140km
2729426 ringed 05.08.2016 Bewan, North Ronaldsay, ER 24.07.2017 353days 231km
2719407 ringed 23.07.2016 Bewan, North Ronaldsay, ER 24.07.2017 366days 231km
2400898 ringed 08.08.2013 Marrister, Whalsay, Shetland, ENR 24.07.2017 1446days 274km

CONTROLS - Other UK
2715039 ringed 11.07.2015 Souter Leithse, Tyne & Wear, ENR 25.07.2017 745days 439km
2714479 ringed 03.07.2016 Hot Point, Lizard, Cornwall, ENR 25.07.2017 387days 956km

Visit 2017

An uneventful trip up driving at times through massive downpours eventually resulted in a team of  nine collecting at Tongue. Tongue was busy following a local fete day but we still managed to all congregate in the pub for an evening meal and a chat, oh and a few beers.
Sunday's crossing was uneventful in nice warm sunny weather.

(The picture above is a 'leaving' picture but the 'arrival' view is the same)

 

The sheep were still present giving us a well-cropped camp-site, bonxies were down in number (we think due to increased numbers of Greater Black-backed gulls), but Fulmars were having a good year with a minimum of 46 active nests counted. Snipe were also present in good numbers.

The Barn Owl had been present in the early part of the year - as demonstrated by a collection of aged pellets - but with none found fresh the bird was considered no longer to be on the island. A possible Short-eared owl was seen once. Present on one day, and seen by all, was a Red Kite which hung over The Hag's Hillock, 'gently' scrutinised by the Bonxies.

 

Although we had bouts of wind and rain none of them interrupted ringing and we managed to get four decent nights in. At the end of the session we had ringed 634 new Stormies with 83 retraps. We also caught three Norwegian controls and, as a surprise, two Leach's Petrels about thirty minutes apart.

Scouring the island during the day we only found two Great Skua chicks. One had already been ringed by Stefan's group and so we ringed the other. We also found one dead ringed Greylag Goose. Attempts to capture some of the Rock Pipits on the beach were unsuccessful.

 

A trip was made down The Hag gully to look for juvenile Shag but those found were large and mobile so none were ringed.

 

(This shot shows Hannah and Simon enjoying their trip down the gully).

 

We departed the island a day early, dictated by Jean that was dictated by the weather. If we didn't come off as advised we would have had an enforced stay for another four days.

For some reason we didn't take the usual Team shot before we started the journey back. This is as close as we got (L to R) Hannah, Paul, Ron, Jidda, Tony, Kenny. Missing: Simon, Andy and myself. We're all waiting for Jean on a rising tide - for which we had to move all of our stuff to prevent it getting wet (and Andy said we'd by ok!)

 

Thanks: to Jean who 'as always' goes above and beyond to ensure we have as good a stay as possible; sorted Paul's puncture and Andy's open car-window, took Andy fishing when catching was difficult off the island and is generally there for us if needed.

To John Birch for his unsolicited contribution to ringing costs.