Ringing and Results
Ringing Review of 2018
The combined effects of the “Beast from the East”, adverse weather during Spring migration in the Mediterranean area, and a prolonged hot dry spell in summer affected both adult survival to breed and breeding success. Accordingly our totals were the lowest for six years, and the numbers of many small birds were much reduced.
There was, fortunately, some good news to lift the gloom. Top billing went to our first ever Herring Gull, the 141st species on our ringing list. New records were also set for Pochard (a target species – we are the leading ringers of Pochard ducklings in particular), Jack Snipe (taking us past 100 ringed in the process) and Goldfinch, beating last year’s record.
The table shows the totals of birds ringed at Rye Meads by species, covering the last two complete calendar years and the grand totals for the Group. This is presented in the sequence recommended this year by the British Ornithologists Union.
| Species | 1960-2016 | 2017 | 2018 | Grand Total | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada Goose | 188 | 1 | 6 | 195 | |
| Mute Swan | 293 | 5 | 6 | 304 | |
| Egyptian Goose | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| Shelduck | 41 | 0 | 0 | 41 | |
| Garganey | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Shoveler | 42 | 1 | 0 | 43 | |
| Gadwall | 598 | 29 | 18 | 645 | |
| Mallard | 2,098 | 33 | 34 | 2,165 | |
| Pintail | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Teal | 480 | 16 | 28 | 524 | |
| Pochard | 43 | 1 | 8 | 52 | A record year; our 8 ducklings were the only Pochard ducklings ringed nationally in 2018 |
| Tufted Duck | 965 | 29 | 26 | 1020 | |
| Ruddy Duck | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| Red-legged Partridge | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Grey Partridge | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| Manx Shearwater | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Little Grebe | 147 | 10 | 1 | 158 | |
| Great Crested Grebe | 14 | 3 | 0 | 17 | |
| Bittern | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Grey Heron | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17 | |
| Little Egret | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Gannet | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Shag | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Cormorant | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| Sparrowhawk | 94 | 3 | 1 | 98 | |
| Water Rail | 142 | 1 | 0 | 143 | |
| Moorhen | 2,045 | 20 | 17 | 2,082 | |
| Coot | 1,251 | 33 | 56 | 1,340 | |
| Lapwing | 107 | 6 | 0 | 113 | |
| Ringed Plover | 16 | 0 | 0 | 16 | |
| Little Ringed Plover | 211 | 1 | 0 | 212 | |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Ruff | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Dunlin | 15 | 0 | 0 | 15 | |
| Little Stint | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Woodcock | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| Jack Snipe | 86 | 0 | 15 | 101 | |
| Snipe | 280 | 1 | 8 | 289 | |
| Common Sandpiper | 270 | 1 | 0 | 271 | |
| Green Sandpiper | 85 | 3 | 0 | 88 | |
| Solitary Sandpiper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Redshank | 24 | 0 | 0 | 24 | |
| Wood Sandpiper | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Greenshank | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| Black-headed Gull | 1,037 | 335 | 287 | 1,659 | |
| Common Gull | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Herring Gull | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Our first is the 141st species on our list |
| Common Tern | 2,588 | 32 | 37 | 2,657 | |
| Stock Dove | 119 | 23 | 22 | 164 | |
| Woodpigeon | 324 | 3 | 4 | 331 | |
| Turtle Dove | 78 | 0 | 0 | 78 | |
| Collared Dove | 69 | 2 | 2 | 73 | |
| Cuckoo | 96 | 1 | 1 | 98 | |
| Barn Owl | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| Tawny Owl | 19 | 0 | 0 | 19 | |
| Little Owl | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| Long-eared Owl | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Short-eared Owl | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Swift | 6,901 | 0 | 0 | 6,901 | |
| Kingfisher | 1,346 | 22 | 20 | 1,388 | |
| Wryneck | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| Lesser Spotted Woodpecker | 28 | 0 | 0 | 28 | |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 164 | 3 | 2 | 169 | |
| Green Woodpecker | 95 | 1 | 1 | 97 | |
| Kestrel | 113 | 4 | 2 | 119 | |
| Hobby | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Great Grey Shrike | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Jay | 136 | 4 | 3 | 143 | |
| Magpie | 444 | 11 | 24 | 479 | |
| Jackdaw | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Carrion Crow | 189 | 0 | 0 | 189 | |
| Coal Tit | 22 | 2 | 1 | 25 | |
| Marsh Tit | 6 | 0 | 1 | 7 | Our 7th bird and the first for 7 years |
| Willow Tit | 430 | 0 | 0 | 430 | |
| Blue Tit | 10,712 | 376 | 268 | 11,356 | Down by 29% |
| Great Tit | 8,753 | 331 | 289 | 9,373 | Down by 13% |
| Bearded Tit | 160 | 2 | 0 | 162 | |
| Skylark | 268 | 0 | 0 | 268 | |
| Sand Martin | 7,298 | 41 | 17 | 7,356 | Due to low Autumn roost numbers |
| Swallow | 6,439 | 114 | 78 | 6,631 | Due to low Autumn roost numbers |
| House Martin | 7,761 | 26 | 90 | 7,877 | Best for 5 years |
| Cetti's Warbler | 348 | 35 | 15 | 398 | Second lowest since recolonisation |
| Long-tailed Tit | 3,663 | 132 | 74 | 3,869 | |
| Wood Warbler | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Willow Warbler | 8,671 | 42 | 18 | 8,731 | Lowest since 1961 |
| Chiffchaff | 8,219 | 531 | 142 | 8,892 | Second lowest of last 25 years |
| Sedge Warbler | 23,506 | 319 | 190 | 24,015 | Lowest since 1962 |
| Reed Warbler | 16,512 | 498 | 351 | 17,361 | Lowest since 2002 when reedbed area increase |
| Grasshopper Warbler | 105 | 6 | 0 | 111 | Only second blank of past 12 years |
| Savi's Warbler | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Blackcap | 11,395 | 353 | 300 | 12,048 | 15% down on last year |
| Garden Warbler | 3,376 | 52 | 22 | 3,450 | Lowest since 1976 |
| Barred Warbler | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Lesser Whitethroat | 2,776 | 18 | 23 | 2,817 | |
| Whitethroat | 4,911 | 121 | 94 | 5,126 | Lowest for 24 years |
| Firecrest | 11 | 2 | 0 | 13 | |
| Goldcrest | 849 | 61 | 22 | 932 | 64% down on last year |
| Wren | 6,498 | 135 | 69 | 6,702 | Lowest since 1976 |
| Nuthatch | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| Treecreeper | 399 | 7 | 6 | 412 | |
| Starling | 3,235 | 6 | 0 | 3,241 | Second blank year of past 13 |
| Ring Ouzel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Blackbird | 7,736 | 66 | 75 | 7,877 | |
| Fieldfare | 572 | 0 | 5 | 577 | |
| Redwing | 1,025 | 16 | 17 | 1,058 | |
| Song Thrush | 4,610 | 35 | 25 | 4,670 | |
| Mistle Thrush | 20 | 0 | 0 | 20 | |
| Spotted Flycatcher | 106 | 1 | 1 | 108 | Two in two years after 9 blank years |
| Robin | 3,709 | 75 | 80 | 3,864 | |
| Bluethroat | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Nightingale | 13 | 1 | 0 | 14 | |
| Pied Flycatcher | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| Black Redstart | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Redstart | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 | |
| Whinchat | 57 | 0 | 0 | 57 | |
| Stonechat | 67 | 1 | 1 | 69 | |
| Wheatear | 41 | 0 | 0 | 41 | |
| Dipper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| House Sparrow | 3,873 | 0 | 0 | 3,873 | |
| Tree Sparrow | 4,958 | 0 | 0 | 4,958 | |
| Dunnock | 7,481 | 149 | 70 | 7,700 | Lowest since 1960 |
| Yellow Wagtail | 1,541 | 2 | 0 | 1,543 | |
| Grey Wagtail | 366 | 4 | 5 | 375 | |
| Pied Wagtail | 4,079 | 0 | 0 | 4,079 | |
| Meadow Pipit | 1,368 | 40 | 7 | 1,415 | |
| Tree Pipit | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| Water Pipit | 39 | 0 | 1 | 40 | |
| Rock Pipit | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Chaffinch | 3,527 | 25 | 28 | 3,580 | |
| Brambling | 162 | 0 | 1 | 163 | |
| Hawfinch | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Bullfinch | 3,214 | 15 | 5 | 3,234 | Our second lowest total of the past 57 years! |
| Greenfinch | 11,195 | 16 | 1 | 11,212 | |
| Linnet | 5,624 | 1 | 1 | 5,626 | |
| Lesser Redpoll | 816 | 4 | 1 | 821 | |
| Goldfinch | 2,851 | 222 | 236 | 3,309 | A record for the second year running |
| Siskin | 83 | 0 | 0 | 83 | |
| Corn Bunting | 231 | 0 | 0 | 231 | |
| Yellowhammer | 1,631 | 0 | 0 | 1,631 | |
| Little Bunting | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Reed Bunting | 9,168 | 46 | 64 | 9,278 | |
| Total ringed | 239,920 | 4,570 | 3,324 | 247,814 | Lowest for six years |
| Number of species | 140 | 74 | 65 | 141 |