A very busy week on Canna. Had the seabird ringers here from the Highland Ringing Group, and although I had originally planned to take the full week off work to help them out, things just didn't really go to plan. I had my head of department down from NTS HQ for the first three days of the week, then we had the NTS cruise ship in on Wednesday with nearly 400 passengers on board. This was all great fun, but it did mean that the ringing had to be pretty much left to Bob Swann and his group.
Still, I did manage to get out with them onto the north side of Canna last Sunday, when we processed a few hundred Guillemot, Razorbill, and Shag, plus a few Puffin, Fulmar, Kittiwake, Herring Gull, and Lesser Black-backed Gull. A great day out - thanks Bob and the team!
On Saturday the ringing group left the island, with instructions for me to mop up any remaining gulls, and to see if I could find any Bonxie chicks that they'd missed.
Today (Sunday), started with a great view of a Peregrine being mobbed by a couple of Arctic Terns in Canna Harbour - viewed whilst having a morning cup of tea, in bed! Later in the morning, whilst walking Bertie, a female Sparrowhawk was a first for me on the island.
In the afternoon I had a walk around to the lighthouse on Sanday to see if I could find any of those Bonxies (Great Skuas). Lots of parental activity, but I only found 2 chicks which were far too young to ring, and a single egg still in the nest. Also found a few Herring Gull chicks, all but one of which had already been ringed by the HRG.
On the way home I almost stepped on a Short-eared Owl, another Canna first for me!
Back at home, I've now got the drop net set up below the feeders in my garden. Catching a few Greenfinches, one of which (TL42353) was originally ringed by Sean Morris on Rum in April. There's also a couple of Twite out there, but they seem to be avoiding the trap, and 6 Collared Doves, one of which is sporting a ring, but will they wander below the trap? Nope!
Seems like the Greenfinches are doing the rounds, Sean controlled one of our from South Uist - we ringed it in February and it was in Rum in March. Be interesting to see whether any travel between Canna and Uist!
ReplyDeleteThe Collared Dove with the ring was it one that you had ringed? We've done 20 here in Uist this year but they seem to have disappeared now.
Great blog, Canna looks an amazing place.
Best regards
Yvonne & Ian, South Uist
Hi Yvonne. Yes, I've had a few of Sean's Greenfinches now! There are a lot of them out and about on Canna at the moment, so might well be some of yours among them!
ReplyDeleteI haven't ringed any Collared Doves on Canna at all, and haven't managed to catch that one with a ring yet, so simply don't know where it came from. I do know that the Highland Ringing Group (who do most of the seabird ringing here) occasionally trap other birds, so it could be one of theirs, but at the moment we just don't know!
Kind regards,
Graham