Creeps that only come out at night

Eurasian nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus, ringed on a very early morning of September 24 2014 at Salreu, Portugal.

See also: https://sites.google.com/site/juliomneto/blog & https://sites.google.com/site/juliomneto/ringing

Ringing Yellow-crowned Bishops in Salreu (September 12, 2014)

Another early morning bird ringing-session in the marshes of Salreu, guided by Julio M. Neto. Results and more information can be found here: https://sites.google.com/site/juliomneto/blog/bishopgalore

The Yellow-crowned Bishops Euplectes afer originate from Africa and are considered invasive in the area. They are currently nesting (we trapped an egg-carrying female) and “pollute” our captures. Luckily, I find them quite easy to get out of the nets.

Gull-rings around Aveiro, Portugal (September 11, 2014)

Gulls arriving at the Eirol landfill. We managed to read 64 rings between 07:35 - 13:15, all on Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Roughly 6000 gulls were present at the site. Many birds left the site early, presumably due to the lack of garbage being delivered to the open dump.






Xavega fishery at Praia da Vagueira. 5 rings were read between 14:00 -15:15, all on Lesser Black-backed Gulls. 150 gulls were present, primarily LBBG.




Blue 23 at Praia da Vagueira, ringed in the southwest of The Netherlands.




Red VB1.T at Praia da Vagueira. Ringed at a landfill site in Greater London, UK.




Reading rings at Porto de Pesca, Gafanha da Nazaré. 8 rings were read there, 5 on LBBG, 3 on Yellow-legged Gulls. Gulls not counted.




White HC, from the southwest of The Netherlands (photo: Pedro Moreira).




Subadult Yellow-legged Gull R:R8T; ringed in France (photo: Pedro Moreira).

Great work on little brown jobs in Salreu, Portugal (September 8 & 9, 2014)

More information and the results of two enjoyable mornings of ringing in the marshes of Salreu with Julio M. Neto can be found here:

September 8: https://sites.google.com/site/juliomneto/blog/alatestart
September 9: https://sites.google.com/site/juliomneto/blog/onemorebritishrecovery





European stonechat Saxicola rubicola







Cetti's warbler Cettia cetti




Common waxbill Estrilda astrild







Bluethroat Luscinia svecica
 



Tree pipit Anthus trivialis







Sedge warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus







Weighing a ..?

Patos and more at the São Jacinto reserve (September 1 - 3, 2014)

The pateira got occupied by a few hundred Mallards Anas platyrhynchos and about 70 Common Teals Anas crecca. We also observed a single Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina and a single…




… Garganey Anas querquedula, which ended up in our captures and got marked.




Several of the female Mallards in our captures were still undergoing their moult. These birds are temporarily incapable of flying. Too bad for the ducks outside of the reserve that the hunting season will start in only a few days from now. Moulting female Mallards will not be able to find a place to shelter, away from one of Portugal’s most nasty habits.




Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis in front of the blind.




Eurasian wryneck Jynx torquilla




Nice to see that many of the acorns that we sowed at the reserve last winter managed to germinate and survive the summer. An update on ‘Projecto Sobreiro’ will appear on this blog in the near future.