Ringing Report 2024

The purpose of the ringing group will be to gather data on wild birds, especially migrants, which are found in the FBO area. The secondary purpose will be to assist in the training of people in the techniques of trapping, handling and ringing wild birds. In 2021 we trialled a constant effort site (CES) in the scrub at the Thornwick Bay Holiday Camp and this has continued to be operated in each subsequent year. The CES scheme is a national standardised ringing programme started in 1983 and now including c.150 different locations throughout Britain and Ireland. The scheme provides valuable trend information on abundance of adults and juveniles, productivity and also adult survival rates for 24 species of common songbird.

Totals of new birds caught during 2024 by the ringing group on Flamborough Headland were 4252 individuals of 60 species which is a respectable total considering that we are a relatively small team.

Disappointing to note that there was no new species to be ringed on the headland during 2024.

The Kingfisher at South Landing was the 2nd record after one at Oceanview in 2020 and the Cetti’s Warbler ringed at Thornwick was the 6th record of a series begun in 2019, highlighting the continual expansion of this species’ range.

However, the two birds of the year must surely be the Radde’s Warbler caught at South Landing, the 7th for the observatory and the first since 2004; followed by the Great Grey Shrike, also at South Landing, being the 5th for the observatory and only the second this century.

The number of Goldfinch (204) was again (following 2023) the highest year total since the Observatory was founded.

The top 5 species ringed by the Flamborough Bird Observatory Ringing Group during 2024 were: Redwing 615, Starling 546, Tree Sparrow 401, Blackbird 313 and Goldfinch 204. The same five as last year but in a slightly different order. Who would have thought that Redwing could become our number one bird as up to 2018 the grand total ever caught was less than 600! Migrant warbler numbers were a decent upturn compared to last year’s meagre total, with over 500 caught. The Lesser Whitethroat total of 33 ringed was the highest ever and it was a more than satisfactory total for Yellow-browed Warbler with 25 caught, comparing well with the single individual caught last year.

The use of mp3. bird lures has now become common practice at all bird ringing stations in the U.K. and this has certainly aided the capture of a wide variety of species such as Meadow Pipit, Tree Sparrow and Redwing to name just three. Indeed our overall total for Redwing (615) during 2024 has completely smashed the previous year’s record total of 419.

The Ringing and Migration Week as normal was our busiest week of the year and it was also our chance to engage with the public and explain in more detail the work that we carry out on the study of bird migration. Our teams working at RSPB Bempton, South Landing, Thornwick, Flamborough Village and Ocean View managed to ring 706 new birds, a great improvement on 2023. The highlight of this week was the catching of Red-flanked Bluetail at Bempton, and it is always nice to show visitors such species as Yellow-browed Warbler, Grey Wagtail and Brambling.

Bempton Cliffs RSPB

Ringing activities at Bempton Cliffs focused on a nest box Nest Record Scheme project, a MOTUS tracking project on Blackcap, as well as standard mist netting during the months of August through to November. During that period a total of 876 birds were processed, of which 813 were new.

Early autumn saw good numbers of common migrants passing through the reserve and as such annual catch totals were exceeded for Redstart (4), Pied Flycatcher (5) and Garden Warbler (5). 76 Meadow Pipit was also a site record, following a concerted effort to target that species in September. A Barred Warbler on 3 October was the 4th for the site and later, a Red-flanked Bluetail on 17 October was the first to be ringed here.

Other notable totals include 8 Yellow-browed Warbler, 89 Redwing (81 of which were caught on 15 October), 24 Blackcap and a Netherlands control Willow Warbler.

Of the 24 Blackcap, 4 were fitted with MOTUS nano-tags, bringing the total number of Blackcap tagged at Bempton to 13 (9 were also deployed during the autumn of 2023). The results from these nano-tags contribute to a collaborative project on this species within the MOTUS network, looking at fine-scale temporal movement and behavioural ecology.

A Blackcap that we tagged on 5th October 2024 was detected 13 days later by a receiver in Southern Norway, on 18th October.

This marks our third tagged Blackcap recovery from Bempton, following a bird that was tracked to Germany via the Netherlands in October/November 2023, and another earlier that same autumn which moved south and was detected in Dunwich on the Suffolk coast.

The Tree Sparrow nesting season produced just 168 successfully fledged chicks (165 ringed) from 39 active nestboxes, compared with 407 fledged (395 ringed) from 59 active nest boxes in 2023. The poor breeding season was mostly attributed to a prolonged wet and cold spring, coupled with higher than usual Weasel nest predation. In contrast, Swallow productivity fared much better with a total of 21 chicks fledged/ringed from 5 nests monitored.

Flamborough Headland Ringing Totals

Recoveries

There were fewer than normal recoveries/controls of birds encountered away from the headland in 2024, in fact one of our more disappointing years. During 2024 for all movements in excess of 5km, there were 14 reports of Flamborough and Bempton ringed birds moving to other localities together with only 7 findings of birds which had been ringed previously elsewhere. The only international exchanges were a Goldcrest to Germany and a Willow Warbler from the Netherlands, although the Redwing to the Channel Islands also could be considered a highlight.

Selected 2023 ringing recoveries

Blackbird

Redwing

Willow Warbler

Blackcap

Goldcrest

Starling

9 recoveries/controls noted for this species, all of which flew between the two observatories of Flamborough and Spurn.

Tree Sparrow

Chaffinch

This male bird still going strong at South Landing into its 9th year, but only its second recapture in all of that time!

Goldfinch

Greenfinch

Mealy Redpoll

Key to symbols and terms used:

Flamborough Bird Observatory would like to thank the landowners on whose property the ringers set their nets; The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Flamborough Head Golf Club and The East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the RSPB Bempton Cliffs. We would also like to thank individuals who gave donations during the ringing and migration week, with which we were able to buy some new equipment.

All ringing efforts of the Flamborough Bird Observatory group, East of the Dykes and at Bempton were supported by David Aitken, James Butcher, Jenny Butterworth, Paul Butterworth, Richard Cope, Ana Cowie, Nathaniel Dargue, Rebecca Durrant, Harriet Day, Andy Hood, Jo Hood, Tony Hood, Andy Jayes, Amy King, Jim Morgan, Elliot Morley, Poppy Rummery, Saskia Wischnewski, Lisa Scott, Graham Scott, Will Scott and additional sessions by visiting ringers.