Highlights of 2009
There are getting on for two and a half thousand Ringers in the UK. To become a licensed Ringer takes a few years of dedication, but it is extremely rewarding, and it is a way for a spare time volunteer to make a significant contribution to the science of ornithology.
2009 was a relatively disappointing year, despite good levels of ringing effort and coverage, with our lowest total for eight years, and our equal lowest species total for eighteen years. The poor numbers seem to have come in summer - July was our worst since 1963 - and may reflect below par catching conditions due to persistent breezes; we also speculate that there may have been lower than usual aphid populations in the reedbeds.
The top five species ringed in 2009 were as follows (in brackets are last year's positions/grand total positions):
- Sedge Warbler (2/1)
- Reed Warbler (1/2)
- Chiffchaff (3/14)
- Blue Tit (6/4)
- Great Tit (5/11)
No new species this year, but we clocked up record catches of the following:
- Teal - 29 beat the previous best of 22 in 1999
- Pochard - double the previous best, our 6 birds taking the grand total to 20
- Cetti's Warbler - 23 birds was more than double last year's record, reflecting breeding success, and more than a third of our grand total; but how much will the severe winter have impacted their numbers?
Other successes included:
- Our 29th and 30th Shovelers represented the best for 6 years - and has already been beaten in 2010!
- Our eight Little Grebes represented our second best year, following 10 in 2006
- 27 Black-headed Gulls were our second best year, beaten only whilst England were winning the World Cup! This was thanks in part to a growing colony now established on the tern rafts
- Our 13th Nightingale was the first since 2001. Why do we get so few here?
- Only our second House Sparrow of the decade!
However, as ever there were disappointments too:
- Warbler numbers collectively (including Crests) were the lowest for seven years, with only Cetti's Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and Chiffchaff faring better than last year. Garden Warbler numbers were the lowest for 17 years
- The Common Tern colony was further impacted by the growing Black-headed Gull colony, with the fewest chicks ringed since the infancy of the colony in 1973
- For only the third time in the past 48 years we ringed but a single Pied Wagtail
- Sadly our first ever blank year for Linnets in our 50th year of operation! Our best Linnet year was 485 birds in 1972 - it is a measure of the decline of this species at Rye Meads that the past 20 years collectively hasn't mustered that many birds
If you become a Friend of Rye Meads, you can receive a more detailed analysis of last year's activities through the two-monthly Bulletin. See here for more details.