Last CES session

Post date: Aug 27, 2014 8:35:41 AM

Yesterday, I undertook the final Constant Effort Site session of the year, this time without visitors or helpers. It was a windless but rather chilly morning (4-16ºC) and there was a short shower of light rain. The first half-an-hour round (at 6:30) was really promising, with 19 birds caught, but then there were very few birds until mid morning when, at 9:30 it rose again with nine birds caught (perhaps when the vegetation dried out). Overall, 40 captures and nine retraps of 10 species were made, thus continuing the lowering trend since late July. Reed Warbler was by far the commonest species, mostly juveniles at the end of the post-juvenile moult, some already fattening up (up to score 6), and a couple of adult females, most probably late breeders. Two juvenile Lesser Whitethroats were particularly cute, and since I do not ring many of them, I will elect them the species of the day!

A netted Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), the commonest species at the CES in 2014

One of the two juvenile Lesser Whitethroats (Sylvia curruca) caught yesterday

It took me quite a lot of time, effort and some money to prepare the net line and start this Constant Effort Site. However, it will only have any value if I will do it at least one more year, as what is important for this method are the changes between years. I am not absolutely sure yet if I can carry on with this project, as my immediate future will depend a lot on the outcome of my grant applications. Let's hope I can indeed do it, with the help of my colleagues.

Part of the CES net line

View to the lake at the end of the net line (where the soil is really soft!)

During the next week, I will carry out a couple of ringing sessions at Krankesjön for other projects, and will keep updating the ringing results (and perhaps the blog) in due time. But then, I will spend one and a half months in Portugal and Spain, studying Aquatic Warbler migration, and acting as an opponent in a PhD defence, respectively. Ringing results from Portugal will be divulged in the blog of my personal webpage; but when ringing at Krankesjön resumes in October, I will carry on updating this webpage. So keep in touch!

Júlio M. Neto