SIBE-lings

11/09/16

Again not the busiest day ringing wise at our site in Pasvik, however migration is clearly still underway. Without doubt, the highlight of the day was the appearance of a stunning young YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER in one of our new net rides. This smartly plumaged Siberian migrant, as well as being a new species ringed for our team leader, also represented the first record for southern Varanger! A real treat that makes all those 4:15am starts worthwhile!

Although a new species for the area, we believed this species may make an appearance during our trip. With few birders covering the vast expanse of the national park at this time of year it seems perhaps this species has been overlooked, and we hope that during the course of the remainder of the trip we may catch a few more of these Siberian gems.

Yellow-Browed Warbler- A Varanger first (CR)

Yellow Browed Warbler

A migrant Redstart was a surprise addition to the trip list, unexpected mainly due to the northerly location and date.   However, with many other ‘summer’ species still being seen around the ringing site (Robin, Song and Mistle Thrush etc) it is perhaps no surprise a few others are still exploiting the last of the food resources and daylight.

Redstart

A lack of captured Willow Tits today was surprising despite a good number present. This was however compensated by a full quartet of Siberian Tits, when a family party found their way into one of our nets.

A quartet of Siberian Tits

Again, Reed Bunting made for the bulk of the mornings catch, with good numbers still around the catching site.

Below is a breakdown of the mornings totals:

*YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER*	1
Reed Bunting	20 (+2)
Great Tit	10
Meadow Pipit	6
Siberian Tit	4
Redwing	2
White Wagtail	2
Redstart	1
Robin	1
Totals	47 (+2)

Back at camp, we opened our feeder net for a while, however we only caught 5 birds. Interestingly, the increased catch rate of Great Tits correlates with the increased numbers that have found the feeding station over the last few days. Larger numbers of Finchs have started to appear so hopefully a number of these will feature on the next few days totals.

Great Tit	4
Willow Tit	1
Totals	5

Away from ringing, the team managed to see a fair few species, with Little Buntings, flocks of Smew, Whooper Swan and Siberian Jays. Just after setting nets this morning, we watched a Moose swim across the river from Norway into Russia. Even though it was distant, its huge size was evident.

The team watching ducks and Swans on the floorwater

WILTI-ng in the mist

With alarms set for 4:15am, hopes were high for a busy start to the days session, however overnight sub-zero temperatures and early morning fog combined to make for a very slow start. In the first couple of hours, the group managed only single figures of birds, with little to no activity.

The fog lingered late into the morning and only once it cleared did we start to catch any birds, all being caught in the river level nets rather than those on the ridge. In total the group caught and processed 42 birds between 5am and 1pm. Although a very quiet session, with lots of empty nets on the majority of net rounds, it was encouraging to see a fair few birds flying over, and dropping into the ringing site, including Grey-Headed and White Wagtails, and good numbers of Meadow Pipits.

Again, the team caught well with Reed Buntings, with the majority being caught in a single net round at 9am however the large Tit flock witnessed yesterday failed to materialize. What we lacked in Great Tits however was made up for by a mixed Willow/ Siberian Tit flock, which added a great deal of excitement to the days totals. The Siberian Tits in particular were looking stunning.

Siberian Tit (CR)

Siberian Tits were fairly regular today. (HJH)

Below is a breakdown of the totals at Nyrud:

Reed Bunting	21 + (1)
Willow Tit	9
Siberian Tit	3
Great Tit	3
Meadow Pipit	3
White Wagtail	1
Totals	41 + (1)

Once back at Camp following the mornings session, we set our feeder nets in the attempt to catch a few of the increasing variety of species visiting them.  From our cabins we could see a good flock of Greenfinch and within them was a single male Brambling, which proceeded to later become the 13^th species to be ringed by us on this trip.

Willow Tit	2 + (1)
Greenfinch	2
Brambling	1
Great Tit	1
Totals	6 + (1)

Away from our ringing, the team spent a couple of hours birding in a local section of the Pasvik national park, which provided a good variety of desirable species, with Parrot Crossbill, good numbers of Siberian Jays, Siberian Tits and Great Grey Shrikes.

Siberian Jays were giving great views at a number of locations today (HJH)

Siberian Jay glowing orange (SJ)

Star bird of the day for many- Parrot Crossbill, a 'lifer' for half of the group!

2 for joy.

9/9/16

Our first full day within the taiga forest with the Pasvik national park. The team spent the morning prepping the site for ringing over the next 10 days at our usual site at Nyrud. Following a dawn start, it was clear that our later arrival in the year has reduced the numbers of birds still present within the valley.

However, upon our arrival at the ringing site it was clear a good mixed flock of Great, Willow and Siberian Tits were present. The latter 2 mostly managed to avoid the nets however the bulk of todays catch was made up by their common and larger cousin. Our original dismay at the lack of birds was dismissed, and combined with a sustained passage of Meadow Pipits throughout the morning led to a sustained effort until the early afternoon, by which time most activity had died down. This mornings totals can be seen below:

Great Tit	23
Meadow Pipit	11
Reed Bunting	9
Willow Tit	2 (1)
Magpie	2
Dunnock	1
Willow Warbler	1
Garden Warbler	1
Totals	50 + (1 retrap)

Rather unusually, the team managed to catch a Garden Warbler, a surprising addition to the trip list considering the date and northerly location. More usual however were good numbers of Reed Bunting present around the ringing base, with the total caught making only a small percentage of the areas population.

A number of the team were very happy to catch (and see) northern race Willow Tits. strikingly different in plumage to the birds we see in the UK, we were struck by really how smart they looked. Of the 3 caught, one was bearing a Norwegian ring, presumably from the groups ringing at the site last year.

A stunning Willow Tit with a stunning background. (CR)

Just how pale these birds are, comparable in colour to a Birch (CR)

2 for joy (CR)

Having deployed a number of feeders at our campsite on our return, they were soon attracting a good number of birds, and so, as well as our ‘high flier’ net, we decided to put out a net beside our feeding setup. Although not a huge number of birds, we caught the first of a true Arctic speciality, a Siberian Tit. This was quickly followed by a 2^nd bird, and very interestingly, both were re-traps and were in sequence, meaning one was ringed after the other.

Siberian Tit (CR)

As we type, our high flier net is still ready to catch any Redwings moving back towards their roosts, so our totals may increase further!

Willow Tit	3
Siberian Tit	(2)
Redwing	2
Totals	5 + (2 retraps)

Away from ringing, the team had managed to find a good number of notable species throughout the day. Raptors were well represented with White-tailed Eagle, Rough-Legged Buzzard and Osprey all being seen. A number of Black Grouse were seen on our journey to the ringing base this morning however the main highlight for most was a significant passage of Common Cranes down the valley, with a minimum of 114 noted. A Musk Rat was seen on a nearby lake and a showy Fox continues to frequent the campsite.

One of  a number of overflying Crane flocks. (JH)

A migrant Whinchat gives hope that there are still migrants out there to be found! (JH)

The team checking out some roadside habitat. (CR)

And so it begins.

Following on from the last groups visit to the Nesseby site earlier in the autumn, the 2^nd group is now on their first leg of the journey to Pasvik National park. Today is day 1 of our 12 day expedition heading towards our ringing base within the boreal forests a stones throw from the border with Russia.

The group has yet to visit the area this late in the autumn, and therefore we are somewhat stepping into the unknown with regard to what we may catch or find. We hope that the later time frame may be suitable for a range of Pipit, Finch and Thrush species, together with the allure of potential eastern vagrants. Despite this uncertainty however, hopes are high for a good variety and number of birds. The group certainly seems enthusiastic for a strong effort, with many ‘wish list’ species and methods having been discussed before we had even embarked on our first flight.

Of the group of 8 attending, the majority are stalwarts of the yearly Norway expedition, with many trips under their belts and great experience of what we may find. For the remaining 3 members (including myself) it will be our first time ringing this far north in Europe, therefore hopes and high to encounter a wide range of boreal species, including both the resident and migrant avifauna. Only time will tell as to the outcome

Some familiar names appear on this years roll call of participants with:

Fergus Hendersson

John Hodson

Tim Dixon

Andy Warr
Simon  Roberts

And the newbies…

Susan Jones

Hugh Hanmer

Craig Reed

We expect to arrive at our campsite base late this evening, where following a quick brush up, the team will be getting a good sleep before our dawn start tomorrow.

A quick post for today as we travel for 19 hours to our home for the next 2 weeks, surrounded by foraging Bears, sentinel like Hawk Owls and hopefully copious numbers of passerines. This is a blog to document our results and findings from each day, so make sure to check back regularly to read the latest of our exploits, and hopefully… Good fortunes!

Bring it on!

The final curtain is red one

So already we've reached the end of our trip here to Nesseby, and what a final day its ended up being.  The weather allowed us our 'usual' 3am start and other than a bit of a strong breeze, all looked good.  Sadly the birds were reluctant to get going this morning so our nets were notably quiet until the temperature rose a few more degrees.  During the first quiet few hours it was very much quality over quantity with a notable increase in the number of Reed Bunting being caught.  Another bunting species also increased, the Lapland Bunting are moving!  In all four birds were caught, more than doubling our total for the rest of the week before today.

Lapland Bunting

Along with the Lapland Bunting were two Red-throated Pipits, including one unquestionable bird with the classic field guide plumage.  One of the final birds before the nets got very busy was a stunning juvenile male Merlin.  Then began the busy period with Redpoll making up the bulk of the catch yet again with 450 new birds caught today, again with few retraps.  This now brings our trip total for Redpoll to an insane 1,744 birds.  We're in touch with the Norwegian Ringing Scheme to see if this is a record.  The scheme also has a very useful website showing the recoveries of many species ringed in Norway and found across the country and the rest of the world.  Check out the online maps here - http://must.ringmerking.no/

Red-throated Pipit

We also had more success with our homemade walk in trap during the high tide, although unfortunately the high tide wasn't as high as expected and allowed birds to filter past the trap entrance.  Despite this we still managed to add a new species for the trip, a juvenile Ringed Plover along with five Dunlin.

Ringed Plover

So our trip is now over and aside from packing at getting to the airport tomorrow morning, we have little to do but update the blogs and reflect on a great week.  The curtain has closed, and with so many Redpoll and a brilliant Red-throated Pipit, the curtain is a red one...

When we're back in the UK we'll post a final blog for our trip with a round up of all the cumulative species totals for the trip, but as a sneak preview we can reveal that we have finished the week on exactly 3,300 new birds!  But don't forget that another team will be back in Arctic Norway in September, further south at our 2015 trip location of Pasvik in the Ovre Pasvik National Park at Nyrud.  They'll be updating the blog as internet access allows, so check back later in the year to see how they're doing too.


Total (New Birds): Sunday 14th August 2016
Dunlin 5
Ringed Plover 1
Merlin 1
Fieldfare 2
Greenfinch 3
Great Tit 1
Redwing 1
Sedge Warbler 1
Garden Warbler 1
Lapland Bunting 4
Red-throated Pipit 2
Reed Bunting 20
Brambling 8
Bluethroat 20
Willow Warbler 29
Meadow Pipit 80
Redpoll 450
Total 629

A. flammea-ing good day

Despite another rain delayed start its been a great day here in Nesseby, if a tad windy and cold at times.  Early on it was clear we were on for another Redpoll day.  Formerly of the Carduelis genus, the three Redpoll species that we are familiar with in the UK have now been moved back into the genus Acanthis: Common Redpoll Acanthis flammea, Lesser Redpoll Acanthis carbaret and Arctic Redpoll Acanthis hornemanni.

Whether you are in the camp that acknowledges the three species or you're more for the 'one Redpoll to rule them all' approach, today it didn't matter as they came in the droves.  Our day ended on an incredible 491 new birds.  Yes, new birds!  In all very few retraps were caught so these birds are clearly moving through the area in big numbers and have a great breeding season.  A quick look online and Redpoll ringed in Norway have been found in Germany, Czech Republic, Estonia and the UK, so these birds really could turn up anywhere!

Redpoll

In amongst the Redpoll was a single Arctic, attempting to hide with his newly named Acanthis  friends.  Otherwise there was a distinct lack of larger passerines with only 96 other birds caught including another 12 Bluethroat and 23 Meadow Pipit.  A small flock of 7 Fieldfare added some extra interest to the session along with another two retraps from previous year's trips; another Redwing from 2012 ringed as a juvenile and another Willow Tit also ringed as a juvenile on our 2013 trip to Nesseby.  In other news, the great Dunnock migration continues with another three birds caught today!

Redwing

With catching so many passerines we've always seemingly run out of time to have a real go at catching the waders on the high tide.  The tide here is awkward, first inundating the mudflats in a few minutes until reaching nearly to the tide line, after which is takes another hour or two to reach its highest point.  Today we deployed our homemade walk in trap above the tide line and with patience the birds were queuing up to get in.  Sadly our catch was reduced by the return of a Merlin to the shoreline, spooking off the waiting flock before they could enter the trap.  Before this however we'd managed to catch 8 Dunlin, all juveniles, which made for a very welcome addition to the bumper crop of Redpolls.

Dunlin

 Tomorrow is our final day for catching - how time flies!  Currently the weather is looking great so we'll see what 3am brings.

Totals (New Birds): Saturday 13th August 2016
Dunlin 8
Bluethroat 12
Meadow Pipit 23
Arctic Redpoll 1
Sedge Warbler 1
Redwing 4
Fieldfare 7
Willow Warbler 15
Dunnock 3
House Sparrow 2
Reed Bunting 7
Brambling 10
Greenfinch 2
Great Tit 1
Redpoll 491
Total 587

It's a wash out

Doesn't the title say it all?  With rain overnight not clearing until 7am followed by strong winds and more rain from lunchtime for the rest of the day, today has by far been the worst of our trip.  In the period of dry weather some of our more sheltered net sites managed a respectable 88 new birds including another 21 Bluethroat and 33 Redpoll.

Whilst having breakfast and getting ready this morning the local gardens were full of Fieldfare and a few Redwing, so our hopes were raised for another good thrush day following on from yesterdays bumper catch.  Sadly the ringing site just half a mile of less away from our accommodation (as the Hooded Crow would fly at least) was a very different scenario.  I don't think I actually saw a thrush whilst we were on site.  Generally bird seemed thin on the ground.  Usually whilst ringing we can see birds moving through the vegetation around us but today the was a distinct lack of movement.  Even the Merlin didn't put in an appearance.

Rather than sit around the house for the day we headed out to see some of the local sights including the Samiske Museum at Varangerbotn.  For a visitor attraction in what can seem like the middle of nowhere, the exhibits were a fantastic quality worthy of a place in the British Natural History Museum.  If you're ever up this way it is worth calling in to see for yourself - http://www.varjjat.org/

A traditional boat in the Museum crossing a 'lake'

On the 'lake' some typical wildfowl including King, Common and Steller's Eiders

Tomorrow is looking like another wet start so we're probably going to have a later start.  Hopefully the birds will join us.  We also plan to have our biggest attempt for catching waders this trip, so fingers are once again crossed!

Totals (New Birds): Friday 12th August 2016

Meadow Pipit 11

Willow Warbler 7

Brambling 7

Bluethroat 21

Reed Bunting 5

Redpoll 33

House Sparrow 1

Sedge Warbler 1

Great Tit 1

Greenfinch 1

Total 88