Waterford Birds www.waterfordbirds.com

Brownstown Head ringing totals

Home
Recent reports
Winter Bird Atlas
Breeding Bird Atlas
Atlas maps
Record archives
Published records
On this date
Photo archive
Waterford species list
2010 species list
2009 species list
Guide to bird sites
Wetland birds (I-WeBS)
Bird ringing
Breeding seabirds
Bird-race totals
Moths (Brownstown Hd)
Downloadable PDFs
Links; surveys & projects
 
Brownstown Head ringing totals
 
Annual bird-ringing, mainly in autumn, has been underway at Brownstown Head (grid reference X6298), at the south-east corner of Tramore Bay, since October 1988.  Most ringing involves mist-netting at garden sites, with additional nets along hedgerows or in other areas of scrub.  Tape-luring for Storm Petrels has also been done from the tip of the headland in some years.  Small numbers of pulli (chicks) are also ringed. 
 
Totals of new birds ringed are summarized below - in total, about 5500 birds of 59 species to the end of 2008.   Coverage and numbers of migrants have varied from year to year, reflected in totals ringed (maximum 622 birds in 2004).  Goldcrests are by far the most common species ringed, partly reflecting the main period of coverage in September-October.  Rarer species ringed include Red-breasted Flycatcher in 2005,  Northern Parula and Pallas's Warbler in 2003, Barred Warbler in 1989, Wryneck in 1992 and Wood Warbler in 2004, along with small numbers of Tree Pipits, Reed Warblers, Lesser Whitethroats, Yellow-browed Warblers and Firecrests.
 
Despite the large numbers of passerines ringed at Brownstown, recovery rates for such species are typically very low, and there have only been one distant and two local ringing recoveries of Brownstown-ringed birds.  A Goldcrest ringed at Brownstown in Oct 2003 was recaptured in Meseyside, NW England the following October.  The other recoveries were a Blue Tit recaptured in Waterford city, 13 km distant, and a Bullfinch found dead at Kilmacomb, near Belle Lake, 7 km away.  Recaptures at Brownstown itself are much more frequent, and indicate that some migrants may stay off-passage for a week or more.  A Sedge Warbler ringed in Belgium was found dead (killed by a cat) at Brownstown.   Unlike passerines, Storm Petrels have provided frequent recoveries, reflecting targeted ringing efforts at headlands elsewhere in Ireland and Britain.  There have been 10 Stormies ringed at Brownstown and controlled at sites in Cornwall (England), Dyfed (Wales), Orkney (Scotland), Cork, Mayo and Sligo; and 13 birds ringed originally at sites in Cornwall, Humberside (England), Dyfed, the Isle of Man, Strathclyde (Scotland), Cork, and Helvick Head (Waterford) controlled at Brownstown.  A Sparrowhawk mist-netted at Brownstown in October 1992 had been ringed as a chick near Mooncoin (Co Kilkenny) in June 1992. 
 
Thanks are due to the various landowners on the headland who have provided access for ringing and birding, and to the ringers and helpers involved over the years. 
 
Last updated: 8 March 2009

Species

 

1988-

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

1991

1990

1989

1988

 

 

2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Storm Petrel

 

203

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

70

133

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sparrowhawk

 

6

 

 

 

2

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kestrel

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wryneck

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grey Wagtail

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow Wagtail

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pied Wagtail

 

12

 

 

 

 

1

1

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

2

1

 

 

2

 

2

 

Tree Pipit

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

Meadow Pipit

 

248

 

 

 

 

32

 

9

 

 

15

 

 

90

22

41

3

1

3

2

29

1

Swallow

 

61

 

 

 

1

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

9

3

 

17

1

1

9

8

 

House Martin

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

Wren

 

230

5

2

9

5

11

14

8

1

2

5

6

5

2

22

20

22

20

9

21

33

8

Dunnock

 

146

4

3

4

4

7

8

4

 

2

3

5

7

6

12

6

13

8

5

11

24

10

Robin

 

241

4

3

6

8

9

10

6

 

4

7

6

10

13

16

18

13

15

27

32

23

11

Black Redstart

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Redstart

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

Stonechat

 

17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

1

1

4

4

 

6

 

 

Wheatear

 

4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

1

 

Blackbird

 

181

3

1

9

11

13

14

3

 

2

4

1

8

2

15

19

7

17

9

30

6

7

Song Thrush

 

36

2

 

1

 

3

5

 

 

 

 

4

 

 

1

2

7

1

1

5

4

 

Redwing

 

12

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

3

 

2

3

 

1

Grasshopper Warbler

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sedge Warbler

 

25

1

 

1

1

4

 

 

 

 

1

1

 

2

3

1

2

 

1

1

6

 

Reed Warbler

 

11

 

 

2

 

1

1

 

1

 

1

 

1

2

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Barred Warbler

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

Lesser Whitethroat

 

4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

 

 

 

2

 

 

Whitethroat

 

10

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

 

 

 

 

3

4

 

 

Garden Warbler

 

4

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

1

 

Blackcap

 

72

1

 

5

6

5

14

1

 

 

 

1

 

1

11

4

3

3

4

6

6

1

Chiffchaff

 

493

28

3

27

25

24

22

15

 

1

7

25

18

19

66

35

13

28

20

42

70

5

Willow Warbler

 

452

16

 

49

29

64

4

 

 

 

14

13

9

31

29

10

5

3

41

67

67

1

Wood Warbler

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pallas's Warbler

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yellow-browed Wblr

 

9

2

 

1

 

 

1

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

1

1

 

 

 

 

Goldcrest

 

803

46

5

33

29

64

46

11

 

7

10

38

80

5

87

39

24

30

2

66

137

44

Firecrest

 

7

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

2

1

Spotted Flycatcher

 

32

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

1

3

4

10

1

1

 

2

4

2

2

Pied Flycatcher

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

2

 

 

 

2

 

1

 

Red-breasted Flycatcher

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treecreeper

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-tailed Tit

 

98

9

 

9

 

9

4

8

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

9

5

 

31

10

2

Coal Tit

 

101

17

1

1

3

3

 

 

3

 

1

3

10

1

3

13

2

11

11

6

12

 

Blue Tit

 

254

24

12

17

13

19

6

3

 

1

3

6

12

4

16

12

5

29

16

30

21

5

Great Tit

 

294

43

11

17

40

25

19

6

2

1

9

5

15

5

11

14

8

18

14

10

18

3

Starling

 

6

 

1

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hooded Crow

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Chough

 

4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

 

House Sparrow

 

78

8

2

14

24

5

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

6

 

 

10

 

3

1

 

Tree Sparrow

 

3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

2

 

 

 

 

 

Chaffinch

 

180

2

3

18

13

29

12

5

 

 

1

2

1

3

13

5

9

17

3

26

14

4

Brambling

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

 

 

Greenfinch

 

103

15

4

12

38

16

7

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

4

 

 

2

 

 

2

 

Goldfinch

 

73

2

2

10

5

8

2

4

 

 

5

1

3

9

11

5

3

 

 

 

1

2

Linnet

 

166

 

 

 

 

60

 

3

 

 

6

 

10

6

28

11

4

8

3

7

20

 

Lesser Redpoll

 

614

60

51

37

223

183

2

5