24 Years

The last CES of 2016 has been completed.  Tony did some very quick calculations.

'I will try to extrapolate some meaningful data shortly but a bit of useless information for you is that we have now completed 288 CES ringing days (9.6 months ringing every day solid as an equivalent!), we have ringed for 3024 hours, using the mean average of the nets we put in, we have erected 134,400m of nets - and of course taken them down, and based on the average number of ringers and 3 cups of tea each per day we have made and drank 8640 of them.

You have all contributed to the best CES ever run in this country - by a very wide margin. I doubt it will ever be replicated. My intention, if we can manage it is to complete 25 years - we shall see!

Thank you for turning out on Thursday, at short notice and for all the inconvenience you tolerate - and my special thanks to the staff and volunteers who make it all possible.

My thanks to Glennis who for some time now, has brought along hot sausage rolls to almost every session.

Who could ask for more!

The totals for CES 2016 - we did 1198 new birds and 957 retraps totalling 2155 birds - this puts the year 8th out of 24.'

In the autumn the BTO sends out details about the breeding season using the data from all CES sites.

It was a cold start to the day, but there was a blue sky showing off the reeds, which had recovered from the rain, and were again standing up.

Hiding amongst the vegetation was a male Southern Hawker.

In the ringing room birds processed included Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Siskins.  Bullfinches and Chaffinches are starting to increase in numbers again.  A Nuthatch received its ring.

And a pleasant surprise was a juvenile male Redstart.  More information on the CES this year will appear in the next edition of Undergrowth which is about to be compiled.

After a small celebration the ringers headed for home.  Eight months to get ready for CES 2017!