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COLOUR-RINGED
BLACK-TAILED GODWITS
Colour-ringing
information .
. . Godwits
season 2012-13
. . . Godwits
season 2011-12
.
. Spurting
behaviour
Black-tailed Godwits are
part of a ringing scheme by the Farlington Ringing
Group. Local colour-ring sightings are reported to
Pete Potts who is the local coordinator.
The colour
combinations are reported as follows: left leg - right
leg. For example, O//R GL has orange ring on the left
tibia with a red marker ring on the tarsus and a green
ring above a lime ring on the right tibia. Rings are
usually on the tibia (above the knee) except for a the
red marker ring on the Farlington and Thorney ringed
Godwits which is below the knee on the tarsus
indicated by two slashes - //. For example, B//R+WW
means Left leg: Blue on tibia, red on tarsus. Right
leg: white over white on Tibia (no rings on the
tarsus). Very often, only the three main colour rings
are reported with the red marker ring assumed, e.g,
R+WW or O+GL.
Birds ringed in other
locations have slightly different combinations of
colours: The following are the ones most likely to be
seen in our local harbours.
Godwits ringed in Iceland have two colour rings
on each tibia. eg GL+YL
Godwits ringed in Kent have 3 colour rings on
each leg. eg RYL+RLY
This also applies to Suffolk ringed birds eg
LRG+OLO
Godwits ringed in the Wash have a white ring on
the lower right leg. eg R+YL//W
Key to colours: R =
red, Y = yellow, L = lime, O = orange, N = black, G =
green, W = white, B = blue.
A6 means a white ring with 'A6' printed on it. X means
a white ring with an 'X' marked on it.
NOTE; In the records
below the colour combinations have been simplified by
leaving out the red target ring - R// - which occurs
in all the combinations where there is only one colour
ring on the left tibia.
EMSWORTH
GODWIT RECORDS - season 2010-11
I have been monitoring
the Black-tailed Godwits in Emsworth Harbour for several
years and have kept a log of all the colour-ring
sightings. Here are the records for the 2010-11 season.
Chart
showing the Black-tailed Godwit counts for 2010-11 season
in Emsworth
BLACK-TAILED
GODWIT COUNTS IN EMSWORTH -
2006-2007
The 2006-07 winter was
quite different from 2005-06 winter. Counts were fairly
high from the end of October until the beginning of
December, but then fell dramatically to single figures in
less than a week. Counts have remained very low since
that time with 9 being the best the best we could muster
in December. The last were seen in January 2007.
Just where all the
Godwits went this winter is a bit of a mystery. Some
clearly moved west to flooded fields in the Avon Valley
north of Christchurch where at least 2,000 Black-tailed
Godwits were reported on 7 Jan 2007 and subsequent
colour-ringed sightings showed the presence of some
Emsworth birds. There were also over 700 Godwits in
Pagham Harbour with some Emsworth birds there also.
NOTE: Godwit counts have
remained low in all the subsequent years 2007-2009. Just
why they have gone is a mystery.
BLACK-TAILED
GODWIT COUNTS IN EMSWORTH - 2005-2006
The winter of 2005-2006
was a bumper year for Black-tailed Godwits in Emsworth
Harbour, with a maximum of 176 in early December. From
February to the end of March counts were lower, but there
were still several over 80.
Black-tailed
Godwits in flight. What a great experience to see them
take off and wheel around.
Here are a couple of good photos of this taking place,
but they are no substitute for the real thing.
OPERATION
GODWIT
Operation Godwit is an
international association of people studying the
Icelandic Black-tailed Godwit - Limosa limosa
islandica. The aim is to unravel the population
dynamics and migration strategies of the subspecies
throughout its range. This is done by carrying out
fieldwork in different countries and by following
movements of individually colour-ringed birds. For
sightings of ringed godwits they rely on the
contributions of observers who send sightings of
ringed birds and receive known life-histories of the
ringed birds in return.
For more details see
Operation Godwit web site . . . . http://www.scoiliosaefnaofa.com/God%20history.html
-
The
Icelandic Black-tailed godwit
The Icelandic
Black-tailed godwit Limosa limosa islandica is one of
the three subspecies of the Black tailed Godwit. This
subspecies breeds almost exclusively in Iceland and
winters in W. Europe. The main wintering countries are
Ireland, Britain, France and the Netherlands but an
unknown proportion of the population winters further
south in Spain, Portugal and perhaps in Morocco. Our
most recent (unpublished) estimate of population size
suggests that the population size is ca. 15.000-20.000
pairs. The Black-tailed godwit is slightly smaller,
darker in breeding plumage and significantly more
beautiful than the nominate subspecies, which breeds
in western Europe and winters in southern Europe and
Africa.
The spring migration
of the Black-tailed godwit to Iceland is from mid
April to early May. Before scattering onto the
breeding grounds the birds stage for a few days on
mudflats and freshwater sites around Iceland and peak
numbers on individual sites are usually found from
20th April-5 May. These sites can hold up to 30% of
the entire population at the same time and are thus
extremely important.
The Black-tailed
godwit breeds in different types of wet marshes and
mesic grasslands in lowland areas around Iceland.
After arrival on the breeding grounds, the birds set
up their territories and fatten up for 2-3 weeks
before the onset of incubation in late May. Peak
hatching is in mid to late June. Unsuccessful breeders
start showing up on the wintering grounds already in
the first days of July. Most chicks fledge in July and
successful adults leave Iceland around that time, with
the last adults usually having left before mid August.
The now fledged chicks have to undertake the first
migration on their own. Most juveniles leave Iceland
in August but a few remain until September.
On the wintering
grounds the birds tend to use mudflats and wet
grasslands near the coast, where they feed on
invertebrates such as worms and molluscs. Many of the
birds move between areas throughout the winter and
some use up to 4 different countries. In late January
and February, birds in the southern part of the range
start moving gradually northwards in preparation for
the migration to Iceland in April.
Up until
1920, the Black-tailed godwit was a rare bird. They
only bred in restricted areas in the southern
lowlands of Iceland and the population was probably
much smaller than now. After 1920 the godwits
started spreading to areas in the west of Iceland
and by 1930-1940 they had started breeding in the
north. They established themselves as a breeding
species in the east of Iceland only around 1970.
General increase has occurred in all parts of the
country and the godwits are found breeding in new
locations every year. The reason for this
population increase is not known but the possible
influence of climate change, favourable habitat
change or reduced hunting on the wintering grounds
have all been suggested. The Black-tailed godwit
has never been hunted in Iceland.
GODWIT
NEWS FROM ICELAND 2010
CHICK
RINGED IN ICELAND MAKES IT TO EMSWORTH
17 November 2010 - Pete
Potts confirmed the really exciting news that the
colour-ringed Black-tailed Godwit WO LW flag, which has
been seen in Bosham (Nov 6) and Emsworth (Nov 14 and Nov
16), was indeed a chick ringed in north Iceland last
summer by Ruth Croger and Pete on 13th July at Langhus,
SW of Siglufjordur. Pete adds that this big chick was
caught by their good friend Laki on his farm using his
jumper as the bird escaped from his hay cutting! Pete
thinks this is only the 4th godwit chick that has turned
up in The Solent, that will probably winter here, from
all over Iceland! He says 2-3 others have been seen on
autumn migration on odd days on their way south but never
resighted here. So that is some catch for us! We shall
keep a good look out for it.
Ruth Croger subsequently
posted an image of LO LW flag as it was ringed by Andy
Welch at Langhus Farm, together with a shot of the
habitat where it was caught. The farm is in North Iceland
at 66 degrees north, so the horizon shown in the photo is
probably in the Arctic Circle.
NOTE;
Ruth apologised for sending the wrong picture of the
Godwit chick. Inadvertantly she sent LO LW flag (as shown
below) instead of WO LW flag. Ruth does not have an image
of WO LW flag, but thinks Pete may have one. I did not
notice the mistake! However, not to worry, as I am sure
the two birds are pretty similar.
Godwit
LO LWflag ringed in Northern Iceland on 13th July
2010
Ruth's
mistake alerted me to a mistake I also made with the
labelling of the photos of our Godwit WO LW flag - now
corrected. These colour-rings are so easy to get muddled
up.
Here
is the Godwit WO LW flag in Bosham Harbour
This is
the farmland in Iceland where the Godwit was
caught
SUMMER
2008 IN ICELAND
Report from Pete
Potts
I thought you might like
to know how we got on this summer in Iceland. The
Operation Godwit team (Ruth Croger & myself from
Farlington Ringing Group, Guillaume Gelinaud from
Brittany, Astrid Kant from Holland, John & Helen
Swallow, David & Elizabeth Price) visited Iceland
between 3rd-20th July. Ruth, Guillaume Astird and myself
for the whole period. John & Helen, David &
Elizabeth joined us for shorter periods. Guillaume stayed
on to do some more fishing afterwards with Tomas.
We concentrated on our
study sites in NW Iceland and between Akureyri and
Siglufjordur on the central north coast. This is now the
4th year we have visted these sites and the 9th summer of
godwit fieldwork in Iceland since we started in 1999
missing just 2003. I think this was my 16th or 17th trip
to Iceland almostly exclusively for godwits!
Anyway so how did we get
on. In summary it seems to have been another early season
and further advanced by a week to ten days on last year
following good weather since I think middle of May.
Consequently we struggled to ring many godwit chicks,
however we did manage to ring 54, this is our lowest
total since 2004. Most were large chicks, so they should
stand a good chance of being seen again with luck!
We also colour-ringed 24
adult godwits - one nest trapped and the rest
cannon-netted in small catches. The total would have been
higher if we hadn't opted to use the new light weight
cannons/projectiles which require different powder
quantities to fire a net successfully and not test fire
them first with different nets! I learnt the hard way
loosing 17 of the 20 godwits in the catch area when the
net didn't go out very far! I have since done some test
fires so we are better placed for next summer.
We also saw a lot of
colour-ringed adults c.44-46 combinations, including 2
Farlington ringed birds: W//R+GL (Siglufjordur on
16th July) and G//R+RO (Reykholar, NW Iceland on
10th July) neither were breeding but in flocks etc. also
birds we ringed in Lisbon, Brittany, one from La
Rochelle, 3 from The Wash, and many we have previously
ringed in Iceland, including c.12 we marked as chicks in
previous years largely returning to their natal areas.
This is the first real data for any number of birds we
have for site fidelity to natal areas for the islandica
race. This will grow as they project develops.
We managed to ring 249
birds, mostly waders. 10 species of wader chick including
Purple Sandpiper (1), Dunlin (3), RN Phalarope (2) and
Snipe (2) which are never easy to get and rarely all on
one trip when we focuses so much on godwits! We only
ringed 9 Golden Plover chicks which is very
poor.
The remaining wader
totals were: 11 Oystecatcher, 23 Ringed Plover, 39
Whimbrel, 48 Redshank and 78 godwits. Also 31 Arctic
Terns and a BH Gull. We ringed the Terns to help with a
PhD study collecting blood and feather samples as well as
biometric data.
The weather was
incredible, much sunshine and temperatures up to 19 and
frequently 15-16 in NW Fjords which felt hot and is warm
by Iceland standards. We had rain on just 2-3 days. In
some parts of Iceland they had not had rain for 10 weeks
and many of the rivers were very low and some almost
dried up. The Snaefellsnes glacier looks smaller than
ever and will I am sure be gone in 10-20 years perhaps if
global warming continues at this rate, but I took a few
pictures so I can remind myself what it looks like!
Perhaps I am wrong.
The Siglufjordur catch
was attended by some local school children who are doing
a project on the godwits linked via the internet with a
school in Cork. They were very enthusiastic and loved it
despite us only catching 3 birds! Next year...
Other bird/wildlife
highlights: several WT Eagles and several Gyr Falcons
both seen daily at various sites, SE Owls, Merlins, RN
Phalarope brooding its tiny chicks at close range after
we had ringed them. The call of the Great Northern Diver.
A loch with not only 2 pairs of Slavonian Grebes feeding
their chicks but also 8-10 pairs of RT Divers calling and
displaying next to us as we processed our catch of 16
godwits close to mid-night. A brood of Long-tailed Ducks
crossing the track in front of the car. Also two Arctic
Foxes at the end of the trip something we don't often
see. We didn't go on any whale watching trips this year
as we ran out of time for second year running!
Lastly a big thank you to
the all the team members for all their hard work, long
days, irregular and scarce meals, long drives and
paitence. Thank you Ruth for booking flights, cars and
accommodation. Thanks to Guillaume for all the fresh fish
you caught and prepared for us just brilliant, thanks to
Astrid esp. for all the photographs and lecture on limosa
breeding ecology in The Netherlands and showing us your
great books!
Thank you also of course
to our hosts for accommodation, food and most important
of all your great friendship and companionship: Yann,
Boddi og Peta, Tomas og Linda, Lakki og Luka and Gudny og
Orlygur and families. Also to Mummi, Gunni and Tomas for
loan of ringing kit and rings.
OK enough! Trust all's
well, keep up the good work recording all those ringed
godwits & greenshanks etc it is so much appreciated
by the team.
MORE
PHOTOS OF COLOUR-RINGED GODWITS
All by Brian Fellows
unless otherwise stated.
Farlington
Ringed Godwits
Left
leg - BLUE
B//R WW -
(Emsworth) - 02.11.07
B//R YL- (Emsworth)
26.11.06
Left
leg - GREEN
G//R GG -
(Farlington) - 25.07.08
G//R GY - (Broadmarsh) -
04.09.07
G//R LL -
(Farlington) (photo by Heather Mills) -
26.09.08
G//R OL - (Emsworth)
06.12.06
G//R RG -
(Broadmarsh) - 04.09.07
G//R RO - (Langstone)
09.03.06
G//R RR - (Farlington)
(photo by Heather Mills) - 26.09.08
G//R RW - (Broadmarsh)
- 04.09.07
G//R+RY - (Farlington)
- 01.08.08
G//R YR - (Emsworth) -
31.01.06
G//R YW - (Farlington)
(photo by Heather Mills) - 26.09.08
G//R WN (Pagham) -
19.11.08
G//R WR - Pagham -
19.11.08
G//R YG (Farlington)
(photo by Trevor carpenter) - 31.08.09
Left
leg - LIME
L//R GL
(Nutbourne) -27.10.09
L//R GY (Pagham) -
11.02.09
L//R LL - Emsworth 06.11.09
L//R LO (Pagham) -
19.11.08
L//R OG (Emsworth) -
08.12.08
L//R+OO - (Fishbourne)
- 17.10.08
L//R RL (Farlington) -
17.09.08
L//R RO (Farlington) -
08.09.09 (photo by Trevor Carpenter)
Y//R RN - Emsworth -
17.1.09
Y//R LL - Farlington - 03-Aug-09 - (photo by Trevor
Carpenter)
Y//R RG - Emsworth
06.11.09
LY OX - (Emsworth) - 15.08.02
I first saw this one in
Emsworth in 2002 which I first thought was LY RX. Since
then it has been seen at Farlington and Fishbourne and
most recently by Anne de Potier off Salterns Copse on the
east side of Chichester Harbour, near Chichester Marina,
Anne de Potier says LY OX used to visit the Deeps in
Aug/Sept in 2002-5 (Barry), and she saw it at Nutbourne
on 2 Sept 05. No further news until Aug 2008 at Birdham
(Nick), so now it seems to prefer the east
side.
YL LR - Emsworth -
17.1.09