I more or less finished the Glamorgan Bird Club Willow Tit survey yesterday at Nelson Bog and Parc Penallta, with a grand total of 0 Willow Tits, and that also included using the BTO survey tape playback. Has this population died out, or is it still hanging on by its fingernails?
Today it was the first visit to both my tetrads for the National Willow Tit survey. Not as many playback points as Mark's as much of both squares is open moorland, but still took over 6 hrs! The first tetrad covers Beacon's Reservoir, and just extends to the Pen-y-fan car park. Success on my third playback point, below the reservoir dam, with a Willow Tit calling, but I could not locate the bird. The rest of the points round the reservoir produced nil responses from Willow Tits, but I did get responses from Great and Coal Tits and, at one point, a female Chaffinch!
The second tetrad covers the northern clear fell at Garwnant and most of Cantref Reservoir. Success again at point 3, with a bird flying in within 15 seconds of starting the playback. A little agitated then it broke into song. This bird still within Glamorgan. Nothing further until point 10, when playback brought in a single bird that called a couple of times before disappearing. I wonder/presume if those that just called and disappeared were females. It was noticeable that all three birds responded before the end of the 2 minute tape.
I think I've managed to fill in the forms correctly - I think I should have gone to the training day! to quote Mike - ho hum!
Today it was the first visit to both my tetrads for the National Willow Tit survey. Not as many playback points as Mark's as much of both squares is open moorland, but still took over 6 hrs! The first tetrad covers Beacon's Reservoir, and just extends to the Pen-y-fan car park. Success on my third playback point, below the reservoir dam, with a Willow Tit calling, but I could not locate the bird. The rest of the points round the reservoir produced nil responses from Willow Tits, but I did get responses from Great and Coal Tits and, at one point, a female Chaffinch!
The second tetrad covers the northern clear fell at Garwnant and most of Cantref Reservoir. Success again at point 3, with a bird flying in within 15 seconds of starting the playback. A little agitated then it broke into song. This bird still within Glamorgan. Nothing further until point 10, when playback brought in a single bird that called a couple of times before disappearing. I wonder/presume if those that just called and disappeared were females. It was noticeable that all three birds responded before the end of the 2 minute tape.
I think I've managed to fill in the forms correctly - I think I should have gone to the training day! to quote Mike - ho hum!
Well done on getting responses, Mike also had some at Upper Neuadd.
ReplyDeleteOne thing about random tetrads they take you places where you wouldn't normally go and voila.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got a response or two. The national survey is a knackering affair. I did my GBC WT square, in Llwydcoed, today and sampled 15 points. It took three and a half hours, but I got an agitated response, with lots of calling from a presumed male, in more or less the same spot I recorded one nearly ten years ago.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Guys for all your efforts with this National WT Survey. As Yorkshiremen say 'You had it blo*** lucky'. I had 43 playback points which looked promising habitat in one tetrad, which I was forced to complete on a second day due to being knackered! As I thought might happen, your WT responses/tetrad are better than up round Brecon it appears. I too had a pair WT in exactly the same spot as early in the last Atlas. Odd about the Parc Penallta birds. Hope you will be up for a second visit to your tetrads - and then the annotated maps/completed forms for thise 'Brecknock-issued' tetrads (see Waynes list) can be returned to either me at(Heddfan, Pennorth, Brecon. LD3 7EX)or to Wayne. Good luck - and BIG thanks. A
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