Monday, October 18, 2021
Details arrived of yet another Siskin recovery. Siskins are well worth catching, a species that gives good recovery data, often from ringer to ringer many miles apart, rather than examples of bird mortality.
Siskin
Andy and I have targeted this species at Oakenclough near Garstang and we now have a number of recoveries showing that Siskins moving through here in February, March and April are on their way to the Scottish highlands. The latest one is bang up to date as it concerned a Siskin we ringed in March 2016, later recaptured by a ringer in Scotland during March of 2017 just a few weeks ago.
As often happens, most of the intervening period remains a mystery other than the fact that after breeding in Scotland the bird would migrate the south of England or across the English Channel to the near Continent. Lancashire in March is just a staging post in a Siskin’s long migration north.
We ringed Siskin Z860724 as an adult male at Oakenclough near Garstang on 31st March 2016. The finding date was 10th March 2017 in the Highlands of Scotland at Balnain, Glenurquhar. The duration is 344 days and a distance of 398 km.
Siskin - Oakenclough to Balnain, Scotland
The weather is pretty mixed at the moment with showers and less than ideal wind conditions. Thursday and/or Friday are earmarked for a spot of ringing again at Oakenclough. Stay tuned and discover our catch.