Geltsdale volunteers Amanda and Martin have returned for a fourth year to continue their amazing work monitoring and ringing our whinchat population on the reserve.
This spring/summer they have identified provisionally 81 territories (singing males) with at least 50 of those territories occupied by pairs. 54 colour ringed birds have returned to the reserve from 2012 and/or 2013. The oldest colour-ringed male has had a different mate each season and only one pair have survived together from last year.
The weather throughout May and June was benign, resulting in 44 nests and 22 broods successfully fledging. Unfortunately, 14 broods failed a higher percentage than last year, due to predation of the eggs or nestlings. There are presently large numbers of voles on the reserve, in no small part due to the mild winter. The hillsides are like pincushions due to the number of holes and not surprisingly sightings of stoats and weasels have been high. The increase in number of predators has meant that whinchat nests were more likely to found than in “normal” years and hence the high level of nest predation.
Geltsdale is one of the best places to see this summer migrant, the photographs with this posting were taken by John Proudlock at the reserve.
Jill J