Thinking of Summer

Christmas ringing so far has been rather unproductive* (Bah-bleedin'-humbug). So with wet and windy weather gripping much of the country, a bit of a look back to summer is needed to lighten the mood.

We've been looking at the swallows breeding at the Cardiff Riding School (red marker) since 2006, and this year proved to be the second most productive year since then. This year, 20 pairs made their homes in the stables, stalls and barn, with at least one other in the indoor school building (think massive metal shed; its a bugger to monitor, so we don't report on those). Each year we produce a poster about the swallows' season for the Riding School's staff and punters; it gives the headline news from this season and you'll find it at the end of this post for your perusal.

View Swallow Sites in a larger map

There were a further 3 and 2 pairs respectively at Blackweir Ambulance Station (blue marker) and at Bute Park Nurseries (green marker); giving us a total of 27 or so pairs; not a bad total for an inner city location. We didn't do much nest recording at these latter sites but they fledged around 25 youngsters – you can do the maths for the total number of fledglings produced in the parks as a whole.

These additional sites also mean we were able to register the project as a RAS, albeit RAS Lite compared to the number of pairs covered by some Swallow RAS project.

We think we have found all the swallow breeding sites within the parks but if any local birders are reading this and know of any other sites out there, then please let us know (either post a comment here or email us at cardiffringers@yahoo.co.uk.

As always we'd like to extend a big thank you to the staff of the Riding School, the Ambulance Station and the Nursery for allowing us access to the sites and putting up with us throughout the summer.

*e.g. yesterday; three potter traps, 6 hours, no birds...

Where's Jose?

Authorities are expressing concern over the whereabouts of Jose, a Spanish ringed swallow who made his residence at the Cardiff Riding School in 2009 and 2010.

This morning witnesses frequenting his usual haunt, and who may hold the key to Jose’s whereabouts, were questioned by authorities, however they refused to sing. Their details, including important biometric information and id number were taken to aid further enquires.

Jose, aka HE1142, was last seen heading south from the Cardiff area in September of last year. Described as “The site’s first foreign control and a very fine specimen of swallowhood”, Jose has been officially declared AOM – Absent On Migration. If you have any information relating to Jose’s whereabouts then please contact the Cardiff Ringers.

A poster produced to tell the ridings schools punters about our boy.

A miserable morning?

I’d like to think that over the years I have developed swallow catching at the stables into a well oiled, efficient machine. If that is actually the case, rather than self delusion, then this morning the machine was misfiring on all cylinders.

Having high hopes was my first mistake, so was having that “wake up” coffee before I left. The result was arriving at the stables too close to sunrise when the swallows were in full song and ready to leave their stables. Mistake three was not fully deciding the night before which pairs I was going to target and therefore I wasted precious time dithering.

The three pairs in the stalls were a priority so that net went up first. As I put up the next net I saw a swallow bounce form the stall net; far too much tension in the net! Attempts at slacking it off resulted in the net practically furling itself. Eventually, as the third net was being erected, as the sky filled with swallows, the heavens opened. The nets were largely sheltered but I was not and was rather dam by the time I had checked the nets; which were all empty.

Eventually I caught a male and while extracting him, his mate; both from a pair I wasn’t after this morning! But new birds none the less. While processing these, the camera decided to play silly buggers. It was needed for tail shots for a project we are working and so I spent a frustrating minute getting it to work. Secondly I could see a blatant case of net avoidance happening at the stalls.

Just to break up the text, up close and personal with a swallows tail.
Guess which sex; answers on a postcard. 

After 20 minutes I realised that the pair in the school had started to use a different exit to the one I was covering and nothing was coming out of or into the stalls. I decided to call it a morning and packing up kept an eye on the stall net which remained empty. All that was left was the ringing gear itself, so deciding the Gods of Ringing had forsaken me I packed that away too and stomped my way in a strop to the stall net. Only to find two swallows; both retraps. One of which was new for the year (originally ringed last year) and one which was confirmation of suspected colour combination (2009 provenance)! Not quiet the five new birds I was after but none the less data.

After the swallows I had planned to join other Cardiff Ringers who were out, or try out my work site but decided it was best to go back to bed.

Lessons learnt:
1) Get up
2) Plan
3) Check equipment
4) Don’t be a cocky git.

Gwennol Bach

Hot on the heels of the last night’s late finish was a wonderfully and potentially needless early morning to visit the best swallow site in town. A quick visit last night before the ‘jars showed up one brood ready for ringing and this morning they became fully paid up members of the swallow project. They could have probably waited until tomorrow but eager is as eager does, and these five birds bring our total to 18 with plenty more on the way!

Yesterday evening was also the first opportunity in several weeks to check on the birds breeding in the stalls. Up in the roof, one nest contained young roughly eight days old, while the other contained at least three young who will be ready to take to the wing proper in a week or so! The first egg date will have to be revised!

Picking up Chicks

(News from Monday 2 May)

While the swallows at the stables are just getting under way with egg laying, the breeding season is well underway for site’s blue and great tit populations. At the moment we have 13 boxes dotted around the riding school’s paddocks and this year 10 are in use; six by great tits and four by the blue bitey ones. Several are still on eggs or have very young chicks but we managed to ring a brood of great tits as well as several adults.

The Swallow Season So Far

Swallows have arrived thick and fast at the stables, with at least 17 individuals from previous years being so far re-sighted and a few unringed birds and those we are yet to find out about thrown in for good measure.

Among those that have so far returned are WYPM and SRPM. Both hatched at the stables in 2009 and are son and daughter respectively of of LVOM who we told you about previously (although you never can tell who daddy is with swallows) . Its also good to see OBPM. She hatched in the same year as WYPM and SRPM. Don’t worry we won’t go through the life history and relatives of all 17 birds…

WYPM -White over Yellow, Pale blue over Metal



Nest checks have commenced in something like earnest. Eggs are being laid left right and centre but mainly in nests. The date of the first egg, April 30, was two days later than last year. The first check of the year was something of a reminder of the perils that lay ahead for some of this year’s offspring. While moving a box we came across the desiccated remains of LYLM, a bird we thought had made it off the nest, wedged behind it.

A near complete clutch of swallow eggs viewed through

the hight of technological developement - a mirror on a stick

This year our swallow project stretched its wings a little farther and we have added a couple of other sites to the mix. We’ve only visited one of these so far, the Ambulance Station at Blackweir, where the birds have been largely uncooperative on the whole; only one of the two pairs have posed for their picture – they were unringed.