A Stonechat recovery

 27th July 2002: As I returned home at lunchtime Kath said, “there’s a message from Frank Mawby: he thinks he’s caught one of your Stonechats.”

When I spoke to Frank later that day, he confirmed that he had caught a juvenile, BTO ring no. R150029 on its right leg, pink-over-red on the left, at Thornhill Meadows Reserve near Abbeytown.

On investigation of my ringing data, it transpired that this individual had been ringed on 23rd April at Mawbray Banks – one of a brood of four. By a remarkable coincidence, at almost the same time that Frank was catching this bird, I had been again at Mawbray, ringing the third brood from this same pair, the second brood having been ringed on 7th June.

Even though the elapsed time (approximately 80 days after fledging) and distance travelled (12 kilometres) are not, on the face of it, of great interest, little is known about post-fledging dispersal in Stonechats, so this record will be invaluable to the studies of this species.

Most resident Stonechats attempt three broods. In 2002 this pair raised 14 chicks (4, 5 and 5). In the mid-1990s a pair on Sale Fell, Wythop raised 19 chicks in broods of 6, 7 and 6: the most productive on record!

It seems appropriate to mention that Peter Blinco and myself have ringed and colour-ringed 400 Stonechat nestlings this year. Each individual bears three rings, one metal and the other two self-coloured.

Stonechats are reasonably approachable and generally adopt a perching posture that allows examination of their legs with reasonable optics. If you see Stonechats this autumn/winter, please look for rings, and let me have details.

John Callion