Birds of Little Wittenham Manor
Goldfinch
The Manor as a landmark
The Manor tower, built in 1993, has obviously become a recognised landmark for migrating birds; each autumn several waves of up to 1000 housemartins and other hirundines congregated on it and the Manor roof before continuing their journeys.
Swallows at the Manor
The low outbuildings of the Manor are ideal for swallow nesting; 20 or so nests are recorded for the Nest Record Scheme of the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) each year. Where possible the pulli are ringed just before fledging; 78 were ringed in 2005 with a further 11 at Hill Farm. One of the pulli ringed in 2003 was retrapped in September 2005 at Icklesham, in Sussex, on its way south for the winter. Generally swallows return to the area where they were hatched to breed, so this one will probably have spent summer 2004 and 2005 with us, adding to the population.
Ringing in the Manor Gardens
By kind permission of the owners, during the winter months ringing is being carried out near the Manor ponds, in the copse by the hide. This is an excellent area for birds, having adequate shelter, a variety of trees and shrubs, and access to the river. Birds ringed in Little Wittenham Nature Reserve are often retrapped here in the winter, providing a greater insight into their movements than is possible with the Constant Effort Survey done there in the summer. In order to encourage the maximum number and variety of birds, squirrel-proof seed and peanut feeders (provided jointly by the ringers and the owner of the Manor) are hung along the net rides, some on each side.
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Siskins |
Redpolls |
Nyjer seed has been added to the menu since 2003, encouraging flocks of goldfinch, with also in some years both siskin and redpoll.
Over the winter months we usually ring upwards of 300 birds, with about 100 retraps ( caught again) from the same year or previous years. The tit species tend to return to a reliable feeding station; one great tit came every year from 1997 to 2003. The 2005 crop included two great tits, a blue tit and two chaffinches from 2001. Many of the juveniles are from the boxes in Little Wittenham Wood.
The species mix has varied over the years; the tits are regulars as one would expect, with numbers fluctuating according to the success or otherwise of the previous breeding season. Greenfinch and chaffinch are less common than they once were, with robin, dunnock and blackbird down to low numbers. Song thrushes have deserted the area altogether. Kingfishers and great spotted woodpeckers are still caught in small numbers.
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Great Tit |
Blue Tit |
Ringing totals for Little Wittenham Manor
| Species | 1997-2000 total | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
| Kingfisher | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| Wren | 3 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| Dunnock | 11 | 15 | 3 | 13 | 5 | 3 |
| Robin | 14 | 16 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 5 |
| Blackbird | 3 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Longtailed Tit | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| Marsh Tit | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Coal Tit | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Blue Tit | 107 | 128 | 47 | 112 | 106 | 144 |
| Great Tit | 105 | 97 | 35 | 43 | 54 | 74 |
| Treecreeper | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Chaffinch | 25 | 109 | 35 | 32 | 36 | 30 |
| Greenfinch | 32 | 92 | 77 | 61 | 75 | 30 |
| Goldfinch | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 39 | 43 |
| Siskin | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 44 | 0 |
| Redpoll | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Bullfinch | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Reed Bunting | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Small numbers of the following birds were also ringed: Moorhen, sparrowhawk, kestrel,woodpigeon,green woodpecker, song thrush, grey wagtail,willow warbler, sedge warbler,blackcap,chiffchaff,goldcrest, fieldfare, redwing, willow tit,jay and magpie.
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This page last updated 4th February 2006 by E M Gill