The post-nuptial ringing campaign begun at the Jews’ Gate Bird Observatory on the 29th July and officially ended on the 25th November, with three days in December where only a few nets were used.

A total of 4611 new birds and 243 retraps brought the total of birds processed to 4840 of 53 species.   There were considerably more birds this year, in comparison to the same period in 2023 when only 3154 birds of 51 species were processed, with 1457birds more, mainly composed of wintering birds.  

Late July and August brought the realisation that breeding success was poor, with few resident birds processed during this period.  This was again attributed to the large population of the Black Rat, Rattus rattus alexandrinus, which had proliferated in the last few years in the Nature Reserve and the suburban environment.  This brown rat was mainly frugivorous, feeding on fruits, seeds and bulbs, but has in recent years included a carnivorous diet, predating on nestlings and including recently fledged birds.  They have also attacked birds in the nets, prevention of which has included the raising of the bottom shelf.

This period also included early trans-Saharan species, consisting mainly of Melodious and Reed Warblers, Iberian Chiffchaffs, and in late August, Nightingale and the first Willow Warblers.  Of note was a very early Pied Flycatcher on the 4th August, a Grasshopper Warbler on the 26th, and Woodchat Shrike and Subalpine on the 29th.  Nevertheless numbers were low, mainly attributed to fair weather and unfavourable winds that prevented any ringing activity.

September, a month when considerable trans-Saharan passage is expected, was again poor, with numbers low.  Light westerly winds and the absence of levanter cloud with easterly winds during the first weeks, was thought to be the main cause.  In late September, numbers increased with the arrival of migrant Blackcaps, bolstering the catching rate.  

Fortunes improved slightly in October, with a total of 2333 birds processed and including some trans-Saharan migrants appearing in the first few weeks. By mid month, a spate of wet weather resulted in a total of 230 birds processed on the 12th, with Blackcaps accounting for 164 birds.  Over 100 birds daily were processed during the next few days, until north-westerly winds set in reducing the numbers of birds trapped.  Easterlies set in at the end of the month, improving the catching rate.  Yellow-browed Warblers turned up again this year with single birds ringed on the 22nd, 23rd and the 28th. Among scarcer species were a Wheatear on the 4th, a Firecrest on the 15th,  Dartford Warbler on the 22nd, and Linnet on the 23rd.

A further 1647 birds were processed in November, with 689 Blackcaps and 382 Chiffchaffs the main species.  Late trans-Saharan migrants included European Nightjars on the 1st and 6th, Garden Warbler on the 2nd and Red-rumped Swallow on the 7th.  Another Yellow-browed Warbler on the 4th, brought the total to four birds ringed this autumn.  Scarcer birds included a Dunnock on the 4th, Brambling on the 5th, Bullfinches on the 9th and 17th, Redwing on the 18th and another Dartford Warbler on the 8th. 

Blackcap controls in October consisted of a Spanish bird on the 13th, and a German bird (Helgoland) on the 23rd, with November birds consisting of a French bird on the 5th, a Belgian bird on the 6th and a German bird (Radofzell) on the 12th.