19/10 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR
Session: 19/10/2025 07:30 to 11:00.hrs
Present: JHW,IW,RAD,JL,JA.
Weather: overcast, calm, cool, occasionally spotting with rain.
Nets: 18+18+36+36 metre of net along reed bed ride plus a 12 metre scrub net up from 08:00 to 10:30hrs.
Lures (audio): (BC-CC-FC-GC),(FF-RE),(YB),(SK-LR),(LT),(GL) intermittently.

Notes: With rain forecast from about 08:00hrs we didn’t expect to stay long but fortunately apart from a few spots of rain occasionally we manage to ring until 10:30hrs when the spotting became more persistent. Still a few Chiffchaff about that included a bird ringed elsewhere (looks like the original ringing has yet to be entered on the BTO database though so probably a few days until details available). Also, a single Blackcap and a few Goldcrest. The unexpected species was a Reed Warbler, a late passage bird. Not the latest we have ringed Reed Warbler here though, excepting some before the 10th Oct  when we often ring one or two the latest was 23/10/1994. Perhaps a sign of global warming is that all the late October birds on the system have been rings since 1994, almost all are this century (Range 1970 to date - 10,266 new and 6,239 re-trapped Reed Warblers).
 
The  Cetti’s Warbler ringed elsewhere that we re-trapped on the 12/10/2025 here had been ringed at Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve, Hampshire on the 06/09/2025 - 36 days ago 65 miles away.

FG =age indeterminate

Recaptures: (05)

Blue Tit               ringed: 28/04/2024.

Cetti’s Warbler   ringed: 16/04/2025. 2906/2025.

Chiffchaff            ringed: ringed elsewhere, original data not yet available.

Wren                   ringed: 16/10/2022

Sightings: The Reed Bunting was calling out on the reed bed at nets up but not detected subsequently. A

Pintail, a female or eclipse male, flew quite high first west then a few moments later returned over east. 

Several small groups of Redwing flew about as did a Siskin or two, also a noisy flock of these was heard but

not seen (obscured by tree cover) when returning across the plank bridge at nets down.

17/10 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2025-42

Session: 17/10/2025 07:40 to 11:30hrs

Present: IW,JL,NC.

Weather: overcast, cool, calm.

Nets: 48metres 3 Rides, up from 08:00 to 10:30 hrs.

Lures audio: (BC-CC-FC-GC),(FF-RE-ST),(YB),(Finches), intermittently.

Notes: A good start for the first net round included two more Firecrests and two more Lesser Redpoll. Although more redpolls came down in and near the enclosure several time during the  morning they manage to avoid the nets. The Redwings took little interest in the audio and mostly flew over quite high up; we play German and Latvian songs so those that we have seen this year so far could be from elsewhere, perhaps Iceland. For most of the morning it was more of the same including Goldcrests, Chiffchaff, a Blackcap and the first Blackbird ringed here this year-usually we’ve ringed a few by now. Blackbirds are relative scarce on the common so far compared to recent years, but numbers appear to have increased a little here since about the beginning of October, probably birds from further north in GB or wintering continental birds.

Sightings: We haven’t seen a Mute Swan go over here for some time and Cormorants are a bit scarce this autumn. The Sparrowhawk flew at some redpoll flitting around the enclosure before flying low over the heath north into woodland. Four Swallows flew south and later a singleton flew east. The Woodlark flew up from near the enclosure just as we were about to leave. A few finch types flew over unidentified particularly when they didn’t call, just black outlines against the cloudy sky.

14/10 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2025-42

Session: 14/10/2025 07:40 to 11:00hrs.

Present: JL,KMB,AB.

Weather: overcast, cool, calm.

Nets: 48metres 3 Rides, up from 08:00 to 10:30 hrs

Lures audio: (BC-CC-FC-GC),(FF-RE-ST),(YB),(BR-LR-SK), intermittently.

Notes: A busy session today included 11 Lesser Redpoll and 16 Blue Tits. The Re-trap Blue Tit had been ringed as a pulli in one of the nest boxes at Winterbourne Holt Snelsmore Common this spring. Unusual for a Blue Tit to travel far and across town. We had interest from a flock of Redwing, but none made it into the nets; not helped by a dog walker who walk near the south side of the enclosure at the wrong moment. We tried Dartford Warbler, Stonechat and Woodlark audio for a while but as usual no response the latter two species were heard nearby.

FG=Full grown – age indeterminate

Recaptures: (02)

Blue Tit           ringed: 11/05/2025 nest box WH05 Winterbourne Holt, Snelsmore Common.

Goldcrest       ringed: 30/09/2025.

Sightings: In IW’s absence no real count of birds made and we were quite busy. A flock of about 40 Redwings dropped into the enclosure also the Lesser Redpoll included a flock of 15 + a few others. At least three Red Kites, Raven were calling and Woodlark singing at nets up.

12/10 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR

Session: 12/10/2025 07:30 to 11:30.hrs

Present: JHW,IW,JL,RAD,AB,KMB,DL,NC.

Weather: overcast, calm, cool.

Nets: 36++18+36 metre along nets reed bed ride, 12M scrub net up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs.

Lures (audio): (BC-CC-FC-GC),(FF-RE),(YB),(SK-LR),(LT) intermittently.

Notes: Overcast and calm this week a change after last weekends “gales”. For the time of year at this site a good total; we ringed elsewhere this time last year so no matching visit. We had a good number of birds from the net in the scrub including a Nuthatch, a woodland species and perhaps an indication of the scrub maturing towards woodland, though we have ringed them here before. We are still ringing Blackcap and Chiffchaff when in recent years by this time migration has all but stopped and Goldcrest still moving through. It wasn’t noticed but the Cetti’s Warbler ring number BXF6457 is a control (ringed elsewhere). It was a female; these are known to disperse from their natal site this time of year; males also but not so much apparently. We should hear where it is from in the next day or so.

FG =age indeterminate

Recaptures: (03)

Cetti’s Warbler   ringed: 06/09/2025, 29/09/2025.

Dunnock             ringed: 06/10/2024, 05/10/2025

Treecreeper       ringed: 13/04/2025

Robin                  ringed: 04/08/2024

Wren                   ringed: 12/07/2025

Sightings: Possibly 3 or more Water Rail squealing from the reeds along the stream. At least two

Grey Wagtail over at nets down. Otherwise nothing unexpected and we probably missed a few species.

10/10 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2025-41

Session: 10/10/2025 07:40 to 11:00hrs

Present: JL,IW,KMB.

Weather: overcast, cool, calm.

Nets: 48metres 3 Rides, up from 08:00 to 10:30hrs.

Lures audio: (BC-CC-FC-GC),(FF-RE-ST),(YB),(BR-LR-SK), intermittently.

Notes: A few Chiffchaff and Goldcrest moving through the heath with three Blackcaps. Otherwise nothing unexpected except unusually a lone Long-tailed Tit the only one of this species detected here today.

FG=Full grown – age indeterminate

Recaptures: (02)
Blue Tit                      ringed: 03/10/2024
Long-tailed Tit           ringed: 11/07/2024

Sightings: It was very quiet over the heath, no much moving about. Surprisingly no Jays flying to and frow over the heath, they are usually very busy this time of year transporting acorns to store for the winter. Two Dartford Warblers in the enclosure at nets up unfortunately didn’t go into the nets. One flock of Redwing flew over from the south mid-session, the first flock of the year here and they didn’t react to the audio.