17/12 Bagnor Feeder

Location: Bagnor Feeder CES2024/25.04

Session: 17/12/2024 07:45 to 11:10hrs

The Bagnor Feeder

Notes: If you think about it to survive the recent storms, living outside, with only natural shelter and foraging your only source of food, it would be difficult for humans to survive a day or so in such conditions without suffering from hypothermia etc. Now imagine that you only weight 11.0 grams, the wind is raging at 40+mph, the tree branches that usually provide shelter are thrashing about in a torrent of rain and you must fly to find food. Being so small your metabolism is fast, and you must eat to maintain body temperature. In such conditions how do you survive? We know from recoveries that birds travel from Snelsmore Common, Boxford Common, and elsewhere, a kilometres or two away, to the Bagnor feeder every day. Many Blue Tits and similar size birds probably didn’t survive such conditions which might explain why few birds visited the feeder today and that food uptake at the three feeders has slowed since the storms. Today’s 19 birds is one of the lowest December totals at this feeder which we have operated continuously winter 1985/86 (40 years) Unfortunately, the similar weather of December 2023/24 stopped us doing a matching visit for comparison, similarly we missed 2022/23 winter's late December Visit. The last matching visit was winter 2021/22 and is shown below for context. It will be interesting to see if numbers recover, they usually do. 

Present: JL,IW.

Weather: overcast, with a sunny period, cool, calm to light breeze

Nets: 2x6M nets, one each side of feeder up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs

Lures (Feeder): Peanuts, Sunflower Hearts, Fat Balls.

Recaptures: (11) 

Blue  Tit  ringed: 21/112023, 06/11/2024x3, 26/11/2024x2, 03/12/2024.
Long-tailed  Tit ringed: 23/11/2021x2, 07/11/2023, 26/11/2024.

Sighting: The light was very poor apart from one period when the sun came out. As we drove through the  gate into the field a Barn Owl flew up from the ground and we followed it along the track in the car until it pounced on something unsuccessfully then flipped across in front of us and disappeared in the trees by the stream. There was some movement during the morning that included a flock of about 30 Meadow Pipits over west, several small groups of  Lesser Black-backed Gulls headed south as did a couple of Cormorants, 20+ Canada Goose flew north and five Mallard flew east. An immature male Kestrel hunted the field for a while, the first I have seen here for some time. 

15/12 Snelsmore Feeder

Location: Snelsmore  Feeder CES2024/25.04

Session: 15/12/2024 07:45 to 11:30hrs

The Snelsmore Feeder

Notes: Due to the poor weather Sundays 1st and 8th Dec, we unfortunately missed visit 3 of this year’s winter CES, so it was good to be able to do visit 4 today. The first net round produced 12 birds, then birds visiting slowed for a while but pick up later in the session to around the same total for last winter’s matching 2023/24.04 visit. We manage to jink the woodpecker into the net, they usually drop in vertically and exit vertically avoiding the nets. We also had a visit from a Sparrowhawk that exited the net as we approached leaving a nice big hole in the mesh, possibly the big female that was circling above the trees earlier in the session. The very tame approachable Robin that has been present in the carpark this winter was phone videoed from about 500mm away. We tried to see if it would take sunflower hearts from the hand, a few spilled on to the ground and it dropped down and fed at our feet.

Present: JL,IW.IQ,JHW,RAD,DL.

Weather: overcast, calm, cool.

Nets: 2x6M nets, one each side of feeder up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs

Lures (Feeder): Fat Balls, Sunflower Hearts, Peanuts.

Recaptures: (30) (nest box ref CP, WH = Snelsmore Common)

Blue  Tit  ringed: 10/12/2023x2, 17/12/2023, 07/01/2024, 03/11/2024x8,

                 pulli ringed: 14/05/2024x2 boxes CP17 & CP14 .

Coal Ti     ringed: 05/02/2024, 11/02/2024, 03/11/2024x4, 17/11/2024.

Great Tit ringed: 03/11/2024, 17/11/2024.

                 pulli ringed: 24/05/2023 box WH22, 14/05/2024x2 boxes CP14 & CP33.

Sighting: Ian’s list. We may have missed a species or two. A soaring female Sparrowhawk just above the treetops caused disquiet for the local birds, lots of alarm calls. 

03/12 Bagnor Feeder

Location: Bagnor Feeder CES2024/25.03

Session: 03/12/2024 07:45 to 11:30hrs

The Bagnor Feeder

Notes:  We made a late visit to the western enclosure last Friday 29th Nov and in 2-5 hours netted zero birds the  first time I can recall not catching any birds there. Sunday the 1st Dec the scheduled Snelsmore Feeder visit was rained off. So it was good to do some ringing today even though it was another Blue Tit day. Compared with last year’s matching visit there are fewer 1st winter birds than expected suggesting a poor breeding outcome. Many of the nest boxes on Mount Hill were predated by weasel in 2024 which may account for some of the shortfall. The first net round produced the most birds, after it tailed off to relatively low numbers. Would be nice to get a bit more species variety, some finches etc. There are a few around but not in the number that once visited this feeder. On one of the net round a Sparrowhawk, making a hunting run at the feeder, skimmed the top of my head then hit the net just above before freeing itself and flying off.

Present: JL,IW.

Weather: cloudy, sunny periods, calm, cold.

Nets: 2x6M nets, 1  each side of feeder up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs

Lures (Feeder): Peanuts, Sunflower Hearts, Fat Balls.

Recaptures: (34)  (box ref A,B,C,D,F = Mount Hill Bagnor, ref CP,WH = Snelsmore Common)

Blue  Tit  ringed: 09/11/2022, 07/11/2023, 21/11/2023x2, 15/12/2023, 12/01/2024x2, 26/01/2024x2, 20/02/2024, 06/11/2024x3, 26/11/2024x3.

                pulli ringed: 16/05/2022 box CP03, 24/05/2023 box WH19, 26/05/2023x2 box C03,

26/05/2023 box A03, 13/05/2024 box A05.

Great Tit ringed: 07/11/2023. 12/01/2024, 02/02/2024, 06/11/2024x3, 26/11/2024x2

                 pulli ringed: 23/05/2023 box D08, 17/05/2024 box D11.

Sighting: Not much on the move, the scrub is so thick it is difficult to see the cress beds from the field, the tree canopy is closed over or there is scrub growth on the beds and is probably too enclosed for the waterfowl, heron and egrets that once were regular as sometimes were snipe, woodcock and green sandpiper. The was a Little Egret sat in a tree at the western end of the village green when we left site.

26/11 Bagnor Feeder

Location: Bagnor Feeder CES2024/25.02

Session: 26/11/2024 07:45 to 11:30hrs

Leucistic Blue Tit

Notes: Finally manage to get some ringing in following days of rain or the temperature being too low for birds safety when ringing. Mostly Blue Tits again with a few Great Tits and a sprinkling  of other species. The “partial albino” Blue Tit is unique and unexpected, never seen or heard of a leucistic of this species before. Seen Blackbirds, Sparrows, Starlings, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and I think Reed or Sedge Warbler, can’t recall hearing of it occurring in the tit family though. This winter there seems to be a better adult (birds at least a year old) survival than usual. There is comment on web forums from ringers on this and it should as the season progresses be possible to provide statical analysis to confirm. Might try myself when I have time.

Present: JL,IW.

Weather: bright, clear, sunny, calm, cold.

Nets: 2x6M nets, 1  each side of feeder up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs

Lures (Feeder): Peanuts, Sunflower Hearts, Fat Balls.

Recaptures: (23)

Blue  Tit    ringed: 10/02/2023, 21/02/2023, 07/11/2023,12/01/2024x2, 20/02/2024, 06/11/2024x6, 17/11/2024 (Snelsmore Feeder).

                 pulli ringed: 10/05/2024 box A01, 13/05/2024 boxA05,  24/05/2023 box WH11.

Great Tit   ringed: 06/11/2024x4.

                 pulli ringed: 17/05/2024 box D11

Sighting: Compared to a few years ago Bagnor Cress Beds seems very quiet bird-wise. The Cress Beds have all but gone overtaken by scrub. The restoration work once carried out every winter by the estate stopped some years ago. Even the gate and area where we once park is overgrown with metres high scrub. Almost all of the surrounding farmland is arable, currently bare earth planted or prepared ready for planting. Apart from the gardens spreading out from the village the field where the feeder is situated is the only nearby area of meadowland kept so by an enlighten owner. Fortunately, the hedgerows along the margins of the fields roads and tracks towards nearby Snelsmore and Boxford Commons are mostly intact, allowing birds cover as they search for food and find our feeder and feeders in village gardens.

Since shooting stopped locally gamebirds are scare in the area though one or two refugees from shoots have turn up recently. They have yet to find the feeder though; up to last winter around six sometimes more were present spending most of the time under or around our feeder.

Many of the 1+ numbers in our lists refer to species heard but not seen. 

17/11 Snelsmore Common

Location: Snelsmore Common Feeder CES2024/25.02

Session: 17/11/2024 07:45 to 11:30hrs

Notes: A good session included pulli ringed May 2023 at Mount Hill Bagnor and Winterbourne Holt along the west margin of Snelsmore Common as well as boxes in the woodland around the car park and feeder. A three year old Coal Tit is also a good record as is a Blue Tit ringed at the Bagnor Feeder down in the valley in the 2024 1st winter period. Compared to the 2023/24.02 session there are many more retraps and fewer new birds ringed indicating a good survival of both juveniles and 2nd winter+ individuals.

Present: JL,IW,JHW.

Weather: overcast, sunny periods later, clam cold.

Nets: 2x6M nets, 1  each side of feeder up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs

Lures (Feeder): Fat Balls, Sunflower Hearts, Peanuts.

Recaptures:(43)

Blue  Tit              ringed: 05/03/2023, 26/01/2024 (BagFDR), 11/02/2024, 03/11/2023x11.

                            pulli ringed: 23/05/2023 box B08 Bag, 24/05/2023 box WH01, 27/05/2023 box WH21, 14/05/2024x2 box CP18, 14/05/2024 box CP24, 21/05/2024 box CP28.

Coal Tit               ringed: 06/11/2022, 02/02/2023, 11/02/2024, 03/11/2024x7.

Great Tit             ringed: 05/02/2023, 05/03/2023, 05/11/2023, 10/12/2023.

                            pulli ringed: 20/05/2023 box WH26, 20/05/2024 box WH07.

Sighting: Ian’s list – probably missed some species as we were quite busy for most of the session,

also we are surrounded by mature trees, so the vista is limited. Ravens not been detected for a

week or two which is unusual as they are quite vocal at other sites and usually are here this time of

year..