09/11 Greenham Common Feeder

Location: Greenham Common - Estovers Feeder

Session: 09/11/2025 07:40 to 11:45.hrs

Present: JHW,IW,JL,IQ,LC,KMB.

Weather: sunny and calm early. clouding over and breezy later, cool.

Nets: 18+18M feeder nets,18+18+18M scrub nets up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs.

Lures (Feeder): Niger, sunflower hearts, peanuts.

(Audio): GC-BC-FC-CC, RE-FF intermittently.

Notes: A very busy session again at this feeders – double figure nets rounds early followed by a couple of quieter mid-session and 23 birds from the feeder nets at nets down. Two Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff; are they late summer migrants or incoming winter birds? Apart from a couple of locals the Goldfinch flock with a few Greenfinch that featured in the session here on the 26/10/2025 seems to have moved on about a week ago from the numbers seen on recent food top-up visits. The groups 13th Firecrest of the year together with the Blackcaps and Chiffchaff mentioned above plus the Goldcrests were called in to the scrub nets by the Audio lures. A Song Thrush was the first of this species ringed at any sites so far by the groups in 2025. In 2023 and 2024 six were ringed and looking back to earlier decades most years middle double figures were ringed/re-trapped each year; perhaps an indication of the low populations of many soft-bills species now. 

Thanks Linda for the peanut donation that will keep the group in peanuts for our feeders well into next year.

Recaptures: (24)

Blue Tit ringed 30/12/2023, 10/11/2024 16/03/2025, 26/10/2025x14

Goldcrest ringed 26/10/2025

Great Spotted Woodpecker ringed 20/03/2022

Great Tit ringed 26/10/2025x5

Sightings: IW’s list, we were quite busy ringing so probably missed a species or two.

07/11 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2025-45

Session: 07/11/2025 07:40 to 10:50hrs

Present: IWJL,KMB.

Weather: cloudy, few spots rain early clearing to sunny periods later, breezy, cool.

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

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

From 2010 to 2025 we have regularly ringed the Western Enclosure, Greenham Common from week no 24 (mid-June) to week no 45 (early November). Subject mostly to the weather we have usually as a minimum ringed twice a week to record the many migrants passing through the heath. Above is a chart showing the profile of captures of the main species encountered. Blackcap and Chiffchaff have two peaks that coincide, the first week 29 is thought to be locals post breeding beginning their journey south and the main peak week 37 is the main passage through of birds from the north of the GB and possible some continentals. The peak for Garden Warbler is week 30 after which numbers tail off, and all have gone after week 36. Willow Warbler show a noticeable increase week 29, similar to Blackcap and Chiffchaff but continue to increase to peak at week 32 followed by a steady decline to the last few birds week 39. Goldcrests have a very different movement profile to the other species as they are mostly birds from further north and the continent (ref a Norway ringed bird re-trapped here) coming to winter here and possibly moving on into Europe. Just few presumed local birds are ringed until week 36 when numbers begin to increase peaking weeks 40 to 44 followed by a slow decline well into November.

For context week29 is mid-July, week32 is early August, week37 is the 2nd week of September and week43 is late October; the exact dates vary year on year. Very few birds are subsequently encountered at the western enclosure indicating that they quickly moving through on their journey to winter in the warmer climes of southern Europe and Africa; we have a few subsequent encounters along the south coast and also the western coast of southern Europe (France/Spain/Portugal). Some are from north of the Pyrenees which maybe a barrier that forces a stopover to feed up before crossing over or round the mountains.

Today: A late Blackcap moving south or maybe a northern bird arriving to winter here and a few more Goldcrest. This year resident birds such as Blue Tit etc that are usually about throughout the season seem to have all but stopped moving across the heath, Also, Blackbirds are much scarcer than usual we thought due to the dry spring and summer this year. However, I understand that nationally many have and are succumbing to Usutu virus, a mosquito-borne disease first identified in South Africa in 1959 and first found here in 2020. Blackbirds are not the only species affected apparently. 

As mentioned in the last report they are filming over in the bunker compound (possibly the “Fast and Furious” film series I am told). Today there were suddenly several very loud burst of machine gunfire and gun shots which made us jump a bit, also screeching revving cars and lots of smoke.

Recaptures: (01)

Goldcrest       ringed: 21/10/2025

Sightings: Not much moving except for a few Redwing and Starling in small parties heading south as was the first flock of Fieldfare seen this winter so far with some Redwings mixed in. A few finch types over may have been Chaffinch but not quite sure apart from two.

05/11 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2025-45

Session: 05/11/2025 07:40 to 11:00hrs

Present: IW,JL

Weather: cloudy, few spots rain early, breezy, cool.

Nets: 48metres 3 Rides, up from 08:15 to 10:45 hrs

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

Notes: Tuesday was very windy and unsettled, so we postponed the session until today Wednesday. It was still on the breezy side and the low cloud early looked as if it might rain at any time. The rain clouds mostly pass around the Greenham & Crookham Common Plateau as they did today. We ringed a few more Goldcrests and a Chiffchaff, including a re-trap perhaps an indication that some stay around for a few days on the heath. There was little reaction to the audio from the groups of Redwing and finches flying over and about. The weather from now on usually becomes inconsistent and opportunities to ring here become less predictable weather-wise also there are fewer birds moving around the heath. The core period for ringing is weeks no 24 to 45 after which primary ringing effort concentrate on the bird feeders for the rest of the winter and visit here become sporadic.

Recaptures: (01)

Goldcrest       ringed: 21/10/2025

Sightings: As I came through the gate from the Control Tower car park on to the common a Little Egret followed by a Great White Egret flew up from the pools of flood water. IW located the Firecrest with a couple of Goldcrest on the corner of the heath near where he walked in from the woodland. A few small groups of Redwing flew over  also a couple of double figure Woodpigeon flocks. Lesser Redpoll were few plus some of the usual unidentified silhouettes that flew around were probably this species but didn’t call for us to be certain.

The filming around the bunkers continued today and mostly consisted of very loud revving cars while we were nearby. Yesterday on a walk out on the common there were lots of explosions coming from there for most of the day including one from a fireball that shot up very high from the ground I was told by a scared neighbour who was walking their dogs near the bunker fencing at the time. 

02/11 Snelsmore Common

Location: Snelsmore Common Car Park Feeder CES visit 2025/26.01

Session: 02/11/2025 07:30 to 11:45.hrs

Present: JHW,JL,IW,RAD.

Weather: bright sunny, light breeze, cool.

Nets: 6+6M feeder nets up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs.

Lures (Feeder): fat balls, sunflower hearts, peanuts.

Notes: The first Winter CES visit of the season. Lots of Blue Tits again, a little fewer than the 2023/24 winter visit 1. The main difference being just two re-traps as opposed to 11 for last season’s matching visit. Coal Tit numbers are notably down - 6 as opposed to 18. Great Tit numbers are also much reduced - 3 as opposed to 17. The food take up at this feeder is low compared to previous winters. It will be interesting to see if numbers pick up on future visits or if the birds just aren’t there. On the positive side two ring-able Chaffinch, we’ve netted one or two this year but have not been able ring them because they had “grotty foot” (papilloma infection). Looking back, we ringed between 1 and 89 in the 1970's, 24 and 137 in the 1980’s, 17 to 97 in the 1990’s, 55 to 330 in the 2000’s, 45 to 407 in the 2010s and in the 2020s, year totals are 2020-5, 2021-0, 2022-10, 2023-1, 2024-5 and so far this year (2025) we’ve ringed just the two of today’s date. Even allowing for the drop in ringing effort the numbers since 2020 are significantly lower.

FG =age indeterminate

Recaptures: (02)

Blue Tit ringed 17/12/2023 and 12/05/2025 (pulli from Snelsmore nest box CP26)

Sightings: Very quiet not a lot calling or moving about.

31/10 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2025-44

Session: 31/10/2025 07:40 to 10:45hrs

Present: IW,JL,KMB.

Weather: overcast, occasional rain spotting, cool colder later.

Nets: 48metres 3 Rides, up from 08:15 to 10:45 hrs.

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

Notes: Conditions only just suitable for ringing. It was very blustery with a strong southerly wind that affected the nets significantly. Redwings were on the move most of the morning in parties up to 50 or so flying south. Some deflected down around and in the enclosure, called in by the audio, none netted unfortunately. Last years matching visit had similar numbers and the weather was calm but cold; we did ring a Redwing though.

Recaptures: (00) 

Sightings: Kestrels are scarce at this end of the common. A flock of Teal flew quite high north. Weather conditions were poor including low light levels and there were some brown jobs over unrecognised, We finished a little early due to the increasing wind speed and the arrival of dark low rain clouds. Not many Jackdaws today probably disturbed by film crews setting up in and around the bunkers.