07/09 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR

Session: 07/09/2025 07:00 to 11:15hrs.

Present: IW,CMD,KMB,JL.

Weather: sunny periods early, clouding over later, calm, warm, rain shower at nets down.

Nets: 18+36+36 metre nets along the reed bed ride up from 07:30 to 10:45hrs.

Lures (audio): (BC-CC-FC-GC-GW-WH-LW-WO),(YW-WC-W.-TP-RT-RZ),(YB),(RT) intermittently.

Notes: The weather forecast for Sunday 7th Sep was for rain between 07:00 until 11:00hrs up until Saturday morning when it changed to sunny periods and no rain. When we arrived at around 07:00hrs is was sunny and bright. We are using audio lures, so we limit the amount of netting to avoid getting overwhelmed. We were also expecting Kingbury Wildlife Group, and they arrived just before 09:00 as expected. We had emptied the nets at about 08:30 when we extracted 27 bird and we were still processing them when the KWG arrived fortunately. CMD and KMB be did a great job showing how we ringed and processed each bird, explaining the procedures for confirming each species and the biometrics taken. We did another net round at about 09:10, we extracted another 12 birds that included both Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff, and we were able to show the mysteries of Wing Formula that included a Chiffchaff that didn’t conform having one wing emarginated to the 5th primary feather (Willow Warbler) and the other wing emarginated to the 6th primary (Chiffchaff); the bird looked like the latter in all other respects. Just like humans individual birds are all subtly different from one another. After we had finished this batch of birds the group left to finish their birding trip around Thatcham Marsh. We did another net round, before taking the nets down about 10:45 and when there was a short sharp shower that soaked us all; it clear up just as we returned with our equipment to our cars. Quite a busy session.

Recaptures: (05)

Blue Tit               ringed: 31/08/2025.

Chiffchaff            ringed: 02/04/2023

Reed Warbler    ringed: 10/08/2025, 30/08/2025

Sedge Warbler  ringed: 23/08/2025

Sightings: Fairly quiet and we were quite busy ringing etc. Occasionally small groups of hirundine

flew over east and south, mostly high up. Some Hawker and Darter Dragonflies flying about also a

blue Damselfly but they did not stay long enough to ID.

05/09 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2025-36

Session: 05/09/2025 07:40 to 11:00hrs

Present: JL,IW.

Weather: bright sunny clear, warm, light breeze.

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

Lures audio: (BC-CC-FC-GC-GW-WH-LW-WO),(YW-WC-W.-TP-RT-RZ),(WY/YB),(RT) intermittently.

Notes: A sudden change in the weather from the frequent blustery rain showers of yesterday to sunny, warm with a light breeze today. Mostly Blackcap and Chiffchaff with a latish Willow Warbler, the latest we’ve ringed the latter here is week 39. Dunnocks are not the frequent encounter of a few years ago but one or two have moved out on to the heath recently. We would have expected to have ringed a few Goldcrest by now, but this is only the second this year. Numbers should increase from now on peaking about 8 weeks’ time (mid-late Nov).

Recaptures: (00)

Sightings: A few Swallows when over South - two group and a singleton and the Spotted Flycatcher was in the tree on the Northwest corner of the enclosure just after we had put the nets up but flew off west along the heathland scrub and trees. The Dartford Warbler was being chased by a Chiffchaff. There seemed to be a similar interaction between a couple of phylos warblers, and Stonechats later in the morning. A Carrion Crow was harassing the female Sparrowhawk; both were quite high up and the Sparrowhawk turned on the crow a couple of times. 

02/09 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2025-36

Session: 02/09/2025 07:35 to 10:20hrs

Notes: The forecast for today was for rain @ 45% at 08:00hrs, but a check of the rain radar just before 07:00hrs showed the showers had just reach Cornwall so texted IW that we would give it ago. I think sometimes these days we know too much from our mobile devices etc. Back before such information existed I would have seen from my bedroom window that it was clear blue sky at 06:00hrs and gone for it. On arrival there were a few spots of rain but insufficient to put us off. Having erected the three nets we returned and setup the ringing equipment ready in the back of the car. On returing to the nets we found we had been rewarded for our persistence. The first Redstart of the season was in the bottom shelf of the first net we checked. We re-checked nets soon after processing the last captures to ensure few if any birds were in the nets should it rain. At each net round a few birds were extracted. Some of the Chiffchaff were quite “yellow” with a strong eyestripe and could easily be mistaken for Willow Warbler in the field; the biometrics (wing length, weight and wing formula etc) confirmed them as Chiffchaff. We took the last two birds out of the nets at 09:50hrs processed them, finishing just as it began to rain. We quickly returned to the enclosure; the nets were empty, so we began taking them down during a heavy shower and got a bit of a soaking.

Present: JL,IW.

Weather: overcast, rain spotting early, heavy shower at around 10:00hrs, light wind, cool.

Nets: 48metres 3 Rides, up from 08:00 to 10:00 hrs (rain)

Lures audio: (BC-CC-FC-GC-GW-WH-LW-WO),(YW-WC-W.-TP-RT-RZ),(WY/GH) intermittently.

Recaptures: (01)

Blue Tit          ringed: 30/07/2025

Sightings: The Dartford Warbler gave a couple of subdued calls in the distance southeast of the enclosure. The Wheatear was out on the heath west of enclosure, my first of the Autumn after several recent visits over the common when I missed out despite one or two have been reported. Apart from these, the Redstart and a couple of groups of Swallow flying south, there was little activity. No sign of any finch species, no even Goldfinch.

31/08 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR

Session: 31/08/2025 07:00 to 10:30hrs.

Present: JHW,IW,CMD,JL.

Weather: sunny periods, warm, light breeze early stronger later, rain spotting as nets taken down.

Nets: one 18+36+36M reed bed ride + 12m scrub ride additional net up from 07:30 to 10:00hrs.

Lures (audio): (BC-CC-FC-GC-GW-WH-LW-WO),(YW-WC-W.-TP-RT-RZ),(GH),(RT) intermittently.

Willow Warbler

Notes: The CES now finished, we were able to use audio lures today. We could not get one of the lures to auto-repeat a species and left it running through most western European species; strange to hear Nightjar churring and perhaps the chance of a Yellow-browed Warbler is a bit early but you never know. Still a few Reed Warblers about also more Sedge Warbler than expected at the end of August. The audio lures pulled in a good number of Blackcap, a latish Garden Warbler, a few Chiffchaff and some Willow Warblers. We once ringed the last species in similar numbers to Chiffchaff when the scrub was much younger, but they are now infrequent here since the scrub turned into woodland. The single net off the reed bed did almost as well as all the other nets. We finished early to avoid the forecast rain showers that arrived just as we were preparing to leave. The fishing club seem to have resolved the problem with the gate locks by reversing the configuration making it difficult to unintentionally bypass a lock.

Recaptures: (01)

Blackcap        ringed: 23/08/2025

Sightings: Two Magpies that were harassing a high flying Sparrowhawk then turned their attention to a couple of crows. Quite a lot of gull activity mostly heading westward or flying about. While we were taking down the nets 10 Swallows flew low west followed by a least one more as we were loading the cars. No Red Kite seen and a Red Admiral the only non-bird species ID’d.

26/08 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2025-35

Session: 26/08/2025 07:35 to 11:00hrs

Notes: It started spotting with rain as soon as I got in my car but as I knew that IW was already on the common I continued. – he usually arrived early to have a walk round the area before we start. It was spotting for much of the session occasionally increasing to a light shower. Twice we went to the enclosure intending to take the nets down but each time it stopped as we were extracting birds, so we persevered. Just before 10:00hrs the cloud lifted somewhat, and the rain stopped. The Reed Warbler was not unexpected; we ring one or two here each year. This one is the first for 2025, we’ve ringed 22 here since 2012. Not a species seen in heathland habitat normally. Blackcap were moving through the heath but not in the numbers of last year’s matching visit see schedule below. By the time we left site the sun began to shine as the cloud fragmented.

Present: JL,IW.

Weather: rain spotting until about 09:45, overcast, light wind then calm, warm.

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

Lures audio: (BC-CC-FC-GC-GW-WH-LW-WO),(YW-WC-W.-TP-RT-RZ),(GH),(RT) intermittently.

Recaptures: (00)

Sightings: Except for the Starling flocks there was little activity. The Swallows in two groups were flying straight through South. Some of below IW recorded before I got there. It been a while since we had Song Thrush on the heath, like most soft-bills they are sheltering in woodland in the dry hot conditions.