18/07 Greenham Common

Location: 18/07 Greenham Common Western Enclosure
Session:  18-Jul-2017 06:00 to 10:10hrs
Headlines: Until I saw last year’s equivalent session I thought it was a good capture today. It was a pleasant easy session with a steady capture of birds until the last 30 minutes. We captured the first Willow Warblers detected here for some weeks. A few sylvia warblers and Chiffchaffs made up the bulk of the capture with a Linnet, Greenfinch Goldcrest and 3 Blue Tit to add variety. It became very windy in the last half hour causing the telescopic poles to collapse on two of the three nets. So we were quite prompt taking the nets down and with some difficulty in the swirling wind. Needless to say once they were down the wind dropped. 
Weather: Sunny, warm light breeze, hot later very windy for the last 30 minutes.
Present:  JL, IW
Nets: 48metres in three rides of 18m, 18m, 12m; up from 06:30 to 10:00hrs.
Lure (audio): Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Whitethroat, Willow Warbler intermittently
Capture (New/Recapture)

29(29/00)	55(50/05) 18-Jul-2016
Species New Rtp Juvs Adult BLACA 5 4 1 BLUTI 3 3 CHIFF 8 8 GARWA 3 3 GOLDC 1 1 GREFI 1 1 LINNE 1 1 WHITE 3 3 WILWA 4 4	Species New Rtp Juvs Adult BLABI 4 2 2 BLACA 6 4 2 BLUTI 1 1 CHIFF 3 2 3 2 GARWA 3 1 2 GOLDC 2 2 GOLDF 9 1 6 4 GREFI 9 9 GRETI 1 1 2 LINNE 4 4 MEAPI 1 1 REEWA 1 1 ROBIN 2 2 SEDWA 1 1 SONTH 1 1 WHITE 2 2 WILWA 1 1

Recaptures: no retraps

Today's fresh plumage Willow Warbler; seem to have lost the green hue in the photo

Sightings 28 Species: As is usual this year fairly quiet will a few gulls moving north and east the only visible movement. The birds attracted by the audio are almost invisible, just occasionally two or three are spotted flying low across the heath from bush to bush towards the enclosure and sometimes they just drop out of the sky into it.

16/07 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR CES visit 17.08
Session: 16-Jul-2017 05:30 to 11:00hrs

Headlines: A good session by this year’s standards. The reed bed although quiet produced a good capture of Reed Warbler, mostly juveniles but only one adult retrap Sedge Warbler. Two juvenile Garden Warblers was good considering we did not have any scrub nets up. The session started by us having to remove a 4 metre length of timber that someone had used to gain access to the reed bed ride. We get this occasionally; I think people think they will find a pot of gold or similar at the end of the ride. 48 in the standard nets is above the average of 44 for visit 08; range: 2012-24, 1997-89. One Sedge Warbler is disappointing but in 2005 none were captured. 22 Reed Warbler is above the average of 20 for this visit; range 2016-8, 2000-33. A good capture of Wrens; this was once a good site for them particularly in winter when good numbers once moved in late autumn to winter. In the early days they were intensively ringed but we never did get any recoveries that gave a clue as to where they spent the rest of the year except perhaps locally. It was heavy going in the heat and humidity of the reed bed, mowing the ride after nets down.

Weather: overcast, warm, light breeze early, cleared to sunny periods, breezy later.
Present: JL, IW, DL, JPM, RGS, RDW
Nets: 198M standard net ride on the reed bed, up from 06:15 to10:15hrs no additional nets
Lure (none): 
Capture (New/Recapture)

48(41/07)	30(24/06) visit16.08  16/07/2017
Species New Retrap     Juv Adult BLACA 4 3 1 CETWA 3 2 1 CHIFF 2 2 DUNNO 3 3 GARWA 2 2 GRETI 1 1 REEWA 16 6 15 7 ROBIN 2 2 SEDWA 1 1 WREN 8 7 1	Species New Retrap     Juv Adult BLACA 1 1 CETWA 3 1 3 1 CHIFF 5 4 1 REEWA 6 3 7 2 SEDWA 3 3 WREN 7 1 7 1

Recaptures: (7) Reed Warbler 1y 63d, 1y 42dx3 Sedge Warbler 98d, others recent

Sightings 40 Species: IW’s bird list, nothing of particular note; swift numbers are dropping as you would expect for the time of year.