19/02 Bagnor Feeder

Location: Bagnor Feeder
Session: 19-Mar-2019 07:40 to 11:15hrs
Notes: Like  the other feeders a slow session. Lots of walking about to pass the time. Not much bird activity anywhere. Interestingly the five Siskin captured Sunday at the Snelsmore Feeder were all male while the four today were all female. This is the last schedule session at any of the feeders for this winter. It started well but sometime in late January many of the tits, particularly Blue Tits, stopped coming.
Weather: overcast, mostly calm, relatively warm for time of year.
Present: JL, IW
Nets: 12metres a 6m nets each side of feeder up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs
Lure (feeder): peanuts, black sunflower, niger, fat balls

Capture (New/Recapture) 09(09/00)	Matching Visit: 16/03/2018 21(15/04
Species New Rtp 1stCY 2nd+CY BLUTI 2 2 GRETI 3 3 SISKI 4 4	Species New Rtp 1stCY 2nd+CY BLUTI 1 1 2 CHIFF 1 DUNNO 1 1 GOLDC 5 4 1 GRSWO 1 1 GRETI 3 4 7 LOTTI 1 NUTHA 2 2 SISKI 1 1

Recaptures: none

Sightings 25 Species: Two singing chiffchaffs, and a lot of Skylark activity. A few more tits about than at Greenham but numbers are low here also. Most residents are in full territorial mode; lost of singing etc.

18/03 Greenham Estovers Feeder

Location: 18/03 Greenham Estovers Feeder
Session: 18-Mar-2019 07:40 to 11:20hrs
Notes: The last session here was disappointing. Although we captured three more than last winter's matching visit, just two were from the feeder nets; a Greenfinch and a Great Tit. The others came from nets set in gorse scrub. A bit of a puzzle really as the niger seed has been consumed at an ever-increasing rate over last week or so. Last winter's matching visit was poor also  Gone are the days of masses of Redpoll and Siskin.
Weather: sunny periods, breezy, cold
Present: JL,IW,JHW
Nets: 56metres in five rides 12m, 12m, 10m at feeder + 10m, 12m in gorse scrub up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs
Lure (feeder): niger, niger, black sunflower, peanuts, black sunflower

Capture (New/Recapture) 07(03/04)	Matching Visit: 21/03/2018 04(02/02)
Species New Rtp 1stCY 2nd+CY GOLDC 1 1 1 indeterminate GREFI 1 1 GRETI 1 1 LOTTI 2 Indeterminate SONTH 1 1	Species New Rtp 1stCY 2nd+CY CHAFF 1 1 COATI 1 1 GREFI 1 1 2

Recaptures: (3) recent except the Song Thrush ringed 19/11/2017.
Sightings 29 Species: chiffchaffs singing, Blue and Great Tits scarce

17/03 Snelsmore Feeder

Location: Snelsmore Feeder

Session: 17-Mar-2019 07:50 to 11:20hrs

Notes: The last scheduled session of the winter at this feeder. Very slow early , the first bird captured at 08:30hrs, thereafter one or two trickled in, max capture in any one round three! Five Siskins was nice, and the first bird captured was the 2012 ringed Nuthatch; the Nuthatch pulli was also good. Blue Tits were scarce at the feeder and there were few about in the trees. Last winter’s matching visit had a similar total with more Blue Tits and no Siskins. 

Weather: breezy, cold, sunny early clouding over from mid-session.

Present: JL, IW, JHW
Nets: 12metres in one 6metre net each side of feeder. Up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs
Lure (feeder): black sunflower, niger, fat balls, peanuts

Capture (New/Recapture) 19(12/07)	Matching Visit: 25/03/2018 21(12/09)
Species New Rtp 1stCY 2nd+CY BLUTI 2 2 COATI 2 1 1 DUNNO 1 1 GRETI 4 3 6 1 NUTHA 2 inderterminate SISKI 5 3 2	Species New Rtp 1stCY 2nd+CY BLABI 1 1 BLUTI 4 1 4 1 COATI 3 2 5 GRETI 2 5 3 4 LOTTI 1 indeterminate ROBIN 1 1

Recaptures: (07) recent except:
COATI            15/03/2016
NUTHA          12/10/2012, pulli 29/05/2018 box CP22

Sightings 24 Species: Ian’s List, very quiet, nothing unexpected

11/03 Greenham Feeder

The forecast for this week says that today 11th Mar looked to be the best (quiet!) day. I usually keep Mondays free for other than ringing or birding. However given the forecast I decided that it seemed to be the only chance of getting a first half of the month visit in here. I had the usual 34metres of nets up by 08:00hrs,  although it was said to be calmer it was still very windy. The effect on the nets was probably similar to the "sheltered" nets yesterday in the gale. As I put the nets up at least two Lesser Redpoll waited in the surrounding trees. The first I have seen at this or any of my feeders this year and so I was quite hopeful. True to form however no birds were caught until late in the session. Two new LOTTI were captured at 10:10hrs and a new BLUTI and GOLDC at 10:40hrs and that was it. The matching visit last winter on the 09/03/2018 had a 10 bird capture of six species; no finches just tits, a robin and a Dunnock.
Birding was also quiet,- 25 species, no Woodlark is surprising given the windy and sunny conditions, the first summer migrant Chiffchaffs of the year for me probably the best birds otherwise nothing unexpected except only one Great Tit detected! (JL,IW)