31/12 Greenham Common Estovers Feeder

Location: Greenham Common Estovers Feeder

Session: 31-Dec-2016 07:40 to 11:20hrs

Headlines: It is amazing how the memory plays trick I think we all remember the 2015/16 winter as having good captures every session at this site. When I looked back we made two visits in December 2015 on the 27th as below and on the 19th when also 11 captured. This gives today’s capture of 27 a much more positive spin. The difference is the lack of winter finches, the bulk of which have yet to come south if they come at all. The number of adult BLUTI is very marked at this site. Most of the tits were recaptures probably indicating that they are local to the feeder. A small influx just before we took the feeder nets down had several new BLUTI; these were probably birds from further afield. I was a little depressed by the capture today so it was good to find that it was better than the equivalent Dec captures of last year and a reason to look forward to 2017 when hopefully things will pick up.

Has anyone lost a watch we found one just outside the compound. If you have let me know.

Weather: Over cast, cool, calm some blue patches of sky later.

Present: JL, RJC, IW, DL also JHW, LS and GK dropped by.

Nets: 70metres 3 net of 12M, 12M, 6M to feeders and three nets of 12M, 10M 18M in scrub up from 08:10 to 11:00hrs

Lure (feeders ): Niger, Niger, Black Sunflower, Peanuts, Black Sunflower

         (audio) Redwing, Fieldfare (no response to either)

Capture (New/Recapture:

27(13/14)	Matching Visit 27-Dec-2015 11(5/6)
Species code New Retrap 1stCY Adult BLABI 1 1 BLUTI 5 8 4 9 BULLF 2 2 COATI 2 2 GOLDC 1 1 GRETI 1 5 5 1 SONTH 1 1 WREN 1 1	Species code New Retrap 1stCY Adult BLABI 1 1 BLUTI 1 3 3 1 GOLDF 1 1 1 1 GRSWO 1 1 LESRE 3 2 1

Recaptures: all recent except BLUTI  2y 52d, three ringed 1y 60d ago, 335d

Sightings 29 Species: There was little over flying activity today with few winter thrushes and no winter finches. Not many finches about apart from several noisy Bullfinch in and around the scrub. Plenty of Jackdaw but otherwise even Woodpigeon probably just made double figures.