19/01 Bagnor Feeder

Location: Bagnor Feeder

Session: 19-Jan-2017 08:05 to 11:20hrs

Headlines: It was not quite a cold as yesterday but there was a heavy ground frost. It was slow at first, just a Chaffinch on the first round. One or two tits followed until 10:00 when seven, all tits, were captured. As we were processing these we noticed a man with dogs had stationed himself along the hedge. Soon several shots were fired in the next field; the Honey Bottom shoot had arrived. So much for only shooting Saturdays, that’s what the keeper told me at the beginning of the season. They are only able to station themselves just inside “our” field so once we had finished processing it gave us something to watch. Several pheasants flew over but all bar one was too low for our shooter. He did get one though. His colleagues the other side of the hedge seemed to have more success. After about a quarter of an hour a whistle was blown and the shoot moved off to Withy Copse. We checked the nets taking out three tits. These proved to be last captured and we took the nets down at 11. It is interesting that all three long term retraps had been ringed on the same day 12-Nov-2015; only the Long-tailed Tit had been recaptured in the interim. Both Coal Tits looked to be males and so probably not a pair. The matching 2016 visit again highlights the lack of Blue and Great Tits this year. Also after a good run of pulli retraps at this feeder, none today. I think although cold many species might have stayed for a sing before coming to the feeders; the Snelsmore feeder was quite quiet when I visited this morning to top up.

Weather: Cold, Frosty, Calm warmed up a little when the Sun rose above the trees

Present: JL, IW

Nets: 12metres, 6m Net each side of feeders up from 08:15 to 11:00hrs

Lure (feeder): Peanuts, Black Sunflower, Fat Balls, Niger

Capture (New/Recapture)

15(10/5)	Matching 2016 visit 42(21/21)
Species code New Rtp 1stCY 2ndCY BLUTI 6 1 5 2 CHAFF 1 1 COATI 2 2 DUNNO 1 1 GREFI 1 1 GRETI 2 2 LOTTI 1 Indeterminate	Species code New Rtp 1stCY 2ndCY BLUTI 9 13 12 10 COATI 2 2 GOLDF 2 1 1 GRETI 7 5 7 5 LOTTI 1 3 Indeterminate

Recaptures: (5) Coal Tit 1y 68dx2, Long-tailed Tit 1y 68d others recent

Sightings 33 Species: Not much movement particularly after the shooting. The Little Egrets were again active, there seems to be two pairs. In addition there was one in Bagnor Village and  two further up the valley. Gadwall was a new species for me in 2017; a sing that I am not doing as much this year!