06/01 Bagnor Feeder

Location: Bagnor Feeder

Session: 06-Jan-2017 07:40 to 11:20hrs

Headlines: A cold start, frost early then it warmed to just above freezing, so not to bad. A better capture than last winter’s matching visit. Blue Tit numbers are up. The 1st winter to Adult ratio is very different. The great Tit capture is similar to last winter’s equivalent. It is unusual to capture Bullfinch at this feeder. The first round was of just one Blue Tit. The Long-tailed Tits were from the same party captured on the 27th December, they come to feast on the Fat Balls. Subsequent rounds consisted of 8 to 10 birds each time until 10:30hrs when the birds stopped coming.

Weather: Cold early (frost), cool later, calm, overcast, murky later

Present: JL, GB, RJC, IW

Nets: 12metres a 6m net each side of feeders up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs

Lure (feeders): Peanut, Black Sunflower, Fat Balls

Capture (New/Recapture)

36 (22/14)	24(12/12) matching visit 06-Jan-2016
Species code New Retrap 1st CY Adult Indt BLUTI 15 10      11 14 BULLF 2 1 1 GRETI 4 2 2 LOTTI 1 3      4 ROBIN 1 1	Species code New Retrap 1st CY Adult BLUTI 9 6 10 5 COATI 3 3 GOLDF 1 1 GRETI 2 2 2 2 NUTHA 1 1

Recaptures: (14) all recent except: Blue Tit 4y 27d, 2y 364d, 2y 230d pulli from Mount Hill box A01, 1y 59d, 1y 22d, 351d, 349d ringed at the Snelsmore feeder, 220d pulli from a brood in a dormouse box at Mount Hill,

Sightings 32 Species The was a large flock of around 300+ gulls, probably all Lesser Black-backed Gulls, flew west in the gloom of dawn as I arrived. The Little Egrets were active. Four were in flight over the cress beds, calling and squabbling. The were probably seven or more since some seen in in the village and two were on the stream  further up the valley when I left. Ian had a sighting of a Yellowhammer on the hedge along the road. The first since the autumn; probably not here now as they were flailing the hedge when we left. There is still a lack of winter thrushes and finches for the time of year; a small flock of Redwing and Fieldfare were in the fields below Winterbourne Holt the only sighting here so far this year.