21/02 Greenham Common Feeder

Location: Greenham Common Estovers Feeder

Session: 21-Feb-2017 07:45 to 11:20hrs

Headlines: We held the session today as a demonstration for the new BBOWT Seasonal Wardens and Conservation Trainees. Since on our last visit we did not capture any birds we were concerned that we might not get any to show them today. While the capture was very low we did get a bit of variety and a male Sparrowhawk just before they arrived which we were able to show them being processed. The birds captured in the feeder nets were the four Great Tits. One at over five years old had been captured quite often over the years so had a good history. Very little was coming to the feeder, no Blue Tits and the usual flock of local Greenfinches was waiting in the surrounding trees as the nets came down. Normally we are very busy at this feeder and any demonstration is little more than ringing lots of birds, showing interesting ones and letting the visitors hold and sometimes ring a bird. The lack of birds meant that we had to do a lot of talking so we perhaps looked a bit disorganised. Last year’s matching visit shows a very different picture.

Weather: Overcast, cool, occasional misty rain, wing strengthened through the session.

Present: JL, GB, IW, SC

Nets: 72 metres in 7 rides, three around feeders, others in scrub up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs

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

Capture (New/Recapture)

8(7/1)	71(43/28) matching visit 23-Feb-2016
Species code New Rtp 1stCY 2nd+CY BLABI 1 1 COATI 1 1 GOLDC 1 1 GRETI 3 1 3 1 SPARR 1 1	Species code New Rtp 1stCY 2nd+CY BLABI 1 1 BLUTI 3 5 5 3 CHAFF 2 1 1 COATI 1 1 DUNNO 1 1 1 1 GOLDF 5 2 5 2 GREFI 2 2 GRETI 7 6 10 3 GRSWO 1 1 LESRE 4 4 7 1 ROBIN 1 1 SISKI 17 8 22 3

Recaptures: 1 Great Tit 5y 135d (09/10/2011) captured every year except 2014

Sightings 30 Species: A Herring Gull is unusual here, not much else of note though.