15/03 Greenham Common Western Enclosure

Location: Greenham Common Western Enclosure

Session: 15-Mar-2017 07:15 to 11:30hrs

Headlines: Last Saturday I found the first reasonable flock of Redpoll on Sandleford Heath not far from the Western Enclosure. I was going to try there later in the week just to see what was there. As it was forecast to get windy from tonight I decided to go today with not much expectation. The scrub clearance I organised makes the enclosure look very bare. I put up the basic three nets and put the redpoll/siskin audio on. I had hardly turned my back when about, 15 redpoll dropped out of the sky. For the next hour they kept returning before flying off. Eight captured was better than anticipated. Thought I would try crest song since we were not in their nesting habitat. They do winter in the gorse scrub. Just one Goldcrest captured and a Coal Tit, one of two flying across the heath. It then went quiet but I decided to stay until 11:00hrs as it was a pleasant day and I  reverted to redpoll/siskin calls. After a while three or four took an interested and two buzzed the nets several time, perching on the top shelf and guy ropes. Finally just before I took the nets down at 11:00hrs one went in. Quite gratifying (DL) to stick with what we thought with the re-trap and find we agreed with when the bird was ringed.

Weather: Overcast, slight breeze early, clearing to warm sunshine and calm later

Present: JL, DL

Nets: 48metres in three rides of 18M, 18M, 12M up from 07:45 to 11:00hrs

Lure (audio): Lesser Redpoll/Siskin calls and crest calls intermittently.

Capture (New/Recapture)

11(10/1)
Species New Rtp Inder 1stCY 2nd+CY COATI 1 1 GOLDC 1 1 LESRE 8 1 1 7 1

Recaptures: A Lesser Redpoll ringed 13-Nov-2016 at Brimpton GPs 122days ago

 1st calender year Lesser Redpoll

 Close up of the red poll; I think poll is an old English word for head or cap

Sightings 26 Species: a few Chiffchaff singing, the only summer migrant. Most resident species in song. No Blue Tits heard or seen and I did look for them. Stonechats and Woodlark active; there may have been two pairs of the former.