27/04 NEST BOX CHECKING GREENHAM COMMON

NEST BOX CHECKING Greenham Common Peaked Hill and Aldenbridge Gully
27-Apr-2017 08:00 to 10:45hrs
Checked all the boxes again to today most occupied boxes had sitting adults.
All boxes that are going to be used are now occupied apart from second attempts so unoccupied boxes will not be checked again. One nest looks to have been predated: hole enlarged, feathers and nest material around the hole nest looks disturbed but all eggs intact but cold. What ever it was probably took the adult.

• 30 Boxes Checked
• 17 Unoccupied
• Blue Tit Occupied 8 boxes (2 nest eggs cold and covered, 1nest eggs uncovered and warm, 5 had sitting adults)
• Great Tit Occupied 4 boxes ( 2 nest had naked young, 2 nest adults sitting)
• Nuthatch Occupy 1 boxes (with a sitting adult)

Not a very good take up at this site, think it is the worst since we started here in  2002

Let us hope that the weather is kind to the birds this year.

Sightings 24 Species seen while doing the boxes. The Wheatear were on the fire plane gravel early as was the Lapwing. The latter has been there all week but can't see any sitting birds. It is a male that looks like it is on station so there might be a female there somewhere. Marsh tits were quiet vocal, not singing though. Had a good week bird-wise on the common: Ring Ouzel Monday, Swift Wednesday also Reed Warbler and Cuckoo at Thatcham Marsh and Lesser Whitethroat on my Clapton BBS. 107 species for the year so far all seen in sites local to me. Walked 9.39 miles yesterday (22127 steps)