17/12 Greenham Feeder

Location: Greenham Common Feeder visit 04 of 10
Session: 17-Dec-2017 07:45 to 11:10hrs
Headlines: With cold, damp and mostly overcast conditions it was not a very comfortable session today. The food uptake has slow markedly over the last few days and is confirmed by today’s low capture; it seems that in particular new birds coming to the feeders have dropped. This is reinforced by the timing of captures with the first round providing 44% of the capture; presumably the locals. The number of Goldfinches coming to the Niger is also down. Activity generally around the site was poor. The fourth visit for the 2016/17 winter is not a good match as it was on the last day of the year (14 days away). Should the weather allow perhaps another visit in the last few days of 2017 would give a better comparison? It wasn’t all bad today though, Gina and Simon’s cakes and coffee went down well.
Weather: Cold, dank, breezy late in session, spotting with rain as we took the nets down.
Present: JL, IW, JHW, RJC, GB, SC
Nets: 54metres, 12M, 12M, 10M rides at feeders and 10M, 10M in gorse scrub.
Lure (feeders): niger, niger, black sunflower, peanuts, black sunflower
Capture (New/Recapture)

16(04/12) visit 4 of 10	27(13/14) matching visit 04 of 10 (31-Dec-2016)
Species New Rtp 1stCY 2ndCY+ BLUTI 1 2 3 COATI 4 4 GOLDF 2 1 1 GRETI 4 2 2 MARTI 1 1 ROBIN 1 1 1 1	Species New Rtp 1stCY 2ndCY+ BLABI 1 1 BLUTI 5 8 4 9 BULLF 2 2 COATI 2 2 GOLDC 1 1 GRETI 1 5 5 1 SONTH 1 1 WREN 1 1

Totals for visit 04 of 10 for the last 7 winter periods

2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16	2016/17	2017/18
35	16	33	20	23	27	16

Recaptures: (12) all recent except, Blue Tit pulli from Bowdown box BC10 Coal Tit 207d ringed at the Western Enclosure 24-May-2017, Great Tit two individuals both 2y 46d,

Sightings 31 Species: Bullfinches quite active and Golden Plover also Lapwing of note, otherwise much as expected. but quiet