21/08 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Western Enclosure

Session: 21-Aug-2018 06:55 to 11:00hrs

Headlines: Over the weekend I have been fiddling around with historical data for the Western Enclosure and found that this week, week number 34 has been the peak passage week for Blackcap. It was not a surprise then that this morning’s session was dominated by them. After capturing a Coal Tit while erecting the nets, the next round produced seven Blackcaps. The following round produced another six plus a Garden Warbler, Whitethroat and a Chiffchaff. Numbers dwindled to just one or two birds mid-session including a Goldcrest and the first of several Willow Warblers.  At 09:15 another wave of birds moved through included another Blackcap, a Chiffchaff, a retrap Great Tit and four Willow Warblers. Until 09:30 I had been playing Swallow audio and as no interest was being shown by the said species I switched to Tree Pipit. As last Friday, just after 10:00 five birds fell out of the sky and into the enclosure including one that went into a net, unfortunately it got out before we got there. The others flew over to the south side scrub and disappeared. We walked towards the scrub which had several Whitethroat, a Lesser Whitethroat and Stonechats feeding. Two pipits flew out, one flew into a distant birch and then both went off over the trees; we thought them to be Tree Pipits but were not quite sure. We circled round the back of the scrub hoping to jink some of the birds towards the nets. One or two moved in that direction including a Tree Pipit that entered the net; IW ringed his first Newbury area Tree Pipit since one on an evening session at Bagnor Cress Beds, 1988! We have only ringed 14 as a group since 1967. Wonder what tomorrow will bring; hoping for a Redstart.

Weather: Overcast and calm until about 09:30, then a light breeze and fresh, warm
Present: JL, IW
Nets: 48metres in three rides of 18m, 18m, 12m up from 07:30 to 10:30hrs
Lure (audio): Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Wood Warbler, Swallow(part), Tree Pipit(part) shuffled intermittently.

Capture (New/Recapture) 36(34/02)	Matching Visit: None
Species New Rtp Juv Adult BLACA 16 16 BLUTI 1 1 CHIFF 4 4 COATI 1 1 GARWA 1 1 GOLDC 1 1 GRETI 1 1 TREPI 1 1 WHITE 3 3 WILWA 7 7	Species New Rtp Juv Adult

Recaptures: (2) Blue Tit ringed 02-Jun-2016 in box PK32, female attending chicks

                            Great Tit ringed 05-Jul-2018 WENCL

Sightings 25 Species: a notable lack of some common residents out on the heath today, particularly thrushes and I can't remember the last time we saw or heard a Chaffinch.