14/04 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR, Butterfly Reserve

Session: 14-April-2019 07:00 to 11:00hrs

Notes: Another session at the Butterfly Reserve pending work on the CES bridge or not! We had hoped for a few more migrants, apart from maybe Blackcap, they didn’t materialise. An uneventful session. 

Weather: cold, mostly overcast, breezy

Present: JL, IW, JHW, JPM

Nets: 102metres in 6 rides up from 07:30 to 10:30hrs

Lure ( ): none

Capture (New/Recapture) 21(18/03)	Matching Visit: no matching visit
Species New Rtp 1stCY 2nd+CY BLACA 4 2 2 BLUTI 1 1 1 1 BULLF 2 1 1 CHIFF 1 1 GOLDC 1 1 GRETI 4 2 2 LOTTI 2 indetriminate SONTH 1 1 TREEC 1 indeterminate WREN 2 1 1 2	Species New Rtp 1stCY 2nd+CY

Recaptures: (03) recent except: BLUTI ringed here 07/04/2018

Sightings 39 Species: Just a species count today. House Martin a new species of the year for me and three adult Herring gulls is unexpected this time of year. Ian saw Shoveller, missed by me though. The high flying female Sparrowhawk attracted attentions from some hirundine when it soared for a while over us. A good gathering of breeding Pochard 12+ on one of the nearby small pits. After last week when we heard a Sedge Warbler we expected to hear a few acrocephalus warblers today but the reed bed was quiet.

PS: We did a session at the Western Enclosure, Greenham Common on the 10th April. It was breezy. Usual three nets up from 08:00 to 10:30hrs. Two birds: a Chiffchaff first ringed June 2018 and a new Blue Tit was the total capture. No audio lures as it is the breeding season. It seemed a long and cold session due to the lack of activity.