25/02 Snelsmore Common

Location: Snelsmore Feeder

Session: 25-Feb-2020, 07:45 to 11:15hrs

Notes: Rained off again Sunday so needed to get visit 10 in before the 1st March; next Sunday. There was a steady flow of birds until about 10:00 when we extracted 14 from the nets, followed by 13 on the next round. Comparison with last years matching visit shows clearly the successful breeding in 2019 and subsequent fledgling survival of Blue Tits. Whenever we get a good capture this winter it is when the Blue Tits turn up. There is still no sign of any winter finches in the area, it looks as if they might not be coming here this winter.

Weather: overcast, sunny later, windy early, light breeze gusting later, cold.

Present: JL,IW

Nets: 12metres in 2 nets one 6M each side of feeders up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs

Lure (Feeder): Fat Balls, Black Sunflower, Niger, Peanut

Capture (New/Recapture) 59(39/20) 6 Species	Matching Visit: 24/02/2019 39(25/13) 7 Species
Species New Rtp 1stCY 2ndCY+ BLABI 1 1 BLUTI 25 13 34 4 COATI 7 2 8 1 GRETI 4 4 7 1 NUTHA 1 1 ROBIN 2 2	Species New Rtp 1stCY 2ndCY+ BLUTI 3 2 5 CHAFF 2 2 1 COATI 6 6 11 1 GRETI 10 1 11 LOTTI 1 1 NUTHA 2 1 1 SISKI 3 1 3 1

Recaptures: (20), recent except
BLUTI             ringed: 11/11/18, 12/02/19, and 2 ringed at the Bagnor feeder 05/11/19
                       pulli ringed: 10/05/19 box WH23, 20/05/19 box CP05
COATI            ringed: 25/05/18
GRETI            ringed: 15/12/17
                       pulli ringed: 06/05/19x2 boxes WH13 & WH22, 10/05/19 box CP15
NUTHA           pulli ringed 14/05/19 box CP22

Sightings 23 Species: A single Lapwing flying over, perhaps a male looking for breeding habitat; an early sign of spring! I think he will find many fallow fields this year, but will they dry out in time? Lots of singing up in the trees, and no sign of the Ravens this visit. The Taxa order below may seem jumbled, it is as the new list order though.

Pheasant (2)            Mallard (2)    Woodpigeon (5)      Lapwing (1)  Sparrowhawk (1)     Male Red Kite (2)  Buzzard (1)  Great Spotted Woodpecker (2)    Jackdaw (3) Rook (2)        Carrion Crow (5)     Coal Tit (9)

Marsh Tit (2) Blue Tit (38) Great Tit (8) Goldcrest (1)            Wren (1)       Nuthatch (2) Blackbird (2) Mistle Thrush (1)     Robin (2)      Dunnock (2) Chaffinch (4)