26 & 28/10 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Western Enclosure Week 44
Session: 26-Oct-2020, 07:50 to 10:40hrs, 28-Oct-2020, 07:30 to 10:45Hrs

Notes: It looks like migration on Greenham Common has all but ended. On Monday 26th we captured a single Redwing. With very little sign of any avian activity on the heath, we finished at 10:30hrs. On the 28th again there was little activity, we capture three birds, mid-session and a Lesser Redpoll on the next net round The first ringed since 2018. From 2011 to 2016 our capture for this species varied between 113 to 448 each year. In 2017 they stopped coming this far south, staying nearer their breeding grounds in the winter according to other ringers from the midlands and further north. The species we are usually ringing in good numbers this time of year is Goldcrest. In weeks 43 and 44 we usually capture double figure numbers each session at this site. Most ringed this autumn so far have the shorter wings of local birds (50 to 54mm wing length) The northern birds that usually winter on the heath have wing lengths up to 57mm. Hopefully they are running late, and we will see more of them next week.

Lesser Redpoll 1st CY male

Present:  JL,IW
Weather: Condition for both sessions similar: cool and mostly overcast, west southwest breeze, perhaps a bit better light and slightly less breezy on the 28th.
Nets: 48metres in 3 net rides, two 18M and a 12M net up from 08:00 to 10:30hrs both sessions
Lure (Audio): BC-CC-FC-CC, Autumn, Thrushes, SK-LR, Yellow-browed Warbler intermittently.

Recaptures: (none)