13/02 Snelsmore Feeder

Location: Snelsmore  Feeder CES visit 8 of 8
Session: 13/02/2022 07:45 to 11:35hrs
Notes: The forecast for this morning was poor but a check on the rain radar showed the main front arriving towards 11:00hrs and the chance of rain before around 50%. We put the nets by 08:00hrs and managed to ring until 10:35 when it began to rain so we took the nets down. It was a steady capture throughout the session with more Great Tits than usual for this winter and notable that 7 of the 11 captured were females, two of which were less than the 15grms minimum for this species. The weight of all the Great Tit captured was on the low side of the normal range, perhaps indicating that they were wandering birds. Visits during the week to top up indicate that the feeders are at there most active after 10:00 hrs,  birds apparently on territory singing before then, particularly on sunny bright days. The Marsh Tit showed clear wear on its old greater coverts indicating it to be age 5; hatch in 2021. Long-tailed Tits are scarce visitors to the feeders this year. There are not many about this winter at the sites I visit regularly. They mostly come to the Fat Balls; others were up in the trees calling but stayed up in the treetops. A good session until the rain came apart from it feeling a bit colder than in recent days.
Present: JL,IW,IQ,JHW,DL
Weather: overcast, breezy, cold, rained off 10:35hrs
Nets:  12metres, 2 rides of 6M nets one each side of feeder up from 08:00 to 10:35 hrs
Lures: Feeder: Fat Balls ,Niger, Black Sunflower, Peanut

Recaptures:(16)

Blue Tit                ringed: 10/11/2019, 24/10/2021,07/11/2021x2, 21/11/2021, 05/12/2021,       

                                         02/01/2022x2,   30/01/2022

                            pulli ringed 31/05/2021 box CP03

Coal Tit               ringed: 12/11/2017, 07/11/2021, 30/01/2022

Great Tit              ringed: 30/01/2022

                            pulli ringed: 29/05/2021 box CP20

Long-tailed Tit    ringed: 24/02/2019

Sightings: I forgot my binoculars not that this site has good clear views due to the tree canopy. A Song Thrush was in full song due to the low light (similar to dusk/dawn). It seemed quite close by, but we could not locate it as it must have been further into the tree canopy than it seemed, otherwise quiet as usual recently. Ian’s list: