04/05 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham March LNR CES v 2024.01.

Session: 04/05/2024 06:00 to 11:15

Notes: The first chance to ring the reed bed this year and the first CES visit of the season. We have usually made several visits Mar/Apr, but not this year, the very wet weather has delayed us until now. The Moor Stream has been in spate and still is but the water level in the past three weeks has reduce the flooding sufficiently for the stream to stop flowing under the railway bridge and to allow us to get to the now above water level bridge and cross to the ride. The ride is very muddy in places where the ground level is nearly the same as the stream water level and the thick mud made walking the ride very heavy going. Some clearance of a fallen tree and tidying up the ride was carried out three weeks or so ago, unfortunately until today the weather has been wet and/or windy so this is the first day ringing was possible. 43 is quite a good first CES visit total and a good variety of species. A 2017 (7+years old) Reed Warbler is quite an old bird. It was an adult when we ringed it and we re-trapped once in 2017 and then today; wonder where it’s been breeding since? Many birds were in breeding condition with BPs or CPs, but many had yet to start, and the warblers may be passing through. Interestingly all the Sedge Warblers were new birds, hopefully some ringed birds have yet to arrive back from wintering areas. We netted three Bullfinch, two females and a male with another calling in the scrub. Unfortunately, the male had infected claws and legs (papilloma infection) and was released un-ringed. Only one of the females had a brood patch though. Just one Reed Bunting, have been digitising historical data recently (1969 to 1971) and back then the numbers ring matched Reed and Sedge Warblers most sessions. We also had elm trees and breeding Tree Sparrows on site back then.

Present: JL,IW,JHW,IQ,NC.

Weather: mist early, sunny periods, calm, warm

Nets: 198metres in one ride up from 06:30 to 10:30hrs

Lures: None

Recaptures:(11)

Cetti’ Warbler     ringed: 17/04/2022, 30/04/2023, 07/05/2023, 10/09/2023.

Chiffchaff            ringed: 26/08/2023, 08/10/2023.

Long-tailed Tit    ringed: 18/04/2021

Reed Warbler    ringed: 13/05/2017, 23/06/2021, 21/05/2022,

Wren                   ringed: 09/04/2023

Sighting: At least three Water Rail present. Two immature Herring Gull and at least one Cattle Egret over also Little Egret. Two groups of high flying Swift drifted northeast-ish and a Raven called somewhere to the south also four Jay squabbled in the reed bed scrub. Think it is early for Beautiful Demoiselle to be on the wing; there was just the one in a nets that I managed to extract unharmed and that fluttered weakly into the foliage bordering the ride.