26/05 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Estovers scrub

Session: 26/05/2024 07:30 to 11:15hrs

Notes: It rained as I was about to leave and was just composing a text to say ringing cancelled when it stopped and so decided to go along to site. We put up 4 nets in the scrub, three west of the feeder, the other in the feeder enclosure. Not heard the Nightingale on three checkout visits this week, so was surprised when one turned up the nets on the second round of the morning. This is the first Nightingale ringed by the group since 2018 by JPM and the first at Greenham & Crookham Common since 2013. It is change to only ring one Blue Tit here, they usually comprise about 50% of the capture when the feeder is operating. The two juvenile Blackcaps were very recently fledglings. We did better than expected particularly as we limited the number of nets so that we could take them down quickly if it rained again as was forecast; think we would have done well with a few more nets in the scrub, maybe next time.

Present: IW,JHW,JL,LC.

Weather: stopped raining about 07:30hrs, then cloudy with sunny periods, blustery, warm.

Nets: 44metres in scrub 08:00 to 11:15 hrs

Lures: None

Recaptures (03):

Blackbird            ringed: 29/10/2023.

Blue Tit               ringed: 17/11/2019.

Dunnock             ringed: 14/01/2024.

Sighting: Red Kite active and noisy, some sort of dispute going on between two birds, otherwise fairly quiet. There was some plant ID going on, but not my forte and can’t remember the names.