23/06 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham March LNR CES v 2024.06.

Session: 23/06/2024 06:00 to 11:15

Notes: The first juvenile Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler on visit CES 06 is around the usual time for the first juveniles to fledge, also the first fledged Cetti’s Warbler of the year. Number so far low as expected as there are few it seems of these species nesting that survived the rains of May. Also of note was the first full moult adult Blue Tit of 2024. A few other juveniles of scrub species wandered on to the reed bed presumably in search of the aphid size flies that were about in good numbers looking at  the density of them on the fly-trap.

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

Weather: sunny early clouding over later, light breeze, warm

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

Lures: None

Recaptures:(12)

Blue Tit               ringed: 24/06/2023.

Dunnock             ringed: 24/06/2023, 09/06/2024.

Reed Warbler    ringed: 11/06/2023x2, 04/05/2024x3, 11/05/2024, 01/06/2024, 09/06/2024.

Sedge Warbler  ringed: 16/06/2022

Sighting: Cuckoo still about, very late this year, and we can’t recall hearing or seeing any females 

"bubbling" over the reed bed, so maybe they had trouble finding mates and with the scarcity of host 

species breeding opportunities will have been limited. Some Swifts over, just few, also Little Egret 

and Cormorant out and back to Lower Farm. A Water Rail chick was calling at the far end of the net ride

late in the session.