26/06 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Western Enclosure wk26

Session: 26/06/2024 07:45 to 10:50hrs

Notes: Busy week this week and today was the only day available to do a second visit. It is a bit early to be doing consecutive visits this early in the season as shown by the few birds entering the enclosure.  Lesser Whitethroat this early is a trend of recent years, before 2019 week 32 is the earliest they have appeared in the enclosure in the period back to 2013.  No “local” species today, of the few ringed all were migrant species. We expect Garden Warbler numbers to build from next week 27, peaking at week 30, tailing off to the odd straggler by week 37. Similarly, Willow Warblers numbers should start to build peaking 2 weeks later than Garden Warbler, tailing off by week 39. This year so far Willow Warbler presence in the area looks to be lower than in recent times, so when/if numbers begin to increase they will be migrants from elsehwere. Just the one visit made week 26 in 2023 so the matching visit is the same as for yesterday. The slip in the date from year to year is why we use week numbers rather than dates for analysis.

Present: JL,IW,IQ.

Weather: clear, sunny, calm, hot

Nets: 48metres 3 Rides, up from 08:00 to 10:30 hrs.

Lures audio: (Warbler), (Misc Migrants), (RT), (GH) intermittently.

Recaptures: (00)

Sightings: The highlight for me was the adult Greater Black-back Gull that almost slipped by unnoticed east low along the trees to the south. Probably the rarest bird detected here today is Chaffinch they have been absent from this end of the common in the breeding season for the last couple of years now, only appearing late summer on passage? and as incoming winter migrants. We saw just one substancial flock of Jackdaw (about 25) out from the bunkers today.