02/07 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Western Enclosure wk27

Session: 02/07/2024 07:30 to 10:50hrs

Notes: Weather conditions mostly windy and cool but occasionally dropped to light breeze and warmer. A disappointing showing compared to last year’s matching visit with comparatively few birds about. Willow Warblers with Garden Warbler should be on the move now but just a single Willow Warbler ringed and was an adult male in full moult including flight feathers. Most birds including adult passerines do a full moult, once a year, either post breeding or at their winter quarters, however Willow Warbler are one of the few that have a full moult post breeding, before they leave and again in their wintering area before they return in spring. Adult Chiffchaff do a full post breeding moult only. Many migrant species have a full moult in their wintering areas, some start to moult before they leave but pause their moult completing it after they arrive in their wintering area.

Present: JL,IW.

Weather: overcast, blustery wind with occasionally calmer periods, cool

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

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

Recaptures: (01)

Great Tit         ringed: 04/10/2023

Sightings: Swifts over mostly drifting South. It was notable that Red Kite and Buzzard were on the wing earlier than usual probably taking advantage of the blustery conditions, otherwise quiet the only other over flyers detected being singles of Black-headed Gull and a Cormorant, other species mostly appeared to be flying about.