21/07 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham March LNR CES v 2024.09.

Session: 21/07/2024 06:00 to 11:00

Notes: Another quiet session, better than last year’s visit 9 though. Good to catch up with LC and JA.

Present: JL,IW,JHW,LC,JA.

Weather: overcast, light breeze. warm.

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

Lures: None

Recaptures:(09)

Cetti’s Warbler   ringed: 30/04/2023.

Reed Warbler    ringed: 01/08/2021, 11/06/2023,  14/07/2024x4.

Sedge Warbler  ringed: 23/06/2024

Wren                   ringed: 03/07/2022

Sighting: The Yellow-legged Gulls are a bit iffy. I am experimenting with a microphone attached to my binoculars running Merlin audio ID. While I was running it six Lesser Black-backed Gull flew west calling and which Merlin confirmed. At the same time two more gulls appeared following the LBBs. They were also calling and Merlin ID’d their calls as being Yellow-legged. Unlike  the  LBBs I could only see their undersides and they were a little higher so was unable to visually confirm; I was guarding the ringing equipment while the others went round the nets so had no backup. I am not too confident with gull ID at the best of times. It was much easier back in the day when medium large gulls were either Lesser Black-backed or Herring Gulls, perhaps I should just stick to “seagulls”!