11/08 Thatcham Marsh LNR

 Location: Thatcham March LNR CES v 2024.11.

Session: 11/08/2024 06:00 to 11:00

Notes: Juvenile male Sparrowhawk in the net on the first full round, stabbed me with its claws in the soft flesh between thumb and finger when extracting (one claw almost right through to the other side), JHW mostly got away with it when ringing and taking biometrics of the bird. The capture for visit 11 in 2024 is 77% of the average capture for this visit – varies between 2005/18-11 birds and 2021-85 birds, however many of the higher totals are in the first half of the 31 years of CES. The number of species ringed this year so far is 18 on the low side of the spectrum; varies from 17-2006 and 24-2000,2015,2019. Changing habitat probably influences the Species present – increasing and maturing scrub encroachment. Much of the reed that was in reasonable sized fragments when we started CES in 1993 has all but disappear leaving just the one substantial area of phragmites north of the railway line.

Present: JHW,IW,JL,DL,LC

Weather: overcast early clearing to bright sun, calm, hot.

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

Lures: None

Recaptures:(05)

Blue Tit               ringed: 11/09/2022

Cetti’s Warbler   ringed: 04/08/2024

Reed Warbler    ringed: 30/06/2024, 14/07/2024, 04/08/2024.

Sighting: No Swift seen this session. Some gull fly-overs included a Greater Black-backed Gull east and

about 10 Lesser Black-backed Gull west-ish accompanied by 4 Herring Gulls. Low numbers of finch species

and common birds here generally so far this year. A few Ornithopter and Butterflies too fast in the heat to ID.