15/12 Snelsmore Feeder

Location: Snelsmore  Feeder CES2024/25.04

Session: 15/12/2024 07:45 to 11:30hrs

The Snelsmore Feeder

Notes: Due to the poor weather Sundays 1st and 8th Dec, we unfortunately missed visit 3 of this year’s winter CES, so it was good to be able to do visit 4 today. The first net round produced 12 birds, then birds visiting slowed for a while but pick up later in the session to around the same total for last winter’s matching 2023/24.04 visit. We manage to jink the woodpecker into the net, they usually drop in vertically and exit vertically avoiding the nets. We also had a visit from a Sparrowhawk that exited the net as we approached leaving a nice big hole in the mesh, possibly the big female that was circling above the trees earlier in the session. The very tame approachable Robin that has been present in the carpark this winter was phone videoed from about 500mm away. We tried to see if it would take sunflower hearts from the hand, a few spilled on to the ground and it dropped down and fed at our feet.

Present: JL,IW.IQ,JHW,RAD,DL.

Weather: overcast, calm, cool.

Nets: 2x6M nets, one each side of feeder up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs

Lures (Feeder): Fat Balls, Sunflower Hearts, Peanuts.

Recaptures: (30) (nest box ref CP, WH = Snelsmore Common)

Blue  Tit  ringed: 10/12/2023x2, 17/12/2023, 07/01/2024, 03/11/2024x8,

                 pulli ringed: 14/05/2024x2 boxes CP17 & CP14 .

Coal Ti     ringed: 05/02/2024, 11/02/2024, 03/11/2024x4, 17/11/2024.

Great Tit ringed: 03/11/2024, 17/11/2024.

                 pulli ringed: 24/05/2023 box WH22, 14/05/2024x2 boxes CP14 & CP33.

Sighting: Ian’s list. We may have missed a species or two. A soaring female Sparrowhawk just above the treetops caused disquiet for the local birds, lots of alarm calls.