Tuesday, 2 September 2025

02/09 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2025-36
Session: 02/09/2025 07:35 to 10:20hrs
Notes: The forecast for today was for rain @ 45% at 08:00hrs, but a check of the rain radar just before 07:00hrs showed the showers had just reach Cornwall so texted IW that we would give it ago. I think sometimes these days we know too much from our mobile devices etc. Back before such information existed I would have seen from my bedroom window that it was clear blue sky at 06:00hrs and gone for it. On arrival there were a few spots of rain but insufficient to put us off. Having erected the three nets we returned and setup the ringing equipment ready in the back of the car. On returing to the nets we found we had been rewarded for our persistence. The first Redstart of the season was in the bottom shelf of the first net we checked. We re-checked nets soon after processing the last captures to ensure few if any birds were in the nets should it rain. At each net round a few birds were extracted. Some of the Chiffchaff were quite “yellow” with a strong eyestripe and could easily be mistaken for Willow Warbler in the field; the biometrics (wing length, weight and wing formula etc) confirmed them as Chiffchaff. We took the last two birds out of the nets at 09:50hrs processed them, finishing just as it began to rain. We quickly returned to the enclosure; the nets were empty, so we began taking them down during a heavy shower and got a bit of a soaking.
Present: JL,IW.
Weather: overcast, rain spotting early, heavy shower at around 10:00hrs, light wind, cool.
Nets: 48metres 3 Rides, up from 08:00 to 10:00 hrs (rain)

Lures audio: (BC-CC-FC-GC-GW-WH-LW-WO),(YW-WC-W.-TP-RT-RZ),(WY/GH) intermittently.

Blue Tit          ringed: 30/07/2025

Sightings: The Dartford Warbler gave a couple of subdued calls in the distance southeast of the enclosure. The Wheatear was out on the heath west of enclosure, my first of the Autumn after several recent visits over the common when I missed out despite one or two have been reported. Apart from these, the Redstart and a couple of groups of Swallow flying south, there was little activity. No sign of any finch species, no even Goldfinch.



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