28/12 Snelsmore Common Feeder

Location: Snelsmore Common Feeder visit CES 2025/26.05

Session: 28/12/2025 07:45 to 11:30hrs

Present: JHW,IW,JL.

Weather: overcast, calm, breezy early in session, cold.

Nets: 6+6M feeder nets up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs.

Lures (Feeder): fat balls, sunflower hearts, peanuts.

Today’s Treecreeper a 1st winter - prominent blobs on the greater coverts

Notes: Another busy session, mostly of Blue Tits. For a while there was a lot of activity high up in the tops of the surrounding trees again mainly Blue Tits but also a few Great and Coal Tits and at least two Marsh Tits. They all appeared to be checking out leaf buds presumably for insects/invertebrates etc and seemingly not interested in the feeders. The session included a few 2022 and 2023 re-traps (see below). There seems to be fewer species visiting this feeder even compared to last years matching visit which consisted of about 20 birds less. Nice to ring a Treecreeper we don’t encounter many of these now.

Recaptures: (38)

Blue Tit ringed:   02/01/2022, 12/10/2023, 19/11/2023, 03/11/2024x2, 09/02/2025, 26/10/2025x2, 02/11/2025x5, 6/11/2025x8, 30/11/2025x8, 14/12/2025x4,

                 Nest boxes – 27/05/2023-CP05, 12/05/2024-WH08, 12/05/2025-CP26.

Coal Tit ringed: 16/11/2025, 14/12/2025.

Great Tit ringed: 30/11/2025.

Sightings: IW’s list – A good sized flock of Siskin flew over early. At leased one Redpoll was around maybe more. The Blackbirds were in a small flock feeding on holly berries nearby for a while, probably of continental origin.