25/01 Snelsmore Common Feeder

Location: Snelsmore Common Feeder, CES2025/26.07.

Session: 25/01/2026 07:45 to 11:30hrs

Present: JHW, IW, JL, CMD, RAD, JA.

Weather: sunny periods, cold, calm.

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

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

Notes: Three Siskin today a male and two females including the bird ringed here on visit 11/01/2026  About five Siskins were in the vicinity of the feeder (mostly high in the trees) - a hopeful sign that they may visit the feeder this winter in increasing numbers as they have n the recent past. Just one Great Tit continues the downward trend of this species here; another bird escaped the net. A considerable improvement on last winter matching visit surprisingly. 

Once again the weather was much better than forcast

Recaptures: (25)

Blue Tit ringed: 03/11/2024x2, 17/11/2024x2, 02/11/2025x3, 16/11/2025x2,                                                         30/11/2025x2,14/12/2025, 11/01/2026x4, 28/12/2025.

                          Nest box: 12/05/2025 – CP26.

Coal Tit ringed: 03/11/2024x2,14/12/2025, 28/12/2025x2,11/01/2026.

Siskin ringed: 11/01/2026.

Sightings: IW’s list – The surprise bird was when IW and JL looked up when doing a net round and saw a Goshawk circle a couple of times and then fly just above the line of fir trees being harassed by a female Sparrowhawk, giving a good illustration of the size difference between the two species. Unfortunately, it flew out of view before all us saw it, otherwise much as expected.