07/07 Greenham Common

 Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2026 wk28-Tue

Session: 07/07/2026 07:40 to 10:55hrs

Present: IW, JL.

Weather: bright sunny, hot, breezy.

Nets: 48metres 3 Rides, up from 08:00 to 10:30 hrs

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

The first Lesser Whitethroat of 2026 here. After re-consulting the ID guide (Svensson) and checking the photos decided it to be an adult just starting its main moult. The deciding factor was the whitish eye crescent of the top portion of the iris just discernible in this photo. Juveniles birds have a plain brown iris and no crescent. 

Notes: The forecast was for the beginning of another extra hot period and so it was, particularly towards the end of the session. The capture was much as expected though we are usually getting a few Willow Warblers now; these are notably absent for the time of year including no singing males except on the first visit in week 25. Once it became uncomfortably hot, around 10:00hrs it was noticeable that bird activity over and about the site dropped.

Recaptures: (00)

Sightings: A family party of Stonechats were in the enclosure as we arrived to put the nets up. At least two Dartford Warbler active for much of the session including some song. IW spotted the Swifts high-up towards Newbury.

04/07 Thatcham Marsh LNR CES Visit 2026.07

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR CES Visit 2026.07

Session:     04/07/2026 06:00 to 11:00hrs

Present:      IW, JHW, JL, KMB+1.

Weather:    overcast, breezy, warm.

Nets: 192M net along the reed bed ride (net lengths 1A & 2A) + 1 12M rides set in scrub (site B) up from 06:30 to 10:30hrs.

Lures:   (none) 

Although taken at different time of the year both the above photos are taken facing south from approximately the same spot. The left hand winter shot shows the area of reed bed then known as the triangle as it was in 1972. This was cleared in the late 1970s when the extensive reed beds south of the railway were excavated for gravel and to create the fishing pits – the reed bed was owned by the angling club. In the left hand photo the bridge was over the Moor Ditch stream. When access to the gravel now fishing pits was created the stream was blocked and diverted into an exisiting adjacent overflow colvert through the railway embankment, allowing the track to be created under the railway bridge giving access to the gravel workings now to the fishing pits. The small area of reed known as the triangle held wintering Bearded Tits each winter from 27th Feb 1971 to 6th Apr 1975; 96 birds were ringed or retrapped, most came from RSPB Minmere Nature Reserve near Saxmundam Suffolk. In the 1970 most of the immediate area was reed bed with some scrub, now much of the area is mature scrub with small areas of fragmented reed.

Notes: Comparison with last years matching CES visit 2025.07 starkly shows the apparent drop in Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler numbers on the main reed bed something we have been aware for sometime. It would be nice to think that numbers will pickup over the next visit or two, hope so however there are few singing in the vacinity.

Recaptures: (14)

Cettis Warbler ringed: 12/07/2025, 13/06/2026, 21/06/2026x2.

Chiffchaff ringed: 12/07/2025.

Reed Warbler ringed: 11/05/2024x2, 10/05/2025, 31/05/2026, 21/06/2026x2, 28/06/2026

Wren ringed: 06/08/2023, 12/10/2025.

Sightings: Another quiet day bird-wise and the overcast conditions limited the number of insects on

the wing.

03/07 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2026 wk27-Fri

Session: 03/07/2026 07:40 to 10:50hrs

Present: IW, JL.

Weather: bright sunny, warm, light breeze.

Nets: 48metres 3 Rides, up from 08:00 to 10:30 hrs

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

The last bird of the session – a Chiffchaff juvenile - note the disseminated feathers. This individual was one of two birds with a fat score of B2, possibly indicating they are migrating, also there are signs that the feathers above the top mandible have some pollen stuck to them. This occurs if pollen sticks to the birds feathers when they are probing flowers for insect etc. It is most often noticable in spring when these feathers are sometimes heavily "caked" in pollen when they have been probing flowers on their way back from the Mediterranean and/or Africa.

Notes: A few Blackcap today, probably dispersing locals, most had no fat build-up, some had signs of fat beginning to build around the tracheal pit but not enough to score. One of the Chiffchaffs and a Blackcap had the base of their tracheal pits (throat) obscured by fat to about one third – colour Yellow-pink as opposed to dark red ; the first we’ve seen so far this year.

Recaptures: (00)

Sightings: The local family party of Dartford Warblers was active for a while in the nearby scrub sometimes following the Stonechats. 

30/06 Greenham Common

 Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2026 wk27-Tue

Session: 30/06/2026 07:40 to 11:00hrs

Present: IW, JL.

Weather: sunny periods, few spots of rain early.

Nets: 48metres 3 Rides, up from 08:00 to 10:30 hrs

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

Coal Tit in juvenile plumage

Notes: No Phyloscopus about today which is unusual. None of the migrants showed any sign of fat buildup. Two Coal Tits, both juveniles probably dispersing from nearby. It was spotting with rain when we arrived, but it soon stopped. Decided not to ring last Friday as it was to hot for the birds and humans. 

Recaptures: (00) 

Sightings: Only one Chiffchaff detected and not Blue Tits seen. Two of the Green Woodpeckers  looked to be juveniles. When erecting the nets I for a moment thought I had a harrier flying towards me, but it was a kite with very worn plumage including no fork to the tail. IW spotted a fritillary which was ID’d as a Silver-washed Fritillary. As we watched it flying from flower to flower another one appeared and chased it off. Two Gatekeepers were also present. No other insect or non-human/dog species detected.

28/06 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR non-CES Visit

Session:     28/06/2026 07:30 to 11:00hrs

Present:      JHW, CMD, IW, JL, RAD.

Weather:    Cloudy with sunny periods, warm, breezy at times, some rain spotting mid-session.

Nets: 48M and 36M nets along the reed bed ride (site A) + 3 12M separate rides set in scrub (site B) up from 07:30 to 11:00hrs.

Lures    (none):

Notes: a non-CES session with three 12m nets in the scrub and 48m + 36m nets along the reed bed ride all but 18M in the 1A section of the ride. The foliage along the ride has grown considerably since last Sunday’s session. It was a disapponting session as there were few birds about and those around were mostly singletons and surprisingly no Sedge Warblers detected. The pair of Reed Buntings are still present on territory and a few Reed Warblers could be heard. Possibly the extreme heat of the last few days has had a detrimental affect on birds including recently fledge individuals.  

Recaptures: (06)

Blackbird ringed: 24/04/2026

Cettis Warbler ringed: 13/06/2026

Dunnock ringed 21/06/2026

Reed Warbler ringed: 03/06/2023, 18/05/2025, 31/05/2026

Sightings: As mentioned above it was quite quiet bird-wise. Probably the best bird species of the session was the Tawny Owl flushed when CMD was erecting one of the scrub nets. As it was quiet attention turned to the many insects which were noticeably active in the heat over the grassland including some bush crickets. Other species of Butterfly and Moth etc were on the wing and fast flying so we probably missed a species or two.