23/11 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common – 616 Feeder.

Session: 23/11/2025 07:40 to 11:15hrs

Present: JHW,JL,IW,KMB. 

Weather: overcast early clearing to bright Sun, Breezy, Cold.

Nets: 6+6M feeder nets plus 18M & 18M & 6M scrub nets up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs.

Lures (Feeder): niger, sunflower hearts, peanuts

            (Audio): GC-SK-LR-GO-BC, intermittently.

The Greenham Feeder

Notes: Was expecting a lot of birds but after the first net round they all but stopped coming to the feeder – Ten on the first net round at the feeder and thirteen of the total came from the scrub nets, most called in by audio lures. Best bird the five year old (2021) Blue Tit that came from the scrub nets. The last visit from KMB for a while, off to Mauritius next week for six months looking after Pink Pigeons.

Recaptures: (11)

Blue Tit ringed 28/11/2021, 14/01/2024, 26/10/2025x5, 09/11/2025x3.

Dunnock ringed 26/10/2025.

Sightings: IW’s list, a few gulls mostly flying westerly and a Mistle Thrush singing for a while in the

treeline to the north.

18/11 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2025-47

Session: 18/11/2025 07:40 to 10:40hrs

Present: IWJL.

Weather: overcast, cold breezy.

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

Lures audio: (BC-CC-FC-GC),(FF-RE),(YB),(SK-LR), intermittently.

Notes: Not much moving on the heath today and probably the reason visits here are few after week 45. A Redwing flock and the few finches over showed little to no reaction to the audio. The first noticeably cold day for me.

Sightings: There was a big movement of Woodpigeon heading South in flocks of between 20 to 50-ish in addition to a few locals flying about. Not much else, just one flock of Redwing over South-ish. Fewer Jackdaw than usual, the main flock that roosts in the bunkers being displaced by the filming that some days continued well after dark.

16/11 Snelsmore Common Feeder

 Location: Snelsmore Common – Feeder CES 2025/26.02

Session: 16/11/2025 07:40 to 11:15hrs

Present: JHW,IW,RAD,JL.

Weather: overcast, calm, cool

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

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

Notes: Another quite busy session with lots of Blue Tits as usual. It is notable that there are fewer re-traps than last winter’s equivalent visit 2024/25.02. 

Don't feel like saying anymore as:-

Sadly, we heard today that our good friend and colleague  Duncan Long the NRG secretary died last night.

Recaptures: (11)

Blue Tit ringed: 11/05/2025 nest box WH27, 02/11/2025x9

Coal Tit ringed: 02/11/2025

Sightings: IW’s list, there were several high flying gulls probably Lesser Black-backed but to high to be sure, otherwise not a lot of activity.

09/11 Greenham Common Feeder

Location: Greenham Common - Estovers Feeder

Session: 09/11/2025 07:40 to 11:45.hrs

Present: JHW,IW,JL,IQ,LC,KMB.

Weather: sunny and calm early. clouding over and breezy later, cool.

Nets: 18+18M feeder nets,18+18+18M scrub nets up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs.

Lures (Feeder): Niger, sunflower hearts, peanuts.

(Audio): GC-BC-FC-CC, RE-FF intermittently.

Notes: A very busy session again at this feeders – double figure nets rounds early followed by a couple of quieter mid-session and 23 birds from the feeder nets at nets down. Two Blackcaps and a Chiffchaff; are they late summer migrants or incoming winter birds? Apart from a couple of locals the Goldfinch flock with a few Greenfinch that featured in the session here on the 26/10/2025 seems to have moved on about a week ago from the numbers seen on recent food top-up visits. The groups 13th Firecrest of the year together with the Blackcaps and Chiffchaff mentioned above plus the Goldcrests were called in to the scrub nets by the Audio lures. A Song Thrush was the first of this species ringed at any sites so far by the groups in 2025. In 2023 and 2024 six were ringed and looking back to earlier decades most years middle double figures were ringed/re-trapped each year; perhaps an indication of the low populations of many soft-bills species now. 

Thanks Linda for the peanut donation that will keep the group in peanuts for our feeders well into next year.

Recaptures: (24)

Blue Tit ringed 30/12/2023, 10/11/2024 16/03/2025, 26/10/2025x14

Goldcrest ringed 26/10/2025

Great Spotted Woodpecker ringed 20/03/2022

Great Tit ringed 26/10/2025x5

Sightings: IW’s list, we were quite busy ringing so probably missed a species or two.

07/11 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common - Western Enclosure wk 2025-45

Session: 07/11/2025 07:40 to 10:50hrs

Present: IWJL,KMB.

Weather: cloudy, few spots rain early clearing to sunny periods later, breezy, cool.

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

Lures audio: (BC-CC-FC-GC),(FF-RE),(YB),(SK-LR), intermittently.

From 2010 to 2025 we have regularly ringed the Western Enclosure, Greenham Common from week no 24 (mid-June) to week no 45 (early November). Subject mostly to the weather we have usually as a minimum ringed twice a week to record the many migrants passing through the heath. Above is a chart showing the profile of captures of the main species encountered. Blackcap and Chiffchaff have two peaks that coincide, the first week 29 is thought to be locals post breeding beginning their journey south and the main peak week 37 is the main passage through of birds from the north of the GB and possible some continentals. The peak for Garden Warbler is week 30 after which numbers tail off, and all have gone after week 36. Willow Warbler show a noticeable increase week 29, similar to Blackcap and Chiffchaff but continue to increase to peak at week 32 followed by a steady decline to the last few birds week 39. Goldcrests have a very different movement profile to the other species as they are mostly birds from further north and the continent (ref a Norway ringed bird re-trapped here) coming to winter here and possibly moving on into Europe. Just few presumed local birds are ringed until week 36 when numbers begin to increase peaking weeks 40 to 44 followed by a slow decline well into November.

For context week29 is mid-July, week32 is early August, week37 is the 2nd week of September and week43 is late October; the exact dates vary year on year. Very few birds are subsequently encountered at the western enclosure indicating that they quickly moving through on their journey to winter in the warmer climes of southern Europe and Africa; we have a few subsequent encounters along the south coast and also the western coast of southern Europe (France/Spain/Portugal). Some are from north of the Pyrenees which maybe a barrier that forces a stopover to feed up before crossing over or round the mountains.

Today: A late Blackcap moving south or maybe a northern bird arriving to winter here and a few more Goldcrest. This year resident birds such as Blue Tit etc that are usually about throughout the season seem to have all but stopped moving across the heath, Also, Blackbirds are much scarcer than usual we thought due to the dry spring and summer this year. However, I understand that nationally many have and are succumbing to Usutu virus, a mosquito-borne disease first identified in South Africa in 1959 and first found here in 2020. Blackbirds are not the only species affected apparently. 

As mentioned in the last report they are filming over in the bunker compound (possibly the “Fast and Furious” film series I am told). Today there were suddenly several very loud burst of machine gunfire and gun shots which made us jump a bit, also screeching revving cars and lots of smoke.

Recaptures: (01)

Goldcrest       ringed: 21/10/2025

Sightings: Not much moving except for a few Redwing and Starling in small parties heading south as was the first flock of Fieldfare seen this winter so far with some Redwings mixed in. A few finch types over may have been Chaffinch but not quite sure apart from two.