14/12 Snelsmore Common

Location: Snelsmore Common Feeder CES 2025/26.04.

Session: 14/12/2025 07:40 to 11:40hrs

Present: JHW,IW,JL,RAD,IQ.

Weather: sunny clouding over later, calm, cold.

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

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

Notes: A relatively quite session, very few Great Tits about. Those that did arrive came late in the session. So far this season there have been few 2024 re-traps, perhaps an indication of a poor survival for that year’s birds. The Marsh Tit we heard was up in the tree tops feeding. Only a couple of Robins seen, also no Dunnocks or Wren detected.

Recaptures: (27)

Blue Tit ringed:   02/11/2025x6,16/11/2025x7, 30/11/2025x6,

Nest boxes – 23/05/2023-B08 (Bagnor Mount Hill), 12/05/2025-CP05.

Coal Tit ringed:   02/11/2025, 30/11/2025.

Great Tit ringed: 02/11/2025.

                            Nest boxes – 10/05/2024-CP21.

Nuthatch ringed: 02/11/2025

Sightings: Not much about except lots of people. Obviously the best birds are the Crossbills, IQ

spotted a red male, against the light, on the very highest branch in the top of the tallest conifer

“across the road”. Despite searching we thought it to be a lone bird until it flew off accompanied by

three green-ish coloured females.

30/11 Snelsmore Common Feeder

Location: Snelsmore Common Feeder CES 205/26.03.

Session: 30/11/2025 07:40 to 11:40hrs

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

Weather: bright, sunny clear, calm, cold.

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

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

The Snelsmore Feeder

Notes: We had a busy session today, lots of Blue Tit as usual, a few Coal Tit and mid-way through the first Great Tit arrived. Nuthatch have usually become wary of the nets after the first couple of visits so finding one in the nets was bit of a surprise. We watched the Great Spotted Woodpecker backing down the support tree and into the net when it protested noisily most the time until it was ringed and  released.

Oldest birds re-trapped ringed 06/11/2022, 19/11/2023 ringed at this feeder, all the nest boxes birds are from those local to the feeder.

Unfortunately, due to it raining we were not able to do last year’s matching visit -CES 2024/25.03.

Recaptures: (30)

Blue Tit ringed: 06/11/2022, 19/11/2023, 12/04/2024, 26/01/2025, 02/11/2025x6, 16/11/2025x12

Nest boxes - 12/05/2025x3, CP05x2 & CP26, 14/05/2025 - CP24.

Coal Tit ringed: 02/11/2025, 16/11/2025x3

Sightings: IW’s list, A flock of about 40 Woodpigeons flew over southwest, Marsh Tits were 

calling a lot for a while in the trees, otherwise very quiet.

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.