10/05 Thatcham Marsh LNR CES 2026.02

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR CES Visit 2026.02

Session:   10/05/2026 06:00 to 11:00hrs

Present:   JHW, IW, JL, CMD, IQ.

Weather: mostly cloudy, some sunny periods, windy, cool.

Nets: one 198M long line of reed bed nets plus a 12m scrub net up from 06:30 to 10:30hrs.

Lures (none):

Today’s adult Jay that was not in breeding condition – probably a non-breeding wanderer. 

The local Jays that have been quite active during the last two sessions here were notably absent today.

Notes: Not an ideal day to ring due to the very strong easterly wind. About half the Reed Bed nets had some shelter, but all were significantly affected by the wind particularly during the gusting periods. The reed bed still seems quieter bird-wise than memory says it should be. The Greenham Common 2024 Chiffchaff is a good re-encounter.

Recaptures: (14)
Cetti’s Warbler ringed: 26/04/2024.
Chiffchaff ringed: 19/07/2024 ringed at the Western Enclosure, Greenham & Crookham Common.
Great Tit ringed: 29/06/2025.
Reed Warbler ringed: 03/05/2025, 02/08/2025, 26/04/2026x2, 02/05/2026x2.
Sedge Warbler ringed: 18/05/2025, 26/04/2026x2, 02/05/2026.

Sightings: Quite a few birds about given the weather, a few Swifts and hirundines occasionally drifted over  northeast-ish during the session – possibly missed a few. The Cuckoo arrived mid-session calling but did not stay long. Water Rail young called a few times and still at least two Reed Bunting about.

Birds: 47 Species

02/05 Thatcham Marsh LNR CES visit 2026/01

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR CES Visit 2026.01

Session:   02/05/2026 06:00 to 11:00hrs

Present:   JHW, JL, IW, RAD, NC.

Weather: misty early, bright and sunny for most of the session, warm, calm.

Nets: one 198M long line of reed bed nets plus a 12m scrub net up from 06:30 to 10:30hrs.

Lures (none):

Notes:  Since last Sunday’s session somebody has stolen one of the insitu guy ropes and peg. Can’t think what use a length of some dirty weathered cord and a grubby wooden peg would be to them; I suppose they took them because they could - fortunately we had some spares with us. A good start to the Constant Effort Site season included a Garden Warbler as above. Many of the migrant species have yet to come into breeding condition, some are probably on their way through to sites elsewhere. Notable for the time of year are a few more Dunnocks than we usually get on the reed bed also the  Great Tits that included a July 2022 ringed individual.

Recaptures: (19)

Cetti’s Warbler ringed: 21/06/2025, 12/07/2025, 28/09/2025, 12/10/2025, 26/04/2024.

Chiffchaff ringed: 26/06/2025.

Great Tit ringed: 03/07/2022, 30/06/2024, 29/06/2025.

Reed Warbler ringed: 03/06/2023, 18/05/2025, .26/04/2026x2

Sedge Warbler ringed: 26/04/2026x3. 

Sightings: It was a little quite bird-wise apart from some noisy Jays foraging in the scrub. A few Swift detected high up drifting about and no hirundines seen for the second week running. Two Common Terns flew over towards Lower Farm calling, and a group of three Little Egrets flew northeast from the direction of Lower Farm. The Bank Vole ran across the track near our ringing station and the Muntjac ran down the edge of the scrub quite close to us; use to humans being about it seemed. A female Mallard with about five quite mature ducklings in tow ran across the track; fewer surviving ducklings than last week.

26/04 THATCHAM MARSH LNR

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR

Session:   26/04/2026 07:35 to 12:00hrs

Present:   JHW, JL, IW, CMD, LC.

Weather: bright sunny, clear, some cloud, calm warm.

Nets: one 198M long line of reed bed nets.

Lures: none

One of today’s Sedge Warblers. One of which ANK6944 was first ringed as an adult at Titchfield Haven Hants on 8th Aug 2020 migrating south and has been re-encountered at Thatcham Marsh every year since. This particular individual being at least seven years old and has returned to south of the Sahara Desert to winter more than eight times.

Recaptures: (11)

Cetti’s Warbler ringed: 28/09/2025, 12/10/2025.

Chiffchaff ringed: 12/07/2025.

Reed Bunting ringed: 06/04/2025.

Reed Warbler ringed: 08/08/2020 (Titchfield Haven), 09/06/2023, 11/05/2024, 16/05/2025.

Robin ringed: 30/06/2024

Sedge Warbler ringed: 16/07/2023, 29/06/2025. 

Sightings: IW’s lists. Nice hear and see the Cuckoo and just a single Swift, expected to see more hirundine over but none detected during the session. After last week’s many Holly Blue sighting none seen this week. This session there were many Orange Tip and a few Green-veined Whites on the wing over the grassland areas, the other butterfly species were mostly singles seen along the reed bed ride.

12 & 19/04 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR

Session:   12/04/2026 07:35 to 11:20hrs

                   19/04/2026 07:30 to 11:20hrs

Present:   JHW, IW, IQ.

                   JHW, IW, CMD + JL late morning

Weather: cold and strong breeze

                   Warm, sunny clear, light breeze.

Nets: Ride 1A 5x18M nets, Ride 2A 1x18M nets up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs (both sessions).

Lures (none):

The 1st Winter female Redstart ringed on the visit dated 20/04/2026. This is the first Redstart ringed at Thatcham Marsh since May 1989. NRG have ringed seven on this site, the first being Aug 1970. In total we have ringed 52 individuals over seven sites mostly along the Kennet valley. We have re-trapped just one previously ringed bird - a juvenile female at Greenham Common on the 29/08/2017. It had been ringed as a nestling on the 12/06/2017 at Locker Low Wood nr Hawnby, North Yorkshire (78 days,330Km ) None of the  Redstarts ringed by NRG have been reported re-trapped.

Notes: Just back from a weeks break I was absent for the 12/04/2026 visit and arrived late just in time to see the Redstart ringed on the  20/04/2026 visit. The first visit was affected by the wind, and both visits had a reduced number of nets erected which may have resulted in the relatively poor totals. Reed Warblers were present singing on both visits but remain in the reeds except for one. Similarly, Sedge Warblers were present on both visits.

FG = age indeterminate

Recaptures: (04) 12/04/2026

Cetti’s Warbler ringed: 28/09/2025, 12/10/2025.

Chiffchaff ringed: 29/06/2025.

Reed Warbler ringed: 21/08/2025.

 

Recaptures: (03) 19/04/2026

Chiffchaff ringed: 12/04/2026.

Long-tailed Tit ringed: 12/10/2025.

Reed Warbler ringed: 10/05/2025.

29/03 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Feeder.

Session: 29/03/2026 07:35 to 11:20hrs

Present: JHW, JL, IW, IQ, LC, JA, DB.

Weather: overcast, with bright periods, cold, breezy.

Nets: 6+6M feeder nets + 3no 12M scrub nets up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs.

Lures (Feeder): peanut feeder and a sunflower heart feeder.

The pair of Nuthatch ringed today - female to the left male to the right (darker breast plumage)

Notes: The last schedules session here this winter/spring – few birds attending feeder. Some late Siskins today, another wave seem to be going through after most disappeared a week or so ago when the ringed Siskin in my garden stopped coming – no ringed birds in the gatherings seen here or my garden this week. The session started with an Oct 2024 ringed Blackbird from the scrub nets followed by some Siskin, Goldfinch and Great Tit from the feeder. Small numbers each round thereafter included Goldfinch and Great Tit with the occasional Blue Tit or two and a male and female Nuthatch, probably a pair as one had a CP and the other a BP beginning to develop. A single Greenfinch and a Robin both in breeding condition followed and a final Siskin, and Great Tit with a Feb 2024 ringed Dunnock from the scrub nets at the close of the session. We had hoped for the first migrant (Chiffchaff) of the year from the scrub nets but all we got was plenty of singing in the surrounding trees, same as last week.

FG = age indeterminate

Recaptures: (09)

Blackbird ringed: 13/10/2024

Blue Tit ringed: 01/02/2026, 08/03/2026, 23/03/2026.

Dunnock ringed: 03/02/2024.

Great Tit ringed: 26/10/2025, 21/12/2025x2

Nuthatch ringed: 15/03/2026.

Sightings: IW's list with a few amendments -another quiet session and probably missed a few. First time I've seen Raven activity for a couple of weeks during visits at least three times a week (topping up feeders etc.) - possibly young have hatched in the nest in the treeline along the road. A few birds were hanging around the feeder at nets down - some more Greenfinch, Siskin etc and a pair of Mallards flew over. No Blackcap singing this week those heard during last weekends session have probably moved on.

Birds: 29 Species