22/03 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Feeder.

Session: 22/03/2026 07:35 to 11:20hrs

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

Weather: sunny periods, bright, calm, cool.

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

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

Chaffinch male, we once regularly ringed yearly in tripple figures maxing at 496 in 2011. Numbers ringed/re-trapped for the last 20 years are: 2006 - 209, 2007 - 319, 2008 - 326, 2009 - 330, 2010 - 407, 2011 - 496, 2012 - 148, 2013 - 151, 2014 - 106, 2015 - 99, 2016 - 73, 2017- 52, 2018 - 78, 2019 - 45, 2020 - 5, 2021 - 0, 2022 - 8, 2023 -1, 2024 - 5, 2025 - 2 and so far this year 2026 - 3. Even allowing for recent much reduced ringer activity the drop in numbers since around 2015 is notable and shows the effect that papilloma infection and to a lesser extent for this species trichomonas is having on the Chaffinch population.

Notes: A quieter session – fewer birds coming to the feeder now as breeding and territorial instincts come to the fore. A Nov 2021 ringed as a juvenile Blue Tit (5+ years old) re-trap is notable and is the first recovery of it since ringing. Several species particularly Long-tailed Tit were in breeding condition – CPs or BPs present. Late posting due to BTO website being closed for maintenance over the weekend.

FG = age indeterminate

Recaptures: (09)

Blue Tit ringed: 28/11/2021, 10/11/2024, 26/10/2025, 02/12/2025, 14/03/2026.

Bullfinch ringed: 13/10/2024

Goldfinch ringed: 18/01/2026

Long-tailed Tit ringed: 14/03/2026

Robin ringed: 30/03/2025

Sightings: IW’s list – Relatively quiet – the first singing returning migrant Blackcap I’ve heard this year. The Mistle Thrush is from a pair breeding somewhere in the treeline along the road.

15/03 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Feeder.

Session: 15/03/2026 07:45 to 11:30hrs

Present:  JHW, IW, JL, CMD, IQ.

Weather: sunny periods, breezy getting stronger towards end of session, cool.

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

Lures (Feeder): two sunflower heart feeders and a peanut feeder, also intermittent Redpoll and other Audio in the scrub.

Lesser Redpolls male in front – red tinge to breast and throat, and a more extensive red cap

 than the female (out of focus) in the background.

Notes: Fewer birds coming to the feeder as their attention turns to breeding - some will be returning to the north and maybe Europe very soon. The increasing breeze as the session progressed also affected the nets and thus the capture. Two Lesser Redpoll lured down to the scrub nets using audio calls. We last ringed one here 03/03/2024 and until they began moving south in fewer numbers around 2019 we ringed double figures most winters sometimes triple, maxing at 423 in 2011. The Long-tailed Tits and the Wren were  coming into breeding plumage - CP and BP. Despite the drop in numbers, a good species selection compared to last year’s matching visit. Several Chiffchaff in song in surrounding trees but we couldn’t entice them down unfortunately.

FG = age indeterminate

Recaptures: (05)

Blue Tit ringed: 01/02/2026.

Great Tit ringed: 12/02/2023, 10/03/2024.

Long-tailed Tit ringed: 22/02/2026x2.

Sightings: IW’s list – Strangely no Blackbirds detected, perhaps the individuals present until recently here were winter migrants. Otherwise as with the ringing relatively quiet. 

08/03 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Feeder.

Session: 08/03/2026 07:45 to 11:30hrs

Present: JL, JHW, IW.

Weather: overcast, misty, cold, calm.

Nets: 6+6M feeder nets + a 12M scrub nets up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs.

Lures (Feeder): two sunflower heart feeders and a peanut feeder also intermittent Siskin/Redpoll calls in the scrub.

Notes: The weather was ok (no rain) but overcast, murky and miserable. However, we had a good session compared to last years matching visit with a good variety of species. In addition, first one Brambling in the net was unexpected since they usually turn up in flocks of Chaffinch but there are few of these around in recent winters Then the next net round produced another Brambling after we optimistically hoped for a third so each of the three of us could ring one. We last ringed one at this feeder on the 06/03/2016. We have ringed 10 here since 14/12/2010 – we began operating this feeder winter 2009. Recoveries of Bramblings ringed by NRG include one ringed 09/03/1980 at Bagnor recovered the following winter in a large roost at Speke nr Liverpool 29/01/981 236KM, also one ringed at Crookham Common 12/10/2005 was recovered 24/03/2007 at Thetford 179KM. Giving perhaps an indication of where these bird come from is a recovery of a bird ringed at the Greenham Feeder 20/02/2011 that was recovered 02/05/2012 2217KM away in Finland. The only other overseas record is of one ringed in the Netherlands 11/11/1979 recovered in the Newbury area 30/01/1982 (383KM).  The group last ringed Brambling in 2018 when JPM ringed 49 (about a third of the NRG total) over both winter periods near Brimpton that year, prior to this one or two were occasional ringed in winter periods over many years totalling 130 on the database.

Recaptures: (19)

Blue Tit ringed: 02/03/205, 21/12/2025, 18/01/2026, 01/02/2026, 22/02/2026x2.

Great Tit ringed: 14/01/024x2, 26/10/2025x2, 09/11/2025x6, 18/01/2026,22/02/2026,  01/03/2026.

Sightings: IW’s list – we were again quite busy plus some may have been missed in the murk, Chiffchaffs singing. 

01/03 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Feeder.

Session: 01/03/2026 07:45 to 11:30hrs

Present: JHW, JL, IW, RAD, IQ, JA, DB, ZH, ABa, JB.

Weather: Occasional rain spotting, overcast, breezy, cool.

Nets: 6+6M feeder nets + a 12M scrub nets up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs.

Lures (Feeder): two sunflower heart feeders and a peanut feeder also intermittent Siskin/Redpoll call lures in the scrub.

Notes: Last night the weather forecast was 100% rain at 07:00hrs. At 07:00hrs this morning it wasn’t raining and apart from occasional spotting it didn’t rain until just after we left site at about 11:30hrs. We welcomed the new seasonal wardens showing how we age and what we record etc when we ring each bird. It was one of the best sessions of the winter including 14 Siskin; they have only discovered this feeder in the last day or so. It is the first time in this second half of the winter that we have risked the rain holding off and put up a scrub net. It provided some of the species variety including Blackbird, Song Thrush, Long-tailed Tit and some of the Siskins. We had fewer re-traps than of late, probably an indication that the birds are beginning to think about breeding and not coming to the feeders as often.

FG = age indeterminate

Recaptures: (13)

Blue Tit ringed: 29/10/2023, 14/01/2024, 26/10/2025x3, 09/11/2025x2, 01/02/2026.

Great Tit ringed: 02/03/2025, 09/11/2025, 26/10/2025, 18/01/2026x2.

Sightings: IW’s list – we were busy so probably missed a few. Only the second singing Mistle Thrush I’ve heard this year. The Woodlark was displaying quite hight up over us before flying back over towards the "lozenges" on the common.

22/02 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Feeder.

Session: 22/02/2026 07:45 to 11:30hrs

Present: JHW, JL, IW.

Weather: very light rain early, overcast with some blue later, light breeze, cool.

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

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

Great Tit – female.

Notes: Light rain about 07:45 but soon stopped so we put up the feeder nets and had a steady capture flow throughout the session. Mostly new birds early with re-traps arriving mid-session onwards. Fewer Greenfinch and Goldfinch about than expected. As we were expecting it to rain at any time we surprisingly managed to complete the whole four hour session. Last year’s matching session (also a full session) was very quiet in comparison and included in addition to the feeder nets two scrub nets!

FG =age indeterminate

Recaptures: (10)

Blue Tit ringed: 28/01/2024, 26/10/2025x2, 09/11/2025, 23/11/2025 16/02/2026.

Great Tit ringed: 05/11/2023, 26/10/2025x2, 16/12/2025.

Sightings: IW’s list – Song Thrushes singing also Dunnocks on territories around the feeder.. Occasionally Woodlark heard in the distance singing out on the common. Some waterfowl movement and flying about, geese in small groups. Buzzard display included talon grappling. Siskin over in one flock, Lesser Repoll singletons - may have one or two more. Chiffchaff in full song late in the session.