31/07 Greenham Common Western Enclosure

Location: Greenham Common Western Enclosure

Session: 31-Jul-2015 06:00 to 11:30 hrs

Weather: Cold early, then bright, sunny periods warm, calm

Present: JL,IW,RGS,RJC

Nets: Nets in 5 rides 60’, 60’, 40’, 60, 60’ up from 06:15 to 11:00 hrs

Lure: Audio: Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Redstart, Linnet, Woodlark, Dartford Warbler for varying periods.

Capture 56: Blackcap 11/0, Blue Tit 11?1, Chiffchaff 9/0, Coal Tit 1/0, Dartford Warbler 2/0, Dunnock 1/0, Garden Warbler 5/0, Goldcrest 1/0, Linnet 1/0, Magpie 1/0, Robin 1/0, Whitethroat 2/0, Willow Warbler 9/0

Recaptures: Blue Tit pulli from Peaked Hill Box 21 73 days

Age Range: All juveniles except Chiffchaff 1, Garden Warbler 1, Linnet 1, Willow Warbler 4

Adult male Linnet in primary moult

Notes: The morning started quietly with just a Blackcap at 06:45 and little sign of any activity in the bushes of the compound. After a couple of empty net rounds the next round to produce birds was at 07:40; a Willow Warbler and a Blue Tit and still very quiet. We decided to walk the scrub around the compound, as we walked east, about 10 minutes later, we noticed a couple of birds in one of the nets and walked back to get them.  By the time we got into the compound we had captured 8; there was a lot of activity in the bushes and we continued catching steadily for the rest of the morning. This was obviously a movement of migrating birds that had dropped in or were moving west along the common. In the bright sunlight many birds could see the nets so had conditions been a little different we might have been very busy. Although there are plenty of Linnets on the common they are very wary so to capture one is a bonus and probably the best bird of the day. It is not often we capture two Dartford Warblers in a session though. Nobody else  volunteered to ring the Magpie, another bird wary of nets and not often captured, fortunately it was quite docile!

An excellent mornings ringing followed by a Chicken and Walnut Salad and a glass of Chablis at the Cote B; nice.

Sightings 39 Species: The Lesser Whitethroat hovered in front of the net but did not go in. The first Woodlark found this end for a couple of weeks but probably there all the time. Hirundine have been scarce on the common this year so 15+ is a sign of return passage. One of the Kestrels is moulting and looks a bit bedraggled

Pheasant 1 Red Kite 1 Stock Dove 3 Woodpigeon 20 Green Woodpecker 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Kestrel 2 Magpie 4 Jackdaw 17 Carrion Crow 3 Goldcrest 2 Blue Tit 14 Great Tit 1 Coal Tit 4 Woodlark 3 Swallow 10 House Martin 5 Chiffchaff 12 Willow Warbler 11

Blackcap 15  Garden Warbler 6  Lesser Whitethroat 1  Whitethroat 2  Dartford Warbler 3  Nuthatch 1  Starling 3  Wren 2  Blackbird 2  Song Thrush 1  Mistle Thrush 1  Robin 5  Stonechat 2  Dunnock 1  Pied Wagtail 1  Meadow Pipit 1  Chaffinch 2  Greenfinch 4  Linnet 9  Goldfinch 5