29/08 Thatcham Marsh LNR CES VISIT 2015.12

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR CES VISIT 2015.12

Session: 29-Aug-2015 05:35 to 10:30hrs
Weather: Overcast and calm, sunny periods and light wind late in session.
Present: JL, IW, DL, JHW, JPM, RGS
Nets: 890’ of net, Standard Nets 660’, additional nets 230’ in three rides, all up from 06:05 to 10:10hrs
Lure: none
Capture 52 (standard nets 31 additional nets21): Blackcap 2/0, Blue Tit 0/1,Bullfinch 3/0, Cetti’s Warbler 3/3, Chiffchaff 12/0, Dunnock 0/2, Jay 1/0, Long-tailed Tit 3/2, Reed Warbler 6/3, Robin ½, Sedge Warbler 1/0, Treecreeper 1/0, Willow Warbler 1/0, Wren 2/3
Recaptures: Dunnock 1y 76days, Long-tailed Tit 1y 118days, Blue Tit 3y 317days; others less than 100days.
Age Range: Juveniles except adults: Blue Tit 1, Dunnock 1, Jay 1, indeterminate Long-tailed Tit 1
Notes: The last formal visit of 2015 and despite this years weather, a full set of visits achieved since we started the CES in 1993 (23 years, 276 standard visits, 1380+ hours). Very dark when we started, ideal ringing conditions, reed bed relatively quiet as is usual for 2015. Many of the chiffchaff were captured in one go from additional nets in scrub. Work for the new pumps did not affect us as only a small amount of clearance work done this week probably due to the weather
31 in standard nets is a little below the average of 33 for visit 12: range 2006-11 to 1995-71.
Total capture for the season is 421 below the average of 480; range: 2013-337 1995-769
Key species (seasons end):
Reed Warbler 201 below the average of 217 range 2008-127 to 1995-325
Sedge Warbler 54 well below the average of 99 range 2014-50 to 1995-215
Cetti’s Warbler 33 captures; the second best year ever after 2014(34)

Sightings 45 Species: Water Rail noisy early morning, quite a lot of hirundine movement over, mixed tit/warbler flock in scrub, lots of canada geese flying about

Blackbird 3 Blackcap 4 Black-headed Gull 1 Blue Tit 6 Buzzard 1 Canada Goose 50 Carrion Crow 1 Cetti's Warbler 8 Chaffinch 2 Chiffchaff 15 Collared Dove 1 Common Sandpiper 1 Cormorant 2 Dunnock 4 Gadwall 3 Goldcrest 2 Goldfinch 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Great Tit 3 Green Sandpiper 1 Green Woodpecker 2 Grey Wagtail 1 Greylag Goose 1

House Martin 25 Jackdaw 13 Jay 6 Kingfisher 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 Long-tailed Tit 10 Magpie 2 Mallard 9 Moorhen 4 Nuthatch 1 Reed Warbler 10 Robin 6 Sedge Warbler 1 Song Thrush 1 Swallow 13 Tawny Owl 1 Treecreeper 2 Tufted Duck 3 Water Rail 6 Willow Warbler 2 Woodpigeon 10 Wren 8