07/08 Greenham Common Western Enclosure

Location: Greenham Common Western Enclosure

Session: 07-Aug-2015 06:15 to 11:20hrs
Weather: Bright sunny calm
Present: JL, IW, RGS, RJC
Nets: 280' 5 rides 60’, 60’, 40’, 60’, 60’ up from 06:30 to 11:00hrs  
Lure: Audio Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Wood Warbler intermittently
Capture 40: Blackcap 10/0, Blue Tit 1/0, Chiffchaff 16/1, Dartford Warbler 0/1, Garden Warbler 5/0, Goldcrest 1/0, Lesser Whitethroat 2/0, Whitethroat 2/0, Willow Warbler 1/0
Recaptures: Chiffchaff 327days, Dartford Warbler 29days
Age Range: All juveniles except Chiffchaff 4 adults

Lesser Whitethroat two captured both juveniles. note the "grey" iris

A scarce bird now so two in a session makes it all worth while. They usually migrate round the Med via Lebanon  rather than over it to North Africa. Garden Warbler take a similar route.

Notes: Started a bit later then intended but very quiet early on, so don’t think I missed much. A few Garden Warblers and two Lesser Whitethroats is good; can’t remember the last time I captured two of the latter in a session. Just the one Willow Warbler captured although at least 3 singing when I arrived. As the last session it was slow at first before birds began moving through, mostly Chiffchaff then Blackcap began being captured; there had been no sign of them earlier . My first recapture of a Dartford Warbler; something I have been expecting given the number ringed this year. The enclosure was devoid of birds when I arrived, at times during the session it was quite busy in the bushes but by the time we finished it was quiet again and getting very hot!.

2015 Totals so far at the Western Enclosure: 212 to 07-Aug

1. Blackbird  4
2. Blackcap 44
3. Blue Tit   14
4. Chiffchaff  52
5. Coal Tit     3
6. Dartford Warbler   6
7. Dunnock   8
8. Garden Warbler  12
9. Goldcrest   4
10. Goldfinch   3
11. Great Tit    1
12. Jay  1
13. Lesser Whitethroat  2
14. Linnet  1
15. Magpie  1
16. Robin  8
17. Song Thrush 1
18. Stonechat   4
19. Treecreeper   1
20. Whitethroat    12
21. Willow Warbler  30

Sightings 33 Species: A Snipe flushed from gorse by dog walker the best bird. No Robin or Wren out on the heath again today. Empty skies seem to be the norm this year.

Blackbird 3 Blackcap 15 Blue Tit 3 Bullfinch 1 Buzzard 3 Carrion Crow 2 Chiffchaff 20 Coal Tit 1 Cormorant 7 Dartford Warbler 2 Dunnock 1 Garden Warbler 5 Goldcrest 1 Goldfinch 5 Green Woodpecker 3 House Martin 3 Jackdaw 8

Kestrel 1 Lesser Whitethroat 3 Linnet 10 Long-tailed Tit 5 Magpie 2 Nuthatch 1 Pied Wagtail 2 Snipe 1 Starling 1 Stock Dove 2 Stonechat 1 Swallow 13 Whitethroat 4 Willow Warbler 3 Woodlark 3 Woodpigeon 15