27/09 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR

Session: 27-Sep-2015 07:00 to 11:30hrs

Weather: Overcast and cold early, brightening up later

Present: JL, IW, DL, JPM, RGS, RDW and a beagle!

Nets: 780’ in one ride of 360’+300’, on the reed bed and two rides of 60’ each in the scrub.

Lure (audio): Blackcap, Chiffchaff, (song and calls), Goldcrest, Firecrest, Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting, Lesser Redpoll, intermittently

Capture (New/Recapture) 35:

Blackcap 10/0	Blue Tit 2/1
Cetti’s Warbler 1/1	Chiffchaff 7/0
Dunnock 1/0	Goldcrest 2/0
Reed Bunting 5/0	Reed Warbler 1
Wren 3/1

Recaptures: (period since ringed)

Blue Tit 21days	Cetti’s Warbler 1y 133days
Wren 63days

Age Range: All 1st summer except
Cetti’s Warbler 2 indeterminate; 1 an adult from ring number
Notes: Pretty average morning on the marsh for the time of year. Probably the last Reed Warbler captured; still a few Blackcap and Chiffchaff going through. One Blackcap had a fat score of 7 (most of its body and breast muscles covered) so getting ready for the big hop to Spain etc. No Sedge Warbler heard or captured.

Sightings 40 Species: No over-flying hirundine seen today. A fly-over Wheatear was a good spot by IW also a Song Thrush doing the same. The first redpoll here this autumn and rare visits to the marsh by a Coal and Marsh Tit; both once regular here; on dispersal, post breeding.

Blackbird 2 Blackcap 10 Black-headed Gull 20 Blue Tit 10 Bullfinch 6 Buzzard 1 Canada Goose 29 Carrion Crow 3 Cetti's Warbler 5 Chaffinch 3 Chiffchaff 10 Coal Tit 1 Collared Dove 2 Cormorant 2 Dunnock 2 Egyptian Goose 3 Gadwall 3 Goldcrest 5 Goldfinch 2 Great Spotted Woodpecker 1

Great Tit 2 Jackdaw 4 Jay 2 Lesser Redpoll 2 Long-tailed Tit 15 Magpie 3 Mallard 5 Marsh Tit 1 Moorhen 3 Reed Bunting 5 Reed Warbler 1 Robin 5 Siskin 12 Song Thrush 1 Treecreeper 1 Tufted Duck 5 Water Rail 2 Wheatear 1 Woodpigeon 15 Wren 6