09/10 Greenham Common Western Enclosure

Location: Greenham Common Western Enclosure

Session: 09-Oct-2015 07:15 to 11:50hrs

Weather: Light mist early, then thick fog clearing to sunshine from about 10:30 onwards.

Present: JL, IW, RGS

Nets: 280’ in five rides of 60’ 60’ 40’ 60’ 60’ up from 07:45 to 11:30hrs

Lure (audio): Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Yellow-browed Warbler, Meadow Pipit

Capture (New/Recapture) 17:

Blackcap 1/0	Chiffchaff 4/0
Coal Tit 1/0	Goldcrest 4/0
Great Tit 1/0	Meadow Pipit 5/0
Robin 0/1

Recaptures: Robin 31 days ago
Age Range: all 1st winter except:

Adult: Coal Tit 1, Meadow Pipit 2

Notes: It was low light mist when I arrived that became thick foggy murk as the sun rose. Just one Goldcrest captured after erecting the nets and then nothing for 90 minutes when a lightening of the mist brought in a Great Tit, a Chiffchaff and three Meadow Pipits. 20 minutes later we captured the Coal Tit, a very dark adult with a bluish sheen to the back, the flanks were also dark beige; didn’t see a pink hue though;  should have looked at it more closely and photographed it but I didn’t!. IPMR would not  let me enter the race anyway. After 40 minutes another Meadow Pipit followed by another with a Goldcrest 10 minutes later. Just before 11 we captured another Goldcrest and a rarity here a retrap (a Robin). With the misty fog gone Meadow Pipit began perching on the top shelf of a net; five on one occasion. At 11 with a few birds moving we decided to stay longer and the next round rewarded us with two Chiffchaff, a Goldcrest and a Blackcap. At 11:30 with very little to be seen the nets were taken down and a final Chiffchaff ringed. Quite a pleasant morning once the murk lifted.

Sightings 28 Species: The feature of the morning after the murk had gone was the first real influx of Meadow Pipit of the autumn. Otherwise it was quiet.

Blackbird 2 Blackcap 1 Blue Tit 4 Buzzard 1 Carrion Crow 3 Chaffinch 1 Chiffchaff 6 Coal Tit 1 Dartford Warbler 1 Dunnock 2 Goldcrest 5 Goldfinch 26 Great Tit 2 Green Woodpecker 2

Grey Wagtail 3 Jackdaw 4 Jay 3 Lesser Redpoll 2 Magpie 1 Meadow Pipit 12 Pied Wagtail 3 Red Kite 3 Robin 3 Skylark 3 Sparrowhawk 1 Swallow 5 Woodpigeon 5 Wren 4