31/01 Greenham Common 616 Feeder

Location: Greenham Common 616 Feeder

Session: 31-Jan-2016 07:30 to 09:30hrs

Headlines: Last night the forecast improved to the possibility of no rain until late morning so we decided to give it a go. Today the early morning forecast had changed to light rain for a short period around 07:00. Later it showed light rain from 09:00 onwards. We arrived in low dark cloud and a breeze. We put up a reduced number of nets expecting rain. A first there was no activity at the feeder. At around 08:10 the first birds began to arrive; mostly finches. The next couple of rounds were similar redpoll and siskin plus a blue and a great tit, and a goldfinch and robin. Just before 09:00 hrs it began to spot with rain that at first eased before turning to light rain forcing the abandonment of the session.

The siskin recapture had been ringed, as an adult male, two days shy of two years ago (02-Feb-2014) and had not been captured since; probably a passage bird on its way north. We also recaptured the blue tit (ringed by others) that we had on the 24/01 session; we should hear where it is from in the next week or two. We should also hear where the Lesser Redpoll (ringed elsewhere) that we recaptured today was ringed. 

Let us hope that this awful wet windy weather settles in February so we can get some unaffected ringing( and birding) done.

Weather: Overcast low cloud until about 08:50 when it spotted with rain that become more intense and the session was abandoned.
Present: JL, JHW, IW, DL, RJC, JPM
Nets: 30Metres; one 12M net alongside the main feeders and 12M and 6M nets each side of the scrub feeder, up from 08:00 to 09:05hrs.

Lure (feeders): Nygerx4, Black Sunflowerx2, Peanut, Mixed Seed ground-bate.

Capture (New/Recapture) 19 (7/12):

Blue Tit 1/3 including a control	Goldfinch 1/0
Great Tit 1/0	Lesser Redpoll 1/7 including a control
Robin 0/1	Siskin 3/1

Recaptures: (12) all ringed  less than 100days here except:
Siskin 1y 363d
Age Range: all 1st winter except:
Adults Lesser Redpoll 2, Siskin 3

Sightings 18 Species: An incomplete list due to the rain; a good flock of Golden Plover flying around over the common.

Blackbird 5 Blue Tit 5 Collared Dove 2 Golden Plover 200 Goldfinch 8 Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Great Tit 3 Greenfinch 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull 16

Lesser Redpoll 10 Magpie 3 Red Kite 2 Redwing 2 Robin 3 Siskin 5 Song Thrush 1 Stock Dove 2 Woodpigeon 5