07/02 Greenham Common Feeder

Location: Greenham Common Feeder
Session: 07-Feb-2016 07:30 to 10:30hrs
Headlines: Due to the poor weather this winter we are ringing in less than ideal condition, as we did today. Although it started bright and sunny it was very windy. As a result the nets were easily seen by the birds and most of those that went into the nets easily got out due to the taunt netting not forming sufficient pocket to hold them. Eventually the wind got to strong for the net alongside the open feeders and we took it down; probably stretched the top shelf string. Immediately after, birds began to pour into the feeders; far more than looked to be present. The few birds captured made the session worth the effort in the uncomfortable increasingly cold weather. In particular, five ring-able chaffinches, all being clear of the grotty foot prevalent locally. Also two nuthatches, we don’t capture many at this feeder.
Weather: Sunny and clear but very windy, eventually the forecast showers began to go through and it grew even windier forcing session abandonment.
Present: JL, IW, DL, RGS, JPM
Nets: 40metres 12m net to main feeders and 12m, 10m, 6m nets in the scrub up from 08:00 to 10:30hrs
Lure (feeders): Nygerx4, Black Sunflowerx2, Peanut
Capture (New/Recapture) 21 (17/4):

Blackbird 1/1	Blue Tit 5/2
Chaffinch 5/0	Great Tit 1/0
Lesser Redpoll 1/0	Nuthatch 2/0
Siskin 2/1

Recaptures: 4 all recent except Blue Tit 1y 90d
Age Range: all 1st winter except:
Adults: Blackbird 2, Blue Tit 3, Chaffinch 2, Great Tit 1
Indeterminate: Nuthatch 1

Sightings 27 Species: Not a full list. After we finished I stayed and did a count of the birds visiting the feeder. Probably an under estimate as many more were waiting their turn in the scrub. Most were ground feeding. Some fieldfare “round the back” of the feeder compound are the first for a few weeks. They are quite scarce in the area at the moment. Flock sizes of winter thrushes should begin to increase soon as they gather ready to migrate north.

Blackbird 5 Blue Tit 15 Bullfinch 2 Carrion Crow 2 Chaffinch 15 Coal Tit 2 Dunnock 2 Fieldfare 16 Golden Plover 25 Goldfinch 35 Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 Great Tit 5 Green Woodpecker 1 Greenfinch 25

Jackdaw 4 Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 Lesser Redpoll 30 Nuthatch 2 Red Kite 3 Redwing 3 Robin 6 Rook 1 Siskin 20 Song Thrush 1 Sparrowhawk 1 Woodpigeon 10 Wren 1