12/02 Haysoms Feeder, Greenham

Location: Haysoms Feeder, Greenham

Session: 12-Feb-2016 07:50 to 11:35hrs
Headlines: The thing I like about birding and ringing is that you know what you expect to see or capture but sometimes you are surprised; as I’ve said before just like Christmas. So when I decided to ring my garden I did not expect to capture much since almost all attempts this year have resulted in perhaps a goldfinch but mostly the birds wait in the trees until I take my nets down and I end up with a big fat 0. With low expectations I put the net up, went to get some food and topped the feeders up. On returning I glimpsed bright red in the top near end of the net and was surprise to find a male bullfinch captured. I found I had yet to get the bird bags out and when I returned I found not only a goldfinch and a ringed lesser redpoll but another (female) bullfinch. A couple of days ago I had seen the female at my feeder; the first I have recorded in my garden since March 2008 so the capture of a pair is more than I could expect from the session. The session then reverted to form, birds flying over the net to the feeder before settling in the trees. An unwary dunnock was captured about 30 minutes later. After another half hour of nothing I noticed what I thought was a leaf in the net when checking form a bedroom window. A look through the binoculars and it was a leaf, a leaf warbler; my first chiffchaff of the year, another species not often in the garden. Was it a winterer or an early migrant, with this strange mild winter who knows! I ended up capturing 12 birds over the 3.5 hour session; one more than yesterday’s Bagnor feeder session. So a better than expected morning with a few surprises, just like Christmas! 
Weather: overcast, cold and calm.
Present: JL
Nets: 10 metre alongside feeder
Lure (feeder): Sunflower hearts
Capture (New/Recapture) 12 (10/2): Bullfinch 2/0, Chiffchaff 1/0, Coal Tit 1/0, Dunnock 1/0, Goldfinch 3/1, Lesser Redpoll 2/1
Recaptures: 2 Goldfinch 2y 79d, Lesser Redpoll 355d ringed at the Greenham 616 feeder Feb 2013
Age Range: all 1st winter except:
Adults: Bullfinch 2, Chiffchaff 1, Goldfinch 1, Lesser Redpoll 1.

Bullfinch Adult Male

Chiffchaff Adult

Lesser Redpoll Ringed as a 1st Winter 22-Feb-2015
at the Greenham 616 Feeder

Sightings 15 Species: A good selection for the garden, first goldcrest heard singing this year here. Probably a lot more came to the feeder but I was out for the rest of the day.

Blackbird 2 Blue Tit 2 Bullfinch 2 Chaffinch 2 Chiffchaff 1 Coal Tit 1 Goldcrest 1+ Goldfinch 8

Greenfinch 2 Jackdaw 8 Lesser Redpoll 5 Robin 2 Song Thrush 1 Woodpigeon 5 Wren 1