16/03 Bagnor feeder

Location: Bagnor feeder

Session: 16-Mar-2016 07:40 to 11:25hrs

Headlines: Drizzling when I left home but the forecast was for sunny periods so I continue and it stopped as I arrived at the feeder. It is interesting that this feeder is furthest from any substantial woodland yet at this end of the winter we are attracting more tits here than the other sites. A good number of older recoveries included some from a fair distance for Blue Tit, perhaps showing pre-breeding movements around the area. This will be the last ringing visit here of the season. We first ringed the feeder in the winter of 1985/86, thirty years ago and have ringed it every winter since. Maybe it is time to call it a day, we will see what next autumn brings.

Weather: Drizzling as I arrived that then changed to sunny periods with a cold wind.

Present: JL, IW

Nets: 12metres a 6m nets each side of feeder. Up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs

Lure (feeder): peanuts, black sunflower, nyger

Capture (New/Recapture) 32 (20/12): Blue Tit 10/12, Goldfinch 1/0, Great Tit 6/0, Greenfinch 1/0, Long-tailed Tit 1/0, Siskin 1/0

Recaptures: 12 all recent except Blue Tit 1y 118d, 1y 69d, 1y 54dx2, 1y 11d, 298d from Winterbourne Holt box WH19, 296d from Boxford Common box F2, 125d.

Age Range: all 1st winter except; Adult Blue Tit 7, Great Tit 3
Indeterminate Long-tailed Tit 1

Sightings 36 Species: A chiffchaff was singing briefly by the gate in the village. I can’t recall Greylag Goose being seen here before though I expect it has occurred in the dim distant past. Bullfinch is the first for a while here, otherwise, the expected species seen and heard, not sure where the Buzzards are though.

Blackbird 4 Blue Tit 26 Bullfinch 2 Carrion Crow 4 Chaffinch 5 Chiffchaff 1 Coal Tit 1 Dunnock 2 Goldfinch 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 Great Tit 13 Green Woodpecker 1 Greenfinch 2 Grey Wagtail 1 Greylag Goose 2 Jackdaw 6 Jay 2 Magpie 2

Mallard 5 Meadow Pipit 4 Mistle Thrush 2 Moorhen 1 Nuthatch 1 Pheasant 8 Pied Wagtail 1 Red Kite 3 Reed Bunting 1 Robin 5 Rook 2 Skylark 1 Song Thrush 3 Starling 25 Teal 2 Woodpigeon 36 Wren 3 Yellowhammer 1