08/04 Greenham Common 616 Feeder

Location: Greenham Common 616 Feeder

Session: 08-Apr-2016 07:15 to 11:00hrs

Headlines: The last time I expect to ring the feeder this winter. I don’t intend to top-up the feeders until the Autumn as I am not around next week. It was quite a pleasant session despite the occasional rain spotting. Started off with Ian getting a puncher as he arrived but as I got one earlier this year we were well schooled in changing an Xtrail wheel. The Blue Tit was a JPM ringed bird probably from the other end of the common. I did not expect to capture as many winter finches given the time of year but they do seem to be hanging around. They are mostly 1st winter birds, as I expect most adults probably have left for breeding areas already; getting back early to establish premium territories. The lack of tits visiting the feeder still surprises however a check of previous years to 2011 shows no Blue Tits except for 4 in 2013 and for Great Tit 3 in 2011, 6 2013. We didn’t ring there in April 2012 and in 2014 and 2015 no tits were captured; funny how the memory gets things wrong. In 2011 we captured 44 Lesser Redpoll and 2 each for 2013 and 2014 none in 2015; 2016 so far 12 ringed. For Siskin 2 ringed 2013 for other years none ringed; 12 so far this year.

Weather: sunny periods, calm occasionally spotting with rain, cool

Present: JL, IW, RJC

Nets: 40Metres in rides of 12M, 10M, 12M, 6M up from 07:30 to 10:30hrs

Lure (feeder): nygerx3, black sunflowerx2, peanuts

Capture (New/Recapture) 31 (16/15):  Blue Tit 0/1, Chaffinch 0/1, Chiffchaff 1/0, Dunnock 0/1, Goldfinch 3/0, Great Tit 1/3, Greenfinch 4/0, Lesser Redpoll 4/8, Siskin 3/1

Recaptures: 15 all less than 100days except Chaffinch 1y 151d

Age Range: Adults Chaffinch 1, Greenfinch 1, Great Tit 1, Lesser Redpoll 2, others 1st winter, Chiffchaff indeterminate. Had the Chaffinch not been ringed both of us would have aged as a 5, it had “old” primary coverts. We checked carefully as the ring number was “old”

Sightings 27 Species: Bird activity quite subdues for the time of year. A singing Blackcap the first I have heard here this year. The Wheatears were on the gravel west of the car park; other than this nothing of note.

Blackbird 4 Blackcap 1 Blue Tit 3 Bullfinch c2 Carrion Crow c2 Chaffinch c3 Chiffchaff 3 Coal Tit 1 Cormorant 3 Dunnock 4 Goldfinch c6 Great Tit c6 Green Woodpecker 1 Greenfinch c5

Grey Heron 2 Jackdaw 6 Lapwing 2 Lesser Redpoll c15 Magpie 1 Red Kite 1 Robin c2 Siskin c8 Song Thrush 1 Wheatear 3 Woodlark 1 Woodpigeon 10 Wren c2