10/04 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR

Session: 10-Apr-2016 07:00 to 11:00hrs

Headlines: A not unexpected quiet session given the time of year. Little movement on the reed bed, no Acrocephalus yet. Off to sunny (I hope) Italy now.

Weather: Sunny clear, early frost, breezy later

Present: JL, IW, JHW, DL, RGS, RDW, GB, SC

Nets: 198Metres of net in one reed bed ride split into 108M and 90M up from 07:30 to 10:30hrs

Lure (none):

Capture (New/Recapture) 9 (6/3): Blackcap 1/0, Cetti’s Warbler 1/0, Chiffchaff 1/0, Reed Bunting 0/2, Robin 1/0, Wren 1/1

Recaptures: 3  Reed Bunting 5y 14d, 248d Wren 175d. One of the Reed Bunting was ringed 06-Aug-2015 at Midgham GP; surprisingly close on the map.

Age Range: Adults Blackcap 1, Reed Bunting 1, Robin 1. 1st winter Wren 1; others indeterminate.

Sightings 43 Species: Sand martin high over and a couple of Swallows through. A Robin building a nest across the track from us was accompanied by two others (males?). Eight male Pochard pursued two females; actually eight chasing one the other female must have felt a bit out of it as they totally ignored her; could say more but not politically correct to do so! Thanks for the list Ian.

Blackbird 5 Blackcap 4 Black-headed Gull 8 Blue Tit 5+ Bullfinch 2 Buzzard 1 Canada Goose 13 Carrion Crow 5 Cetti’s Warbler 7 Chaffinch 3 Chiffchaff 6+ Coot 2 Cormorant 2 Dunnock 3 Egyptian Goose 1 Gadwall 2Great Spotted Woodpecker 1 Great Tit 4 Green Woodpecker 2 Grey heron 2 Greylag Goose 1 Jackdaw 2

Jay 1 Long-tailed Tit 4 Magpie 2 Mallard 4 Moorhen 3 Mute Swan 1 Pheasant 1 Pochard 10 Red Kite 2, Little Grebe 2 Reed Bunting 3 Robin 6 Sand Martin 21+ Song Thrush 2 Sparrowhawk 1 Stock Dive 3 Swallow 2 Tufted Duck 1 Water Rail 1 Willow Warbler 3 Woodpigeon 10+ Wren 6