03/07 Thatcham Marsh LNR CES Visit 07

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR CES Visit 07

Session: 03-Jul-2016 05:45 to 10:30hrs

Headlines: It was a pleasant morning weather-wise with blue sky and white clouds. As the last visit we put up the standard nets only. For visit 7 a capture of 40 is on the low side with the average since 1993 being 56, range 1993/95-109 2008-28. The cumulative total for visits 1 to 7 is 226 71% of the average of 275. Juvenile Whitethroat and Blackcap were dispersing and also the juvenile Willow Warbler once regular but scarce here now. One or two of last year’s Reed Warbler made an appearance, unlike visit 6 and including a female carrying an egg, so some late broods, maybe, if the weather is kinder. The only Blue Tit of the day was an adult female ringed at the Greenham Feeder; we have only captured one juvenile this year so far, normally they would dominate; Great Tit are pretty much absent from around the reed bed.

Weather: Sunny, warm, calm, cloud increasing towards the end of the session

Present: JL, DL, IW, GB, SC

Nets: 198Metres: 108+90M of reed bed ride (standard nets) no additional nets up from 06:05 to 10:10hrs

Lure (none):

Capture (New/Recapture) 40 (31/9): Blackcap 4/0, Blue Tit 0/1, Cetti’s Warbler 2/2, Chiffchaff 2/0, Dunnock 1/0, Reed Warbler 9/6, Robin 2/0, Sedge Warbler 6/0, Whitethroat 3/0, Willow Warbler 1/0, Wren 1.0

Recaptures: 9 all recent except:  Blue Tit 108d ringed at the Greenham Feeder (approx 2KM), Cetti’s Warbler 1y 300d, Reed Warbler 364d, 339d, 322d

Age Range: all juveniles except adults: Blackcap 1, Blue Tit 1, Cetti’s Warbler 1, Reed Warbler 8

Juvenile Whitethroat 1 of 3 captured on this visit

Sightings 38 Species: As last week a feeding party of Swift drifted around most of the morning. A couple of Black-headed Gulls patrolled around the reed bed and scrub. A few grunts from the Water Rail confirmed their presence. One or two Reed Buntings still singing and an occasional chuntering Reed Warbler. The only other active songsters being Blackcap, Blackbird and the first melancholy winter song of a Robin reminded that we are well into summer. Also seen: dragonflies; Blue-tailed Damselfly 1, Brown Hawker 3, Southern Hawker 1 and butterflies; Meadow Brown and Marbled White.

Blackbird 4+ Blackcap 8+ Black-headed Gull 2+ Blue Tit 4+ Bullfinch 2+ Buzzard 1 Carrion Crow 3 Cetti's Warbler 8+ Chaffinch 2+ Chiffchaff 5+ Common Tern 1+ Coot 2+ Cormorant 2 Dunnock 1+ Gadwall 4+ Goldcrest 1+ Great Spotted Woodpecker 2 Great Tit 1+ Jackdaw 2+

Little Grebe 2 Magpie 2+ Moorhen 3+ Pochard 2 Reed Bunting 4+ Reed Warbler 20+ Robin 5+ Rook 1+ Sedge Warbler 10+ Starling 7+ Swallow 2+ Swift 11+ Treecreeper 1+ Tufted Duck 1+ Water Rail 2+ Whitethroat 3+ Willow Warbler 2+ Woodpigeon 8+ Wren 3+