27/08 Thatcham Marsh LNR CES Visit 12

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR CES Visit 12

Session: 27-Aug-2016 05:30 to 10:30hrs

Headlines: That’s visit 288 of our CES completed, all visit cover and next year will be our 25th year. We had a slightly delayed start we had to cut back a fallen tree that just missed demolishing our access jetty. The first half of the session consisted of a couple of sylvia warblers, a Blue Tit, several Wren and Cetti’s Warbler. At about half way through, we captured seven Chiffchaffs in one round. Many had been calling from the scrub since we arrived and must have flown into the reed bed as the foliage dried out; a fall maybe? At about 08:30 the first of the 10 Reed Warblers was captured, in fact all but another Chiffchaff and a Wren were of this species to the end of the session; an influx from elsewhere we think, since none had apparently been present previously.
36 in the Standard nets is a little above the average of 33 for CES visit 12: range 2006-11, 1995-71. The total for the year is 357; average over 24 years is 475: range 2013-337, 1995-769. Species total for the year is 22; range 2006-17, 1993-27.

No Sedge Warbler ringed on this visit; total for the year is 47, the lowest ever and very much lower than the 215 total of 1995.

 

Reed Warbler numbers as expected are also down at a 142 captured; range 2008-127, 1995-302.

Juvenile numbers for both species are well down but not quite the worse we’ve had. 

As a contrast, although in much smaller numbers, Cetti’s Warbler had the third best year ever with a total of 29. This species first colonised the CES site in 1994.

 

In summary at times ringing the CES this year has seem pretty desperate but really it is around the average for the last ten years. Next week the audio is turned on and we see what is really lurking in the reed bed. As for next year I hope to be there.

Weather: overcast, calm, a few spots of rain at times, some blue sky late morning.

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

Nets: 234metres in one reed bed ride of 108M+90M (standard nets) and additional nets two rides of 18M each; up from 06:15 to 10:15hrs

Lure (none):

Capture (New/Recapture) 41 (33/8): Blackcap 1/0, Blue Tit 3/1, Bullfinch 3/0, Cetti’s Warbler 2/3, Chiffchaff 8/0, Reed Warbler 10/0, Robin 1/0, whitethroat 1/0, Wren 4/4

Recaptures: 8, all recent except Blue Tit 1y 327d, Cetti’s Warbler 1y 355d

Age Range: all 1st CY except adults: Blue Tit 3, Cetti’s Warbler 1

Sightings 41 Species: A flock of Swallows high over early had possibly roosted somewhere in the reeds nearby. Lots of phylos, nearly all Chiffchaff, were singing, foraging in the scrub and trees for  most of the morning. A predator kept, Blackbirds Wrens, Magpies etc alarming for an hour or so; possible a roosting Tawny Owl. As we left an Egyptian Goose flew west down the track.

Blackbird 3+ Blackcap 5+ Black-headed Gull 8+ Blue Tit 8+ Bullfinch 5+ Buzzard 1 Canada Goose 50+ Carrion Crow 2+ Cetti's Warbler 9+ Chaffinch 3+ Chiffchaff 14+ Coot 1+ Dunnock 2+ Goldcrest 4+ Goldfinch 2+ Great Spotted Woodpecker 1+ Great Tit 1+ Green Woodpecker 2+ Grey Heron 1 Grey Wagtail 2 Jackdaw 3+

Jay 2+ Kingfisher 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull 3+ Little Egret 1 Little Grebe 2+ Long-tailed Tit 7+ Magpie 3 Mallard 5+ Moorhen 3+ Reed Bunting 3+ Reed Warbler 12+ Robin 4+ Sedge Warbler 1+ Swallow 30+ Treecreeper 2+ Water Rail 1+ Whitethroat 1+ Willow Warbler 1+ Woodpigeon 10+ Wren 10+