18/09 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR

Session: 18-Sep-2016 06:30 to 11:30hrs

Headlines: A big capture for a change; looks like we coincided with a movement of phylos and Blackcap. They kept on coming throughout the morning on the reed bed ride. Even when we took the nets down the last round was one of the biggest and still a lot in the area as we left. The Sedge Warblers were unexpected and the absence of Reed Warbler also, usually at this time of year none of the former is the norm. Late adult Sedge and Willow Warbler is also unusual, most adult leave before juveniles. Two Kingfishers on the same net round is exception for us particularly now the scrub is so high. We were kept busy throughout the morning and no trainees to take the load.

Weather: Sunny period, fresh, calm clouding over later cooler than recent past.

Present: JL, IW, DL, JHW

Nets: 246metres in four rides of 108m+90M, 18M, 18M, 12M up from 07:15 to 10:30hrs

Lure (audio): Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Firecrest, Goldcrest, Willow Warbler, Reed Bunting, and every species you could imagine because on MP3 would not repeat!

Capture (New/Recapture) 106 (94/12): Blackcap 21/1, Blue Tit 3/0, Bullfinch 1/0, Cetti’s Warbler 4/3, Chiffchaff 34/3, Dunnock 3/0, Goldcrest 5/0, Great Tit 3/1, Kingfisher 2/0, Long-tailed Tit 7/2, Reed Bunting 1/0, Robin 2/0, Sedge Warbler 4/0, Treecreeper 1/0, Willow Warbler 2/0, Wren 1/1

Recaptures: 12 all recent
Age Range: all 1st CY except adults Chiffchaff 2, Great Tit 1, Sedge Warbler 1, Willow Warbler 1. Indeterminate Cetti’s Warbler 5, Great Tit 1 Sedge Warbler 1, Willow Warbler 1

1st CY Kingfisher female (orange lower bill)

Sightings 42 Species: Quite busy so a few species might have been missed. Best birds for me the two Green Sandpipers that flew over low. A big flock of hirundine and we could only identify House Martin as they were very high up; probably more than stated or they could have been the same flock flying around.

Blackbird 2+ Blackcap 30+ Black-headed Gull 2+ Blue Tit 6+ Bullfinch 1+ Buzzard 1+ Canada Goose 7+ Carrion Crow 2+ Cetti's Warbler 11+ Chaffinch 3+ Chiffchaff 45+ Cormorant 4+ Dunnock 3+ Egyptian Goose 1 Gadwall 3+ Goldcrest 9+ Great Spotted Woodpecker 2+ Great Tit 6+ Green Sandpiper 2 Green Woodpecker 1+ Grey Heron 1

Grey Wagtail 3+ House Martin 70+ Jay 2+ Kingfisher 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull 2 Little Grebe 2+ Long-tailed Tit 15+ Magpie 3+ Mallard 4+ Marsh Tit 1 Moorhen 3+ Reed Bunting 5+ Robin 8+ Sedge Warbler 5+ Starling 4+ Treecreeper 3+ Tufted Duck 7+ Water Rail 2+ Willow Warbler 2+ Woodpigeon 15+ Wren 5+