Monday, 21 June 2021

20/06 Thatcham Marsh LNR

Location: Thatcham Marsh LNR Constant Effort Site 2021.06 of 12
Session: 20/06/2021, 06:00 to 11:00hrs
Notes: We didn’t capture any birds until 07:30hrs, not surprising given the weather of the last few days and the reed bed was quiet. The next round produced 10 individuals and after three to five birds for the next three rounds including a 1J Sedge Warbler just out of the nest; our first juvenile acrocephalus of the year. One of us had to leave by 09:30hrs so you can guess what the next round produced, a tit flock and it began to drizzle, more like a misting. The flock consisted of 25+ mostly Blue Tits, all juveniles as far as we could tell except for one, we captured 14 Blue Tits and two Great Tits, one an adult. The capture at nets down included two 1J (just out of the nest) Cetti’s Warbler. The matching 2019 visit had many juvenile species indicating the affect the weather is having on this year’s breeding season.
Present: JL,IW,DL
Weather: Overcast, dull, dank, light breeze, cool, drizzle for the last half hour of the session
Nets: 198metres in 1 ride of 198M up from 06:30 to 10:30hrs
Lures: None
Halfway through the season (visits 1 to 6) and our acrocephalus are doing better than we perceived, particularly in relation to numbers since 2010. Includes some from early visits that have moved on. Unfortunately the overall trend is still downward.

Sightings 29 species: no Cuckoos on the reed bed presumable some have begun their return migration. After not being heard for the last couple of sessions (brooding eggs?) water rail called from at least three locations on the reed bed. It was good to see the tit flock, tit gatherings above single figures are less frequent than in the recent past.  Probably missed a few, it was a miserable morning though.







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