20/08 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Western Enclosure Week 33
Session: 20/08/2021, 07:30 to 10:45hrs

Notes: Mostly phylos warblers on the move and the first scarce migrants, finally. First a Tree Pipit, a rare species in the district in recent times. When I started ringing here in 2009 there was little scrub in and around the enclosure and Wheatear were a regular sight spring and autumn, so I hoped to ring one or two. They perched on top of the gorse near nets, perch on the top shelf of the nets and on the top of the mist net poles but never got caught. Since the area is now scrubbed-up they are infrequent at this end of the common. We had seen three out on the grassland to the east earlier so to find one in the net when we went to take them down was unexpected. A nice end to this weeks ringing.

1st Calendar Year Tree Pipit

1st Calendar Year Male Wheatear

Present: JL,IW
Weather: overcast, sunny periods near the end, calm, warm
Nets: 48metres in 3 rides of 18M, 18M, 12M up from 07:45 to 10:30hrs
Lures Audio: Warblers, Misc Migrants, Hirundine, Redstart, Grasshopper Warbler

Recaptures:(01)

Chiffchaff       ringed 15/07/2021

Sightings: Not much visible movement, even Jackdaw numbers noticeably down. The first Grey Wagtail over since the spring; this species seems to be scarce this year. Only the second Tree Pipit seen by me this year. The first was on spring passage on the common. They appear not to have bred in the district. The only other birds I have heard of were at Bucklebury and recently two passage birds on the North Hampshire Downs.