11/07 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Western Enclosure (wk28)
Session: 11/07/2023 07:45 to 10:55hrs

One of todays juvenile Garden Warblers

Notes: Ignored yesterdays forecast for today and although it was a bit blustery, we had a trickle of birds through totalling 15, including two more Lesser Whitethroats, one a tatty adult female. The difference in the colour of the iris between the adult and the juvenile was clear, the former having a white rim and the latter was the usual grey-brown of many juvenile species. Just a couple of Garden Warblers that arrived late in the morning. No sign of any Willow Warblers or Whitethroats. Apart from the Lesser Whitethroat all the birds were juveniles, three of the Blackcaps could be sexed on the changing colour of their caps. Last years equivalent Tuesday was a good session in comparison, the weather was good for ringing – overcast, light breeze and warm early, blue sky very hot and calm later.

Present: JL,IW
Weather: sunny periods, warm, breezy
Nets: 48metres 3 Rides, 18M, 18M and 12M up from 08:00 to 10:30hrs
Lures: Warblers, Misc Migrants, GH, RT intermittently.

Recaptures: (00) none

Sightings: It was quiet out on the heath bird-wise. Noticeable absentees included Robin, they have been relatively scarce wherever I go over the last few weeks and particularly over the common; like some other softbill species I don’t think they had a very good breeding outcome this year. There was a movements of 11 Swift south early morning, the others were singletons flying over. A flock of 80+ Jackdaws came from the direction of the bunkers and flew slowly northwest.  We were unable to get any details on a couple of white butterflies flying about, but probably were small whites.