11/01 Snelsmore Common Feeder

Location: Snelsmore Common Feeder visit CES 2025/26.06

Session: 11/01/2026 07:45 to 11:30hrs

Present: JHW,IW,JLCMD,IQ.

Weather: overcast, light breeze, cold.

Nets: 6+6M feeder nets up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs.

Lures (Feeder): fat balls, sunflower hearts, peanuts.

Today’s Siskin, a 1st winter - it had 3 unmoulted greater coverts

Notes: The first ringing session of 2026 – too cold for the safety of the birds last Sunday 4th Jan. A similar number of Blue Tits to last year’s CES 2024/25.06 matching visit but Great Tit number are down as they have been this winter so far at this site. Nice to ring Siskin and Great Spotted Woodpecker - the latter drew blood hacking at two of us when extracting and holding for a photo. We seem to have lost the variety of species that visited the feeder for most of the 20 year it has been operated.

Recaptures: (20)

Blue Tit ringed:10/12/2023, 03/11/2024, 09/02/2025, 02/11/2025x2, 16/11/2025x4,                                             30/11/2025x2, 14/12/2025, 28/12/2025x5.

Coal Tit ringed: 09/01/2025, 16/11/2025.

Great Tit ringed: 16/11/2025.

Sightings: Mostly IW’s list – a few fly-over Siskin early, the one we ringed was later in the session. Carrion Crows and Ravens were acting territorial calling a lot first thing.