08/03 Greenham Common

Location: Greenham Common Feeder.

Session: 08/03/2026 07:45 to 11:30hrs

Present: JL, JHW, IW.

Weather: overcast, misty, cold, calm.

Nets: 6+6M feeder nets + a 12M scrub nets up from 08:00 to 11:00hrs.

Lures (Feeder): two sunflower heart feeders and a peanut feeder also intermittent Siskin/Redpoll calls in the scrub.

Notes: The weather was ok (no rain) but overcast, murky and miserable. However, we had a good session compared to last years matching visit with a good variety of species. In addition, first one Brambling in the net was unexpected since they usually turn up in flocks of Chaffinch but there are few of these around in recent winters Then the next net round produced another Brambling after we optimistically hoped for a third so each of the three of us could ring one. We last ringed one at this feeder on the 06/03/2016. We have ringed 10 here since 14/12/2010 – we began operating this feeder winter 2009. Recoveries of Bramblings ringed by NRG include one ringed 09/03/1980 at Bagnor recovered the following winter in a large roost at Speke nr Liverpool 29/01/981 236KM, also one ringed at Crookham Common 12/10/2005 was recovered 24/03/2007 at Thetford 179KM. Giving perhaps an indication of where these bird come from is a recovery of a bird ringed at the Greenham Feeder 20/02/2011 that was recovered 02/05/2012 2217KM away in Finland. The only other overseas record is of one ringed in the Netherlands 11/11/1979 recovered in the Newbury area 30/01/1982 (383KM).  The group last ringed Brambling in 2018 when JPM ringed 49 (about a third of the NRG total) over both winter periods near Brimpton that year, prior to this one or two were occasional ringed in winter periods over many years totalling 130 on the database.

Recaptures: (19)

Blue Tit ringed: 02/03/205, 21/12/2025, 18/01/2026, 01/02/2026, 22/02/2026x2.

Great Tit ringed: 14/01/024x2, 26/10/2025x2, 09/11/2025x6, 18/01/2026,22/02/2026,  01/03/2026.

Sightings: IW’s list – we were again quite busy plus some may have been missed in the murk, Chiffchaffs singing.