Chobham Common - 2 December 2013

A visit to Chobham with Margaret and MRB, perhaps against our better judgement in view of  the poor return from the last two visits when we got 5 birds and then a trip out lead by PCD returned just 2 birds being caught last week. There are no large flocks of small finches or wintering Reed Buntings this year and the thrushes merely shuttle between the two neighbouring golf courses at some height overhead. That said, MRB missed out on a trip in the summer and has never had a chance to ring Dartford Warbler so ever optimistic we gave it a go.

We found an area near the railway line and put up a dog leg and an open box for Lesser Redpoll. We then made good use of a strip cleared through the heather for when cattle are fenced in during the summer. This took two three panel 40s and two two panel 40s in a straight line.

We had an inauspicious start with three Great Tits but things soon started to look up with a retrapped Lesser Redpoll (D709736) swiftly followed by a Dartford Warbler.

 

3M Dartford Warbler

As we were only seeing Redpolls in ones and twos, Chris switched one of the audio-lures to a new Redwing recording to see if it provoked a better response than the one that we've tried before. It was certainly more compelling than the old recording and birds rapidly dropped from their heading into some nearby Silver Birches. Rather fewer could be encouraged down to net level but we did catch one from the initial 'drop in'.

Redwing aged 4

The morning continued with a trickle of birds being attracted to the audio lures. They may not have been in large numbers, but the record sheet reflected true quality. We managed another couple of Lesser Redpolls but sadly still no Commons, as yet, this year.

 4M Lesser Redpoll - note rosy hue GC fringes and lesser coverts

We caught a further two new and one retrapped Dartfords, making it the leading species for much of the session..............

 

Retrap 3M Dartford Warbler, Y979849, ringed on 13/08/2013 when 3J

3M Dartford Warbler

3F Dartford Warbler

until a further four Redwings were caught during the morning.

 Adult Redwing

We also caught one of a pair of Stonechat to add  a little more diversity to the catch and raise the total to 18 birds all told.

3F Stonechat

So, still no large numbers of Redpolls but a very worthwhile session nonetheless.

Totals: 16 (2)

Stonechat - 1

Redwing - 5

Dartford Warbler - 3 (1)

Goldcrest - 1

Blue Tit - 1

Great Tit - 3

Lesser Redpoll - 2 (1)

Home Cottage Farm - 1 December 2013

Well, December has arrived and temperatures are still consistently a few degrees above freezing. Thrushes are in evidence around the orchard but there are still plenty of feeding opportunities away from the windfalls where the nets are sited.

RMA and ESA had joined us for the session so a smattering of larger species, not captured so often at the group's other sites, were most welcome.

We started off with the first Fieldfare of the winter.

3M Fieldfare

 
There were also two Green Woodpecker, a new 3M bird and an adult female DE05144 that was first ringed on  15/10/2011 and had been caught on six ocassions since.

 

DE05144, one of the regulars

Along with two Song Thrushes and a Jay we also caught a female Blackcap and a good range of other smaller species.

 

3F Blackcap F0M2

 

3M Great Tit with deformed lower mandible

Totals: 21 (6)

Green Woodpecker - 1 (1)
Dunnock - 1
Robin - 2
Fieldfare - 1
Song Thrush - 2
Blackcap - 1
Blue Tit - 6 (5)
Great Tit - 2
Long-tailed Tit - 2
Jay - 1
Goldfinch - 1
Chaffinch - 1

Bletchingley - 30 November 2013

It's almost a year since we visited our friends in Bletchingley with nets, poles etc., but today was the day we'd arranged to try a catch and we took JHH and Alison to lend a hand. The garden is fed regularly and if anything, there are even more feeders than before. We have had some sizable catches in the past so we were expecting a lot from the two 40s, a 30 and a double panel 60 metre net.

There was hardly a minute when there wasn't a bird awaiting extraction. The team worked well with Alison scribing and two people ringing most of the time. JHH got a chance to compare lots of individuals from the same species, found out a bit about the benefits of ringing in natural light and processed her first Starlings and a Ring-necked Parakeet.  Between 9am and 2.30pm we managed 172 birds including a few from previous years and Blue Tit T089789, a string known to have been issued to a local ringer and probably used in 2008 or 2009  going by the results on a previous recapture. Many thanks to Ralph and Pat for their wonderful hospitality.

Starling - 3 male

 Ring-necked Parakeet - 5

Totals: 162 (10)

Ring-necked Parakeet - 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker -  3 (1)
Blackbird - 2
Dunnock - 5
Robin - 2
Blue Tit -    94 (6)
GreatTit -   28 (3)
Starling - 2
Goldfinch - 13
Chaffinch - 12

Stanwell Moor - 27 November 2013

A visit with EP mainly to target Meadow Pipits and Linnets, had us setting up on the eastern side of the mound and into an muddy area of scrub, which as you moved through clung to your boots in heavy clods, making working the area slightly unbearable. There were a few Pipits and Skylarks on the mound, but mainly on top and on the western side, and due to the motorway traffic noise the sound boxes were inaudible and birds failed to come into the catching area. Added to this, after spending half an hour strimming two rides for Linnets, it became obvious the flock was only 20 odd birds, and all in all the day was turning into hard work for low return, and by the time we gave up around midday we had a grand catch of one Meadow Pipit! We then spent two hours in the garden centre cafe discussing why we would not work this area again!

Total : 1

Meadow Pipit - 1

Coursers Lane GP/Fields - 26 November 2013

Today's outing whilst D was at work was with the Maple X team, PD, MRB and MBR, to ring an area with the emphasis on Tree Sparrows, with the addition of Buntings and Finches using an area set with wild bird friendly crop. Two of the target species were re-trapped and both had lost their pit tags and had new ones fitted. The pit tags are now embedded within the colour ring where previously they were glued onto it, and these did not always remain fixed to the colour ring. Whilst ringing, Ken Smith turned up to replace the battery on the pit tag reader fixed to the feeding station. It logs the presence of a bird every 15 seconds and is resulting in very detailed records of the Tree Sparrows at the site. There have been a couple of movements to and from the site, and use of pit tags has shown that one of these birds has remained at the site to bred, something conventional ringing may have not picked up, especially considering Tree Sparrows are not easy to re-trap.

3 male Yellowhammer

Tree Sapprow - the pit tag is part of the grey colour ring

3 female Stonechat

Total: 28 (15):

Dunnock - 2 (5)
Robin - 1
Stonechat - 1
Blackbird - 2 (1)
Blue Tit - 1 (4)
Great Tit - 0 (3)
Chaffinch - 2
Tree Sparrow - 0 (2)
House Sparrow - 2
Reed Bunting - 15
Yellowhammer - 2

Chobham Common - 25 November 2013

Another 6.45am meet, this time with RMA and ESA, to try for Redpolls on the common. We tried a different area this time but there was still no sign of any large finch flocks. The Fieldfares and Redwings continue to shuttle back and forth overhead between golf courses on either side of the common but do not drop in to allow any chance of capture.

 Chobham under a cloudy sky

We managed to attract a Dartford Warbler along with a couple of Wrens and Goldcrests.

Dartford Warbler male

There were a few visits from single and small groups of Redpoll but most just sat above the audiolures looking on before departing. Three were caught during the process of taking nets down.

3M Lesser Redpoll

Totals: 8

Wren - 2

Dartford Warbler - 1

Goldcrest - 2

Lesser Redpoll - 3

Black Park - 24 November 2013

We were joined by EW to work an alternative area of the heathland area and quickly had 3 singles and a run of four nets up. We tried tapes for Redpoll, Goldcrest and Long-tailed Tits but the day started very slowly and we spent some time checking out a range of spectacular examples of fungi.

 Sulphur Tuft - I think

Fly Agaric

Another stab in the dark - Black Trumpet

I certainly wouldn't eat anything on the basis of my flaky fungus ID skills.

There were a few Redpoll but the catching was slow and the total was only made respectable by a late encounter with a tit flock that pushed up the total.

Lesser Redpoll

Total - 26 (1)

Wren - 1

Goldcrest -  2 (1)

Long-tailed Tit -7

Coal Tit - 3

Blue Tit -9

Lesser Redpoll - 4