Stanwell GP - 14th August 2017

It was a less than promising evening as we met LON at the gate, with departing aircraft flying, low, right over the site. We had a few Swallows and House Martins overhead up on the soil heaps so tried a net there, but caught none. The track net brought a few Whitethroat with some of them now carrying  fat scoring up to 3.

The reed bed was quiet, and the only birds from there as we waited for dusk were a Reed Warbler and recaptured Cetti's Warbler Z761916. The male was ringed on 28th December 2015 as a 3M, was recaptured the following January and this record is the third successive year it has been caught here.

 Z761916, adult male Cetti's Warbler 

in primary moult.

There was no obvious pre-roost activity over the lake so it came as some surprise to find two juvenile Swallows in the nets as we went to take down.

Totals: 12 (1)

Swallow - 2
Robin - 0 (1)
Reed Warbler - 1
Whitethroat - 6
Chiffchaff - 1
Greenfinch - 1

Wraysbury GP - 13th August 2017

An exceptional session with twenty species today. The total, that just crept into three figures, included singles of Lesser Whitethroat, Kingfisher, Woodpigeon, Starling, Goldcrest, Sedge Warbler and Willow Warbler. Leading species was Blackcap 30 new, 20 retraps and a UK control, while numbers of Whitethroat and Garden Warbler were down in comparison to recent days.

Juvenile Lesser Whitethroat

 Controlled 4M Blackcap S323303

 Woodpigeon, aged 5

3M Kingfisher

Totals:  84 (18)

Woodpigeon - 1
Kingfisher - 1
Wren - 1

Dunnock - 2 (1)

Robin - 1 (2)

Blackbird - 1 (1)
Song Thrush - 2 (2)

Sedge Warbler - 1

Reed Warbler - 3

Lesser Whitethroat - 1

Whitethroat - 16 (7)

Garden Warbler - 8 

Blackcap - 30 (3)

Chiffchaff - 8 (2)

Willow Warbler - 1
Goldcrest - 1

Blue Tit - 2

Great Tit - 1
Starling - 1

Linnet - 2 

Broadwater GP - 12th August 2017

We had a good morning at Broadwater. The numbers weren't particularly high but a juvenile Kingfisher was the first caught on site.

3F Kingfisher

The Willow Warblers continue to pass through.

Willow Warbler 3O

 Variation between two juvenile Willow Warblers

Added to that there was a smattering of Sylvia warblers, a couple of Reed Warblers, a Treecreeper and a nice retrap, a rather disheveled male Goldcrest, that had been ringed as a juvenile in 2015.

DPH 887, ringed on 30/09/2015 when a 3M

The only negative thing was that we were unable to ring an adult Chaffinch due to a foot and leg infection of Fringilla papillomavirus. So many Chaffinches in our area have this, perhaps due to the number that feed in gardens with an increased risk of cross infection from already infected birds.

Chaffinch with Fringilla Papillomavirus

Totals: 35 (1)

Kingfisher - 1
Robin - 1
Reed Warbler - 2
Blackcap - 10
Garden Warbler - 2
Chiffchaff - 7
Willow Warbler - 6
Goldcrest - 1 (1)
Blue Tit - 3
Great Tit - 1
Treecreeper - 1

Wraysbury GP - 11th August 2017

A misty start to another morning netting around the perphery of the site. There is still no sign of the bird numbers increasing to three figures, as in previous years, although the numbers of walkers and dogs being walked as we expected, is increasing now that the area is so open.

Total: 42 (4)

Wren - 2

Dunnock - 4

Robin - 1

Reed Warbler - 1

Whitethroat - 7 (3)

Garden Warbler - 4

Blackcap - 12 (1)

Chiffchaff - 6

Willow Warbler - 2
Goldcrest - 2

Great Tit - 1

and just for the record........
Walkers - 10
Dogs - 7

Stanwell Moor GP - 7th August 2017

The morning at Stanwell was extremely quiet in one sense, while this actually was a probable effect of the lack of audible quiet. We are used to being under the flight path from Heathrow, and it is particularly noisy when planes take off in our direction - as they were, with a plane departing every 90 seconds. Added to this the gravel company are pressing ahead with returning the area immediately next to where we ring to a levelled, grassed area. At present there are three diggers, perched on the spoil heaps some 20 feet high, gradually shifting the concrete and metal filled soil towards a crusher in a scene reminiscent of three mechanical sauropods, bending their necks to feed. They were fascinating to watch, and there was plenty of time for that as we only got twelve birds.

Sedge Warbler Age 3

Juvenile Goldfinch 3JP

Juvenile Linnet

 There was also another capture from the net, as shown below.

Poplar Hawk moth

Totals: 11 (1)

Dunnock - 1
Sedge Warbler - 1
Reed Warbler - 3
Whitethroat - 4 (1)
Goldfinch - 1
Linnet - 1

Chobham Common - 6th August 2017

It's a while since we did Chobham so we went along this morning. We caught three Chiffchaffs in the first half hour, followed by a Dartford Warbler. It was generally quiet and there were few Stonechats, Dartford Warblers or much else in our immediate area, although some were seen in a sheltered area close to the railway.

After a gap of over 90 minutes we got some more captures with a couple of Willow Warblers, a Great Tit and a Goldcrest. It was just a few birds for our efforts, so it could be a while before we try another morning session - the heather was stunning in the August sunshine.

There were a few Graylings along the path

Totals: 8

Dartford Warbler - 1
Willow Warbler - 2
Chiffchaff - 3
Goldcrest - 1
Great Tit - 1

Wraysbury GP - 5th August 2017

The wind speed looked good enough for Wraysbury, but there were showers that were not forecast during setting up so we reigned in and kept it down to six nets as it was just the two of us.

We had 15 species - the most unusual capture being a juvenile Moorhen that was found in the ride by the lake at 10.20am. Chris was able to pick it up as it slept and after checking for any injuries or other reasons not to ring it, it seemed fine and the ring was duly fitted. It went off without any problems, the first Moorhen to be ringed on C6 and the second ever for Wraysbury.

  Moorhen aged 3

There was also a young Great Spotted Woodpecker, a species that is infrequent in the Wraysbury nets.

Numbers of Whitethroat and Garden Warbler appear to be trailing off, but there were a couple of Willow Warbler, four Chiffchaff and two Goldcrest. Singles of Linnet, Goldfinch, Blue Tit and Great Tit also helped to raise the species count.

Age 4 Garden Warbler Z956235 ringed on site as a juvenile in Sept 2016

Totals:  70 (12)

Moorhen - 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1
Wren - 2

Dunnock - 2

Robin - 4 

Blackbird - 4
Song Thrush - 2 (1)

Whitethroat - 13 (5)

Garden Warbler - 10 (3)

Blackcap - 19 (1)

Chiffchaff - 4 (2)

Willow Warbler - 2
Goldcrest - 2
Goldfinch - 1
Linnet - 1

Blue Tit - 1

Great Tit - 1