Just Chris and I went to Stanwell for the morning and decided to leave the reed bed ride, concentrating instead on the weedy soil heaps and track by the River Colne. The Meadow Pipits were around briefly, then moved off to another area, but not before we had captured two. We tried to attract one of the three Cetti's Warblers in the immediate area, but the bird was reluctant to venture far from the river's edge and didn't move up as far as where we had sited our net. There were a variety of species from the nets on the tracks; Sedge Warbler, Whitethroat, Reed Bunting, Long-tailed Tit and Goldfinch among them.
In the late morning. we had a mixed gathering of Swallow, Sand Martin and House Martin over the nets. Although attracted by the lures, no birds were captured. We decided that the number present would make a roost attempt worthwhile, pack up with the morning total at 44 birds and resolved to return at 7:00pm. This would become a day of two halves.
At 7:00pm there were birds over the area to the far side of the River Colne. We set up the 9m and 12m and began to play the lures. We waited a while before a loose flock of 30 - 40 birds passed directly over nets, then maneuvered round to the right. A few minutes later and birds could be seen high above the lake, and at about that time a Hobby flew through. The birds disappeared, then were seen flying 'with a purpose' away from the lake. It looked as though our roost attempt had failed. I went to check the net as a Jay I had been seen to head towards that area hadn't come up again, but there was nothing at all.
On getting back to Chris, just a minute later, he said birds had arrived very low from the direction of the Colne, that there had been lots of birds in the netting area and we should go back and check again. I hadn't seen a thing, they must have come in very fast. The nets were the fullest we have ever seen them with both Swallows and Sand Martins. Sad to say WA and LON missed out on what was probably our best hirundine catch here ever.
Totals: 77 (1)
Sand Martin - 6
Swallow - 28
Meadow Pipit - 2
Wren - 1
Dunnock - 2
Robin - 1
Sedge Warbler - 3
Whitethroat - 4
Blackcap - 20
Chiffchaff - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 1
Blue Tit - 2
Great Tit - 1 (1)
Goldfinch - 4
Reed Bunting - 1
Reed Bunting 3JP
Juvenile Goldfinch
Meadow Pipit
At 7:00pm there were birds over the area to the far side of the River Colne. We set up the 9m and 12m and began to play the lures. We waited a while before a loose flock of 30 - 40 birds passed directly over nets, then maneuvered round to the right. A few minutes later and birds could be seen high above the lake, and at about that time a Hobby flew through. The birds disappeared, then were seen flying 'with a purpose' away from the lake. It looked as though our roost attempt had failed. I went to check the net as a Jay I had been seen to head towards that area hadn't come up again, but there was nothing at all.
On getting back to Chris, just a minute later, he said birds had arrived very low from the direction of the Colne, that there had been lots of birds in the netting area and we should go back and check again. I hadn't seen a thing, they must have come in very fast. The nets were the fullest we have ever seen them with both Swallows and Sand Martins. Sad to say WA and LON missed out on what was probably our best hirundine catch here ever.
Totals: 77 (1)
Sand Martin - 6
Swallow - 28
Meadow Pipit - 2
Wren - 1
Dunnock - 2
Robin - 1
Sedge Warbler - 3
Whitethroat - 4
Blackcap - 20
Chiffchaff - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 1
Blue Tit - 2
Great Tit - 1 (1)
Goldfinch - 4
Reed Bunting - 1