Stanwell Moor ringing site - 30 September 2010

A quick visit this evening we managed another 16 Meadow Pipits, plus 3 Blue Tits, 2 Chiff-chaffs, a Reed Warbler and a Chaffinch, rounded off by 3 re-traps including a Meadow Pipit. Cetti's singing.

Stanwell Moor ringing site - 22 September 2010

Another evening visit tonight we managed to ring a further 21 Meadow Pipits, along with 8 Chiff-chaffs, and single Reed and Sedge Warblers, Linnet and Blue Tit, plus a couple of re-traps.

No Swallows were present tonight.

Stanwell Moor ringing site - 18 September 2010

Another afternoon/evening visit resulted in a further good Meadow Pipit catch with birds still coming into the shallow pools. Attempts to attract in any wandering Lapland Buntings have not succeeded. The catch comprised of Sparrowhawk (2, adult and juvenile males), Wren (1), Chiff-chaff (5), Linnet (1) and a further 52 new Meadow Pipits.

3 male Linnet

Next visit eagerly awaiting to see if the Meadow Pipit run continues.

Stanwell Moor ringing site - 16 September 2010

An evening visit with Vic and Emma Inzani resulted in 30 birds being caught, including a Meadow Pipit re-trap from the 12/9. New birds were singles of Wren, Blackcap and Goldfinch; plus 15 Swallows at roost and Meadow Pipits continuing with a further 11 caught in less than favourable conditions due to the wind making the nets in the open to bellow causing many just to bounce out.

Staines Reservoir - 15 September

A brief visit produced single of Black-necked Grebe, Hobby, Black Tern and Swift, plus 100s of hirundines. Where do they roost? Certainly not all at Stanwell Moor.

Stanwell Moor ringing site - 12 September 2010

A late afternoon/evening visit after lunch at the pub, was greeted by a few Meadow Pipits on the shallow pools by the roadside. So after setting up in the 'dell' for the hirundine roost (flushing a small unidentified wader as it disappear out of the narrow ride) we went back to the pools and put up a 100 + 60 in a V with Mipits flying around us.

Nets for Mipits

In a two hour period we did 38, with many more bouncing or not even going in. An unexpected bonus.

Meadow Pipit - below wing of a 3

In the 2 or so hour period in addition to the 38 Meadow Pipits we did Chiff-chaff (7), Sedge Warbler (2), Robin (2) Swallow (4, plus a re-trap), a Blue Tit and Blackcap, plus our second Cetti's for the autumn. A Wheatear was also on site.

Cetti's Warbler

Stanwell Moor ringing site - 8 September 2010

Tonight we managed to catch 6 Swallows and a Sand Martin at roost. About 30 odd birds had been present. Removal of the net over the water in front of the reeds which might have effected birds coming into roost may have assisted with a catch after a couple of negative evenings. Visit supplemented with a Reed Warbler and 4 Chiff-chaffs in an hour and 15 session.

Stanwell Moor ringing site - 5 September 2010

We returned to Stanwell Moor am following on from last nights visit, and extended the area being worked from the 'dell (the old plant wash out area)' to the east side of the site. 56 birds were caught (5 re-traps) that resulted in the following new birds: Blackbird, Robin (5), Great Tit (3), Chiff-chaff (9), Willow Warbler (5), Sedge Warbler (4), Reed Warbler (7), Blackcap (12), Blue Tit (2), Wren (1) and Cetti's Warbler (1, a fresh juvenile).

Juvenile Willow Warbler (left) and Chiff-chaff, showing the 

more prominent supercillium and more yellow under parts of

of Willow Warbler.

Juvenile Cetti's Warbler

Male and female 3 Blackcaps

Fault bars on a 3 Reed Warbler's tail.

Wraysbury am and Stanwell Moor roost - 4th September 2010

Joined the RRG session at Wraysbury this am, our closest spot to an east coast migration spot without the east coast drift migrants, though it is usually good for Sylvia and Phylloscopus warblers of the common variety, sometimes in good numbers. Twelve of the group turned up for the morning session, with some good numbers of common warblers being in the area, with 262 birds being rung with 29 re-traps. This included 158 Blackcap, 14 Whitethroat, 8 Lesser Whitethroat, 6 Reed Warbler, 39 Chiff-chaff, 11 Willow Warbler, singles of Sparrowhawk, Song Thrush, Garden Warbler, Treecreeper, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, with also Robin, Wren, Dunnock, Blue and Great Tits.

Only other birds of note was single Hobby and Tree Pipit.

Two 3 Treecreepers

Stanwell Moor in the evening for the roost this time failed to result in any Hirundines being caught though there were about 20 - 30 Swallows around. maybe the net across the front of the reeds is putting off birds coming in and next time perhaps we should remove it and see how it goes.We did manage 4 Chiff-chaff, 1 Willow Warbler, 2 Reed warbler and a single Long-tailed Tit.

As we left we flushed two unidentified small waders from the pools in the dark.

Stanwell Moor ringing site - 1 September 2010

A visit this evening with Gavin for the roost was as it unfortunately turned out, a rather negative evening with hardly any birds gathering pre-roost with only one Sand Martin being caught, with 2 Sedge Warblers, a Blackcap, 2 Willow Warblers and 2 Chiff-chaffs, plus 2 re-traps.

Nets for roost

The last two evening visits as we left a group of about 15/20 waders have been flushed from a flooded area, so tonight an attempt was made to catch them. Tonight, there were none where we wanted them.

Just an impression how low the aircraft going over into and out of Heathrow can get.

 

Airbus A380