Today was our last chance to get out this month. Wraysbury had been worked by seven people split into two groups yesterday and the net result was 208 birds. We knew the species range was likely to be narrow, expecting mostly Chiffchaff and Blackcap. The first round produced around a third of the total catch and by the end of the session we exceeded 100 birds.
Days like this are the closest thing possible, in this part of the world, to the busy autumn days we've experienced at observatories in Northern Europe. Two years ago Chris and I managed 4 times as many birds between us in one day, then mostly Goldcrest, although having a designated building certainly helps. Our biggest day was 800+ with four others helping. We've spent most of September at our own local sites this year, for the first time since 2014. We found that we missed autumn in the UK, but equally are missing autumn observatory days, especailly as we are based near Heathrow, and it hardly ever produces the coastal migration feel.
We ringed or extracted for the bulk of the morning, except for the time taken out by Chris, to let a couple of the Thames Valley constabulary in to see the cannibis plants that had been planted on the SSSI. This is the third time we've made such a find although the other two ocassions were at Stanwell site.
Two ponies remain on C6 having negotiated the pedestrian access and during the morning we saw both Roe Deer and Muntjac in the adjacent area that we ringed, with a hole in a 18m suggesting that one or other passed through one of the net rides. Additional bird sightings were a Buzzard and 5 Little Egrets leaving their roost on the island. Most unexpected observation was of a Panda - never seen one on site before!
Total:93 (9)
Wren - 1
Robin - 1 (1)
Songthrush - 1
Blackcap - 26 (1)
Chiffchaff - 56 (7)
Goldcrest - 6
Long-tailed Tit - 2
Days like this are the closest thing possible, in this part of the world, to the busy autumn days we've experienced at observatories in Northern Europe. Two years ago Chris and I managed 4 times as many birds between us in one day, then mostly Goldcrest, although having a designated building certainly helps. Our biggest day was 800+ with four others helping. We've spent most of September at our own local sites this year, for the first time since 2014. We found that we missed autumn in the UK, but equally are missing autumn observatory days, especailly as we are based near Heathrow, and it hardly ever produces the coastal migration feel.
3M Goldcrest
We ringed or extracted for the bulk of the morning, except for the time taken out by Chris, to let a couple of the Thames Valley constabulary in to see the cannibis plants that had been planted on the SSSI. This is the third time we've made such a find although the other two ocassions were at Stanwell site.
The SSSI already has a problem with Goats' Rue
but we've not seen cannabis grown here before.
Two ponies remain on C6 having negotiated the pedestrian access and during the morning we saw both Roe Deer and Muntjac in the adjacent area that we ringed, with a hole in a 18m suggesting that one or other passed through one of the net rides. Additional bird sightings were a Buzzard and 5 Little Egrets leaving their roost on the island. Most unexpected observation was of a Panda - never seen one on site before!
Total:93 (9)
Wren - 1
Robin - 1 (1)
Songthrush - 1
Blackcap - 26 (1)
Chiffchaff - 56 (7)
Goldcrest - 6
Long-tailed Tit - 2