Extensive coverage of Wraysbury today with two teams out covering both areas. C6 is still extremely barren after the wholesale application of weedkiller to reduce the vetch. The bramble is also affected and little is bouncing back, with the exception of the dreaded vetch in some areas.
We took C6 as it's the chief area for our Whitethroat RAS, although I suspect the radical land management will be a significant factor in our numbers. We put up 9 nets, hoping that birds could be caught moving around the bramble fringes.
We did better than we expected, 33 birds overall, with a decent number of re-trapped migrant warblers. D859624, a female Blackcap had not been recaptured since it was ringed as a 3J in 01/08/2014.
We also caught a single Whitethroat.
A single Little Egret was seen along with an Oystercatcher back on their usual small island on the sailing lake.
Totals: 23 (10)
Dunnock - 4 (3)
Wren - 1 (1)
Blackbird - 1
Song Thrush - 1
Whitethroat - 1
Blackcap - 6 (5)
Chiffchaff - 1
Willow Warbler - 4
Bullfinch - 1
Blue Tit - 1 (1)
Great Tit - 2
After ringing we headed over for a walk on Staines Moor. There were quite a few birders around as a couple of Ring Ouzel had been seen, which was in itself not an issue, except some of them, a few had no patience and despite others being around wishing to see as well, went and stood on the 'butts' in the very area they had been seen and went around the back to flush them out of the bushes they were in so they could see them as the flew! Others who had stood in a sensible spot got to see them on the ground and even get some decent photos. We had a male fly over when flushed. The first Lesser Whitethroat of the summer in the UK was heard and four Wheatears, probably 'Greenland' were present also.
We took C6 as it's the chief area for our Whitethroat RAS, although I suspect the radical land management will be a significant factor in our numbers. We put up 9 nets, hoping that birds could be caught moving around the bramble fringes.
We did better than we expected, 33 birds overall, with a decent number of re-trapped migrant warblers. D859624, a female Blackcap had not been recaptured since it was ringed as a 3J in 01/08/2014.
We also caught a single Whitethroat.
A single Little Egret was seen along with an Oystercatcher back on their usual small island on the sailing lake.
Whitethroat 5 female
Totals: 23 (10)
Dunnock - 4 (3)
Wren - 1 (1)
Blackbird - 1
Song Thrush - 1
Whitethroat - 1
Blackcap - 6 (5)
Chiffchaff - 1
Willow Warbler - 4
Bullfinch - 1
Blue Tit - 1 (1)
Great Tit - 2
After ringing we headed over for a walk on Staines Moor. There were quite a few birders around as a couple of Ring Ouzel had been seen, which was in itself not an issue, except some of them, a few had no patience and despite others being around wishing to see as well, went and stood on the 'butts' in the very area they had been seen and went around the back to flush them out of the bushes they were in so they could see them as the flew! Others who had stood in a sensible spot got to see them on the ground and even get some decent photos. We had a male fly over when flushed. The first Lesser Whitethroat of the summer in the UK was heard and four Wheatears, probably 'Greenland' were present also.