Chobham Common - 4th July 2017

We continued our focus on the common, this time switching our strategy from three nets and moving them frequently to nine static nets. The idea had been to see which method worked best, however there was very little on the move today with the common very quiet in general.

It seemed as though the effort of hauling the extra kit to and from the site was actually worse than continually setting up and taking down nets. But Chris and I think that had bird movements been the same as on our last session we would probably have caught more with the static set up. The down side being much worsened aches and pains from dragging the trolley and carrying other equipment

3JJ Stonechat

 5M Stonechat

A return in the evening joined by WA, although at least three birds were present in our immediate area, and other calling more distantly, was unsuccessful.

Total: 6 (1)

Wren - 0 (1)
Dartford Warbler - 4
Stonechat - 2

Stanwell Moor GP - 3rd July 2017

A nice quiet morning without heavy plant operating right next to where we base. We had the usual five nets in the reed bed with an additional 12m in a disused and overgrown track up on to the spoil heaps.

Over the three and a half or hours, that 12m net brought us half of the birds so we must try that again!

4F Lesser Whitethroat S443014

5M Whitethroat S443015

Total: 25 (3)

Blackbird - 0 (1)
Robin - 1
Reed Warbler - 4 (2)
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Whitethroat - 3
Blackcap - 3
Chiffchaff - 9
Great Tit - 1
Linnet - 3

Broadwater GP - 1st July 2017

Unusually for Broadwater several of our nets were wind affected today. Normally the tall trees keep the rides sheltered but this morning due to the wind direction there was more disturbance than usual. Fortunately the wind calmed as the morning drew on.

We had a team of five, CL, DKL, MRB, PD and Margaret, with nine nets up. Five hours later we had processed a total of 73 birds and our best total in a single session here this year.

 3JJ Treecreeper

3JJ Robin

It's good to be able to complete a full record sheet in one morning again!

Totals:   68 (5)

Wren - 3
Dunnock - 3 (1)
Blackbird - 4 (1)
Songthrush - 2
Robin - 2
Reed Warbler - 1
Blackcap - 5
Garden Warbler - 2
Chiffchaff - 22 (1)
Long-tailed Tit - 9 (1)
Blue Tit - 8
Great Tit - 6 (1)
Treecreeper - 1 

Chobham Common - 30th June 2017

A return to Chobham for the morning, trying to catch the Dartford Warblers. The population has increased dramatically, so much so that they have failed to show any interest in playback at any time this year. We decided that the only way to catch them would be to watch for regularly used routes that cross paths and cleared areas, and set and move low nets, otherwise our effort would be little better than catching birds that randomly happened across our nets.

We used three nets today in a total of ten different individual locations.

5M Stonechat

Two ages of feathers within the primaries/secondaries

5M Whitethroat

Totals: 7

Stonechat - 1
Dartford Warbler - 4
Whitethroat - 2

Chobham Common - 29th June 2017

With the British climate being what it is, we have to make the most of good weather so we tried an evening visit to Chobham in the calm conditions , this time setting nets close to the area where fire burnt off all the ground cover and left the gorse and birch no more than denuded skeletons earlier in the year. Lush grass is now shooting up, but the area still smells of charcoal.

Chobham Common

We had two doubles up by 20:45hrs and caught immediately with two Linnets and a Whitethroat finding the net as they worked their way through long grass. As the light was starting to fail we had another capture, a juvenile Woodlark from the rapidly regenerating side of the path. This was a new species for WA.

Before long the Nightjars were churring from all directions with at least four males being seen. A 5M was captured at 22:30pm  and we packed up shortly after, being off site by 23:50pm.

5M Nightjar LH96741

Retained secondaries of arrested moult 

All appropriate permissions and endorsements for this site, and specialist species, are held.

Totals: 5

Nightjar - 1
Woodlark - 1
Whitethroat - 1
Linnet - 1

Stanwell Moor GP - 27th June 2017

Not a bad result at Stanwell as we captured and processed in excess of 20 birds. The site work was not happening in our immediate area this morning so rather quieter than usual. We also noted that Lapwing and regularly spending time along the lake side where bare expanses of mud are being exposed as more water is drawn from the lake to dampen the access track. A Little Ringed Plover was heard overhead.

 The view of the lake from our base is now completely obscured.

Total: 23 (2)

Dunnock - 2

Robin - 1
Cetti's Warbler - 1

Reed Warbler - 2 (1)

Blackcap - 2
Chiffchaff -12 (1)
Long-tailed Tit - 1
Blue Tit - 2

Chobham Common - 26th June 2017

Low wind, no rain in the forecast - it had to be Chobham. Chris and I hoped that there may be some youngsters about by now and were absolutely right. We used two 12m nets, a two and three panel and used them where we could see that birds tended to move through. This is a labour intensive, low return strategy as we only set nets along pathways or in clearings (so as to avoid disturbing any nesting birds) and try several locations during the session.

We have endorsements to use playback but the densities are now so high that birds all but ignore the songs played.

Between 8am and noon we captured a male Tree Pipit, two juveniles and an adult Dartford Warbler 4M, Z958020, ringed when a 3M on 26th November last year by our trainee LON  during a session to target Redwing and Lesser Redpoll.

Chris kept a tally of all the Dartford Warblers seen while on the common and there were probably more than 17 in a relatively small area.


Total: 3 (1)

Tree Pipit - 1
Dartford Warbler - 2 (1)