Broadwater GP - 11 August 2016

The team of CL/DKL/MRB & Margaret arrived on site to the sound of Willow Warbler song from a few different directions at 6.30am. Six nets were soon up and audio-lures deployed. The first round included no less than 18 Willow Warblers. For some time BC has been saying that this is a place where birds roost in numbers, as well as feed up, and it looks like he's right as the site had become very quiet by 7.30am.

 Willow Warbler 3O

There was a brief lull with little coming from the nets over the next two rounds, until a couple of very brief, light showers helped to get things going again. There were still good numbers of Chiffchaff around, but the Willow Warblers were now in the majority, unlike out total captures of a few days ago.

 3JM Blackcap

We finished on 89 birds in total. I dare say there are few sites where Willow Warbler can account for more than a third of the total catch.

Totals: 74 (15)

Wren - 1
Robin - 1
Dunnock - 3
Blackbird - 1
Reed Warbler - 3 (2)
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Garden Warbler - 1 (1)
Blackcap - 3 (1)
Chiffchaff - 20 (9)
Willow Warbler - 32 
Blue Tit - 5
Great Tit - 1 (1)
Treecreeper - 1
Greenfinch - 1

Broadwater GP - 9 August 2016

We returned to Broadwater with a team of five (CL, DKL, MRB, BC & Margaret) to do some netting early on, then cut some alternative rides so that we can still cover the areas where we can no longer net along the track.

There were a lot of birds around although we were all rather disappointed to see a flock of over 20 birds pass through the area on the track where one of our usual nets would have been - the loss of those captures would seriously impact on the total birds for the day.

As expected, Chiffchaff were our most numerous captures and Willow Warbler CNP772, first ringed as a 3J on 22 July 2015 was a really nice recapture of a migrant.

 Adult Willow Warbler CNP772

Only one Blue Tit captured was indicative of the poor season that this species has had this year. Whereas three Treecreepers in addition four captured a couple of days ago seems to indicate a rather better season.

 EJJ978, recaptured adult Treecreeper

Juvenile Treecreeper

Two birds quite unusual for the site were a Lesser Whitethroat and Green Woodpecker.

Lesser Whitethroat

 4M Green Woodpecker

Totals: 62 (8)

Green Woodpecker - 1
Wren - 1
Robin - 4
Dunnock - 1 (1)
Cetti's Warbler - 1
Reed Warbler - 2
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Whitethroat - 2
Garden Warbler - 3
Blackcap - 13 (1)
Chiffchaff - 20 (2)
Willow Warbler - 6 (1)
Goldcrest - 1
Blue Tit - 1
Great Tit - 3 (1)
Long-tailed Tit - 0 (1)
Treecreeper - 2 (1)

 

Broadwater GP - 7 August 2016

The Broadwater site provides excellent feeding for Phylloscopus warblers, and with numbers of Willow Warblers on the increase at our other locations, it was about time we did a session here. On a day, too windy to contemplate ringing at any of the other sites, we pitched up at Broadwater with its tall, mature trees that shelter the many Buddleia bushes so attractive to insects, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler alike.

The presence of a fisherman's car parked well down from their car-park was of concern as we net along the access track, and the fishing club has cleared the track to the point where cars can now drive right down to the lake. But we had been told this would not be happening so we went ahead and set up.

There was a good number in the nets on the first round and we caught well until 11am when the birds stopped flying into the nets. We did very well for Chiffchaff and four Treecreepers was the largest number ever caught at the site in one day.

We felt bad for the fisherman who made several trips to get his kit back to the car - having no trolley or wheelbarrow -and we also caught much more than him too.

3JM Goldcrest

Totals:  53 (5)

Robin - 2
Reed Warbler - 3
Blackcap - 8
Garden Warbler - 2
Chiffchaff - 25 (1)
Willow Warbler - 7
Goldcrest - 1
Blue Tit - 3 (1)
Long-tailed Tit - 0 (1)
Treecreeper - 2 (2)

   

Stanwell Moor GP - 6 August 2016

The late afternoon was warm and stuffy in the house, despite the forecast windy conditions with a stiff breeze blowing from the west, so at the last minute we decided to put in a few hours in the reed-bed at Stanwell rather thsn stay indoors. When we arrived the planes were taking off right over the lake (as expected) and with them going over at intervals of less than 70 seconds apart (more frequent than usual even for Heathrow), we didn't expect much.

Still, we gave it a go with five nets and settled down to see what they might catch.

Recaptured Chiffchaff  EBX779 was in full primary moult and looked a little worse for wear.

 Adult Chiffchaff EBX779 (ringed age 3, 24/08/2014)

We also caught a retrapped adult and new juvenile Cetti's Warbler. With a smattering of Phylloscopus and Sylvia warblers to support the usual Acros, we expected to reach 20 or so but unexpectedly we exceeded this when a small group of hirundines were attracted in at the end of the day.

 Juvenile Swallow (3O)

Totals: 25 (3)

Sand Martin - 2
Swallow - 6

Wren - 2

Cetti's Warbler - 1 (1)

Reed Warbler - 1 (1)

Sedge Warbler - 2

Whitethroat - 3

Blackcap - 3

Chiffchaff - 2 (1)

Willow Warbler - 1

Great Tit - 1

Starling - 1

Wraysbury GP - 6 August 2016

We wouldn't usually ring the same site two days running, but the wind forecast for Sunday was just too strong - so back to Wraysbury it was. We took a team of six (CL/DKL/HD/WA/LON/BS) to C6 while CES was completed by another team over on C4.

The morning started quietly and few birds could be seen working through vegetation. As the first few rounds brought in no more than a handful of birds each time, with few recaptures, it looked as though a lot of birds may have moved on - particularly as we had an additional three nets up and were not about to match the previous day's total of in excess of 100.

As the morning progressed it got a little busier but there were definitely fewer birds about.

Juvenile Whitethroat

Juvenile Garden Warbler

Totals: 59 (7)

Dunnock - 1

Robin - 1 

Blackbird - 0 (1)

Song Thrush - 3
Reed Warbler - 4
Lesser Whitethroat - 2
Whitethroat - 12 (2)
Garden Warbler - 17 (2)
Blackcap - 9 (1)
Chiffchaff - 1 (1)
Willow Warbler - 9

Wraysbury GP - 5 August 2016

A drop in wind speeds allowed us to cover Wraysbury, C6, for migration monitoring this morning. A team of four had all seven single nets up inside of 50 minutes and they soon began to catch. Garden Warbler seemed to be on the increase, as were Whitethroat and Willow Warbler

 Adult Lesser Whitethroat

 Adult Garden Warbler

Replaced flight feather P10

Renewed retrices

Willow Warbler 3O

Sedge Warbler 3O

The reason so many birds rely on fuelling up at Wraysbury is the abundance of food plants and insects near largely built-up areas in the South East. Situated close to the London Reservoirs, this is an important staging point - but much of the area will be lost, or 'tidied up' with the development of the Thames flood relief channel, planned for the next few years.

Totals:    89 (15)

Dunnock -1 (1)

Robin - 2

Blackbird - 2

Song Thrush -1
Sedge Warbler - 3
Reed Warbler - 4
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Whitethroat - 19 (4)
Garden Warbler -  28 (5)
Blackcap - 16 (4)
Chiffchaff - 1
Willow Warbler - 10
Great Tit - 1 (1)

Stanwell GP - 2 August 2016

The weather didn't look too promising today, rain early on then more wind than we would have liked. All the same the rain seemed to have stopped and, later than usual, we went along with HD & BS. We knew we had already missed the best hours in the reed-bed but hoped there may be an opportunity for hirundines.

As it turned out we had an impromptu meeting with the site management and the nets were finally up later than planned. The HGVs were using the track where House Martins were caught at our last visit so that option was gone. We did try a couple of nets on a lower track but our attempts to attract House Martin there were unsuccessful - added to that, we had intermittent showers so the low number of captures was only to be expected.


Total: 12 (1)

Blackbird - 1
Sedge Warbler - 3
Reed Warbler - 6 (1)
Whitethroat - 1
Chiffchaff - 1