Location: Greenham Common Feeder Session: 14/04/2024 07:45 to 11:25hrs Notes: Few birds visiting feeder this morning, most probably staying on territory. Many are coming into breeding condition either having developing brood patches (usually females) or Cloacal protuberances (males). A 2023 hatched Blue Tit with a missing right claw seemed to be coping. We had hoped for a few migrants from the scrub nets but the only one was the last bird of the session our first Willow Warbler ringed this year. Present: JL,JHW,IW,DL,RAD,IQ. Weather: bright with sunny periods, cool calm. Nets: 36M net, 2 6M ne ..read more

Location: Greenham Common Feeder Session: 07/04/2024 08:00 to 11:00hrs Notes: Not ideal conditions today as it got windier as the session progress, probably the strongest I can recall ever ringing in towards the end. The nets however were not too badly affected at first as there was some shelter from the 616 building and scrub. We achieved wrangler experience when we rounded up two cows that wandered into the car park entrance from the road and herded them to one of the gates onto the common. Fortunately, a walker was just coming through the gate and held it open for the cows. Several of the b ..read more

Location: Greenham Common Feeder Session: 31/03/2024 08:00 to 11:00hrs Notes: A good variety of species today. Included our first Blackcap and Chiffchaff of the year, also a Blue Tit with a very long bill that seemed to be coping with life. Just three Siskin is disappointing, recently there have been quite a few about the feeder. It’s getting quite late for them to be here. They should set off in the next week or so back to their northern breeding grounds. We usually divert our efforts to Thatcham Marsh from now on, but our site is flooded with no access possible for the foreseeable future whi ..read more

Location: Haysom’s Feeder Session: 26/03/2024 09:00 to 12:00hrs Notes: Not feeling too good at the moment and as rain was forecast decided to stay put and ring the garden feeder. Did better than expected with 13 Siskins so there must have been about 20 coming to the feeder as a few missed the nets. Goldfinch numbers coming to the feeder seem to have dropped over the weekend. I had forgotten that I ringed a Nuthatch here last November. Present: JL, Weather: clear sunny, cool, calm. Nets: 6M net one side of feeder 09:00 to 12:00hrs Lures: Feeders - Sunflower Heartsx2. Recaptures:(04) Blue T ..read more

Location: Haysom’s Feeder Session:24/03/2024 08:00 to 11:00hrs Notes: Had high hopes that we would ring some Siskin today. About 7 visited the feeders early on but arrived vertically and exited vertically missing the nets. It was quiet early with just a few Blue and Great Tits. About 10:20hrs we had one reasonable round that included several Goldfinch and Greenfinch. Finally on the last round we did manage a single female Siskin. The excitement for me didn’t end there though! We packed all the equipment away, DL left followed by JHW when I tried to start my car the battery was flat. Ian notice ..read more

Location: Haysom’s Feeder Session:17/03/2024 09:00 to 12:30hrs Notes: The ringing at the Greenham Feeder was cancelled this morning as it was raining at 07:30hrs. By 09:00hrs it had all but stopped so I put a net up in the garden hoping to ring some of the Siskins visiting. I thought there to be around 7 or 8 visiting the feeder daily but as a similar number were too smart to get caught, I think there to be 15 to 20. After 2016 few if any have visited this or any of our feeder. It seems most birds stayed closer to breeding ground in the north of the UK, mostly in Scotland. In 2008 I ringed 170 ..read more

Location: Greenham Common Feeder Session:10/03/2024 07:45 to 11:20hrs Notes: The weather forecast for this morning was a bit hit and miss rain-wise but after getting caught out a couple of weeks ago, even though it was spotting at home decided to risk the rain not materialising until around 10:00 as shown on the forecast. It spotted occasionally mostly mid-session, but we managed the full four hours. Having spare food, the other two feeders now being out of action, I increased the number of feeders here adding finch friendly standard porthole feeder to the large tray feeder filled with sunflow ..read more

Location: Greenham Common Feeder Session: 03/03/2024 07:45 to 11:20hrs Notes: I got the weather wrong on the 18th Feb (cancelled at 07:00hrs because it was raining only for the sun to come out just after for most of the day) We were not able to ringed last weekend (25th Feb) due to the Greenham Common car park being out of bounds for a charity half marathon. There was no other site available due to flooding and the usual alternative the Snelsmore Feeder has gone. So it was good to be able to do some ringing today. Fewer birds are coming to the feeder now, the warming sunshine probably encourag ..read more

Location: Snelsmore Common Feeder CES 2023/24.08 Session: 11/02/2024 07:30 to 11:50hrs Notes: We held off starting the session as was lightly raining, would have postponed until next weekend but needed to do the last CES session for reason that will become apparent. Fortunately it stopped soon after 08:00hrs. The last CES visit brought as expected more Blue Tits including an approximately 7 year old ringed 24/12/2017, re-trapped here 07/01/2018, 16/01/2022, 11/02/2024 and today, haven’t checked recently but probably one of the oldest if not the oldest Blue Tit for the group. Also, two of ..read more

A ..read more