North Wilts Group

5th July 2015 - Salisbury Plain (centre) CES7 & Swindon STW CES7

SALISBURY PLAIN (centre)

On a day that there were only two of us available to do the CES it turned out to be the most productive ringing session of the year so far with 170 birds processed from the fourteen 60ft CES nets and the three additional 60’s on the other side of the fence in the artillery live firing range.

Juvenile warbler’s were the main feature of the morning with every one of the commoner warbler species represented including our first 3J Lesser Whitethroat’s of the year which as a species seem to have been lagging behind everything else. Garden Warbler’s were around in particularly good numbers with 9 new (2 adults, 7 juveniles) along with 4 retraps so this species seems to be doing very well at this site.

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A surprise catch was in the form of another new Nightingale, a 5M which was half way through its moult. This bird is not one of our locals so has obviously dropped in from another location. The only other sign of our local birds was one giving the croaking call in its usual territory but nothing was heard from the pair that seemed to be breeding so it now looks like 4 years of failed breeding for this doomed population.

Other than that, lots of Tit’s and lots of tangled 3J Wren’s kept us busy giving us 124 new and 46 retraps. GD/PD

Swallow 9 pulli, Wren 8(1), Dunnock 4(2), Robin 4, Nightingale 1, Blackbird 3(5), Song Thrush 1(4), Lesser Whitethroat 3(1), Whitethroat 12(8), Garden Warbler 9(4), Blackcap 20(5), Chiffchaff 12(2), Willow Warbler 4(1), Goldcrest 1, Blue Tit 14, Great Tit 10, Chaffinch (1), Goldfinch (1), Linnet 5(2), Bullfinch 2(9), Yellowhammer 2 

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SWINDON STW

I was joined by Simon, Anna and my brother Andy expecting a busy session. The weather was flat calm but surprisingly cold after the recent hot weather. The day started quite quietly but thankfully Net 6 once again produced the goods and we were treated to three Lesser Whitethroats and this species seems to be having a good year on site. Blackcap dominated the catch and we controlled one that was ringed elsewhere. We also retrapped the first Reed Warbler that Simon ringed as a nestling last year.
 
A Magpie contributed to the totals much to the delight of Anna and Simon who have a soft spot for them, rather surprisingly this was our first Magpie of the year. MP, SW, AF, AP
 
111 new, 29 retraps
 
Blackcap 20 (5), Reed Warbler 7 (7), Sedge Warbler 2 (1), Whitethroat 8, Lesser Whitethroat 3, Chiffchaff 11 (3), Willow Warbler 2, Goldcrest 1, Goldfinch 3, Greenfinch 3 (1), Dunnock 11 (3), Wren 9 (1), Robin 7 (1), Song Thrush 2 (1), Blackbird 1 (1), Blue Tit 12 (3), Great Tit 8 (2), Magpie 1