For the final CES session we had a bit of a personnel crisis as we were down to just 3 of us which included a trainee and as I wanted to put up the most productive non-CES nets on the site for the last time before the Blackcap season starts I hoped that we weren't going to be inundated with too many birds. As it was it turned out to be yet another session that fell way below average for an August visit.
Things started out looking fairly good as all 18 nets were up well before daylight which gave us a chance to listen to what was calling. There were quite a few Tawny Owl's, a Barn Owl and a Nightingale giving its craoking alarm call right by the cars. As we waited for daylight a Nightjar flew low over the scrub and managed to cunningly avoid the nets.
The first net round showed that since our last visit last weekend the make-up of warbler species had changed somewhat. Willow, Sedge and Whitethroat we still around but in much reduced numbers but to counter this Blackcap number had gone through the roof.
Frustratingly we could hear several Redstart's calling which during the early net rounds stayed well away from the nets but by the end we managed to catch 2 young females.
It was Blackcap's that somewhat stole the show as we ended up with 74 new along with a few retraps and yet another control.
The session ended with 157 new and 8 retraps but this was 110 fewer birds than the corresponding visit last year so either this years breeding season has been way less productive that last years or the migrants have just slipped us by this year. GD, OF, AB
Swallow 1, Tree Pipit 8, Wren 1(1), Dunnock 1, Robin 7(2), Redstart 2, Blackbird 1, Song Thrush 3, Sedge Warbler 7, Reed Warbler 4, Lesser Whitethroat, Whitethroat 12(1), Garden Warbler 2, Blackcap 74(4), Chiffchaff 15, Willow Warbler 5, Goldcrest 2, Blue Tit 1, Goldfinch 1, Linnet 2, Bullfinch 4, Yellowhammer 1, Reed Bunting 2
