West Wilts Group

Lower Moor Farm: Wednesday, 24th May 2017, CES3

Ellie and I carried out CES 3 at Lower Moor Farm this morning.  The weather was initially misty, moist and windless: perfect midge weather, and for the first time this year I had to break out the citrinella.  The sun broke through at about 10:00, and rapidly burnt off the mist, and then it became very hot and sunny: at which point the birds decided to take cover in the shade, unlike the mad humans.

It was a nicely rewarding session, with our first juvenile Long-tailed Tit, Chiffchaff and Chaffinch catches of the year.  The Chiffchaff is the earliest youngster of that species caught at the site by my team by just under three weeks and the Chaffinch the earliest by five weeks. Long-tailed Tits are early breeders so catching them at this time is expected (earliest catch by a single day - but that is almost certainly just an accident of the timing of the session).

2017 05 24lotti2017 05 24chiff

2017 05 24chaff

The list for the day was: Treecreeper (1); Blue Tit 1(1); Long-tailed Tit 15(2); Wren (1); Dunnock (4); Robin 2; Song Thrush (1); Cetti's Warbler (1); Reed Warbler 1; Blackcap 6(5); Garden Warbler 1(1); Chiffchaff 3(1); Goldcrest (1); Chaffinch 1; Bullfinch (2). Totals: 30 birds ringed from eight species; 21 birds retrapped 12 species, making 51 birds processed from 15 species.  This is a massive improvement on last year's catch of seven birds ringed from five species; 20 birds retrapped from 11 species, 27 birds processed from 13 species.  Even allowing for the welcome increase in Long-tailed Tit youngsters, this is a significantly larger catch.

Lovely though it was to catch these juvenile birds, particularly after the poor breeding season last year, my highlight of the morning came when I went to photograph the magnificent stand of Yellow Flag Irises in the corner of Mallard Lake. As I approached the lakeside, to get the angle for the best photo, I heard the characteristic "plop" as a Water Vole swam away and made its escape. It is great to know that they are there, as well as along the stream that provides the border between civilisation and barbarism (Wiltshire and Gloucestershire).  ST/EJ