Reed bed sessions - late August

After three days of wet/windy weather, conditions started to calm down, so Andy and Jerry tried the jetty on Monday 22nd. It was still a bit breezy, but the catch of 24 + (4) was reasonable. About half of the catch comprised "Phyllosc" (Chiffchaff/Willow Warblers), which were probably attracted to the Redstart tape (though no target species caught). On Tuesday, Jeremy and Robin were in rb2, and had a catch of 39 + (5), which included 2 new Redstart (no tape). "Phylloscs" were well represented again, and more might have been caught if the ditch net hadn't had to be furled for part of the session (when the cows became too inquisitive). Alan L spent a few hours around midday cutting the paths/CES net lanes, and topping the hut hedge, with Jerry following with the rake and trimming side branches.

On Wednesday, Jerry was back in rb2 (in perfect conditions) for a remarkably similar catch to Jeremy's, with a total of 35 + (12) (albeit with slightly fewer new birds, and slightly more retraps). There was a bit of a delay in setting the nets, as there were three calves around the ringing table, which were a bit reluctant to leave. The ditch net was only set for a short time (when the cows eventually left the field), and it caught only two birds, but included another Redstart. Unfortunately, a Water Rail that flew into the main nets, quickly got
out, even before Jerry had time to react.

Andy and Jerry returned to rb2 on Friday, though the heavy rain of the previous evening would have probably caused a temporary suspension in migration, and this was reflected in the catch of just 19 + (9). The numbers of Sedge Warbler were "on a par" with Reed, the first time during the current run of visits. Highlight of the session was an adult Willow Warbler, with a wing of 73mm - just beyond the range given in Svensson (and likely to be "queried" by IPMR). On Sunday, Jerry was back in rb2, and with regular light showers, the umbrella had to be deployed to keep "the kit" dry. It wasn't heavy enough to furl the nets, but the catch of 19 + (10) was probably reduced by the conditions. The species mix for the reed bed sessions was - Wren 8 + (2), Robin 3 + (6), Redstart 3 + (1), Blackcap 1, Willow Warbler 14, Chiffchaff 31 + (3) , Blackcap 2, Reed Warbler 42 + (21), Sedge Warbler 28, Goldcrest 1, Blue Tit 2 + (1), Treecreeper (3) and Reed Bunting 1 + (3).

Also on Sunday, Peter and Alan J completed the final CES session (No 12). The regular showers meant that it was remarkably quiet, with lots of singing and calling but very little movement between the showers, this reduced the total catch to 6 + (3) consisting of - Wren (1), Chiffchaff 3, Reed Warbler 1, Garden Warbler 1, Blackcap (1), Bullfinch (1), Dunnock 1. Things were picking up towards the end of the session with 5 of the catch being caught in the last 30 minutes after the showers finally dispersed.

CES 12 was the lowest catch of the year. The total number of CES captures in 2016 was 311, and of the last 20 years there have been just three lower - in 2001, 2003 and 2008 (the lowest with 269 captures). The highest of the last 20 years was 664 captures in 2010.