RAS starts, CES 5

On Wednesday 14th June Jerry did our first Reed Warbler RAS visit (in rb2). The weather wasn't the best, with no clouds/full sun for the whole session. No young Reed Warbler were caught, but a useful 8 + (6) adults. Other species in the session total of 15 + (10) were Wren (1), Song Thrush 1, Blackbird 3 + (1), Redstart (1) - a fledgling from a nearby box, Chiffchaff 3, and Bullfinch (1).

On Saturday 17th Andy also made a start on RAS with a jetty visit. In a 4-hr session including a 40-min bout of light rain (not heavy enough to close the nets), his catch was 10 + (3), made up of Kingfisher 1, Reed Warbler 8 + (3), and Reed Bunting 1. One of the Reed Warblers had been ringed as a young bird in Hampshire in mid August 2021, and was controlled late in July 2022 at the Lake. The relatively late date might suggest a passage bird, but it is more likely to have bred here last year, and now returned for another breeding season.

The CES 5 visit had to be delayed (by work and unsettled weather) but Peter/Ruth completed it on Sunday 18th. An early surprise were two hares which looked as if they were "boxing" in the shelter-belt field (at 6am while the nets were being set). A hare has been seen (twice) in the rb2 field in the last few weeks. It was a quiet (sunny) start but catching picked up a bit later in the session as some cloud cover developed. The total of 29 + (7) was close to the recent 10 year mean for this visit, and was made up of Wren 1, Robin 5 + (1), Dunnock (1), Song Thrush 1 + (1), Blackbird 2, Cettis Warbler (1), Chiffchaff 6 + (1), Willow Warbler 2, Blackcap 5 + (1), Spotted Flycatcher 1, Long-tailed Tit 3, Blue Tit 1 + (1), Treecreeper 1, and Chaffinch 1. Between net rounds the shelterbelt boxes had their final check and just two chicks had died post ringing (a Pied Flycatcher, and a Great Tit). After the CES, Ruth did some clearance of the most prolific docks/hogweed along the net lanes.

The third week of June saw two more Reed Warbler RAS visits - Jerry at rb2 (with Tony and Fleur) on 21st, and George/Ron at the jetty on 22nd. It was a bit quiet in rb2 with the bulk of the 13 + (10) caught just before a shower at 10am (when there was a bit of cloud cover). After the early mist cleared at the jetty it was another sunny day, and although plenty of birds could be heard (probably recently fledged Reed Warblers) in the reeds, the nets were fairly obvious in the sun and few were getting caught. The catch was a very disappointing 6 + (1), but with young Reed Warblers now making an appearance, an overcast day could produce a very different result. The species mix for the two sessions was Robin 1, Chiffchaff 3, Reed Warbler 8 + (8), Pied Flycatcher (1), Blue Tit 4 + (2), Treecreeper 2, and Reed Bunting 1. The sessions produced 4 more recaptured adult Reed Warbler for the RAS. Highlights at rb2 were a recaptured moulting female Pied Flycatcher (which was a different bird to the one that nested in a box there), and a French ringed Reed Warbler (unusually ringed on the left leg).