early September - reed beds close down, scrub taping picks up.

The autumn is the time of year when our ringing efforts shift from the reed beds to the scrub area. Most of the "Acro" warblers have now left, and the misty/wet mornings limit the amount of bird movement through the reeds. On Friday 1st September Andy tied an early evening visit to the jetty, for a modest catch of 9 + (1). The next day saw Jerry in rb2 for a "mistier than usual" morning, which didn't clear until about 11am, and it was only after (when the reeds had dried/warmed a bit) that a few birds started to move. His final session in rb2 until June 2024 ended on just 16 + (3). The combined species mix for the two sessions was Wren 1, Cettis Warbler 1, Reed Warbler 6 + (1), Sedge Warbler 2, Chiffchaff 10 + (2), Blackcap 1, Blue Tit 2 + (1), and Reed Bunting 2. A bonus of the quiet morning was that he found a Hornet nest in a dead alder trunk alongside the path from the ringing bench to the boardwalk. The small hole presumably allowing access to a hollow trunk (which would be submerged in the winter flood), with the hornets becoming very active as the sun broke through the mist, and it warmed up.

With a settled spell of weather forecast, Jeremy was in the scrub for an early start on Tuesday 5th, and had a very successful session considering the full sun from about 8.30. His main species (all with double figure counts) were Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Goldcrest. Jerry took over for a couple of hours from late morning but only succeeded in adding 1 Blue Tit! The day total was a very useful 35 + (5). Very similar conditions the next day resulted in a much quieter session of 11 + (3) for Jerry, with only the "Goldcrest" net remaining in the shade. The complete mix for the two visits was made up of Wren 1, Robin (3), Dunnock 1, Blackbird (1), Chiffchaff 12 + (1), Blackcap 17, Goldcrest 13 + (2), and Blue Tit 2 + (1). The weather for the first half of the month was forecast to be hot and sunny, which resulted in fewer visits being made.

Female Blackcap

Male Blackcap

Some changeable weather arrived just before the middle of the month (which allowed a run of suitable mornings for ringing), and Jerry made a start on Monday 11th. Although it was overcast and calm, most of the morning saw light drizzle and few birds were moving about. His catch of 13 + (1) was disappointing. On Wednesday 13th, Jeremy was there for another early start with the tapes, and a much better showing of Blackcap. The supporting cast in his catch of 21 + (5) included the Group's second Whitethroat of the year. On Thursday 14th, it was Andy's turn for a catch of 21 + (1) - an almost identical composition to Jeremy's. On Friday 15th, Jerry and Jake tried and had a slightly reduced catch of 17 + (2). After a successful first round (of 9 Blackcap), the catching quietened down and it made up almost half of the day total. The species mix for the four visits was Wren 1, Robin 1 + (1), Dunnock 2, Blackbird (2), Cettis Warbler (1), Blackcap 45 + (1), Whitethroat 1, Chiffchaff 14 + (1), Goldcrest 4, Blue Tit 2 + (2), Long-tailed Tit 2, Bullfinch (1), and Chaffinch 1.

2nd Whitethroat of the year