Marsworth 11th June 2017

Site: Marsworth Reservoir
Nets open: 05:15 - 10:00
Ringers: LL,KB (JT)
Weather: Rain overnight cleared, sunny, warm, breezy 10 - 13mph WSW

Waking to the sound of rain is never good but although we got a bit damp, by 5:15am the rain had stopped and we could open the nets. For the rest of the morning the sun shone and although the wind picked up the site is sheltered from a westerly breeze. Since it was not a CES session we tried some nets further out into the reed bed to try and discover more about our low reed warbler catch so far this year. We have been wondering if the dry spring has pushed the reed warblers further out away from our nets or if there is a genuine reduction in numbers.

Captures 11/6/2017
	New Bird	Retrap
Blackcap	6
Blue Tit	1	1
Chiffchaff	4
Garden Warbler	1
Great Tit	4
Reed Bunting	1	1
Reed Warbler	5	3
Robin	3
Sedge Warbler		3
Song Thrush	1	1
Treecreeper	1
Wren	2
Total	29	9

Five new reed warblers were welcome but numbers are still low and there was not as much reed warbler song from the reed bed as I would expect at this time of year. The most vocal birds were reed buntings, who must be on their second broods by now, and sedge warblers in display flight. There was also garden warbler and cetti's warbler singing. Lots of juveniles caught today which is good news after a week of high wind and rain: blackcaps, chiffchaff, robins, great tits and the last bird was a 3J treecreeper. We colour-ringed two more reed buntings as part of our reed bunting project, a juvenile and an older female.
The dry reed bed is allowing the sedge, yellow flag iris and nettles to spread and may be benefiting the reed buntings and sedge warblers.

Oedemera noblis Thick-legged flower beetle disappearing into an Iris followed by an unidentified fly.

There were plenty of insects around, as well as the thick-legged flower beetle we found cream-spot ladybird and water ladybird, and Katy spotted one of the longhorn beetles Agapanthia villosoviridescens.

Agapanthia villosoviridescens  on Common Reed