Sorry for the delay in updating the blog - it's been a bit busy at Tice's this past 6 weeks as we have been building our shelter and preparing for the QLA Awards.
Tuesday 28th August
Oli's trail-cam captured the following nocturnal happenings over the past week:
Wednesday 29th August
Murray Nurse: Whinchat.
Dina Burford photographed a colour-ringed Kestrel. Mark Elsoffer subsequently confirmed the code as "JT". This bird was ringed by Jeremy Gates in a brood of 2, on 01/06/18, at Lower Hale, 1km west of Tice's Meadow.
(c) Dina Burford - Ringed Kestrel
(c) Murray Nurse - Whinchat
Thursday 30th August
Mark Elsoffer: 2 Common Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, 4 Great Crested Grebe, Little Egret, Bar-headed Goose, Swan Goose, Whinchat, Stonechat, 3 Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, 9 Buzzard, 5 Red Kite & 2 Hobby.
Len Winchcombe has been busy building hurdles (made with hazel harvested on site) to fill the gaps in the dead hedge around the Woodland Feeding Station.
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Lord Len's New Hurdle
Friday 31st August
Mark Elsoffer: 5 Common Sandpiper, 2 Little Egret, Wigeon, 4 Great Crested Grebe, Whinchat, Stonechat, Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail, Tawny Owl, 5 Buzzard & Red Kite.
Dave Baker: Wigeon.
Richard Horton: Bar-headed Goose, Swan Goose & 2 Hobby.
Richard Seargent: Green Sandpiper.
A monthly moth trapping session was held this evening. Five new species for the site were caught:
- Clay Triple-lines (Cyclophora linearia).
- Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea).
- Dusky Thorn (Ennomos fuscantaria).
- Lime-speck Pug (Eupithecia centaureata).
- Vine's Rustic (Hopldrina ambigua).
Moth Trapping Results
(c) David Glew - Common Darter
(c) Richard Seargent - Angle Shades
Saturday 1st September
Richard Seargent: Little Egret, Wigeon, 3 Whinchat, Stonechat & Garden Warbler.
Eight volunteers from the Tice's Meadow Bird Group attended the Wellesley Woodlands BioBlitz today. We ran a moth trap on site the previous night, and displayed the moths during the day. Richard Horton lead a bird walk around the site in the afternoon.
Richard Seargent: 2 Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper & Grey Wagtail.
Peter Brown: Swallow & 3 Buzzard
(c) Anthony George - Bee
(c) Anthony George - Blue Tit
(c) Anthony George - Buzzard
Monday 3rd September
No reports.
Tuesday 4th September
No reports.
Wednesday 5th September
Peter Brown: Bar-headed Goose, Swan Goose, Great Black-backed Gull, Wheatear, Stonechat & 2 Hobby.
Len Winchcombe: Whinchat.
Thursday 6th September
Mark Elsoffer: Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Little Egret, 4 Great Crested Grebe, Bar-headed Goose, Swan Goose, Common Gull, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, 2 Red Kite, 6 Buzzard, 2 Hobby & Peregrine.
Peter Brown: Whinchat.
Oli: Barn Owl.
Steve Minhinnick: Willow Warbler & Blackcap.
Friday 7th September
Richard Horton: Kingfisher, Wheatear, Stonechat & Hobby.
Saturday 8th September
Mark Elsoffer: 2 Common Sandpiper, 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Wheatear, 2 Stonechat, 600+ Sand Martin, Peregrine & Hobby.
The count of 600+ Sand Martin is a new site record.
Thank you to the 11 volunteers who gave up their morning to cut a fire
break in the reed bed, empty the container, move the trailer and measure
up for the new shelter.
(c) Anthony George - Peregrine
(c) Anthony George - The Red Arrows
(c) Anthony George - Starlings
(c) Mark Elsoffer - General Patton's Victory Parade Through Newly Liberated Badshot Lea
Sunday 9th September
John Hunt: Redshank, 57 Teal, 3 Gadwall, 2 Shoveler, Wheatear, Stonechat, 50+ House Martin, 50+ Sand Martin & 3 Kestrel (juvs).
The Tice’s Meadow Bird Group provided six marshalls for the Farnham Rotary Pilgrim’s Marathon this morning, in recognition of the generous support that Farnham Weyside Rotary Club have provided us with.
(c) John Hunt - Wheatear
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Volunteer Marathon Marshals
Monday 10th September
Richard Horton: 22 Grey Heron.
The count of 22 Grey Heron is a new site record.
Tuesday 11th September
No reports.
Wednesday 12th September
Mark Elsoffer: 5 Common Sandpiper, Snipe, 4 Great Crested Grebe, Common Gull, Wheatear, Blackcap, 2 Sedge Warbler, Grey Wagtail, 2 Tawny Owl, 2 Kestrel, 3 Buzzard & Red Kite.
Roger Dickey caught, and released, a Brown Long-eared Bat in the bird ringing nets.
Members of the Tice's Meadow Bird Group, Army Ornithological Society and Royal Navy Birdwatching Society camped on site for 2 nights and held a bird ringing session. 161 birds were ringed over the 48 hours.
Full grown
Pulli
Retraps / Recoveries
Total
Kingfisher
1
0
0
1
Sand Martin
1
0
0
1
Swallow
25
0
0
25
Wren
3
0
0
3
Dunnock
8
0
3
11
Robin
1
0
3
4
Blackbird
4
0
0
4
Song Thrush
4
0
0
4
Sedge Warbler
10
0
0
10
Reed Warbler
6
0
0
6
Lesser Whitethroat
1
0
0
1
Blackcap
14
0
1
15
Chiffchaff
27
0
0
27
Long-tailed Tit
9
0
0
9
Blue Tit
23
0
3
26
Great Tit
7
0
1
8
Goldfinch
3
0
0
3
Bullfinch
1
0
0
1
Reed Bunting
2
0
0
2
Total
150
0
11
161
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Roger & Andrew Ringing
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Roger & Andrew Ringing
Thursday 13th September
Mark Elsoffer: Common Sandpiper, Golden Plover, Snipe, 4 Great Crested Grebe, Stonechat, Blackcap, 2 Sedge Warbler, 300+ Swallow, Raven, 2 Tawny Owl, 2 Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, 8 Buzzard, 5 Red Kite & 2 Hobby.
Roger Dickey: Kingfisher & Lesser Whitethroat.
The count of 300+ Swallow is a new site record.
Cub Scouts from 12th Wrecclesham were given a guided tour of the site this evening, as was the deputy head of the local secondary school.
(c) Steve Minhinnick - Kingfisher
(c) Steve Minhinnick - Kingfisher
(c) Steve Minhinnick - Kingfisher
(c) Mark Elsoffer - 12th Wrecclesham Cubs Watching the Ringing
(c) Mark Elsoffer - 12th Wrecclesham Cubs Watching the Ringing
Friday 14th September
Mark Elsoffer: Yellow Wagtail, Kestrel, Buzzard & Red Kite.
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Don't Bother Washing Up
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Roger & Slasher Ringing
Saturday 15th September
No reports.
Sunday 16th September
(c) Anthony George - Nuthatch
(c) Anthony George - Sunflower
Monday 17th September
Andy Little: Hobby.
John Eglington fitted the ground anchor brackets on our new shelter today.
(c) Richard Horton - John Fitting the Brackets
Tuesday 18th September
Peter Brown: Little Egret, Swan Goose, 41 Collared Dove, 50+ Sand Martin, 3 Kestrel, 2 Red Kite, Peregrine (juv) & Hobby.
The count of 41 Collared Dove is a new site record.
Richard Horton, Leonard Winchcombe, Oli and John Eglington fitted the metal flooring on our new shelter today.
(c) Richard Horton - John Fitting the Metal Flooring
Wednesday 19th September
No reports.
Thursday 20th September
Cub Scouts from 12th Wrecclesham were given a guided tour of the site this evening.
Friday 21st September
Mark Elsoffer & Richard Horton: Osprey.
Mark Elsoffer: 43 Greylag Goose, Little Egret, Chiffchaff, 200+ House Martin, Sand Martin, Kestrel, Buzzard, Red Kite & Hobby.
This is only the 8th recorded sighting of Osprey on site, but the 6th in the past 2 years.
Four volunteers prepared the shipping container for it's impending move this morning.
(c) Dina Burford - Juvenile Collared Dove
Saturday 22nd September
Mark Elsoffer: 2 Green Sandpiper, Little Egret, Wigeon, 200 House Martin & 24 Sand Martin.
Dave Baker: Tree Pipit, 20 Skylark & 100+ Meadow Pipit.
Tree Pipit is the 130th species of bird recorded on site this year.
This is only the 9th recorded sighting of Tree Pipit on site.
After almost 18 months of planning and delays, we finally moved our shipping container into place today so that we could begin the conversion into a shelter on Horton's Mound. Full write-up here.
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Almost There!
Sunday 23rd September
No reports.
Monday 24th September
Richard Horton: 2 Cattle Egret.
Peter Brown: 5 House Martin, Raven, Peregrine, Red Kite, 2 Kestrel & 10 Buzzard.
This is the first recorded sighting of Cattle Egret on site. Cattle Egret is the 190th species of bird recorded on site, and the 131st species of bird recorded on site this year.
This is the eighth Surrey record (seventh in the last two years, pending acceptance) and the second Surrey record of multiple birds.
(c) Dave Carlsson - Cattle Egret
(c) Dave Carlsson - Cattle Egret
(c) Dave Carlsson - Cattle Egret
(c) Dave Carlsson - Cattle Egret
(c) Dave Carlsson - Cattle Egret
(c) Dina Burford - Small Copper
(c) Kev Campbell - Nuthatch
Tuesday 25th September
27 members of local U3A and WI groups enjoyed a guided tour around site today.
(c) Peter Brown - Group Visit
(c) Peter Brown - Group Visit
(c) Dina Burford - Bullfinch
Wednesday 26th September
No reports.
Thursday 27th September
A huge thank you to the 17 members of staff from Surrey County Council's Highways Department who cleared a large amount of willow from the reed beds today.
(c) Michelle Rowland - SCC Staff Volunteers
(c) Michelle Rowland - SCC Staff Volunteers
(c) Michelle Rowland - SCC Staff Volunteers
Friday 28th September
Mark Elsoffer: Tawny Owl.
A monthly moth trapping session was held this evening. The session was curtailed by a short-circuiting generator.
Moth Trapping Results
Saturday 29th September
Richard Seargent: 4 Hobby (outside).
Peter Brown: Little Egret, 60+ Teal & 8 Stonechat.
This morning we gave a guided tour to councillors from Rushmoor Borough Council.
Sunday 30th September
John Hunt: 2 Green Sandpiper, 4 Snipe, 43 Teal, 23 Shoveler, 7 Gadwall, 4 Chiffchaff & 2 Swallow.
Richard Horton built the gabion roof edge baskets for our new shelter today,
(c) John Hunt - Green Sandpiper
(c) John Hunt - Snipe
(c) Richard Horton - Gabion Roof Edge Basket
Monday 1st October
No reports.
Tuesday 2nd October
No reports.
Wednesday 3rd October
Peter Brown: Chiffchaff, 4 Stonechat, 3 Kestrel, Red Kite & Buzzard.
Thursday 4th October
No reports.
Friday 5th October
Hugo Wilson: 2 Hobby & 3 Buzzard.
Eight volunteers took delivery of all of the materials for our new shelter's biodiverse roof today. Five different lorries were unloaded, and the materials taken across the meadow and stored for use on Sunday. The central joist was installed on the shelter roof and the joist centres marked out.
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Trailer Full of Timber
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Trailer Full of Roofing Materials
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Lunch Break
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Fitting the First Joist.
Saturday 6th October
Richard Seargent: Redwing.
Sunday 7th October
John Hunt: 5 House Martin.
Ten volunteers installed the remaining joists on the roof of our new shelter today, ready for the carpenters to finish tomorrow.
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Fitting the Joists
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Fitting the Joists
(c) Mark Elsoffer - Fitting the Joists
(c) Jort Brough - Fitting the Joists
(c) Dina Burford - Pheasant
(c) Dina Burford - Pheasant
Monday 8th October
Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, 5 Snipe, Little Egret, 4 Wigeon, 67 Greylag Goose, 2 House Martin, 54 Fieldfare, 175 Redwing, 42 Collared Dove, 3 Sparrowhawk, 3 Kestrel, 6 Red Kite, 12 Buzzard, Peregrine & Hobby.
Steve Minhinnick: 5 Snipe & Raven.
The count of 67 Greylag Goose is a new site record.
The count of 42 Collared Dove is a new site record.
Another very productive day on site. The third day out of the last
four that our volunteers have worked on our new shelter - what a great
bunch they are for giving up so much of their time to work on improving
the nature reserve.
We started the day with Tom & Luke Horton
helping us out. Their carpentry skills and power tools proved
invaluable, and they quickly erected the gable ends, laid the roof deck
and added the fascias and upstands. Thanks guys - without your help we
would be coming back again tomorrow!
After lunch we laid the rubber liner and added the gutter trim, fascias and capping.
The structure is now finished. We will next be laying the substrate,
adding the gabions and gutter, and planting the roof. More landscaping
around the shelter, plus the invertebrate wall panels to be added at a
later date, along with a bench, noticeboard and interpretation panel.
A huge thank you to all the volunteers who have worked on our new shelter over the past 4 days.
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