Lamsdell Bird Ringing and Wildlife Blog: Sculthorpe Moor

Thursday 28 July 2022

Sculthorpe Moor - 27th July 2022

A good session following the extreme heat of the previous week. Chiffchaffs were most numerous although probably a mixture of birds bred on site, plus others already moving through on their migration back to the wintering grounds. We caught our first Nuthatch for the site.

Adult male Nuthatch in full primary moult

The resident tits were caught in good numbers, mainly of juveniles including three young Marsh Tits, two of which were already marked by us earlier in the season.

This young Blue Tit shows signs of a period of poor feeding while the tail feathers

(retrices) and flight feathers (primaries and secondaries) were being grown.

Note the particularly obvious bars on the tail and at the tops of the secondary feathers.

The resident Wrens continue to feature consistently in catches and the singles of Sedge and Reed Warbler, species seldom caught in the beaver enclosure were both retraps, the Sedge Warbler bearing a ring that we fitted on 7th June this year and the Reed Warbler carrying a Norfolk Ornithologist Association ring, fitted last year, most likely at one of the nearby sites Hempton or Pensthorpe. Full details are awaited.

Reed Warbler ABK9138 was ringed as a juvenile on 17/07/21

Totals: 71 (10)

Wren - 10 (2)
Dunnock - 3
Reed Warbler - 0 (1 control)
Sedge Warbler - 0 (1)
Blackcap - 4 (1)
Chiffchaff - 25
Goldcrest - 1
Marsh Tit - 1 (2)
Blue Tit - 17
Great Tit - 9 (3)
Nuthatch - 1

About us

Chris and Denise Lamsdell

We have both been birders for about 40 years based in South Bucks near the West London reservoir complexes.

Since September 2021 we have been based in North Norfolk. We have done our bit of twitching in the past, but with other priorities this has become a much reduced activity with a preference for seeing new birds where ever our travels take us.

We both have been ringing since 2005. Our local group was the Runnymede RG while based in Buckinghamshire. Since moving to Norfolk we have started a new group called The Iceni Bird Monitoring Group, aimed at increasing public engagement through colour ringing projects on Black-headed Gull, Turnstone and Lapwing. We ring at several sites including Sculthorpe Moor, Sandringham Estate, Deepdale Farm and also monitor bird populations for the Norfolk Rivers Trust. We do ringing at home and support with foreign projects when opportunities allow. Chris also has an interest in Butterflies and Dragonflies and contains his limited photographic skill to them.