Trying for Turnstones - 16th December 2025

 It has become increasingly difficult to catch Turnstones at Sheringham, in part due to the siting of a sauna cart, that attracts sea swimmers in the winter and includes a basket of burning coals where we used to catch them. On top of this more and more people are feeding them. The birds recognise individuals and while at Sheringham we saw evidence of bread being flung from the promenade, seed sprinkled under benches as well as seeing three other people leave food out for the Turnstones. Despite arriving early, before most dog walkers were about, they were not hungry enough to be tempted near the walk in trap.

So, on then to Walcott where birds are always on the refurbished beach or walking on the concrete sea wall. With this amount of food left out there really is little hope for us. Furthest offering is oats and the closest breadcrumbs. 

We did manage to record JCT, a bird caught in October.

Black-headed Gull, 3rd year wintering at Mill Pond, Pembrook - 14th December 2025

 

Report of 2C19 received today. This bird was ringed in the garden of our house in Little Snoring, Norfolk on June 6th 2022. Since that time the bird has been seen at the Mill Pond, Pembrook on 19th December 2023, at Pensthorpe, Norfolk in April 2024 (only a few miles up the road from where it was ringed) and back at the Mill Pond in January of this year. The bird was adult when ringed and this is the third winter it has been recorded in Pembrook. Many thanks to the observers Bob and Annie Haycock for the report and photograph.

Sculthorpe Moor - 13th December 2025

 A try for roosting birds resulted in 19 new Reed Buntings and a recaptured bird ringed at Morston in October. There have been some very nice records of birds moving between sites as we focus on getting darvic rings on birds for the project. We haven't been able to get a ring readable in the field on all of these  but current total for new Reed Buntings in 2025 stands at 223.

Total: 19 (1)

A farm in North West Norfolk - 13th December 2025

 As we arrived in the semi dark there were large flocks of Fieldfare, Redwing and Blackbird feeding on the ample harvest of Hawthorn berries. We got three singles up and a double to try for finches using the wild bird seed crop. It was noticeable that the thrushes were soon on their way, including those well away from where we were working and we concluded that these were migratory flocks moving through as we had seen a few weeks earlier at Whinhill Orchard. We did quite well, considering the double failed to net a single bird, and the surrounding area became shrouded in mist for part of the morning.

Joined by LC we processed 34 new and 3 recaptured birds. Highlights were 5 Redwing, 5 Chaffinch and 8 Blackbirds including some very nice examples of continental birds.

3M Blackbird

Redwing

Total: 34 (3)

Blackbird - 8
Blue Tit - 12 (2)
Chaffinch - 5
Dunnock - 2 (1)
Great Tit - 1
Redwing - 5
Robin - 1

 

Deepdale Farm - 12th December 2025

 It's really not that cold still so we tried a night session using the thermal imager and a single net for owls.

My efforts failed, again so sign of Barn Owl, a common theme of my attempts for owls this season, then a couple of male Tawny Owl that sat up in trees either side of the net but refused to come any further. The squeaky mouse sound was no more successful.

Thankfully Chris did rather better returning with two Skylarks and and two Woodcock for his efforts.

Skylark

Woodcock, primary coverts showing typical terminal pattern of juvenile birds.

Total: 4

Skylark - 2
Woodcock - 2

A farm in North Norfolk - 7th December 2025

 We started the morning with a couple of Woodcock flying over in the semi-dark before any nets were set. We have seen fewer birds on the wild seed crop these last couple of sessions, but today's catch was interesting nonetheless with two very unexpected Chiffchaff captured along the hedge where buntings wait between forays into the seed crop. This is a very unusual capture for December, one being the Scandinavian abietinus race, and they were not associating with either of the Lotti flocks that managed to find our nets.

Age 4 Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus c.abietinus) Sandinavian race

Paler underneath than collybita, olive upper parts 

Age 3 Chiffchaff ( Phylloscopus c. collybita)

Male Yellowhammer

Another Reed Bunting for the darvic marked project

Total: 29 (13)

Blackbird - 1
Blue Tit - 0 (4)
Chiffchaff - 2
Dunnock - 4
Long-tailed Tit - 8 (7)
Reed Bunting - 8
Robin - 0 (2)
Wren - 2
Yellowhammer - 4

Whinhill Orchard, Stanhoe - 5th December 2025

 A reconnaissance visit to see whether there are winter thrushes on the windfalls. We weren't expecting much as there are so many berries on hawthorns just about everywhere, and incoming migrants have a great deal to eat without moving far from the coast. We still decided to have a look as there was a ground frost over night and apples on the ground.

The nets were put up under the gaze of the Cold moon, the last super moon of the year. 

Cold moon over the orchard.

We heard a few Fieldfare around but apart from a group that dropped in briefly then moved on, there was little actively feeding in the orchard. Blackbirds were very few and far between. We heard a single Redwing.

We only just made it into double figures, seven Greenfinch was a real bonus and we did manage to catch one Fieldfare, somehow.

3 male Greenfinch (above) with 4 female below.

4F Fieldfare

If it gets colder the orchard might come into its own later, as long as there are birds around.

Total: 10

Chaffinch - 1
Dunnock - 1
Fieldfare - 1
Greenfinch - 7

A farm in North Norfolk - 3rd December 2025

A rather disappointing day, only 17 birds captured. The early mist didn't help and the best thing about the morning was probably listening to the sound of the seals carrying from Blakeley Point.

Total: 12 (7)

Blue Tit - 1 (1)
Dunnock - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 0 (1)
Reed Bunting - 6 (2)
Robin - 3 (1)
Wren - 1

Titchwell - 2nd December 2025

We spent the morning at Titchwell and started off on the meadow trail looking for Firecrest and Chiffchaff. We got side tracked by news that the Bittern was showing well at Patty's Pool and had really good views.

We managed to find two Firecrest and several Chiffchaffs including at least one very pale 'tristis' individual.

There were plenty of Robins prepared to get close, used to visitors picnicking and offering crumbs.