Barn Owl boxes - 23rd July 2025

Another day spent checking boxes. We are in the fortunate position of having 15 boxes in use, another 4 empty and suitable for occupation. A further 2 that we haven't been able to check and another 10 that need to be moved, or replaced for them to be useable and in a position where monitoring can be completed safely. Renewing the boxes, put up over 30 years ago and without inspection hatches, is a work in progress.

Fledged juvenile female

Thanks to some inside information from one of the farmers, we were able to add a well grown Lapwing chick to the colour ringed project.

Lapwing chick

Recent harvesting left the Hares somewhat exposed.

Chris all set for pulli capture.

 Total: 10

Barn Owl - 9
Lapwing - 1

Scolt Head Sandwich Terns - up date on birds ringed in June 2025

 After ringing over 300 gulls and terns, of which 128 were Sandwich Terns, we are now beginning to get resightings reported.

To date there have been no Mediterranean gulls and we're curious to to find out about their dispersal. There have been two Black-headed gulls seen, both at Titchwell, so only quite local movements recorded at present.

The Sandwich Tern reports have all been from north of Scolt Head. Resighted individuals are now into double figures with the majority coming from Kilnsea, Beacon Ponds in East Yorkshire with some birds remaining there for several days. There have been two other sightings, one from Coquet Island, Northumberland on the 13th July and this bird was also recorded at Beacon Ponds either side of the Northumberland record. The newest report is of a bird that has reached Wrecked Craigs, Port Sedon, Mid Lothian on the 19th, via Beacon Ponds on the 10th, so we expect further resightings from Scotland to follow.

Juvenile Sandwich Tern. Image courtesy of Tate Lloyd

We have some idea of where these birds are likely to turn up next and await further records to support our expectations of how Scolt Head juvenile Sandwich Terns usually disperse from the site.

Sightings of our birds can be made via https://iceni.shinyapps.io/sightings/

Use the app for an immediate history with map. Photographs are particularly welcome.

Sculthorpe Moor - 17th July 2025

 A good morning session with 62 birds trapped. Leading species Chiffchaff followed by the resident tit species, only three of these being Marsh Tits, two being new and added to the darvic ringed birds for the project.

Singles of Kingfisher, Grasshopper Warbler and Whitethroat amongst the 15 species.

3M Kingfisher

3JP Marsh Tit

To finish off the ringing for the day, we also returned to the second Barn Owl box where there had been two small chicks and an unhatched egg last month. A single, but well grown owlet remained.

Total: 57 (6)

Barn Owl - 1
Blackcap - 3
Blue Tit - 8
Bullfinch - 1
Chiffchaff - 12
Dunnock - 1
Grasshopper Warbler - 1
Great Tit - 8 (1)
Kingfisher - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 4
Marsh Tit - 2 (1)
Reed Warbler - 5 (1)
Robin - 2
Sedge Warbler - 1 (3)
Whitethroat - 1
Wren - 6

Barn Owl boxes - 14th July 2025

 We have been putting the Barn Owl circuits off this year. We have been fortunate to have owlets at the Hawk and Owl Trust, having ringed 2 Tawny young earlier in the year and one box of 2 Barn Owl owlets already ringed with a second pair's brood to be ringed shortly.  But so many people have had boxes with no sign of breeding attempts that we decided to leave it until later in the hope that breeding may be delayed due to the warm weather in March followed by a rather wet spell.

We checked 15 sites (some have 2 or 3 boxes in close proximity), and were please to ring 3, 2 & 4 from 3 boxes. Another box has 4 smaller young that will need a call back.

We still have more boxes to check so there may be more.

Total: 9 (1)

Barn Owl adult - 1 (1)
Barn Owl pullus - 9

Deepdale Farm - 13th July 2025

 Six hours at Hilly Piece and we finished with 42 birds on the sheet. There were no retraps at all and apart from a couple of Dunnocks, all were juveniles. There were rather too many tits for our liking. However, one was showing an unusual colour aberration.

The head and upper body did not show the usual colours for Blue Tit. It was just a shame that post juvenile moult had not begun in these areas, as it would have been interesting to see what the emerging feathers were like.

Lesser Whitethroat

Total: 42

Blackcap - 4
Blue Tit - 14
Chiffchaff - 3
Dunnock - 5
Great Tit - 6
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Robin - 3
Whitethroat - 2
Wren - 4

Sculthorpe Moor - 10th July 2025

 We managed to get the monitoring of the sedge beds in before the temperature rose to be too hot, with nets away shortly after 11am.

The French Sedge Warbler had moved out of the beaver enclosure where we caught it last week. We caught 10 species with just over two thirds of the catch being youngsters.

Adult Sedge Warbler

Juvenile Marsh Tit with project darvic 22

Total: 30 (6)

Blackcap - 1
Blue Tit - 6
Chiffchaff - 4 (1)
Great Tit - 2
Long-tailed Tit - 1
Marsh Tit - 1
Reed Warbler - 3
Robin- 2
Sedge Warbler - 6 (5)
Wren - 4 

Norfolk Rivers Trust, Ingoldisthorpe Lagoons - 9th July 2025

 Some good captures today although juvenile Acrocephalus warblers are still thin on the ground. Some Sedge and Reed Warblers adults no longer have breeding condition, body moulting has started and some birds are already starting to accumulate fat. There were some nice records of birds ringed in 2024 with one    Reed Warbler ringed when an adult in 2023.

Adult (left) and juvenile (right) Sedge Warblers

Juvenile (in post juvenile moult) and adult Sedge Warblers

Total: 40 (9)

Blackbird - 1
Blackcap - 14
Blue Tit - 3
Chiffchaff - 4
Dunnock - 1
Great Tit - 1
Reed Bunting - 1
Reed Warbler - 9 (4)
Robin - 1
Sedge Warbler - 3 (4)
Whitethroat - 2
Wren - 0 (1)