Sculthorpe Moor - 10th April 2026

 We captured 18 birds at the moor today. The session was particularly notable, not for what we captured, but rather for what we didn't. Despite singing Blackcap and Chiffchaff, we didn't catch a single one. This particularly contrasts with our last couple of days out with Chiffchaffs captured, but not one today. We think this is down to no birds going through and all the birds we could hear having settled into their own territories.

We caught our first Sedge Warblers of the year and also a second Willow Warbler. Considering that we only caught two throughout the entirety of 2026 let's hope this heralds a better season for the Willow Warblers.

Willow Warbler

Sedge Warbler

This male Blackbird was ringed as an adult in 2024. I didn't photograph it then, 

so may not have had the flecking of white feathers at that time.

Total: 15 (3)

Blackbird - 1 (1)
Blue Tit - 2
Dunnock - 1
Great Tit - 3 (1)
Long-tailed Tit - 2
Robin - 1
Sedge Warbler - 4 (1)
Willow Warbler - 1 

Deepdale Farm - 8th April 2026

 On arrival there was quite a bit of birdsong from the copse and we were quite hopeful of a decent catch. The nets were all up inside of an hour and we had caught 7 birds by the first round. The most striking thing about the session was the number of female Chiffchaffs captured. We've been hearing Chiffs for a couple of weeks now, but most caught have been males. The females caught today were probably recently in due to number ( there are usually only three or four pairs breeding there in the summer) and some were carrying fat. There were Blackcaps with fat too, five of the six being male. We've noticed before that males usually arrive ahead of the females for some migrant species. Our best bird of the day was undoubtedly a Willow Warbler, and we were pleased to get a Jay and control Chiffchaff and Long-tailed Tit.

Willow Warbler

Controlled Chiffchaff

Jay

Total: 22 (7)

Blackcap - 6
Chiffchaff - 10 (2)
Dunnock - 0 (2)
Goldcrest - 1 (1)
Great Tit - 1
Jay - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 0 (2)
Robin - 2
Willow Warbler - 1

Norfolk Rivers Trust, Ingoldisthorpe - 6th April 2026

 It's been a few months since we visited this site and arrived to find that there had been work to cut the larger shrubs and small trees from the banks of the lagoons. This resulted in a change to where we had planned to place some of the nets as some areas are now more open with nothing to obscure nets.

We limited ourselves to a double 18m and three singles but still managed a  catch of 25 birds.

We will leave it a couple of months before trying there again as there was a lot of raptor activity, at one point a pair of Red Kites, a couple of Buzzards and four Marsh Harriers interacting over the adjacent field and the harriers are quite likely to select somewhere within the lagoon complex as a nest site.

Chiffchaff

Treecreeper

Total: 20 (5)

Blackcap - 1
Blue Tit - 0 (3)
Cetti's Warbler - 2 (1)
Chiffchaff - 8
Dunnock - 0 (1)
Goldcrest - 3
Long-taileed Tit - 1
Reed Bunting - 1
Treecreeper - 1
Wren - 3

Sculthorpe Moor - 1st April 2026

 Today was the first session of the year in the beaver enclosure and twenty birds were captured. This included four birds from previous years and amongst the new birds, our first Blackcap of the year and a pair of Cetti's Warbler.

5M Blackcap

Cetti's Warbler

6M Goldfinch

Total: 16 (4)

Blackbird - 0 (1)
Blackcap - 1
Blue Tit - 2
Cetti's Warbler - 2
Chiffchaff - 5 (2)
Goldfinch - 3
Reed Bunting - 1
Robin - 2
Wren - 0 (1)

Deepdale Farm - 23rd March 2026

 We worked Hilly Piece at the farm today managing to capture 17 birds from 5 nets. Not too bad a total considering all the summer migrants with the exception of Chiffchaff have yet to arrive.

We were surprised by the way rides were so clear, with new animal runs emerging from under low vegetation, signs of digging and hair caught on bramble in several places. It looks like there is an active Badger sett quite close by. This is quite likely to affect our breeding Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler as both nest close to or on the ground and Badgers are opportunistic predators that will take birds eggs and nestlings.

Adult Coal Tit

Total: 13 (4)

Blackbird - 1
Blue Tit - 1
Chiffchaff - 4 (1)
Coal Tit - 2
Dunnock - 1 (1)
Goldcrest - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 1 (1)
Robin - 1
Wren - 1 (1)

Sculthorpe Moor - 20th March 2026

 Our first 5am alarm of the year, just CL and myself started the general ringing sessions for the year. It was a shaky start, with a padlock on the first gate, not encountered since early last summer that took us some time to locate the code. Three double 5 panel18m nets were put up and we actually managed to catch 20 birds. We were particularly pleased with eight retraps, including some Chiffchaffs ringed in 2024.

6M Bullfinch

The first returning summer migrant of the year, Chiffchaff NTV624.

Coal Tit 6F

Total: 12 (8)

Blackbird - 2
Blue Tit - 0 (2)
Bullfinch - 1
Chiffchaff - 4 (4)
Coal Tit - 1 (1)
Great Tit - 3
Robin - 0 (1)
Wren - 1

Sculthorpe Moor - 17th March 2026

 Tried the Northfields with a hand net, recording some 40 Snipe, 3 Woodcock and a Teal. There was only one Jack Snipe seen, but that was captured and was a bird that we'd ringed on 10th December last year. Good to know that it's been in the area throughout the winter.

Total: 0 (1)

Jack Snipe - 0 (1)