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)

Blakeney Point - 5th July 2025

 It was a clear, bright and very windy day as we trundled along the beach on our way to meet EMS and the team of wardens to find and mark Little Tern chicks. Two years ago there had been more than 50 of a suitable size to be ringed with darvics, although last year had been a disaster with an eventual mass desertion and there had been no attempt to ring any of the birds.

As we slowly walked the beach it became increasingly clear that this appeared to be another poor year. Apart from a handful of juveniles that had already fledged there were just a few very small chicks, too small to take  a ring, with 4 that could be marked and some nests still with eggs. The Black-headed gull numbers looked to be on the increase and their colony was rather too close to where the terns were nesting.

We were seeing adults bringing food in, and I hope that perhaps there are more nests and young in an area away from where we checked, although that doesn't seem very likely. There is a second colony that wasn't looked at and we hope that there will be more youngsters not far from fledging there.

Our time was limited and we ended having marked just 4 birds. An Oystercatcher chick was a bonus.

Total: 5

Little Tern - 4
Oystercatcher - 1

Sculthorpe Moor - 4th July 2025

 We caught 31 birds before closing at 11am due to a freshening wind. We tried a net in a new position where we often see birds moving into the reeds around the scrape. It turned out to be a good choice as one of the Sedge Warblers was carrying a ring from the French Museum de Paris scheme. This bird was almost certainly bred in the UK, possibly at Sculthorpe Moor, and would have been captured and ringed on the migration south through France. 

Sedge Warbler ringed under French ringing scheme

Museum de Paris ring

We will await details of where this bird was trapped and ringed. Every summer there is a massive ringing effort in France, trapping birds using the reedbeds as many sites are supporting efforts for the Acrola project, recording migrating Aquatic Warblers.

There were only three retraps with a lot of recently fledged birds turning up in the nets.

Juvenile Grasshopper Warbler

Of the 11 species represented there were juveniles of Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff, Grasshopper Warbler, Great Tit, Wren, Dunnock and Jay.

Totals: 28 (3)

Blackbird - 1
Blackcap - 1
Chiffchaff - 8
Dunnock - 1
Grasshopper Warbler - 1
Great Tit - 1
Jay - 1

Reed Warbler - 5
Sedge Warbler - 6 (2 including a French control)
Whitethroat - 1
Wren - 2 (1)

 

GPS tracking of Nightjars - 3rd July 2025

Today we spent more time on the project to confirm foraging areas for the Dersingham Bog Nightjars. This work is being undertaken as most feeding happens away from the breeding area and a project to increase areas of reedbed along the North Norfolk coast may affect the areas that Nightjars rely on.

GPS tracker being attached to the central tail feathers

Birds are processed as normal then have the tracker fitted. 

We managed to retrieve a fourth tracker and deploy a fifth. Trackers are fitted using a feather mount and must be retrieved about a week after fitting, or will fall off a couple of weeks later, should the bird not be recaptured. Retrieval is required in order to download the information. Routes taken on each night are shown separately and the retrieved tags are already informing on areas used, extending all the way to the coast and will help protect areas important for the Nightjars when the planning for extension of reedbeds is finalised.

All necessary endorsements to conduct this GPS tag fitting work held.

Norfolk Rivers Trust - Ingoldisthorpe 30th June 2025

 A restricted session due to the presence of a schedule 1 species, known to be nesting on site. We got just 4 nets up, away from the nest site to avoid creating any disturbance. The ringing of birds at this time of year is unusual here, but was undertaken to support sampling work on a variety of mainly warbler species in the county of Norfolk, looking for evidence of ongoing or past viral infections including Usutu virus, that are now found in some UK bird populations. The sampling process added no more than a few additional minutes before the birds could be released as usual.

Usutu virus is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito and has been found, in very rare cases, to affect humans presumably following a bite from an infected insect.

A total of 22 birds were captured with 13 of these suitable for sampling. We started early and had nets down by 10:30am to avoid the warmer hours of the day.

Age 6 Woodpigeon (sampling of Wood Pigeon 

not within the study remit)

Total: 15 (7)

Blackcap - 5 (1)
Chiffchaff - 4 (1)
Reed Bunting - 0 (1)
Reed Warbler - 1 (1)
Sedge Warbler - 3 (1)
Song Thrush - 0 (1)
Wood Pigeon - 1
Wren - 1 (1)

Blakeney Point - 28th & 29th June 2025

 It continues to be a busy time as young birds edge closer to fledging. 6 young Oystercatchers ringed and marked with darvics on the point, courtesy of EMS & BIB .

Stock image taken on Blakeney Point 2024

Total:8

Oystercatcher - 8