Deepdale Farm & Sculthorpe Moor - 30th October 2026

 The second day of a short spell of calm weather started with sunrise in the Deepdale marsh fields. We watched three Barn Owls quarter the fields as we put up a five net configuration for Pipits. There were also two singles through a hedge for other passerines moving through the site.

Adult male Kestrel

Control Meadow Pipit

The Pipits came in and we caught a good number for this site including a control. Unexpected was when Chris went to extract one Pipit, almost on top of the net he flushed a late Quail, that whirled off in the wrong direction away from the net. Most unexpected capture was a control Kestrel. We added a darvic code and await details. We do know that it was ringed in January 2024, so was not done as a pullus. There were a few Tits and Crests from the hedge nets, including two two year old Goldcrest retraps of our own birds. A Great White Egret was feeding in the ditch close to the Pipit nets, but never flew in the direction of our nets

After lunch we moved on to Sculthorpe for a roost catch. This is the first time for roosting winter species and Reed Bunting was the primary target. We set up a couple of singles and began watching the number of birds moving about on the reed heads. It was a good catch and there were none that had been ringed in previous years amongst the Buntings, which was a little unexpected.

The day ended with a sunset over the marsh, so a rare day with almost dawn to dusk ringing via the Nest Cafe at Deepdale midday, and over 100 birds across the two sites.

Deepdale Farm

Total: 37 (5)

Blackbird - 2
Blue Tit - 9
Goldcrest - 4 (3)
Great Tit - 2
Kestrel - 0 (1)
Long-tailed Tit - 1
Meadow Pipit - 16 (1)
Robin - 1
Wren - 2

Sculthorpe Moor

Total: 59 (2)

Blue Tit - 13 (1)
Cetti's Warbler - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 2 (1)
Reed Bunting - 41
Wren - 2

Dersingham Bog - 29th October 2026

Todays visit was with the main intention of adding more Stonechats to the project so we set up in an area where previously there had been a group of c 8, but today none, with only the odd one or two coming near to us and moved on quickly. We did set up for hopefully a few passing migrants, but it wasn't a movement day, well it wasn't at this location, though we did manage a few Meadow Pipits and a single early Redwing, along with a few other bits and pieces to make up 34 birds for the morning.

Greenfinch

 

Meadow Pipit

Total 33 (1):

Blackbird - 1

Blue Tit - 10
Goldcrest - 3 (1)
Greenfinch - 4

Meadow Pipit - 8

Redwing - 1

Robin - 1

Wren - 4

Salthouse Garden - 26th October 2026

 There was only a small window of opportunity after storms Austen and Boelo, before more rain in the late morning and windier conditions over night. We were on site for 6am and got 5 nets up with the intention of getting everything in before the rain.

It turned out to be worthwhile as we got a Blackcap and Chiffchaff as well as a few of the Thrushes and Finches that were freshly in. We caught a Redpoll that we immediately identified as Mealy under the criteria before all were lumped together due to no differentiation via DNA analysis.

This pale bird had a wing of 76mm and weight of 13.8g despite having no fat reserves.

Leading species was Blue Tit, but individuals of Redpoll, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Woodpigeon helped push the species tally up to 14.

We started getting nets in at 10ish and were off site by 11:10am

Total: 38 (4)

Blackbird - 2
Blackcap - 1
Blue Tit - 8 (1)
Chaffinch - 4
Chiffchaff - 1
Dunnock - 3 (1)
Goldcrest - 2
Great Tit - 4
Long-tailed Tit - 4 (1)
Mealy Redpoll- 1
Robin - 3
Song Thrush - 2
Woodpigeon - 1
Wren - 2 (1)

Burnham Deepdale - 21st October 2026

 With bad weather setting in for a few days, we decided to return to Deepdale to try for migrating Blackbirds, Robins and thrushes. Last evening had looked promising on https://vogelradar.com/
with signatures of birds shown coming from Scandinavia and in the channel off the coast of France and the Netherlands.

As we drove to the site we saw a couple of tired Woodcock in the headlights, one being on the track up to where we were to set nets.

The initial catch was okay with Blackbirds caught in the nets across the track. It was clear, however that we were catching birds that had arrived over night and there were very few currently arriving. We didn't see many Redwings. There were a few White-fronted Geese overhead and a Barn Owl was also seen.

Female Blackbird

Juvenile Treecreeper

Individual variation between two Robins. The bird on the right

looked lighter in colouration, particularly the legs.

Total: 23

Blackbird - 11
Blue Tit - 1
Dunnock - 1
Goldcrest - 1
Redwing - 1
Robin - 5
Song Thrush - 1
Treecreeper - 1
Wren - 1

Burnham Deepdale - 19th October 2026

 There were 16 captures at the farm this morning. Of the few Blackbirds and Redwings arriving we managed to get a few, but not many Robins although there had clearly been a recent arrival.

Bird of the day was a juvenile male Sparrowhawk.

3M Sparrowhawk

Age 3 Redwing

Total: 13 (3)

Blackbird - 3 (1)
Bluetit - 1
Dunnock - 0 (1)
Goldcrest - 2
Great Tit - 1
Redwing - 3
Robin - 1
Sparrowhawk - 1
Wren - 1

Morston - 14th October 2026

 After a couple of weeks of being able to just drop nets the setting up was a chore, and for only 12 birds. There wasn't a great deal about and with the exception of Reed Bunting we might have caught any of these species in the garden.

3M Reed Bunting fitted with darvic for the project.

Total: 10 (2)

Blackbird - 1
Blue Tit - 3 (1)
Chiffchaff - 1
Dunnock - 2 (1)
Reed Bunting - 1
Robin - 1
Wren - 1

Grey-cheeked Thrush - Easter Quarff, Shetland 10th October 2026

 It's not often that we find a national rarity so I thought this sighting deserved a blog post of its own. Chris and I made one last stop at Easter Quarff on October 10th.It was the first time we had visited the site and we really liked the line of willows with water running through them as we viewed from a very muddy farm track. On the walk up we had seen two Blackcaps in the trees, with little else to show for our efforts.

It was almost time to leave for the ferry, so we started walking back towards the car. Chris noticed a bird out on the track some way ahead of us but it flicked into the willows. We moved up and began looking for the bird. Chris's first thought was that it wasn't a Robin as it was too big, then Nightingale was discounted. As it hopped up briefly onto a branch we both knew we had an American vagrant, but which thrush.

Chris began working through the possible species and I tried to capture a record shot not focused on any twigs or grass in front of the bird. Veery, Wood and Hermit Thrush were ruled out but we weren't 100% certain exactly what it was. We had only seen it in shade and partly obscured. but we had less than an hour to get to the boat and hopefully get others there to avoid the bird being lost. We hadn't had good views, certainly not as good as those that saw it the following day and got terrific photos, but with time so short we put it out anyway, after all, some of those leaving on our ferry may get a chance to see it and it was getting towards the end of the day with the light failing. It was put out as a probable Swainson's Thrush and then we set about relocating it as it had flown upstream. 

We were checking the time and hoping the parking would be sensible and not stop us getting away. A few people arrived and managed to get on to the bird and Grey-cheeked Thrush was suggested. At about that time we had to leave with people still arriving. 

Later, while on the ferry, it seemed that a few people had managed a glimpse, with the last sighting being about 18:10. On getting a chance to review my photos with photographic ID guides we also agreed that it was a Grey-cheeked Thrush, so not new for our UK list as we'd seen one on Scillies in the 80s. This became the 12 record for Shetland, with over half of those having been seen on Fair Isle.

My images and our views were as follows -

   

While people that saw it in the following days (after we had departed Shetland) achieved photos like this. Can't say that I'm not the least bit jealous!

Image by Penny Clarke

Image by Hugh Harrop