Sculthorpe Moor - 14th September 2026

 A session with a real flavour of early autumn. Playing for departing summer migrants resulted in just singles of Reed Warbler and Blackcap. There were 10 Chiffchaffs and strangely 4 of these were adult birds, whereas other species captured tended to be weighted heavily towards many more young than adults.

Our nets connected with three roving feeding flocks, resulting in an awful lot of Blue Tits on the record sheet, the last flock being the largest with more than 40 birds! 

We were fortunate to have DW with us. Having achieved his C for Barn Owls at the start of the year, and helped with one of our seabird days in the summer, he now hopes to diversify and train to do passerines with us.

Cetti's Warbler

Treecreeper juvenile

Total: 66 (7)

Blackcap - 1
Blue Tit - 41 (4)
Cetti's Warbler - 1
Chiffchaff - 9 (1) 
Dunnock - 1
Great Tit - 7 (1)
Marsh Tit - 0 (1)
Reed Bunting - 1
Reed Warbler - 1
Robin - 2
Treecreeper - 1
Wren - 1

Dersingham Bog - 12th September 2026

 We wanted an early start as the wind was due to get up by 11am, and despite struggles with a 3 panel net ( not one of our Merlin nets) bought about 13 years ago and never before used, that had one shelf string about four feet shorter than the others, that actually had two other broken lines already broken as it came fresh out of the bag, we soon got that back in the bag and used another net, then actually did quite well. 

Our main target was Stonechats, that we mark using red darvic rings with white print, and got seven. There were also a number of Linnets and Meadow Pipits.

Male Stonechat

Total: 23

Chiffchaff - 2
Linnet - 5
Meadow Pipit - 8
Robin - 1
Stonechat - 7

Morston - 10th September 2026

 There was very much a feeling that autumn is here as we set up the nets. The wind was low enough for netting, but there was a real chill to it as the wind strengthen towards the later part of the morning and circa 35 Pink-footed Geese heading along the coast confirmed the autumnal feel.

We got two full length doubles up, with an additional 18m and two 12m 2 panels over the stream. It turned into a morning of applying darvic rings with 9 Reed Buntings and 5 Stonechats marked for their respective schemes from the 34 captures.

Male Stonechat

Reed Bunting

Linnet

Willow Warbler

Total: 34

Blackcap - 5
Blue Tit - 5
Chiffchaff - 1
Dunnock - 3
Linnet - 1
Reed Bunting - 9
Robin - 1
Stonechat - 5
Whitethroat - 3
Willow Warbler - 1 

Morston - 7th September 2026

 A breezy morning, but the purpose was mainly to strim around a few rides after the farmer had cut the main areas with his heavy duty equipment. We got two doubles up with a single two panel over the ditch.

We ended on 23 birds of 8 species as we had singles of Reed Warbler, Reed Bunting and Swallow that we hadn't really expected. Leading species was Whitethroat followed by Dunnock.

Adult Whitethroat

Juvenile Swallow

View across to Blakeney Point

Total: 22 (1)

Blackcap - 3
Chiffchaff - 2
Dunnock - 5
Reed Bunting - 1
Reed Warbler - 1
Swallow - 1
Whitethroat - 7 (1)
Wren - 2

Sculthorpe Moor - 6th September 2026

Only 16 birds for 6 hours on site, with the added factor of a couple of rain showers that we were able to work around, thanks to the radar feature on Ventusky. Nothing had been showing, on the same weather app, for precipitation. The wind had sufficiently strengthened to make us start taking down by 11am.

We didn't get the numbers of Chiffchaffs that we'd hoped for, but surprisingly got a juvenile Grasshopper Warbler with a lot of body feathers still in pin, and a Treecreeper from the middle of the reeds.

Juvenile Grasshopper Warbler

Juvenile Treecreeper

Total: 14 (2)

Blackcap - 4
Blue Tit - 1
Chiffchaff - 6 (1)
Grasshopper Warbler - 1
Treecreeper - 1
Wren - 1 (1)

Salthouse Garden - 1st September 2026

A little breezier than we would have liked, but with the recent fall of migrants on the North Norfolk coast  how could a ringer not give it a go. Today we exceeded our total from two days ago finishing on 80 birds captured. That included a retrapped and new Pied Flycatcher and a Garden Warbler. Our sites rarely give us the opportunity to catch Garden Warbler so we are in the curious and rather unexpected position of having more Pied flycatchers in the records for 2026 than Garden Warblers. 

As is often the case at this site, there were rather too many Blue Tits, but the price we have to pay for the chance of migrants navigating the coast on their way south.

Juvenile Garden Warbler

Juvenile Pied Flycatcher

3M Blackcap

Age 3 Robin showing two rather nice OGCs

Total: 74 (6)

Blackcap - 13
Blue Tit - 33 (4)
Chiffchaff - 9
Coal Tit - 1
Dunnock - 2
Garden Warbler - 1
Great Tit - 7 (1)
Pied Flycatcher - 1 (1)
Robin - 5
Whitethroat - 2

Salthouse Garden - 30th August 2026

 A second try near the coast after autumn migrants had been seen, went rather better than the previous day and much better than we expected. We managed 56 birds, and rather too many were Blue Tits, but we were very pleased to capture 3 Pied Flycatchers. They each appeared in different nets and at least two of the three were certainly heading East. We saw a fourth un-ringed PIEFL as we packed up so it seemed that the birds seen further West over the past few days are steadily making their way along the coast, slightly inland.

The first Pied Flycatcher that's been caught at an Iceni BMG site.

We've not caught a Piedfly since we last ringed in Cyprus a few years ago, 

so the reference books were useful.

4M Pied Flycatcher

3F Pied Flycatcher

Juvenile Lesser Whitethroat

Total: 54 (2)

Blackcap - 10
Blue Tit - 27 (1)
Chiffchaff - 7
Great Tit - 2
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 1
Pied Flycatcher - 3
Robin - 1 (1)
Wren - 2