The Little Owls would probably be fledged by the time we go back for the Barn Owls so we took a trip down this afternoon.
Both adults were in the box, and 4 eggs had failed to hatch, but there was at least one healthy, decently sized owlet.
We were on site for 05:30am to find the weather forecast had been overly optimistic and it was windier than expected. We kept nets up until 11am and finished on 18 birds of only 4 species.
We thought there may have been Sedge Warblers going through as we seemed to catch rather a lot considering the habitat is not really suitable for breeding. A bird carrying fat score 2 seemed to add weight to that idea.
Total: 14 (4)
Dunnock - 0 (1)
Sedge Warbler - 7 (1)
Whitethroat - 6 (1)
Wren - 1 (1)
We then checked out some local owl boxes, finding no Barn Owls, but ringing a couple of Jackdaw young from one box, and a brood of 10 Blue Tits from a tit box fitted to the wall of the barn.
To the sight and sound of Cuckoos overhead, CL, DKL and OHK worked the beavers' enclosure this morning. There were 20 birds all told, and we were pleased to retrap a Grasshopper Warbler from last year. It got even better when a Spanish Sedge Warbler was controlled, and considering it's possible to go an entire year without a foreign control, could hardly believe it when a second foreign ring, also on a Sedge Warbler was read. The second bird was ringed under a Moroccan scheme, an extremely good record for Norfolk as few birds ringed under that scheme have been controlled in the UK. Up until 2024 there had only been 6 Sedge Warblers captured, with rings from the Moroccan scheme, in the UK.
Total: 11 (9)
Blackbird - 1
Blackcap - 1
Blue Tit - 0 (1)
Grasshopper Warbler - (1)
Great Tit - 1 (1)
Jay - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 0 (1)
Reed Bunting - 1
Reed Warbler - 1
Robin - 1 (1)
Sedge Warbler - 2 (3 including Spanish and Moroccan ringed birds)
Wren - 2 (1)
On the last chance to get out before a spell of poor weather we managed 22 birds, including 7 retraps, a couple being their third year of capture.
The male Barn owl was hunting but disappeared quite quickly as he was successful within 2 minutes of turning up, and after sitting in the trees by our base for a short while, set off, presumably for one of the boxes on the farm, with the vole that he'd caught.
Total: 15 (7)
Blackcap - 4
Cetti's Warbler - 0 (1)
Chiffchaff - 2 (1)
Reed Warbler - 3 (2)
Sedge Warbler - 3 (1)
Song Thrush - 1
Whitethroat - 2 (1)
Wren - 0 (1)
Finally possible to get out following my operation we started with a small and relatively easy site. We put up 5 nets and managed 23 birds.
We had fewer retraps than expected and the Whitethroats were a bit of a surprise as they have usually used the field next to us, but that has no bird seed crop currently probably explaining the switch to nettles and brambles for feeding areas.
Total: 17 (6)
Blackcap - 3
Blue Tit - 1 (1)
Chiffchaff - 0 (3)
Dunnock - 0 (2)
Lesser Whitethroat - 3
Long-tailed Tit - 1
Whitethroat - 7
Wren - 2
A windy return to Deepdale after the Whitethroats heard at Morston yesterday promised the chance of more Whitethroats at Hilly Piece. Unfortunately the site didn't deliver and there was only a single of that species captured. We did rather better for Blackcaps with several singing when we arrived, but moving on before long. The record sheet tells the tale with only 2 birds ringed after 9:20am.
Total: 12 (5)
Blackcap - 8
Blue Tit - 0 (1)
Chiffchaff - 1 (2)
Dunnock - 0 (1)
Song Thrush - 1
Whitethroat - 1
Wren - 1 (1)
We're trying to make the most of these mornings with decent weather so made a first trip out to Morston this year. We arrived to hear quite a lot of Whitethroat song and managed to catch the first few for the year, although the only bird caught after 08:30am was a Wren from last year.
Total: 12 (1)
Blackbird - 1
Blackcap - 1
Blue Tit - 1
Dunnock - 2
Sedge Warbler - 1
Song Thrush - 1
Whitethroat - 4
Wren - 1 (1)