Long-tailed Shrike, Gloucestershire - 20th July 2026

 This bird being somewhat closer than the one that turned up in Fife a short while ago, we decided to go and see it. The heat haze was bad but the bird showed well and the farmer had allowed parking in a nearby field making life in the narrow lanes around the site much easier. With a mainly well behaved group hoping to see it (just the usual few photographers that had to push on closer as usual) it was one of the more civilised twitches we've been at.

Then a little while looking for damselflies and butterflies before the drive back.

Deepdale Farm - 16th July 2026

 An evening try hoping to catch Quail, between the arable fields, as staff had reported seeing them. Unfortunately we saw, heard or caught none so had to be content with the 12 passerines that we caught in what is probably the best 18m net at Hilly Piece. The birds make their way along the hedgerows then cross to the hill, cutting the corner and if we're lucky end up in this net.

After the toils of the breeding season, summer migrant birds, including this Whitethroat, tend not to look

their best as they moult in advance of the migration southwards.

Primary feathers in the process of being renewed, 4332100000

Lesser Whitethroat adult female in body moult

Total: 12

Blackcap - 3
Chiffchaff - 1
Great Tit - 1
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Whitethroat -4
Wren - 2

Blakeney Point - 11th July 2026

 This morning we joined the warden and staff at Blakeney Point hoping to find Little Terns, Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover chicks suitable for becoming part of three separate projects.

We only got a single Little Tern as the the chicks that we were targeting had actually fledged just before our efforts. Two Oystercatchers received codes with a third only large enough to take a metal ring. Three well grown Ringed Plover chicks became the first colour marked birds that Blakeney Point staff have been able to add to a joint project with the RSPB/NOA.

There may be more Little Terns darviced  over the 

coming days, but for now this is the only one.

Looking for chicks

Total: 7

Little Tern - 1
Oystercatcher - 3
Ringed Plover - 3

Deepdale Farm - 9th July 2026

 This was an early morning visit to trim back the bramble and waist height strands of grass. We had thought that the paths would be kept quite clear by the badgers that move through here, but the rabbits have not been keeping the rides short and some attention was needed especially after the bright sunshine.

CL got to work with the strimmer and I had a single 18m net up. I was fortunate and the net connected with two  mixed flocks of birds moving through, unexpected but one of the benefits of studying a site and knowing how the birds tend to move through. Net opened 8:45am and closed 10:30am.

Juvenile Lesser Whitethroat

Total: 23 (3)

Blackcap - 7 (1)
Blue Tit - 2
Chiffchaff - 3
Goldcrest - 2
Great Tit - 2
Lesser Whitethroat - 1
Whitethroat - 4 (2)
Wren - 2

Norfolk Rivers Trust, Ingoldisthorpe - 8th July 2026

 We arrived at about 5.30pm, ready to get three doubles up in preparation for when the temperature would drop later. The first thing to happen was an observation of one of the juvenile Marsh harriers wing tagged close by. There were other untagged young birds hunting over the fields and a second nest, possibly serviced by the same male, clearly wasn't far away.

The farmer had cut the vegetation around the lagoons and it was easy work getting the nets up. We started catching shortly after 6pm with quite a few Acros including some Reed Warblers from previous years with two from 2023 and three from 2024. We've not worked this site in the evening before and were surprised to see good numbers of Pied Wagtails roosting in the two lagoons either side of one of our nets. Later, Swallow numbers started to build up and they also dropped in to roost in the reeds in good numbers.

Male Pied Wagtail

Cetti's Warbler

Juvenile Swallow

Whitethroat

Total: 47 (6)

Blackbird - 1
Blackcap - 7
Cetti's Warbler - 1
Dunnock - 1
Greenfinch - 2
Pied Wagtail - 2
Reed Warbler - 4 (6)
Sedge Warbler - 4
Sand Martin - 1
Swallow - 22
Whitethroat - 2

Scolt Head - 8th July 2026

 We started the day with a boat trip over to Scolt. There were three Oystercatcher chicks that had reached a decent size and they needed darvic rings. The survival rate of Oystercatchers is causing concern and the colour ringing is a pre-curser to the radio tracking of chicks from hatching due to start next year.

We did better than expected and marked 4 youngsters with a fifth only large enough to take a metal ring. A chick marked on the 25th June was also observed. The hope is that these later broods will have a better chance of survival now that the local harriers and kites are no longer feeding chicks in the nest.

This area on Scolt Head shows the tell tale patches of feathers where 

avian predators pluck prey before returning to the nest.

Colonies of gulls and terns once discovered are regarded as an open buffet 

and other species also suffer from the sustained attention.

Total: 5 (1)

Oystercatcher - 5 (1)

Dersingham Bog - 7th July 2026

 We tried the bog in the cool of the evening in hopes of contributing to the Nightjar feeding routes project using tail mounted trackers, but found we were unable to capture the target female and had to be content with a couple of birds from the double we'd erected for Stonechat in the hour or so before they go to roost.

We managed a single juvenile Stonechat that was marked for the darvic marking project and also a male Nightjar.

Total: 2

Stonechat - 1
Nightjar - 1