Sculthorpe Moor - 4th September 2024

 

Forty one birds this morning of ten species. The summer migrants continue to reduce in the main with just one Blackcap and no Acrocephalous warblers at all. We are still getting some Chiffchaffs through and three Willow Warbler was the most in one morning all year.

Adult Willow Warbler

We caught two finches, both young males, but the Chaffinch had completed much more of its post juvenile moult than the Bullfinch.

3M Chaffinch

3M Bullfinch

Wrens seem to be bouncing back after their bad winter of 22/23 and Willow Warbler, although present and heard in a few different locations, are not responsive to audio lure.

Total: 32 (9)

Bullfinch - 1
Blackbird - 0 (1)
Blackcap - 1
Blue Tit - 1 (1)
Chaffinch - 1
Chiffchaff - 10 (2)
Great Tit - 5 (3)
Robin - 2
Willow Warbler - 3
Wren - 8 (2) 

Deepdale Farm - 2nd September 2024

 After a weekend that's been windy, especially on the coast, we were tempted to get a short session in at Deepdale, our site closest to the sea, after a fall of migrants all along the coast on the previous evening. CL had been out birding and seen Redstart, Wheatear, Pied and Spotted Flycatcher and Whinchat so despite the wind being set to get up before long got 4 nets up on Hilly piece, and waited.

The first three birds out were a Willow Warbler and two Lesser Whitethroats, quality species and no doubt there due to the conditions that had caused the 'fall' on the 1st. As expected the wind got up very quickly and the nets were wind affected by 8:30am. We were packed up by 10am with only 8 birds but glad to have given it a try, despite the lack of any Redstarts or flycatchers.

One of two juvenile Lesser Whitethroats

An interesting fact about the Lesser Whitethroat is that it does not use the East Atlantic Flyway migration route, that extends from the Arctic Circle via Western Europe to Southern Africa, used by most UK summer passerines. The Lesser Whitethroat instead flies to Italy and then heads east to its East African wintering grounds, where it stays in a habitat very similar to that used by other UK migrants south of the Sahara.

Juvenile Willow Warbler

Total: 8

Chiffchaff - 1
Dunnock - 2
Lesser Whitethroat - 2
Robin - 1
Willow Warbler - 1

Norfolk Rivers Trust, Ingoldisthorpe - 30th August 2024

 With fewer and fewer migrants about now we went to the filter lagoons for what may be one of our last summer sessions. It turned out to be a good decision as we caught 4 new species for the site, giving a distinctly autumnal feel to the session despite the warm sunshine.

Juvenile Cetti's Warbler

We have always thought it strange that we have never heard Cetti's Warbler at the site. It does not seem likely that this bird was bred here, but if it stays and we recatch it, then we'll know that we were correct about this being a good site for what they need.

Age 3 female Sparrowhawk.

We hadn't even seen this bird before it turned up in a net. Juvenile female, possibly in the area following flocks of passerines moving through.

Juvenile male Grey Wagtail, captured in the net across the stream.

New species number 4,  a couple of young Greenfinch were attracted from a small flock that were seen in the tall trees between the track and lagoons.

3 male Greenfinch

A very worthwhile session, some nice records of species not caught here before, a few summer migrant species, Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Chiffchaff and Whitethroat included and some adults well into their primary moult.

The team for today was CL, DKL, DKH & FB.

Total: 38 (1)

Blackcap - 11
Blue Tit - 2
Cetti's Warbler - 1
Chiffchaff - 10
Coal Tit - 1
Dunnock - 1
Greenfinch - 2
Grey Wagtail - 1
Reed Warbler - 5
Song Thrush - 1
Sparrowhawk - 1
Whitethroat - 1
Wren - 1

Sculthorpe Moor - 28th August 2024

 Still a few migrants around as six hours in the field resulted in a catch of 39 birds. The Sedge Warblers have finished moving through now and only three Reed Warblers were caught by our efforts in the reedbed. We managed to attract some Chiffchaffs and a few Blackcaps, including an adult in primary moult that was ringed by us in May 2023.

Juvenile Chiffchaff

Adult male Blackcap ANZ9706, ringed as adult May 2023,

 well into main moult. Primary 5555554332 and replacement of some 

adult type retrices.

Juvenile Reed Warbler

We managed 11 species, boosted by singles of Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Treecreeper.

Male Great Spotted Woodpecker in main moult

Totals: 36 (3)

Blackcap - 5 (1)
Blue Tit - 6
Chiffchaff - 8 (1)
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 1
Great Tit - 6
Long-tailed Tit - 2
Nuthatch - 1
Reed Warbler - 3
Robin - 1
Treecreeper - 0 (1)
Wren - 3

Norfolk Rivers Trust, Baconsthorpe - 18/08/2024

 A total of 41 birds on the record sheet today, with Wren very nearly coming in as leading species, but not quite due to one more Blue Tit. There were no large feeding flocks connecting with the nets in the beavers' enclosure so not a bad total although there were only 5 summer migrants in the mornings catch, there were plenty of resident species young birds that have been bred locally.  

Green Sandpiper and Kingfisher were both heard from the adjacent fishing pond.

One of 3 young Chiffchaff caught today

Total: 41

Blackbird - 3
Blackcap - 2
Blue Tit - 10
Chiffchaff - 3
Dunnock - 2
Goldcrest - 5
Great Tit - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 1
Robin - 4
Song Thrush - 1
Wren - 9

Barn Owls - 17th August 2024

 A few call backs where there were eggs in early July and we may have some later chicks to ring now. We visited 8 boxes finding 5 either empty or with cold eggs. However, one box where we'd missed the first brood that had already fledged had three good sized young to ring.

 

We also ringed a rather hefty adult female and retrapped one of our chicks from last year that had travelled a short distance from where it was hatched.

1st summer female

Total:4 (1)

Adult -1 (1)
Pulli - 3

Deepdale Farm - 16th August 2024

 A chilly blow from the   north brought temperatures down first thing and limited us from one of the usual rides due to being wind affected. We still got 7 nets up and caught 21 birds for one of our summer holiday bird demos. Visitors were able to see eight species including Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap and Robin and enjoyed the morning.

Willow Warbler

Total: 21

Blackbird - 1
Blackcap - 7
Chiffchaff - 1
Goldfinch - 1
Great Tit - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 2
Robin - 2
Whitethroat - 3
Willow Warbler - 1
Wren - 2

Sculthorpe Moor - 14th August 2024

 The track through the reedbed was finally dry enough to have been cut and this made setting the nets so much easier. We started off rather slowly although a small flock of Chaffinch, all in their first year, was a bit of a novelty for this time of year. By 10:30am it looked as though we might get up to 40 birds, then we had the first incidence of Chiffchaffs connecting with one of the double nets where we had been playing for Long-tailed Tit. They brought a Willow Warbler with them, only our 5th this year. 

Willow Warbler

On the next round we had a similar number of birds, in the same net, again!

Sedge Warbler

Reed Warbler

    3M Chaffinch

Juvenile Chiffchaff

Getting a good few birds when we were thinking of starting to pack up set us back a little and we didn't get off site until 2:00pm, but it was great to get a decent catch. Only the second time we've got onto a second sheet this summer, we finished on 88 birds with over half Chiffchaff.

Total: 82 (6)

Blue Tit - 10 (2)
Chaffinch - 6
Chiffchaff - 47 (2)
Great Tit - 1 (1)
Long-tailed Tit - 4
Reed Warbler - 3
Sedge Warbler - 3 (1)
Willow Warbler - 1
Whitethroat - 6
Wren - 1

Norfolk Rivers Trust, Ingoldisthorpe - 11th August 2024

 A total catch of 44 birds with Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff and Blackcap the only migrants. Only with a late flock of Long-tailed Tits was the catch swelled to a reasonable number for this date in August when autumn migration is well under way. Team of CL, DKL, OHK, KL.

3MP Blackcap

Total: 38 (6)

Blackcap - 2
Blue Tit - 3
Chiffchaff - 3
Dunnock - 1 (1)
Goldcrest - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 16
Reed Warbler - 8 (4)
Wren - 4

Sculthorpe Moor - 4th August 2024

 12 species at the beaver enclosure today as rather a lot of tits brought the total up to 49 new and 6 retraps. Migrant warblers were a little thin on the ground with only one Blackcap, 3 Whitethroat and 3 new Reed Warbler.

The conditions under foot continue to become increasingly wet as the beavers further extend and deepen their aquatic living areas.

Juvenile Whitethroat.

Juvenile Marsh Tit with darvic 19.

Total: 45 (6)

Blackbird - 1
Blackcap - 1
Blue Tit - 14 (3)
Chiffchaff - 5 (1)
Great Tit - 11
Long-tailed Tit - 4
Marsh Tit - 1 (1) 
Reed Warbler - 3 (1)
Robin - 2
Treecreeper - 1
Whitethroat - 3
Wren - 3

Wet areas either side of the track, that used to be completely dry, have now become 

connected and the track is permanently wet.

Here the beavers have dug a trench across the track to flood a previously dry, 

wooded area from one of the drainage ditches.

Increased water level in the ditch and flooding extending into the trees.

Dersingham Bog - 3rd August 2024

 Ringing efforts on Nightjars are progressing well, despite the unusual year they are having and the late start we made on Nightjar ringing. Another pair of young ringed this morning bringing the total to 6 pulli ringed, 4 of which are now fledged with the other pair only a week or so from taking to the wing. Four adults have also been ringed. It has been difficult to relocate known nests, but we're refining the system for a smoother process next year when we start our efforts to establish Nightjar feeding areas away from the natal grounds.

Female and chicks, courtesy of PWL

Courtesy of PWL

All ringing and monitoring activities conducted under licence. Joint project with Natural England to safeguard Nightjar feeding grounds.

Total: 2

Nightjar pulli - 2

Norfolk Rivers Trust, Ingoldisthorpe - 2nd August 2024

 An outing with DKH to the lagoons at Ingoldisthorpe brought data from 35 new and 6 retrapped birds. Leading species was Reed Warbler, way out in front with 17 new and 4 retrapped birds. Trailing a long way behind in second was Chiffchaff with 4 new birds and no other species achieved more than 3 birds caught. 12 species was a good spread of species including several singles that included Blackcap and Sedge Warbler ( they really do seem to be well on their way), Blackbird, Goldfinch, Wood Pigeon and the first Yellowhammer for the site.

Adult Reed Warbler

Adult Sedge Warbler

Juvenile Wood Pigeon

Juvenile Yellowhammer

Total: 35 (6)

Blackbird - 1
Blackcap - 1
Blue Tit - 2 (1)
Chiffchaff - 4
Dunnock - 2
Goldfinch - 1
Reed Warbler - 17 (4)
Sedge Warbler - 1
Robin - 2 (1)
Wood Pigeon - 1
Wren - 2
Yellowhammer - 1

Deepdale Farm - 31st July 2024

 The first of two demonstrations organised for the summer holiday period at Deepdale Farm. The weather held and didn't become too windy until the visitors had gone. Most nets benefitted from a degree of shade and this helped to stop birds noticing nets in the bright conditions.

Seventeen birds were captured giving a nice smattering of species for our attendees to see. Only five birds were adult and of those three had already started main primary moult.

4F Whitethroat in main moult '2110000000'

The summer seems to have barely started and already summer migrants are preparing to leave.

This Whitethroat still had a brood patch of code 4 and has begun to moult out her primary feathers, P10 just starting to grow, P9 and P8 still in pin and P7 to P10 not yet dropped. Signs of body moult across the nape.

Totals: 16 (1)

Blackbird - 1
Blackcap - 2
Blue Tit - 2
Chiffchaff - 1 (1)
Coal Tit - 1
Dunnock - 2
Great Tit - 2
Whitethroat - 1
Wren - 4 

Norfolk Rivers Trust - Baconsthorpe - 28th July 2024

 A bit of a struggle with rampant vegetation growth, coupled with noise and dust from harvesting happening in the adjacent fields ended with just 21 new birds from the seven nets that we got up. There was a handful of migrants and singles of Goldcrest and Treecreeper, fresh enough not to have moved far from their natal grounds.

3JP Treecreeper

Total: 21

Blackbird - 1
Blackcap -  5
Blue Tit - 6
Chiffchaff - 1
Dunnock - 1
Goldcrest - 1
Great Tit - 1
Robin - 1
Treecreeper - 1
Wren - 3

 

Sculthorpe Moor Reed-bed, 26th July 2024

 The plan to work area A for July ended abruptly when the reeds were found to have grown so high, and the track completely overgrown so as to make ringing at best very difficult and at worst irresponsible as there was no way, without extreme gardening, to ensure that birds in the net did not become too wet in the net. We hauled the kit back to the car and relocated to the area where we had ringed on Wednesday evening since the beavers have been busy in the enclosure with a new ditch dug across the access path. That would be left until the due date came around.

Considering the late start and rather windy conditions it wasn't too shabby with 19 birds processed including 2 Cetti's Warbler juveniles. All the other birds with the exception of a Reed Bunting were summer migrants.

One of two juvenile Cetti's Warblers

Totals: 16 (3)

Blackcap - 1
Cetti's Warbler - 2
Reed Bunting - 1
Reed Warbler - 6 (1)
Sedge Warbler - 5 (2)
Whitethroat - 1

Dersingham Bog - 23rd July 2024

 A visit to the bog in preparation for a study that we hope to be able to start in earnest next year. For the time being we continue to mark adult and young birds with a metal ring only, gathering data on the species until tags to collect data on their feeding forays are available.

After a poor start to the breeding season the situation seems to be improving with 3 young known to have fledged and four each of young and adults ringed to date.

Looking forward to working with Natural England staff, jointly collecting information that will potentially inform on what feeding habitats should be developed beyond the natal grounds at this site and others within the UK and beyond. 

Male Nightjar, aged 6, 23/07/2024 - images taken by GC for ongoing European project.

The purpose is to collect precise measurements of white markings on P1,P2,P3 and R4, R5.

All ringing and monitoring activities conducted under BTO licence.

Total: 4

Nightjar adult - Male and Female
Nightjar pulli - 2

Sculthorpe Moor Reed-bed - 24th July 2024

 We've been wanting to try for a roost at the Hawk & Owl Trust for a while and had chosen this date as rain was not in the forecast. The forecast turned out to be a little optimistic and we walked to the site in the rain, with the hope that the grey clouds would pass and a little ringing possible. We were able to drop nets (just 3 18ms) at about 19:30. We caught quite well and there were a few birds for new trainee KL to start learning extraction and handling techniques on. Of the 22 birds in all, most were Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler and Reed Warbler, one adult Reed Warbler being well prepared for departure having a fat score of 2 and muscle score of 3. We also captured the first Sand Martin and Pied Wagtail not only at Sculthorpe but also for Iceni Bird Monitoring Group. 

Adult Pied Wagtail

Image quality is poor as flash is not used to avoid dazzling the bird prior to release.

Total: 22

Pied Wagtail - 1
Reed Bunting - 6
Reed Warbler - 9
Sand Martin - 1
Sedge Warbler - 5

Norfolk Rivers Trust, Ingoldisthorpe - 19th July 2024

 After weeks of rain and wind the weather improves, then it's no time at all before temperatures are predicted to reach 30 degrees. We started at six and from 8 nets managed 66 birds between the three of us, CL, DKL & DKH. Nets were down just before midday to avoid the worst of the heat. Leading species was Chiffchaff with 23 new birds all hatched this year., and least expected bird a juvenile Goldcrest.

Adult Reed Warbler

Juvenile Goldcrest

Totals: 62 (4)

Blackcap - 10
Blue Tit - 6
Chiffchaff - 23
Dunnock - 1
Goldcrest - 1
Great Tit - 1
Reed Warbler - 9 (3)
Robin - 0 (1)
Sedge Warbler - 5
Wren - 6

Little Terns, Blakeney Point, Norfolk - 19th July 2024

 We are very sad to report that the Little Tern Colony at Blakeney Point has failed this year. After a difficult start with birds on eggs later than usual due to increment weather, there was then sustained attention from a male Kestrel flying in from the direction of Morston taking  a few chicks a day. The adults finally deserted en masse on the 18th of July. National Trust staff tried their best to ensure the success of the colony, once the problem was identified, by providing supplementary feeding at a favoured perch of the Kestrel. However the added pressure of a fox finding the nesting birds in the last few days has proved too much.

We can only hope for a better result next year.

Baconsthorpe, Castle Wild Camp - 11th July 2024

 Manged to get 6am to 11am before the rain started. There were only 21 birds but that included Bullfinch and Linnet that we haven't had there very often. Most surprising bird was not captured, or seen but we heard a Bee eater fly over calling at about 9am.

Male Linnet

Female Treecreeper

5 Make Bullfinch

Total: 18 (3)

Blackbird - 0 (1)
Blue Tit - 2
Bullfinch - 1
Chiffchaff - 7 (1)
Dunnock - 1
Linnet - 1
Robin - 3
Treecreeper - 2
Whitethroat - 0 (1)
Wren - 1