Planned a dual approach for this evening, an unusually calm, dark but not too cold night. We set a 60*60 12m net for owls, and furled just as the light was failing, then gave it an hour before dropping the net and Chris setting off with the thermal and hand net.
Denise - Flushed a Barn Owl on the first check that skimmed over the net. Changed the player from Barn Owl to Tawny Owl as I could hear them in the distance. Second check, empty net but left the player as I was thinking LEO or SEO was unlikely but would try the mouse lure if nothing next time. On the third check I could see two birds in the net as I approached. Started with the left hand bird, the larger of the two that would have been putting tension on the net had I started with the other. Extraction wasn't too difficult despite the close proximity of the second bird. Once she was bagged started on second bird. He was rather more feisty and clearing the net from the grabbing and clenching talons took a good 10 minutes but achieved with just a small scratch on the tip of one finger. Bagged him and switched tape back to Barn Owl rather than risk attracting either to the rodent sound after release.
She turned out to be a recapture, ringed in May 2014 and was ready for release as Chris was returning, so I waited for him to double check the ring number, then off she went. I let Chris ring him, the first Tawny Owl for Iceni Bird Monitoring Group.
Chris - Took the flowing water tape that helps to disguise the sound of feet moving across rough ground or in this case squelching through water and mud. As it happened the tape stopped working, but this didn't stop him from netting 3 of 9 Woodcock seen. There were no Jack Snipe in evidence, but he did flush about 30 Snipe, the tape may have made a difference when approaching them.
After the Woodcock (all first winters) were processed we went back to the empty owl net, took it down and were off site by 21:30hrs. A long night but very worthwhile.
