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

Barn Owls - 10th July 2024

 A full day of checking boxes resulted in 7 young ringed, 3 adults ringed with another ringed in 2021 recaptured. One box was known to have already fledged one brood and is now on the second. Seven boxes marked up for call backs.

One of 3

Singleton

Adult female

Total: 10 (1)

Juvenile - 7
Adult - 3 (1)

Dersingham Bog - 8th July 2024

 Just CL & DKL this evening. It's proving difficult to find suitable days in between the wind and rain but despite rain due around 11pm we gave it a go as so few evenings are suitable. We got a total of 84 meters of net up at three spots fairly close together.

Churring started quite late and it was apparent that males were in the tall trees behind us. A few birds were seen flying quite high. We were close to packing up, mindful of the forecast of rain within an hour when CL returned with a pair caught together in the same net.

4M Nightjar

 We do have reference materials for separating second year and adult birds, but it was extremely dark and we limit ourselves to an LED light to work by and are mindful that birds must not be dazzled during the assessment process. Under these circumstances we usually only record whether hatched this year or previously and the sex when possible.

4F Nightjar

Thanks to the Natural England team for access and information that allows us to support their work with nesting Nightjars.

Total: 3

Chiffchaff - 1
Nightjar - 2

Sculthorpe Moor - 7th July 2024

 Managed to get the July monitoring at the beaver enclosure in, just. There were a couple of very heavy showers towards the end of the session, but we had already brought a couple of nets in by that stage and had cleared through the tit flock that we caught late morning so only had a couple of doubles to take down when the cloudburst happened. CL and DKL did get very wet, but the last two birds had already been extracted before the shower. Warblers seemed pretty thin on the ground although a Reed Warbler that had been ringed by us last August was captured. The bird was singing from the reeds lining a ditch, where we had not heard any song previously this year. 

Reed Warbler ringed at Sculthorpe Moor

back for another summer season.

A Grasshopper Warbler was still singing near one of our nets, but managed to evade capture. There was a single Sedge Warbler and only 2 Blackcap and 6 Chiffchaff (one controlled bird had been ringed in March so the location will be interesting) seemed rather poor for this stage of the breeding season.

5M Reed Bunting

3JJ Bullfinch

We did however catch 3 Marsh Tits, a Reed Bunting and a Bullfinch in amongst the parties of tits that are now forming into large, roving feeding flocks.

Other observations included 3 Red Kite, 3 Buzzard, Kingfisher, Stoat and a tiny newt by one of the muddy puddles on the walk out to the nets. Toadlets and froglets are frequently seen but this was a first for us.

Totals: 49 (7)

Blackcap - 1 (1)
Blue Tit - 9 (1)
Bullfinch - 1 
Chiffchaff - 5 (1)
Great Tit - 14 (1)
Long-tailed Tit - 9
Marsh Tit - 1 (2)
Reed Bunting - 1
Reed Warbler - 0 (1)
Robin - 2
Sedge Warbler - 1
Wren - 5

Oystercatchers, Blakeney Point, Norfolk - 4th July 2024

 Today we joined National Trust staff on the point to colour ring some Oystercatchers. Most were well grown, so have a very good chance of fledging successfully. Many thanks to Duncan, Will, Callum and the staff for supporting our capture efforts.

Two of the young Oystercatchers fitted with Darvic coded rings.

CL & PWL fit the project marker and darvic ring

Scouting for juveniles from the ATV

Totals: 8

Oystercatcher - 8 pulli (7 marked with darvics)