The second day of a short spell of calm weather started with sunrise in the Deepdale marsh fields. We watched three Barn Owls quarter the fields as we put up a five net configuration for Pipits. There were also two singles through a hedge for other passerines moving through the site.
The Pipits came in and we caught a good number for this site including a control. Unexpected was when Chris went to extract one Pipit, almost on top of the net he flushed a late Quail, that whirled off in the wrong direction away from the net. Most unexpected capture was a control Kestrel. We added a darvic code and await details. We do know that it was ringed in January 2024, so was not done as a pullus. There were a few Tits and Crests from the hedge nets, including two two year old Goldcrest retraps of our own birds. A Great White Egret was feeding in the ditch close to the Pipit nets, but never flew in the direction of our nets
After lunch we moved on to Sculthorpe for a roost catch. This is the first time for roosting winter species and Reed Bunting was the primary target. We set up a couple of singles and began watching the number of birds moving about on the reed heads. It was a good catch and there were none that had been ringed in previous years amongst the Buntings, which was a little unexpected.
The day ended with a sunset over the marsh, so a rare day with almost dawn to dusk ringing via the Nest Cafe at Deepdale midday, and over 100 birds across the two sites.
Deepdale Farm
Total: 37 (5)
Blackbird - 2
Blue Tit - 9
Goldcrest - 4 (3)
Great Tit - 2
Kestrel - 0 (1)
Long-tailed Tit - 1
Meadow Pipit - 16 (1)
Robin - 1
Wren - 2
Sculthorpe Moor
Total: 59 (2)
Blue Tit - 13 (1)
Cetti's Warbler - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 2 (1)
Reed Bunting - 41
Wren - 2