Water Pipit project - Autumn 2025

 Now that autumn is definitely here the winter migrants are with us, so it's time to try for new birds for the Water Pipit project. The last two seasons have been poor,  but things seem to be looking up as 6 birds have already been marked by the Stour Ringing Group in Dorset.

One of the October 2025 captures from Lytchett Bay, 

image by Stour Ringing Group

One of our birds has also appeared in the 2024 BTO ringing report and has taken the longevity record in the United Kingdom. The bird ringed at Cantley Beet Factory on 26/11/2020 was then observed at Strumpshaw fen on 15 & 19 November 2024.

There were 2 other contenders before this bird clinched the record in November 2024. 

Photographer: Stephen Vickers 

Norfolk Rivers Trust, Ingoldisthorpe Lagoons - 30th October 2025

 The latest in the year that we've monitored this site yet. We were hoping to attract migrant winter thrushes (but failed miserably.) We still managed to catch 42 birds, rather more tits than we would have liked but a decent number of Goldcrests and Reed Bunting, three Cetti's Warblers that rather surprised us as we didn't play for them and the first Meadow Pipits for the site.

Adult Meadow Pipit

Cetti's Warbler juvenile

Total: 39 (3)

Blue Tit - 12 (1)
Cetti's Warbler - 3
Dunnock - 1
Goldcrest - 7
Goldfinch - 1
Great Tit - 1
Meadow Pipit - 3
Reed Bunting - 5
Robin - 1 (1)
Wren - 4 (1)

Around Norwich for gull and swan ring reading (plus a bonus Turnstone) - 29th October 2025

 We travelled via Walcott to try our luck with the Turnstones along the front and managed to catch one for the flagging project. Once the birds saw the capture they became even more wary and our chances of a further capture were gone.

Age 3 Turnstone

From there we went to Thorpe Green for ring reading. We got some darvic codes including a returning bird from Poland. Also a metal ringed adult that had been seen there last year with a Finnish ring. Chris also managed to capture and ring a juvenile Black-headed gull.

Polish ringed Black-headed gull

On then to Whittlingham Country Park for swans, gulls and another metal ringed individuals from Finland. It was our first observation of the first winter bird. Details awaited.

It took several images to capture the entire ring number on this 1w Black-headed gull 

from Finland. Details awaited.

We collected several Mute Swan codes, with three on birds

that had moved from Hoveton where we ringed them last winter.

Dersingham Bog - 22nd October 2025

 An end of the day attempt to see what comes into the reedbed at night. The answer seemed to be that there were Reed Buntings and a few Stonechats present throughout the afternoon with little other than Meadow Pipits dropping in at the end of the day. We only managed to catch 5 Meadow Pipits with most other captures coming from a large tit flock.

Total: 28 (2)

Blue Tit - 6
Dunnock - 1
Goldcrest - 2 (2)
Goldfinch - 1
Great Tit - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 11
Meadow Pipit - 5
Robin - 1

Deepdale Farm - 22nd October 2025

 Now the summer migrants have left and other species are arriving to spend the winter, we concentrate our focus on sites that offer slightly different habitat and importantly sheltered areas in windy conditions. Today started much windier than forecast, but we persevered omitting to put up the net that often performs best since today it would have been completely exposed to the wind and billowing like the sails of a galleon. We put up a couple of extra nets across the track, as thrushes often move out of the worst of the wind between the hedgerows as they work their way inland.

The wind soon calmed a bit and we actually did rather better than we expected. LC was with us on her first visit to this farm and gained experience of two new species, Green Woodpecker and Goldcrest.

Birds were passing overhead as we worked and Redpoll, Brambling and Crossbill were all heard. Chris flushed a Woodcock that managed to evade the nets we'd put up for thrushes.

3F Green Woodpecker

Total: 36 (6)

Blackbird - 12
Blue Tit - 9 (5)
Dunnock - 0 (1)
Goldcrest - 5
Great Tit - 3
Green Woodpecker - 2
Redwing - 1
Robin - 2
Wren - 2

Salthouse garden - 18th October 2025

 Another day by the coast, attracting tit flocks in the hope that they would bring a vagrant with them. There were two flocks today forming the greater part of our catch, 67 new and 2 retrapped birds but nothing really unusual. The garden held quite a few Blackbirds although only 3 were caught from a minor influx after 10am. One capture had to be released when hunting in the adjacent field sent several Red-legged Partridges into the garden site for cover. One found its way into a mist net but was released safely and again evaded the hunting. Best birds were probably 3 Redpoll.

Lesser Redpoll male

Adult male Chaffinch

One of 15 Goldcrest

Total: 67 (2)

Blackbird - 3
Blue Tit - 16 (1)
Chaffinch - 2
Chiffchaff - 2
Dunnock - 4
Goldcrest -15
Great Tit - 7
Long-tailed Tit - 7 (1)
Lesser Redpoll - 3
Redwing - 1
Robin - 5
Wren - 2

Morston - 16th October 2025

 Not much arriving today, just a few Blackbirds and an odd Redwing. The total consisted of a tit flock that found the nets put up for Redwing as they crossed from the brambles along the coastal path away from the seaward side of the site, 8 Dunnocks also 5 Reed Buntings that we managed to lure in. Only one Stonechat today and the only one that we managed to see.

Reed Bunting 3M

Most unexpected observation was of a single Swallow rushing westwards.

Total: 37 (7)

Blackbird - 2
Blue Tit - 5 (3)
Cetti's Warbler - 1 (1)
Dunnock - 7 (1)
Great Tit - 1
Long-tailed Tit - 11 (2)
Reed Bunting - 5
Robin - 1
Stonechat - 1
Wren - 3