Wash Wader Ringing Group

Tuesday 28th August

KS’s recce of Snettisham / Heacham found the same as on Monday, i.e. in the order of 300 Sanderling on Snettisham North but nothing on Heacham South. NAC recced at Terrington but apart from a small number of Greenshank found nothing catchable. Rest of team arrived during the afternoon. Food at 18:00. Departed 19:30 to set four small mesh nets at Snettisham North. Back at base shortly after 22:00 and soon in bed.

Wednesday 29th August

Up 04:45. Arrived on beach at first light. Already 250 Sanderling on beach with small number in catching area of a net set lower down the beach. It became clear the tide would make so abandoned the lower net and waited for the tide to reach a suitable height for the other nets. Found these had been set in a less preferred piece of beach so a twinkle was necessary to get birds into the catching area. Had option of 300 mixed Dunlin / Sanderling but decided could do better. Numbers on beach built to 2500 Dunlin, 300 Sanderling, 50 Ringed Plover. Got 4-600 in net one and with tide at 10 yards, fired. Only one cannon fired. Quickly extracted and got back in position but by time there were 200 birds in front the tide was falling rapidly. Fired with tide at 10-12 yards catching just 13 in two nets.

Recces:- Terrington (PI); 18 Greenshank on the usual borrow pit with a single egret. Joined by 50 or so Redshank, largely on an island at the end. Huge flock of Curlew on Saltmarsh. Gradually pushed by tide to behind pool net ridge. Became apparent as tide came in a few thousand Grey Plover on creak edge with lots of Dunlin. By high tide water had not got into the pool. Just a few juvenile dunlin using pool.  Drove all way to Nene on the sea wall but found no birds on fields. 43 Egrets on saltmarsh out from Terrington (C). Heacham (NAC); 50,000 Knot flew past towards Thornham; more seen going towards pits. Ken Hill 150 Curlew. On Heacham South, 50 Oyks and very briefly 1000 Knot.

Set during the afternoon on the Ken Hill field. Food 17:00 then to Terrington (E) saltmash to set. Just one small mesh net. Most of team by hide on saltmarsh with NAC in the hide. Birds gradually came to pool reaching 250 Redshank and 25 Grey Plover but with only a few of the Redshank and 15 Grey Plover totalling 50 in the catching area. At this point the cattle decided to come out to our part of the saltmarsh. This put up the birds. Base camp concerned by sound of thundering hooves but stayed put. The birds circulated and came back to the nets. Not knowing what the cattle where going to do next NAC quickly decided to fire. Unfortunately the birds had not quite landed with the decoys as he thought so the catch was only 8 rather than up to 150 as expected

Sorted out for the morning and relatively early bed.

Thursday 30th August

Up 04:00 for hide party, rest 05:00. As soon as it became light a couple of small flocks of Curlew were seen to go elsewhere. Three Curlew then landed with decoys, facing in a somewhat different direction. Further birds then arrived getting to about 50 in the catching area when all but three lifted. After a brief fly round these landed back with the decoys and with a count of at least 60 fired.

After dealing with the catch TT and DW went to show CWK Snettisham Pits whilst the rest returned for breakfast and consideration of the recces.

Recces: Holbeach (JG and MW); Field at Holbeach (C) with 5-600 Godwit/Curlew. Stubble field by RAF station briefly had 600 Curlew ½ hour before tide but disturbed by plough after 5 min. Further 200 Curlew and 800 Barwit still in air but did not have chance to land. 300 birds flew south to another field but did not stay long.
Terrington (NAC); On rising tide the cannon net pool had 400 Redshank and Grey Plover plus 2000 Dunlin. These were pushed off by flooding tide but it was not seen where they went. Large numbers. of Curlew on marsh. When covered these went to a stubble field, plough and direct drilled rape field. Total ca. 800. At Terrington (W) the saltmarsh did not cover, large numbers of Redshank on saltmarsh towards the Nene, 400 Curlew on worked pea field with same number again still on marsh. 
Wolferton (GDC); After tide a cultivated field with 2000 Dunlin and a few Curlew found. Needs a further recce.
Ken Hill (team); Bar-tailed Godwit seen overhead whilst dealing with catch but where they went not located. Curlew on field used last month.

Sorted out permissions on several options and decided on Holbeach for the morning. JS and NAC went to Holbeach in advance of rest of group to sort out where to set, only to find the field being worked. Enquiries established it would continue to be worked so an alternative plan was hatched. This was to set on the drilled rape field at Terrington but also try for a rising tide catch on the saltmarsh. Having got most of the way through setting alarmed to see a tractor arrive on the field and start agricultural operations. Established that their plan was to roll the field, including where the nets were set. Fortunately the driver agreed to go round the nets if they were left marked and confirmed he would be finished by the morning. NAC and JS remained to watch that this did indeed happen. Food rather later than planned, at 20:00.

Friday 31st August

Up 05:30. Most of team to saltmarsh to set a single net. In position by 07:00. Redshank gradually arrived, going to far side of pool. Grew to 50 Redshank present with the odd bird in the catching area. The cows decided to investigate and, rather than risk a stampede again, the team stayed put. This worked with the cows sniffing people’s feet and then losing interest. Further flocks of waders arrived but only small numbers in the catching area. A jiggler set across the pool to try to move birds which had landed in the wrong place was pulled but had no effect. By the time NAC, on the sea wall, reported the pool would soon flood only six waders were catchable. Just deciding to give up when another flock arrived and bolstered the approximate catch size to 20. Decided to take these but the net went out badly due to one cannon recoiling.

All equipment taken with the caught birds to the field set. Here a few Curlew in the catching area but the more significant flocks elsewhere on the same field or the adjacent one. Tried various attempts at twinkling and although at one stage a substantial flock was just outside the area with a few in, no worthwhile catch developed. 18 Egrets elsewhere on the field watched proceedings. About an hour after tide decided to take what was there but missed the single Black-tailed Godwit as one cannon failed to fire.

Back to base for discussion of plans. The most significant results of the recces were that the Wolferton field was being worked and would continue to be so on Saturday morning. At Holbeach Curlew and Godwit had used the stubble at Holbeach (C); the field we had nearly used being worked as predicted. At Ken Hill the only flock was just Curlew on a sown field. The smaller wader species had not been located at Terrington. On the basis of this a patch was strimmed on the Holbeach stubble field and two nets set. On return to base the weather forecasts and wind were watched in the hope it would abate in time for mist netting but when it showed no sign of doing so the mist netting was called off.

Saturday 1st September

Hide party up half an hour earlier than the rest. Although a single Curlew landed with the decoys immediately and two more landed elsewhere on the field it was a considerable time before birds came over the sea wall. Two Mallard briefly visited the catching area prompting the comment that at least we had lunch! Although some arriving Curlew chose to join the decoys the vast majority went to the inland side of the field. Two Harriers stirred things up but failed to improve the catch. Godwit looked at the field but went elsewhere and despite MW’s best efforts did not return. JG sent to twinkle and did get the flock to just beyond the nets. At this stage about 20 catchable with many hundred beyond. JG then tried to twinkle towards the nets, her options being limited in a two wheel drive car and large ruts on the field. Initially some birds moved towards and in to the catching area but then started to peel off towards the sea. Decided further twinkling was likely to have the same effect and jeopardise the catch so the nets were fired.

NAC had recced Terrington on the morning tide with the aim of seeing if it were possible to set nets on a different part of the pool used twice so far with limited success. The verdict was that this could be done but that nets should also be set on the field for Curlew. Consequently the team went to set the two field nets and after a break the mist nets for the evening tide. Tape lures put out at 20:30, after the evening meal, and both sets of nets caught well, the E pool nets being taken down shortly after high tide but the other pool nets being left until somewhat later.

Bed by 2:00

Sunday 2nd September

Up 07:00. Pool net set on inland side of pool rather than on the seaward wall. NAC observed from the sea wall and JG and GC watched the Curlew net. Before long the first wader arrived and landed with the decoys. This was followed by more and the catch size gradually built to about 150 Dunlin. A disturbance lost this and left NAC wondering if he had missed a chance. However birds soon returned bringing other species and quickly increased in numbers. As soon as it was clear to fire the command was given to base camp lying near the nets under camouflage netting. Having caught in one of the small mesh nets a rather different technique was used to move the catch to dry piece of covering spread behind the net. The catch was then quickly transferred to carrying boxes to be transported to keeping cages set up by JG and GC who had abandoned the Curlew field nets.

Processed the whole catch and then picked up the two unfired nets from the Curlew field before returning to base. Packed up and away from there by late afternoon.