Wash Wader Ringing Group

Friday 1st August

Recces:-
Terrington (E) (PLI); All pools on saltmarsh dry. Huge number of gulls and 25 Oystercatchers on pool with cannon netting wall to east of white barn. Waders on saltmarsh grass just seaward and east of this, largely hidden except during occasional lift-offs. Probably 3000 waders, size ranging from Curlew to Dunlin. 25 Greenshank/Redshank on the usual borrow pit for these species. 20 Little Egret in ditch by inland field. To west of white barn flock of about 1000 waders, predominantly Curlew, which readily flew east when disturbed after high tide.No waders could be seen on either bund.
Snettisham (NAC); Arrived 06:50 to find dog walker lifting ca. 250 Sanderling.Some remained, others went north.
Heacham S (NAC); Two flocks of Oystercatchers south of the tump.Also 100+ Sanderling nearby, probably those from Snettisham.
Ken Hill (NAC); Arrived 06:30. Just 80 Curlew in field near track and disturbed by a deer. The birds moved one field seawards and stayed there for the rest of tide.

Team arrived during the afternoon and evening. SD and DC set off for Lincolnshire to recce on the morning tide taking equipment on the assumption there would be catching opportunities there. Meanwhile NAC and PLI went to Snettisham to mark position for net setting the next morning and to discuss plans with  a TV crew from the BBC1 ‘One Show’ who were to film the next day.

LM and JH looked at Terrington (E) saltmarsh on the evening tide with the same results as the morning.  Team briefing before bed.

Saturday 2nd August

Up 03:15.  Five small mesh nets set in two places on Snettisham South beach. PLI observed with one of the film crew between the two sets of nets and DW watched from the concrete sea defences. Flocks of Oystercatchers streamed past, presumably from Heacham South beach, but none decided to look at the Snettisham beach. Concerned that none of the Sanderling seen the previous day had appeared by the time the tide was approaching the net markers. Then things developed rapidly with a flock of about 25 Oystercatchers landing near the northern pair of nets, closely followed by a similar sized flock of Sanderling near the other nets. A number of twinkling options considered only to be overtaken by events as the birds moved of their own accord. Beginning to think the prospects looked poor again when a flock of 50 landed near the junction of nets 2 and 3 of the southern nets. A check from behind indicated the majority were in net 2 so this was fired.

Left the remaining nets set. As soon as Phil returned to his firing position, found a flock of Sanderling with the decoys. After checking base was ready this net was fired.

With a large team the opportunity was taken to give some of the newer team members processing experience. The film crew also had ample opportunity to get the shots they wanted. One of the birds caught was a German ringed Sanderling which CK was able to tell the film’s presenter was ringed in 2004 in the Waddensea and, due to his colour ring observations, was known to have been on the Wash every July since.  Having released the last bird a single net was reset on the beach with cameras in various strategic places and fired for the film crew. 

Recces had not found any other options on the Norfolk side of the Wash with the saltmarsh still dry and relatively few Curlew going to the Ken Hill fields. In Lincolnshire a saltmarsh site at the Horseshoe provided the potential for a Redshank catch and the Wainfleet islands had some 30,000 Knot and 4000 Oystercatchers. After careful consideration of the tide and weather conditions for a visit to Wainfleet island it was decided this was the best option and for all the team, except a few to recce, to go round to Lincolnshire.

Whilst those in Norfolk packed up to move, the people already in Lincs set two small mesh nets on the saltmarsh to try for Redshank. The net setters were then joined by the rest of the team and the nets manned with most of the team lying under covering material near the nets. Early arrival Redshank chose the centre of the pool but gradually the number in the catching area increased to 30 but with 4 Curlew in the safety area.  The Curlew stayed for some time and looked unlikely to move. Without a jiggler to move them it was decided to try a slight disturbance on the sea wall. This worked and the net was fired.

Returned to Friskney base for food and bed.

Sunday 3rd August

Up 04:00 and in position around 06:00 having walked out to the island and set three small mesh nets. 2-3000 Oystercatchers to the North on mudflats were joined at about 07:00 by 5000 Knot but further flocks went beyond towards Gibraltar Point. As tide rose the number of Knot reduced leaving only 1000 when tide was approaching the island. The nets had been set well back in anticipation of large flock so waited until top of tide when the nearest bird was at 8 metres. Fired (into wind) and catch was:-

Also ringed were three pulli Ringed Plover found on the island.

Conferred with the recciers on both the Lincs and Norfolk sides of the Wash to determine plans.
Friskney; grey waders found on a field with young cabbages.
Terrington; some water had started to get on to the marsh after high tide some water got into the pools but it was too late to attract birds in to the best places to catch. Approximately 2000 Dunlin, 2000 Black tailed Godwit and 2000 Curlew were using the tide edge and marsh giving good potential with higher tides.
Snettisham; the beach had been full of people but the numbers of waders going to the inland fields had increased to 120 each of Curlew and Bar tailed Godwit.

On the basis of this information, the was team split in to two with the Norfolk contingent going off to set on the saltmarsh for the evening tide. The Lincs contingent gave themselves the night off after setting on the cabbage field for the morning.

The Terrington team set on the marsh and then also put two nets on the pools. This interested the cattle greatly! Rather than herd them tried leading them away from the nets and this was successful. In position on both sets at 18.30 having had a quick supper. A handful of Curlew came onto the marsh near the nets and then birds kept landing seaward. The pool nets were very different, the first 5 birds going straight into the catching area and numbers gradually building up with about half the birds on the pool in the catching area. Got to 400 catchable and considered taking the catch - should have got on with it! The birds left apart from 50.Numbers slowly built up again and when a good 200 present, fired. One cannon did not go so caught:

Turned out that the reason for the misfire was that the cartridge had got wet - When setting in water we must put the projectile down the barrel then put the cartridge in so as to stop the compression on the cartridge! Reset the nets for the same again in the morning.

Monday 4th August

At Lincs., up 06:00. In position at 07:10 but SD had to make a later sortie on to the field to dissuade a crow which was paying unhealthy attention to the decoys. With nothing happening on the catching field PLI was sent to the outer sea wall and found 200 Oystercatchers on a field on the outer reclaim with 500 grey waders about to join them. On trying to move these, the Oystercatchers moved to an adjacent field and the grey waders, apart from a few dunlin, left. Lots of gulls also present on the fields. Eventually 150 Oystercatchers did go on to the field with the nets but not in the right place. RT attempted to twinkle without success, the best potential catch in the nets during the morning having been 30 gulls. A recce of Butterwick had confirmed small numbers of grey waders and a large flock (500) Golden Plover using a cabbage field. Permission was obtained for this field and the team set two full size nets there ready for the evening. Plans hatched earlier in the week had anticipated that Tuesday morning would see a visit to a different Wainfleet island for Oystercatchers but it was now realised that the RAF range is in use during the time we would need to be there, ruling that option out. Consequently two narrow full nets were set on the outer reclaim where the Oystercatchers had first chosen to roost in the morning.

Manned the Butterwick cabbage field on the evening tide in the hope of getting Golden Plover. The first flock of Goldies landed at the seaward end of the field and a substantial flock of gulls built up between them and the nets. SD attempted a twinkle which brought the Goldies up the field but still well away from the nets. Noticed that grey waders, mainly Dunlin but some Grey Plover, were now landing on an adjacent field. These were moved and came to our field, forming a flock between the nets and the car hide. This flock gradually moved towards the nets, the birds being in neat rows between the cabbages. Eventually reached about 100 Dunlin and 20 Golden Plover in the catching area but with several in the safety zone. Jiggling not only cleared safety but also removed the flock. By now light was failing so waders headed out to sea. A final attempt was made to twinkle gulls into the catching area but failed.

As two team members needed to catch trains in King’s Lynn next morning, PLI took them to base to join the other team, sleeping there himself before returning to Lincs in the morning.

Terrington
Meanwhile at Terrington, the team has got up even earlier – 05:15. The pool nets did not attract birds this time but early Curlew and Black- tailed Godwit landed in and around the catching area on the marsh - never got a good number in the catching area as the birds wanted to be about 50 m seaward. Excellent twinkling got them to the edge of the area but with the tide rapidly rising decided to take a catch hoping for 30 if we were lucky.

The retrap godwit turned out to be a new longevity record at 34 years old.

MW recced the fields at Ken Hill and in his words, “had the strangest recce ever” - arrived 2 hours before tide and saw the tops of the heads of 100+ Curlew in the field. Only one wader, a bar-tailed godwit, seen in flight the whole 2 hour recce!

After breakfast the team went to Ken Hill to set while M & DW cooked the evening meal a fantastic roast beef dinner - with a veggie option! To bed early.

Tuesday 5th August

In Lincs., due to the near success with the two nets on the Butterwick cabbage field these had been left set.  With only a very small team with two sets of nets to look after, SD took charge of the cabbage field nets whilst DC and PLI looked after the nets set for Oystercatchers.
On the cabbage field gulls were already on the field on arrival at 06:45. By 07:15 30 Golden Plover were present just 30 metres out from the nets with a further 200 on the field to the south. These were twinkled and joined the flock near the net. A gentle twinkle was interrupted by a walker on the road and both the Goldies and gulls lifted. After this the Goldies failed to form a concentrated flock again. About 250 Dunlin came to the field and landed with some Goldies behind the nets. Twinkling got a mixture of Dunlin and Goldies in to the area so the net was fired after jiggling. One cannon failed to go off, resulting in a slightly smaller catch than expected.

Meanwhile on the Oystercatcher field, PLI and LK manned the hide with DC and TW at base. DC soon sent to observe the saltmarsh from the outer sea wall and several flocks seen departing in the Wainfleet direction. Eventually about 50 Oystercatchers did choose to come inland and landed with the decoys set just outside the catching area, the idea being to walk them towards the nets. However this flock suddenly departed before twinkling could commence. No more Oystercatcher flocks seen over the field but a flock of Golden Plover formed about 100 yards beyond the nets. TW attempted to twinkle these and some were starting to walk when two hares dashed across the field and were probably the reason for all the birds leaving. Gave up.

Equipment loaded in to the trailer and Friskney base tidied. SD, RT and AD stayed on with a view to mist netting on the evening tide but as rain set in later in the afternoon gave up that idea and went home.

Over at Terrington, most of the team got up at 5.30 although the hide party was somewhat earlier. Hide party in position over 3.5 hours before tide! The first bird landed with the decoys 3 hours before tide and then a steady stream followed. Only one landed out of the catching area - so it ran in; the one that landed in safety area then also ran in to the catching area. Got to 120 birds present so fired at 7am - 2hr 40m before tide!!!

A perfect catch included a new wash longevity record for Curlew.

Back at base by 1100 for bacon butties, tided up and left by 13:00.