Saturday 6 September

Team members began to arrive on Friday evening to recce various options for cannon-net catching and resighting on Saturday morning. The previous autumn passage week and this week were relatively limited in terms of very high tides which could push birds onto fields for catching (this week was the marginally better one of the two) or beaches in high numbers. Only Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were very high tides.

The WWRG teams for assembled at the base house for midday on Sunday 10 August. A detailed briefing was given to discuss plans for the first evening’s catch and to introduce first time attendees to the group.

Sunday 10 August

Recces were conducted on the Saturday evening prior to the trip, which included 480 Redshank, 52 Greenshank and 12 Black-tailed Godwit observed at Freiston by Robert P. 300 Sanderling, 30-40 Turnstone, small numbers of juvenile Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover with recently fledged young were observed at Heacham South Beach by Ed and several flocks of the same species were observed by Bee at Heacham North North (NN), including approximately 90 Sanderling. The unsurprisingly dry conditions observed by Richard at Gedney therefore resulted in Heacham NN being identified as the target site for the first evening’s cannon-netting attempt.