Category: Recoveries

Black-tailed Godwit

29 and counting

Posted on by

On the evening of 8 November 2025, WWRG caught 20 Black-tailed Godwits while mist netting at Terrington. One of them was a very special, colour-ringed bird that sets the BTO longevity record every time it is seen.

Metal ring EP85107 was added to a juvenile Black-tailed Godwit on 30 August 1996, in a cannon-net catch at Holbeach, Lincolnshire. It was the first godwit to arrive at the processing team and Jenny Gill added a set of white and green colour rings, turning it into W-GW/W. Jenny was just starting a post-doctoral project at the University of East Anglia to investigate how the expanding population of godwits was spreading into new sites, and needed to be able to recognise individuals. Over sixty birds were colour ringed on that day. Subsequently, there were winter sightings from Ireland, France and Portugal but many of these colour-ringed individuals were found on the estuaries of East and South England, which is where Jenny’s field studies were to be based.

Continue Reading →
Four adults and a child walk along a shingle beach, under a bright blue sky.

Fieldwork March 2025

Posted on by

Friday 28 March

Recces on Friday produced no catching options on the Norfolk side, and so the best option seemed to be to set on Horseshoe Lagoon. The usual group of Oystercatchers was using the site over high tide, although in reduced numbers compared to the last trip. However, it was hoped that the higher tide predicted on Saturday would bring over Knot in fair numbers.

No mist netting was planned for Friday night. The team all managed to arrive throughout the evening, despite various mechanical issues, and enjoyed a dinner of baked potatoes. A briefing was then held to plan Saturday morning’s activities, which were to be a mix of net-setting and resighting.

Continue Reading →
A landscape photo showing a lagoon on a march, underneath a cloudy sky with the sun shining brightly through a gap in the clouds.

Fieldwork February / March 2025

Posted on by

Friday 28 February

Recces had been carried out in the morning by Cathy and Hilary at Snettisham, Heacham, Heacham S and Heacham NN starting at 06:15. No good targets were found, totals were 1+5 Oystercatcher at Snettisham, 4+7+4+10 Oystercatcher at Heacham, 50 Oystercatcher at Heacham S and 150 Curlew spread along the beach, with nothing at Heacham NN. However, the Heacham S Oystercatcher left as Hilary arrived on the beach and it was too dark to see exactly where they had come from.

A recce by Hilary and Molly on the afternoon rising tide at Heacham S found Oystercatchers present again that could be a possible target, especially as that was close to where they had been caught on the previous trip, together with 50 Curlew. However, the Oystercatchers were spooked by dogs as the mud covered and didn’t gather on the beach as had been hoped. 230 Sanderling and several Ringed Plover were also found on Heacham NN as the sun set.

Continue Reading →

Fieldwork January / February 2025

Posted on by

Friday 31 January

The trip kicked off with a number of team members arriving early, allowing for resighting and a recce on the Friday morning tides. Lys and Cathy checked Heacham North North, North and South beaches and Hilary investigated Snettisham whilst Nigel and Richard went to recce Sailing Club Bay, finding roughly 2,500 –3,000 Oystercatchers roosting. Very promising for a good catch! In the afternoon the net-setting team consisting of Nigel, Richard, Molly, Jerry, Cathy, Lys, Hilary and the Film Crew went to Sailing Club Bay, setting both a full and half large-mesh net with the camera crew preparing for the following morning. Cathy kindly led the cooking of dinner for the evening so the later arriving team could have a lovely meal before an early night.

Continue Reading →

Record-breaking Oystercatchers caught on The Wash

Posted on by

The core of our research work on The Wash is monitoring the birds that rely on its mudflats and surrounding habitats. We started catching and ringing waders 70 years ago, when we were simply trying to work out their migration routes and breeding grounds. Now we still aim to catch our study species regularly and continue to learn about migration, but we also check the ‘health’ of the population: are they putting on enough weight for the winter or have they completed their moult on time? How do they move around The Wash? Our regular catches help us to answer these questions, as well as allowing us to keep track of the survival rates of a range of species.

Continue Reading →