Fieldwork January 2018

This was the first field trip of 2018 for the Wash Wader Ringing Group and was the first cannon net catch by the group since September 2017. This was an extremely experienced team, with four cannon net licensees (plus one trainee,) as well as several ringers with considerable experience of both cannon netting and mist netting waders with the group. Sophie and Alyce had each been to one mist net catch previously and only Ellie was completely new to wader ringing with the group (although she had done some wader ringing with another group).

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Latest recoveries

One of the most interesting aspects of ringing with WWRG is the information that we receive on birds that we have ringed which turn up in different places both in the UK and elsewhere. These may be re-sighted from colour marks on the legs of a bird or from the bird being re-caught, either through mist netting or cannon netting, by another ringing group. Increasingly we are also receiving reports from individual birders who have read the metal ring of a wader in the field, an indication of the quality of modern optical equipment and the interest of birders in the finding of ringed birds.

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Recent recoveries

We recently received some reports that birds ringed by WWRG had been seen or found elsewhere. Click on the points on the map below to see the details of the birds reported abroad.

Waders

Sanderling (BT06289) ringed as an adult at Heacham, Norfolk on 20 March 2011 was found dead on the tide line at Snettisham, Norfolk on 19 August 2017.

Curlew (FH81484) was ringed as an adult at Snettisham, Norfolk on 20 September 2016 and found dead on the tide line at Snettisham, Norfolk on 19 August 2017.

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Fieldwork August 2017 – Norfolk

Saturday 19 August

Some of the team gathered Saturday afternoon in the hope of getting the week off to a good start with some early mist-netting at Gedney on Sunday morning. There was some doubt due to concerns about the weather, but with some final checks on the wind forecast the decision was made to go ahead. A recce team went out to look at the marsh in daylight to see where to set nets and put out poles. After dinner that included an excellent Pear Upside-Down Cake from Lizzie, Lucy gave the first briefing welcoming everyone and explaining the house-keeping, rules etc (trialling the newly-written notes on how to run a Wash trip). Guy arrived with Victoria, the co-ordinator of the WWRG trips to Delaware Bay, who had just flown in from the States; everyone was pleased to welcome her to the Wash.

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Recent recoveries

We recently received some reports that birds ringed by WWRG had been seen or found elsewhere.

Waders

Sanderling (NT88726) ringed as an adult at Heacham, Norfolk on 10 September 2010 was identified by its colour rings in:

  • Setúbal, Portugal (1,739 km away) on 8 November 2012.
  • Setúbal, Portugal (1,739 km away) on 15 February 2013.
  • Santarém, Portugal, 1,732 km away, on 23 February 2013.
  • Norður-Þingeyjarsýsla, Iceland, 1,764 km away, on 30 May 2014.

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