Tag: longevity

Fieldwork January / February 2025

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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.

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Record-breaking Oystercatchers caught on The Wash

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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.

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