Tag: Wash Wader Research Group

Fieldwork February 2025

Posted on by

Friday 14 February

The team arrived on Friday night to a welcoming, hot jacket potato dinner prepared by Cathy. The plan for the following morning was confirmed, with resighting efforts scheduled to begin at 09:00 on Saturday.

Saturday 15 February

The morning’s weather forecast indicated a 70% chance of rain, which led Nigel to cancel the planned mist-netting session at Terrington Outer Pool due to concerns about freezing rain affecting the nets and the welfare of the birds. Instead, Nigel proposed a potential cannon-netting session before or after the afternoon high tide at Heacham South, where Rob P had observed a flock of around 400 Oystercatchers and 80 Sanderling earlier in the day. This plan was left to be confirmed following the morning resighting efforts.

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 →

Fieldwork January 2025

Posted on by

On Friday morning, Cathy and Lys recced along the east shore between Snettisham and Heacham NN. Very little was seen on the rising tide, which came up the beach to the ledge in the sand. Over the high tide, a handful of Turnstone were in their usual place on Heacham NN with a few ringed birds amongst them. On the falling tide, around 100 Oystercatchers were seen south of the dam at Snettisham, although they were spread out. Overall, no good cannon-netting options were found for Saturday morning. This, alongside the lack of suitable weather for mist netting, made Friday evening a fairly relaxed event.

Continue Reading →
A flock of Knot, swirling over water.

Fieldwork November 2024

Posted on by

Friday 1 November

By early Friday afternoon the trip members started to assemble at the base house, joining Cathy and Hilary who had opened up the house. Unfortunately, due to illness the team was smaller than planned. Molly, Cathy and Flo treated the trip members to an excellent meal of veggie chilli and jacket potatoes (in spite of having to cope with the challenge of a lack of chilli powder).

Following the meal, Molly and Ryan gave a briefing. They explained that while Hilary, Cathy and Rob did see birds, the number catchable was only just into double figures, so they were not sufficient to offer any cannon-netting options on Saturday morning. Therefore, the focus on the Saturday morning would be resighting, with some of the trip leaders also carrying out recces to see what the best options for mist-netting on the Saturday afternoon would be and if there was any possibility of cannon-netting on the Sunday morning.

Continue Reading →

Fieldwork October 2024

Posted on by

Friday 4 October

On the morning tide, recces were carried out at Gedney and on the east side around Heacham. At Gedney, Bar-tailed Godwit came onto the pools as the tide came up, however they were not concentrated in a particular area of the pool and so this wasn’t a great option for cannon-netting. However, a couple of hundred Sanderling were found on Heacham South beach, roosting over the high tide, where the profile of the beach is such that a flat area was present – this seemed to be where the birds were choosing to roost. This seemed like the better option, and so it was decided for nets to be set there that evening after the tide for a catch on Saturday morning.

Continue Reading →