Wash Wader Ringing Group

Monday 25th February

It became clear that there was going to be the opportunity to try to catch Oystercatcher on the Outer Bund at the weekend but, due to limitation on boat accommodation, for a small team.  Hence advance organisation had to include finding people to both set on the bund and to recce on Friday.

Friday 1st March

PLI arrived at the Hunstanton accommodation the previous evening and did the East Wash recce

Meanwhile, NAC and RR formed the Outer Bund net setting party. They met up with the Eastern Sea Fisheries boat at Sutton Bridge to be ferried out with the equipment at high tide. They landed on the opposite side of the bund to the roosting Oystercatchers 3000) and waited for the tide to recede and the birds to depart. Two full size nets then set on the grassy slope above the large boulders at the base of the bund. Having completed the set walked off the bund (45 min) and then along the sea wall to the public car park (another 45 min) to where RR’s car had been left. It was at this point that RR realised that he had left his car keys in NAC’s car – at Sutton Bridge – for safe keeping! Fortunately another car was leaving the car park and were able to give NAC a lift to his car. Here he found that the trailer tyre was flat and had to be changed, with some difficulty, before rescuing RR. Consequently NAC and RR only got to the Hunstanton base about 17:30 to meet up with PLI who had meanwhile sorted out equipment needed for setting for the Heacham Oystercatchers and other things required for catching on the outer bund. PC and MA arrived about 18:00 and a visit was made to a local pub for a meal before the rest of the team arrived. The original plan had been for the outer bund catching team to be dropped on the back of the bund at high tide in two groups of three (the maximum passengers allowed in the boat) but with fears that this would cause too much disturbance the plan was changed to walking out in darkness (albeit with a bright full moon). To accomplish this and net setting on Heacham all present went to set the nets and when virtually finished the six due to go out to the bund departed for Terrington. The walk out to the bund was commenced about midnight and was an enjoyable experience with the full moon causing the water to glisten and bird calls, particularly Curlew. On arrival there was an eerie experience as two to three hundred large black birds flew quietly and slowly past. It took a while to work out they were cormorants disturbed from roosting. Before the team could settle down to get some sleep the fuses in the cartridges had to be changed (NAC had used the wrong ones when loading them). With clear sky it was obviously going to be cold so a ‘bed’ of the tarpaulin and covering material was sorted out. All the team except NAC snuggled together in this; NAC went in to the observation tower (a metal construction a few metres off-shore) ready for action in the morning. After about half an hour of shivering PC and JG raided the covering material stash near the nets for more hessian to cover the team and managed to get a little sleep.

Saturday 2nd March

The Heacham team had encountered a problem in circuit testing one of the nets and being unable to solve it on the beach had elected to take the offending dropper back to base. Consequently two people got up extra early to connect it back to the net in the morning. The Heacham team, including several who had not spent the night at Hunstanton, assembled at the gate at 06:30. By the time the firing party were in position c.450 Oystercatchers were on the beach c.500metres Snettisham side of the nets. With the Oystercatcher in the wrong place twinkling was necessary and although most flew towards Snettisham 20 eventually went in front of the nets. Two nets were fired but a head wind prevented all the birds being caught.

On the bund the gulls started calling well before dawn. Just after 06:00 the team became conscious and made contact with Nigel in his observation tower. With frost on the ground all were cold and willing a catch to be made swiftly. Oystercatchers assembled on the bund as the water surrounded it, many on the rocks but also on the grass of the far net catching area. Unfortunately this was the one NAC could not see safety from his observation point. To be able to see this well enough to fire required PA who was due to arrive on the ESF boat some time after 07:00. Eventually phone contact was made with PA and after what seemed like for ever to a frozen team the boat came out at speed and PA was able to confirm it was safe to fire. The net went out well but the steep slope and the birds not getting tangled resulted in large numbers escaping before the team arrived. Covering was done whilst PA was brought ashore and NAC was rescued from his, now cut off, observation post. Covering was not easy as with the birds mobile under the nets one covered one thick patch of birds only to have most reappear elsewhere! It was eventually achieved and extraction proceeded quickly. With the tide now falling all equipment not needed was ferried off to the ESF boat before ringing and processing.

The team of seven managed to deal with all the birds and process half of them in the four hours after the catch. The remaining equipment was carried off by the team and a return made to the Hunstanton base for breakfast. The afternoon was spent relaxing and sorting equipment for the Sunday morning’s catching attempt. TT had done a repeat recce of Snettisham North and only found 2000 Dunlin and these had been much disturbed by dog walkers and other grockles. Some Oystercatchers had also been present. However it was decided this was still the best option and due to tide heights nets could not be set until after the Saturday evening tide. Fortunately timings were such that it was possible to set in the morning rather than after the AGM. The AGM was held at the Ffolkes Arms as usual with the meal at 19:30 and the meeting starting about 20:45. With the 2001 AGM cancelled due to Foot and Mouth this AGM actually covered two years. JS completed the evening with a talk about her Turnstone work at Port Sutton Bridge.

Sunday 3rd March

Up 05:45.  With well over two foot difference between the two tides it was difficult to judge where the morning’s tide would reach.  Consequently two half nets were set on a ridge more seaward and a narrow full net set further back as an insurance policy.  Setting was completed by 07:30 and the Oystercatchers had already decided to depart southward.  PLI and NAC watched the nets from each end but only odd birds were present on the beach.  Eventually a small number of Dunlin arrived and some were in front of the lower nets but a bird of prey flying along an old tide line disturbed them.  After this few birds were seen.  Once the tide was falling a dozen waders were just south of the nets.  Before twinkling these an Oystercatcher, fast asleep too close to the nets to fire, was jiggled away.  PLI then tried to move the small flock but predictably they departed south.

Gave up and returned to base.  Breakfast and equipment sorting before departure mid-day.