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Trip Report - 17th - 19th April 2003

Thursday 17th

Phil did a recce on the morning tide:
Heacham South: 300 Oystercatchers in two flocks on first visit at 06:40 but on return just before high tide all but 20 had left, presumably due to the presence of a number of people.
Heacham far North (07:00):300 Sanderling. Initially spread over 100 yards of beach but concentrated more after disturbance.
Snettisham North (07:40): a few grey waders well scattered.
Sailing Club Bay (08:20): Only a small number of Oystercatchers and a few Ringed Plover.
Terrington (09:10): Despite being 90 minutes after high tide, a lot of water still on the saltmarsh and 150 Curlew on the field just behind the causeway. No evidence of birds using the causeway site itself. Flock of several hundred Dunlin on saltmarsh edge and Curlew and Redshank on the usual place west of the strimmed catching site. Two short-eared owls and a hen harrier also seen.

Further recce on the evening tide:
Terrington (18:40 - 19:40); Curlew on the same field as the morning. 400 present in a number of scattered flocks. 200 Dunlin using the easterly mist net pool until it flooded. By high tide, all the saltmarsh was covered but nothing showed any interest in the causeway site although approx 2000 Dunlin in the immediate vicinity, clinging to remaining grass tussocks. Closer inspection of the Curlew field showed all on the section where a wheat crop was growing but close to the bare part nearer the sea wall.

Team arrived throughout the evening. Equipment had already been sorted out during the afternoon so nothing to do but chat and drink beer or wine until a relatively early bed.

 

Friday 18th

Up 04:30. Late leaving base but two 'narrow half' nets set by two hours before tide. Sanderling already congregating. Jacquie and Phil at firing position with Nigel taking up a position behind the nets. Flock built to 200 closer to the observation point than the nets. Waited for tide to be approaching the 8 yards markers before twinkling. Early in the twinkling had approx. 100 in front of the net and would have fired once more birds had run a little closer to the nets. In the event they left and further twinkling played 'ping-pong' either side of nets. It became obvious that the tide would reach the net so both nets were picked up and moved higher up the beach. The birds moved a short distance north whilst this was done. Waited for the tide to turn before twinkling the birds back and once again played 'ping-pong' with them going either side of the nets. Phil, Rob and Sarah (and her dog Alfie) all involved with twinkling, not helped by radios that did not want to work. Just when beginning to feel it might not come off, a flock landed in front of the nets, so with tide now receeding fast the nets were fired. Many birds escaped capture by being in the gap between the two nets (no overlap on reset) but still a very respectable catch.

 
Species
New
Control / Retrap
Total
Sanderling
98
41
139
       
       
Totals
98
41
139


All processed on the beach in very pleasant weather. Lots of observers from the passing public.

Huge queues of traffic trying to get to the coast as the team travelled in the other direction back to base for breakfast. After that Nigel and Phil visited the Curlew field to be used for catching that evening and following morning. Although vehicles could not be taken on, one of the concentrations of droppings was near a gate from the sea wall so a place to set on the divide of the crop and bare ground was chosen. Two nets set during the afternoon with a return to base for the evening meal.

Manned the nets from 18:30 with Phil in a one man hide on the sea wall. Curlew duly arrived on the field and a couple of early ones joined our decoys. Subsequent landings chose other places on the field, the biggest concentration being inland from our nets. Graham was sent to the other end of the field to twinkle. Initially this had some effect in concentrating the birds nearer the nets but the maximum in the catching area was 11. Birds then chose to move to other fields and with dusk making observation more difficult it was decided to leave until the morning as the chance of successful twinkling was low.

Saturday 19th

Up 06:00. Same nets manned with observation from the other end due to the position of the sun. The strong onshore wind that had got up during Friday persisted. Similar to the evening, the first birds over gave some hope that we would have a catch as four landed in the catching area. As on the previous day and during recces, 3-400 Curlew appeared on the field but although there was a concentration near the nets, both on the bare part and growing crop, numbers in the catching area never improved. Twinkling had the effect of dispersing the flock so it was not long after high tide that the attempt was abandoned.

Looking over the sea wall, all the saltmarsh was covered, suggesting the tide had made quite a bit. Although the official figure at King's Lynn dock was only just over half a foot extra height it seems the strong onshore wind gave a local effect.

Back to base for breakfast and departure mid-day.


© Wash Wader Ringing Group, 2003

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