No recces due to time of tide relative to daylight. Phil arrived mid-day and walked along Snettisham and Heacham beaches hoping to find droppings and other evidence of the presence of flocks as had been evident on the visit a fortnight earlier. Since nothing found marked four net sets near where the birds had actually roosted on the failed attempt on that occasion.

At the Terrington base, equipment was organised for setting and by prior arrangement, Nigel stopped at the fish and chip shop to collect food for the team so far assembled. A rendezvous time of 20:30 had been arranged with team members going straight to Snettisham so arrived somewhat before that and waited by the gate. The local constabulary were the first to arrive! Having convinced them of our credentials took the four wheel drive vehicles through the flooded track to the beach and set the four nets.

Briefing at base and bed before midnight.

The high proportion of adult birds in the flock with at least eight of the retraps being ringed in the second half of the 1970's was very satisfactory. Just one birds was a juvenile.

As the tide went out the falling tide site was observed but few birds queued up on the beach before the mussel bed became exposed. Other recce information was provided by Jeff and Allison who had found 50 mixed waders (15 Grey Plover, 15 Sanderling, and Purple Sandpiper, Knot, Turnstone) on Heacham Far North. No waders were on Heacham South.

Meanwhile Jen had been observing the Turnstone at Port Sutton Bridge and there were 120 present with 40 colour-ringed birds (22 of which were from the catch 2 weeks ago and the remainder birds ringed in previous years). An advantage of Jen being at Terrington was that the team could phone as they left the beach and order breakfast!

The journey back to base was interrupted for most people with a stop at the side of a harvested sugar beet field to look at a flock of 4500 Pink-footed Geese. With no good (or even half decent) wader option for cannon netting on Sunday morning the possibility of making a goose catch was considered. Contact with the WWT confirmed this could be valuable but in the end the logistics and size and state of the field ruled it out.

Departed shortly after 14:00 to set mist nets on the Terrington marsh, despite a rather stronger wind than anticipated. A line of 5 set directly out from the barn and the usual 9 nets set in an 'E' shape out from the next causeway east. Returned to Terrington base for food before putting out tape lures at 18:00. Still quite breezy and cold.

A few birds had been extracted when the lures were put out but the next round had both teams finding their nets full of birds. With the tide slightly higher than predicted, the water just reached the pools. All birds had been extracted by 20:00 and the nets were immediately taken down. Processing done in the white barn as usual with the generator providing decent light.

Return to base well before midnight.

Sunday 5th

With no catching attempt the opportunity was taken to look at some areas which, for various reasons, are not normally visited by the group. Hence had a lie in until 6:45 and got to the sites by high tide.

Team reassembled for breakfast and then sorted out equipment prior to an early departure. The pink footed geese were still happily feeding on their field, to within 40 metres of the road and houses!