Wash Wader Ringing Group

Friday 1st January

MS and JS arrived at the Snettisham car park at 6.45 on New Year,’s morning. First light was at 7.15, it was quickly obvious that there were no birds on the beach. This was then the order of the day for the rest of the recce with no birds being present on Heacham North, South and far north. The only waders that were seen were 100 curlew roosting on the sewage outfall at Heacham. The rest of the team started arrive about 6pm due to bad weather. Due to this, and illness, it was soon realised that only 8 people would be available for the catch on the Saturday morning, which is the minimum required to make a beach catch in accordance with the cannon net code of conduct. With the recces not showing a way forward the only option was an “on spec” set on Snettisham South with the hope that some birds would be there in the morning. Hence two narrow full nets were set after tide. Nets were set approximately 7m above the expected high tide line as the morning high tide corresponded with first light. This was efficiently done and the team were all in bed by 11pm.

Saturday 2nd January

The following morning the team were up at 5.30 with the plan of being in position by 6.45, just before first light.
As it became light it became clear that the nets were set in the right place and that there were birds.  The problem was that there was a big gap between a flock of 150 oystercatchers and 100 grey stuff and another smaller flock of 20 oyks and a small number of grey, with the net in the middle!
KT stared to twinkle from the Snettisham end.  This quickly sent the oyks to the pits and left the grey stuff playing wader ping pong between MAS and KT, MAS having started to move from the hide position as a twinkler but also so that he could be part of the lifting operation.
Finally the birds settled in front of the catching area but by this time the tide was at 14 yards, with the jump ropes on the net set for a maximum extent of 12!  A few birds had moved up the beach so it was decided to try for a small consolation catch, but with the very possible chance of it being an ‘air shot’ with nothing being caught!

With the team suitably warned the net was fired, and quite unexpectedly 22 birds of five species were caught, and extracted and put into cages from a completely dry net.

With the modest size of the catch, it being dry, and in good weather conditions, there was an ideal opportunity for the inexperienced team members to fully process the catch, with the measurements being checked by experienced people. Afterwards the team returned to base for breakfast and preparation for a possible mist netting trip that evening.

The plan for the evening was to go mist netting on Terrington Marsh.
During the afternoon the heavy snow that had been forecast started.  After consulting various people to get weather forecasts it was finally decided not to set nets for the evening tide, despite NAC’s best effort to persuade the team that there was a gap in the weather between two snow storms that would coincide with the tide, whilst he was sat at home.
Memories of a few mist netting sessions where we had been told that the marsh would not cover came flooding back!  Mist netting kit was put back in the store and most of the team then made their way home in the snow rather than stay overnight.