WWRG Main Week

It hardly seemed a minute after returning from the Wash mini week when it was time for the Wash main week. Work commitments meant that I couldn’t make it until Tuesday afternoon but luckily for me, I didn’t miss any catches on the Tuesday morning. As I arrived at the base, Kirsty was just running out of the house with the team’s tea. After a very quick comfort break I followed her down to the marsh to join the small team that had set a single net hoping for a greenshank catch. I soon learned that the rest of the team were over on the Lincolnshire side helping the other team on that side of the Wash.

 

After a lovely tea we settled in to wait for the birds. With Nigel keeping us informed of what was in the area, we waited expectantly and we weren’t disappointed. It wasn’t long before we were running to the net and extracting four beautiful juvenile greenshank. This was a new species in the hand for three of us so it was fascinating to be able to study them, particularly as it was still daylight. All of the birds were colour ringed as part of an on-going project being carried out elsewhere in the UK.

 

Ringing a greenshank

The birds were all individually colour marked

 

Later that evening we headed down to Snettisham Beach to set three nets for the following morning. Given the small team present, it was a remarkably efficient set and we were soon heading back to base for a good night’s sleep. The next morning we were up bright and early and back at the beach for a lovely sample of sanderling with a few dunlin, a single knot and a fantastic grey plover still in full breeding plumage. One of the sanderling was a rather special bird that has become the star of its own post on the BTO’s ‘Demog blog‘ - http://btoringing.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/the-return-of-sanderling-nt88726.html

 

On Wednesday afternoon we set nets in a field Lucy had seen large numbers of curlew, godwits and golden plover landing in that morning. We decided to man the nets on Wednesday evening on the off chance that the birds may come in but without high expectations. With a few golden plover around, it looked as though there may be an option for a catch, but despite our best efforts, it wasn’t to be. So, we left the nets in place and headed home, with a few stops along the way to gaze at and take photos of the stunning sunset. The following morning we were back in position at the field but sadly, despite there being hundreds of curlew and godwits around, they just didn’t want to settle in our field.

Cathy and Justin demonstrating how to
put up a hide on a sloping drain bank

 

The start of the sunset over Terrington Marsh. Later the entire
sky turned a vivid red!

On Thursday evening a few of us decided to check out the greenshank pool again but unfortunately, it had too much water in it for us to set any nets so we headed back to base for a relaxing evening and an early night. Friday morning saw us over at Ken Hill manning a series of nets that we had set in a field the previous day. We were again looking to get a sample of curlew. After a coordinated twinkle, we had the opportunity to make a catch and we were soon busy with 50+ curlew. It was a nice sample which made all the hard work of setting in the grass field the previous day worthwhile.

 

On Friday night, as there were no viable catching opportunities, we had planned on meeting up with the Lincolnshire team for a meal out but given that it was the start of the bank holiday weekend and the traffic was horrendous, we thought better of it. Instead we made the most of the lovely evening and had a delicious BBQ at the Norfolk base. It was a treat to be able to just relax and chat with friends for the evening.

 

Team BBQ - and no, I have no idea why Guy has that look on his face!

Saturday morning saw us once again trying our luck with the nets set for curlew. Alas, this time we were thwarted by rain and a peregrine. We did however get to watch a stunning encounter between the peregrine and a golden plover. There was mixed feelings between those watching as to whether we wanted the goldie to get away or whether we wanted the peregrine to get some breakfast so as to stop bothering the birds in our field. In the end, after an incredible and prolonged chase, the goldie escaped the peregrine’s talons (I was in the goldie to win camp so was pleased with this outcome)!

 

Saturday and Sunday evenings were earmarked for mist netting on the marsh. I love mist netting at night, particularly at this time of year as you never know what you are going to catch. On my first trip to the Wash, three years ago this September, we caught at least thirteen different species in the mist nets. The visitors to the nets this weekend weren’t quite so varied but we did catch a really nice sample of redshank over the two nights. Other species caught included knot, ringed plover, black-tailed godwit, bar-tailed godwit, dunlin, turnstone and a solitary juvenile black-headed gull, which I was lucky enough to ring. I have never before held an adult gull and was pleasantly surprised by how soft its plumage was.

 

Juvenile black-headed gull

A late finish on Saturday night blended into an early start on Sunday morning as we went and set nets on the marsh in an attempt to increase our redshank sample for the week. Nets set, we all settled down under the tarpaulin to wait for the birds to come into the pool. A message soon came over the radio from Nigel in the hide informing us that the firing box wasn’t working and asking whether anyone had any batteries. A set of AAs was duly produced and Nigel set about trying to fix the box. A minute later there was a popping sound (okay, more like a quiet bang) and the words ‘and that was me blowing up the firing box’ were heard from the hide! Hmmm, this wasn’t going well. But Nigel had a plan to fire the box via the batteries themselves. We just had to wait for the tide and the birds…neither of which materialised. A sparrowhawk came to visit and a marsh harrier was spotted in the distance but the pool we were set on remained resolutely void of birds. We eventually gave up and went back to base where Nigel decided to test out the makeshift firing equipment. As it turned out, the batteries wouldn’t have fired the nets anyway so it was probably a good thing that we didn’t have a decent catch option after all! In the arable field, where a small team were again manning the curlew nets, no birds showed up either.

 

The week ended on Monday morning with a lie in and a morning spent sorting kit, cleaning up the house, dismantling tent city and disentangling dogs from nets that had been left out to dry! A surprising amount of sleep had been achieved this week but most people were still pretty tired by the time they all departed on Monday afternoon. So, that’s another summer season on the Wash over and done with. Roll on the October weekend!

 

I would love to know whether Meg
was standing there out of concern for
Semi under the net or whether she was
just laughing at her!