Despite being overcast today up to 11 Chalkhill Blues at Warham Camp, single Brown Argus and a couple of Painted Lady, and three Hummingbird Hawkmoths @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

2/2 Two Oystercatchers received codes with a third only large enough to take a metal ring. Three well grown Ringed Plover chicks became the first colour marked birds that Blakeney Point staff have been able to add to a joint project with the RSPB/NOA. @norfolknats.bsky.social #BirdRinging

1/2. Yesterday we joined the warden and staff at Blakeney Point hoping to find Little Terns, Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover chicks suitable as part of three separate projects. We only got a single Little Tern as the the chicks that we were targeting had actually fledged just before our efforts.

Sparham Pools today, Brown Argus, lots of Common Blues, 2nd gen Holly Blue, Painted Lady and a whiz by Clouded Yellow @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Sparham Pools today, up 10 Lesser Emperor, several along the farm tracks as well over the lakes. Several Brown Hawkers, along with several more common lakeside species @norfolknats.bsky.social @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

Foxley Wood today limited Butterfly numbers but a few Silver-washed Fritillaries including a Valezina form, a couple of Purple Emperors on the usual oak sap run, two Migrant Hawkers and up to 8 Brown Hawkers @norfolknats.bsky.social @britishdragonflies.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Today was habitat maintenance day at Deepdale farm, so while we did this we managed 23 (3 retraps ) Blackcap 7(1) Blue Tit 2 Chiffchaff 3 Goldcrest 2 Great Tit 2 Lesser Whitethroat 1 Whitethroat 4(2) Wren 2 @btobirds.bsky.social @deepdalecamping.co.uk #BirdRinging @norfolknats.bsky.social

2/2 Total: 47 (6 retraps) Blackbird - 1 Blackcap - 7 Cetti's Warbler - 1 Dunnock - 1 Greenfinch - 2 Pied Wagtail - 2 Reed Warbler - 4 (6 2 from 23 and 3 from 24) Sedge Warbler - 4 Sand Martin - 1 Swallow - 22 Whitethroat - 2 @btobirds.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social #BirdRinging

1/2. Evening on 8th saw us at the River Trust lagoons at Ingoldisthorpe which turned out to be a productive evening as the site had a few Swallows roosting and quite a few Pied Wagtails. Several fledged Marsh harriers were hunting nearby and a Quail flushed from the grass.

2/2 This area on Scolt Head shows the tell tale patches of feathers where avian predators pluck prey before returning to the nest. @btobirds.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social #BirdRinging

1/2. 8th saw us back on Scolt Head to finish off training of one of the NE staff to ring Oystercatchers as part of a study looking at low survival rates starting next year. Also to ring Little Terns, but the few surviving pairs had all fledged.

1/2 Been a busy few days checking out Dragonflies, but on the evening 7th we needed to put time into the NE tracking Dersingham Nightjar foraging area study. We were unsuccessful with the female that had been located, and this year is proving hard to find breeding birds that the study focuses on.

2/2 We did put a net up at dusk and caught a male, which was unfortunately un-ringed as we had hoped to find birds previously ringed on site or elsewhere, as we had the previous year, a bird that had been ringed on the Bog 9 years previous, which was brilliant. @norfolknats.bsky.social #BirdRinging

Brett Wood 7/7/26 White Admiral and Painted Lady @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Baconsthorpe Castle 7/7/26 - Red-veined Darter and a few Willow Emeralds @norfolknats.bsky.social @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

Monitoring on a North Norfolk farm again last evening brought 10 birds including 3 Blackcap, Chiffchaff, 4 Whitethroat, plus a Blue Tit and another adult Quail @norfolknats.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social #BirdRinging

Monitoring on a North Norfolk farm last evening brought 13 birds including 4 Blackcap, 2 Chiffchaff, 2 Whitethroat and a Lesser Whitethroat, all juveniles and an adult Quail @norfolknats.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social #BirdRinging

Fewer Southern Migrant Hawkes at Holkham Meals today, only six seen, but Ruddy Darters were in the 1000s, every bush seemed to hold between 10-20. Southern Hawker along the main path. 3 Lesser Emperors at Titchwell. @britishdragonflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Monitoring at Sculthorpe Moor today resulted in 23 birds, with juveniles out and about, all Warblers with 13 Chiffchaff, Willow, Grasshopper & Reed Warblers, and 7 Sedge Warblers @btobirds.bsky.social @hawkandowl.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Sculthorpe Moor today, Lesser Emperor possibly the first for the site @norfolknats.bsky.social @britishdragonflies.bsky.social @hawkandowl.bsky.social

A return to Holkham Meals, with a mixed result, initially some Dark Green Fritillaries would nectar on flowers, then got busy, but the 60 plus Southern Migrant Hawkers were ultra active. Some were coming down on the pines but went up readily. @norfolknats.bsky.social @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social

Baconsthorpe Castle Mere today Red-veined Darter, 10 Willow Emeralds, plus usual Black-tailed Skimmer, Four-spotted Chaser, Emperor, Ruddy and Common darter and Azure and Common Blue Damselfly @norfolknats.bsky.social @britishdragonflies.bsky.social @englishheritage.bsky.social

Morston Pond today Azure 4, Blue-tailed 12, Willow Emerald 4, Banded Demoiselle and 10 Common Darter @northronbirdobs.bsky.social @britishdragonflies.bsky.social @morstonpond.bsky.social

NW Norfolk yesterday, Black Darter out in good numbers, plenty of Keeled Skimmers, few Emerald Damselfly, and just a single Scarce Blue-tail @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

Lesser Emperor, at least 3 Sparham Pools today @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

1/2 Foxley Wood today, the first that dropped down was just gone 8 - but flitted around and would not settle, very few seemed to want to come down to ground, and then very briefly. @norfolknats.bsky.social @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

2/2 Ringing date: 24-Mar-2025 Site name: Yasmina, Merzouga, Morocco, Morocco Ringer: Spain (Catalonia), -11 Finding date: 15-Jun-2026 Site name: Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve, Norfolk Duration: 448 days Distance: 2435 km Direction: 10deg (N) #BirdRinging @norfolknats.bsky.social

1/1 Not many Sedge Warblers are recovered in the UK ringed in Morocco - this one had a Spanish ring, the one caught the same day at the same place with a Moroccan ring, the details are still awaited. Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) Scheme: ESC Ring no: B131139 @hawkandowl.bsky.social

3/3 Total for Scolt Head colony 2026 - 494 Black-headed Gull - 106 (plus one with metal ring only) Mediterranean Gull - 136 (plus 25 with metal only) Sandwich Tern - 212 (plus 4 with metal only)

2/3 Black-headed Gull - 27 ( plus 1 with metal only) Mediterranean Gull - 88 (plus 11 with metal only) 2 with metal only last time given darvic rings Oystercatcher - 4 (plus 2 with metal only) Sandwich Tern - 11

1/3 Another visit with Natural England for the afternoon primarily for addition Gull colour ringing and start of the Oystercatcher colour coding. @btobirds.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social @naturalengland.bsky.social #BirdRinging

First butterfly at Holkham Meals looking for Dark Greens, I had just assumed was one, as that was what I was out for, but it was a few 100 metres short of their main area - Queen of Spain @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Evening boost - 5 hoglets @norfolknats.bsky.social @mammalsociety.bsky.social

21 Dark Green Fritillary at Holkham Dunes today, which by 9 where whizzing around non- stop. Very active 15+ Purple Hairstreaks on one Oak at Wiveton Down that often settled in the heat. @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

plus an explosion of Ruddy Darters that were literally everywhere at Holkham - 200+ and Black-tailed Skimmers, only females on the seaward side of the dunes. @britishdragonflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Southern Migrant Hawkers everywhere today at Holkham Meals - well it seemed like it, after the first one on the main path by Washington Hide, another 19, min count where seen, including one spot with 10 together on the seaward side. @britishdragonflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Red-veined Darters RSPB Titchwell 20 June 26 - up to 5 including a pair in Tandem @norfolknats.bsky.social @britishdragonflies.bsky.social @rspbtitchwellsnett.bsky.social

2/2. Some interesting movements from last years birds has already emerged, along with productivity data. The furthest travelled was a Sandwich Tern to Namibia in it's first winter. Plus, some of last years Mediterranean Gulls are back in the colony this year.

1/2. Scolt Head Gull and Tern pulli ringing day (19th) with Natural England yesterday resulted in 201 Sandwich Tern, 79 Black-headed and 62 Mediterranean Gulls ringed, most also fitted with colour rings. @btobirds.bsky.social @naturalengland.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social #BirdRinging

Monitoring Sculthorpe Moor on 15th was a quite affair with 21 birds, 4 Reed, 3 Sedge, Whitethroat and Willow Warbler. One of the Sedges was the Spanish ringed bird still present. @hawkandowl.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social @wvbs2025.bsky.social

Common & Ruddy Darters emerging, along with a Norfolk Hawker Sparham Pools 14th @norfolknats.bsky.social @britishdragonflies.bsky.social @wvbs2025.bsky.social

White Admiral, one wing tip already missing, Holt CP 14th @norfolknats.bsky.social @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social

Blackcap ringing recovery, alas dead BCH5837 3 20/9/2025 Morston, Norfolk. 3 16/4/2026 Hanshagen, Mecklenburg - Vorpommern, Germany Time between sightings: 210 day Distance: 838 km @norfolknats.bsky.social @morstonpond.bsky.social

This picture would make an incredible album cover! 🦅 Yesterday morning we colour-ringed a nest of young Northern Goshawk at a private site in Staffordshire. Truly stunning and deadly raptors. We’re privileged to monitor this species and look forward to future recoveries.

A further visit to the NW Norfolk estate produced another 11 juvenile, an adult Barn Owl at three boxes, a Stock Dove, a Stone Curlew off the estate and a colour ringed Stonechat at Dersingham Bog. Appropriate licences held. @btobirds.bsky.social @wildernorfolk.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Barn Owls did poorly last year nationally, though on one estate in NW Norfolk they did okay, but are doing better this year in most areas. Conducted under the appropriate licences. 2/2

Further brood of Marsh Harriers ringed & tagged in NW Norfolk this am and a brood of five Barn Owls ringed before the rain set in. 1/2 @norfolknats.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Two broods of Marsh Harrier of 2 & 3 chicks ringed today and fitted with wing tags as part of an on-going project that is revealing some interesting facts about these efficient hunters. All birds handled under the appropriator licences. @btobirds.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Monitoring Barn Owl boxes on a large North West Norfolk estate yesterday resulted in 29 ringed, 2 adults and 27 owlets plus 2 pulli Stock Dove. @wildernorfolk.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social @gwct.org.uk