High Tide 6.04 m @ 20:21, Sunset 18:10, Team meet time 16:30
Mist-nets set at Greysands Pool, Northam Burrows © C W DeeDespite the tide being quite soon after sunset, we had decided to make one last mist-netting attempt of the winter at Greysands Pool at Northam Burrows. A team of nine set eight nets across the shallow pool and along its shoreline. The previous day's tide would have been higher, but so soon after sunset that the nets would have been visible to birds moving off of the saltmarsh onto the pool as the tide flooded. Weather conditions on the evening were ideal at this exposed site, with the light northerly dropping at dusk, but the small crescent moon was surprisingly bright in a clear sky. All nets were set by 17:45 backed by a beautiful sunset and the tape players were turned on as the last light disappeared at 18:45.
| Species | Ringed | Retraps | Controls | Colour ringed | GPS tagged |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oystercatcher | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
HT 3.76m @ 19:46, Sunset 17:02, Meet Time – 16:00
As the dimming afternoon light washed over Exminster Marshes, the 13-strong team assembled at the RSPB carpark, donned their boots and waders and made their way along the flooded road towards the catching fields.
Mist-nets on the Exminster Marshes lagoons © Nik Ward
The group split into two teams to put up the mist-nets. The larger team set-up two lines of nets (10 nets in total) in the lagoon fields near the ringing station. In a further field, Ryan, Ezra and Flo used 2-shelf nets to create a Y-shape formation of 4 nets and a separate line of 2. Interestingly, despite the lower number of nets, these two sets were more productive than those in the main lagoons. Tape lures were set to play Curlew and Lapwing calls on the nets set in the further field, with the aim to call in these species as the tide pushed them up to roost. The fields were muddy to say the least, and there were some near misses of slipping over in the squelch!
Setting began at 16:45 and was completed before complete darkness around 17:30. Once dark, the tape lures were switched on. The evening began starry and clear, but cloud cover gradually increased as the night progressed. Thankfully the moon was just a silver sliver and so did not cause too much illumination.
| Species | Ringed | Retraps | Controls | Colour ringed | GPS tagged |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grey Plover | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dunlin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Lapwing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curlew | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Snipe | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Black-tailed Godwit | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Redshank | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
High Tide 3.81m @ 18:33, Sunset 16:09, Rendezvous 15:00
Setting mist-nets on Exminster Marshes © AJ BellamyA team of 13 assembled at 15:00pm at RSPB Exminster Marshes to set around the RSPB lagoon field pools for the first mist netting session on the Exe for winter 2024/25
Weather conditions were good, 12 degrees with wind dropping through the afternoon to relatively still by dusk. A full moon that rose at dusk did mean it was a brighter session than ideal, in combination with a rugby game at Exeter Chiefs stadium leading to a very bright sky at catch time, before the moon then disappeared behind clouds. The water level in the pools was high and only accessible with waders.
With a young team, with an average age under 30, nets were set in one field, a 'T' over the water totalling 6 wader nets a set of 4 nets on the far left bund and a set of 2 extra superfine nets for Snipe set by Noah on and adjacent to the near pool. A total of 13 nets were set, starting at 15:45 and was all completed by 16:30.
| Species | Ringed | Retraps | Controls | Colour ringed | GPS tagged |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dunlin | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Redshank | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lapwing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Snipe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
High Tide 5.76m @ 17:42, Sunset 16:10, Team meet time 15:00
After a planned session at this new site in November was cancelled due to forecast strong winds and rain, a mixed experience team of eight assembled at Northam Burrows to set nets on Greysands Pool. We set seven nets across the shallow pool and along its shoreline. Birds are only attracted to this pool on the highest of tides, when the saltmarsh in thre Skern is completely covered. Although this was the highest tide of this full moon sequence it did not make as much as predicted and only a few birds made use of the pool to roost. Although the full moon was obscured by heavy cloud for most of the time, the wind was stronger than ideal with some light drizzle. This combination of factors meant that we did not catch, and as the tide receded we packed up efficiently and were off site by 19:15. We are optimistic that in better conditions and with a slightly higher tide we would be able to catch at this site in the future.
Thanks are extended to Mike Day at Northam Burrows Country Park for arranging permission and allowing out-of-hours access.
Mist-netting Background
The use of mist-nets on high tides during the hours of darkness is less selective in which species are caught, but this technique provides us with additional opportunities to catch and ring waders in the region. A mist-net catch can usually be managed with a smaller team and without the need for a specialist cannon net license holder or the preparatory work needed to reconnaisace precise roost sites and set cannon nets in advance of the planned catch tide.
Our focus on the Exe estuary is the wintering Oystercatcher population and this species is our primary target for mist-netting as we aim to catch birds flying into the high-tide roosts.
Oystercatchers are faithful to wintering sites so the birds you have seen here years ago may be the same ones now. The oldest Dawlish Warren Oystercatcher on record is at least 36 years old, last seen in Jan 2018.
If you see a bird with one of our colour rings, please use the form on this website to send us the details (ring-code, date, location, species) or you can send email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Mist-netting totals
2023-2024 winter totals
| Species | Ringed | Retraps | Controls | Colour ringed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redshank | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Snipe | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curlew | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Dunlin | 70 | 0 | 1 | 71 |
| Grey Plover | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Black-tailed Godwit | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Water Rail | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mallard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turnstone | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2024-2025 winter totals
| Species | Ringed | Retraps | Controls | Colour ringed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oystercatcher | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Grey Plover | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dunlin | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Lapwing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curlew | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Snipe | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Black-tailed Godwit | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Redshank | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Grand totals
| Species | Ringed | Retraps | Controls | Colour ringed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oystercatcher | 49 | 0 | 0 | 45 |
| Grey Plover | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Dunlin | 126 | 0 | 1 | 123 |
| Lapwing | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Curlew | 31 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
| Snipe | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Black-tailed Godwit | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bar-tailed Godwit | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Redshank | 55 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Water Rail | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mallard | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turnstone | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Snipe | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Teal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Common Gull | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Woodcock | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Knot | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greenshank | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |