What's gone insane on the Point? Luckily not the rangers. Instead it's fish - round two of our investigation into fish availability around the Point in partnership with ECON Ecological Consultancy (including our friend and former Blakeney Point seasonal warden, Joe Cockram). As before, we used a 50-metre long Seine net to create a loop that was hauled in from the shore where the fish caught were transferred to a large aerated tub whilst crabs were put in another container. Fish species caught were both Greater and Lesser Sand Eel, Three-spined Stickleback, Sea bass, Flounder, Plaice, Sand Goby and Sand Smelt, along with both Crangon (brown shrimp) and Palaemon shrimps and plenty of shore crabs. This research is being done to assess the food supply available to Little Terns in particular - something particularly relevant at the moment as food supply appears to be a big problem in parts of Norfolk this year for them.
Hauling in the Seine net in the harbour
Dr. Martin Perrow and Joe Cockram
Hauling in the net in Pinchen's Creek
With a warm night and good cloud cover on 27th June we decided to run another moth trap. We were rewarded with our best catch so far this season. Here are the stars of the show:
Archer's Dart
Bright-line Brown-eye
Dark Arches
Elephant Hawkmoth
Lychnis
Smoky Wainscot
Tawny Shears
In other news, we have seen the first fledged Common Tern on the West Sands and the first Little Tern chick on Far Point. Migration, as usual at this time of year, has been quiet with only a Spotted Flycatcher seen in the Plantation and a slow trickle of hirundines and swifts flying west.
First Little Tern chick of 2015 (photographed under license)
- Paul and Sarah
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