2018 breeding season high's and low's

As the summer draws to a close, here is a summary of the Titchwell breeding season.

Reedbed

It was a mixed story for birds that breed within the Titchwell reedbed. We were hit with the Beast from the East, followed by a mini Beast from the East. Much of the reedbed was frozen making it difficult for bearded tits and cetti’s warbler to feed. Cetti’s warblers are particularly susceptible to the cold weather, and sadly we lost all 13 pairs. However there were still birds along the Norfolk coast and this summer at least one bird has returned to Titchwell, so we can only hope that we don’t have another bad winter and the population can start to recover. Bearded tits are also susceptible, so numbers of pairs were down on last year. As they have more than one brood a year, we are confident numbers will rise once again. Bitterns have once again not bred at Titchwell, despite the odd bird being seen in the winter. The good news is that at least 3 birds have been seen on site over the past couple of weeks As a team are working on a project to address some of the issues we have with the reedbed, mainly our lack of ability to control and move water around the reedbed and the lack of structure within it. On a more positive note at least 10 marsh harriers fledged from 5 nests, each year we see a steady increase in numbers.

Freshmarsh

Once again the predator fence proved successful with a continued rise in Black-headed gulls and an exceptional number of Mediterranean gulls. More excitingly was the influx of Sandwich Terns with over 1000 birds using the Freshmarsh to court one another. There was some prospecting within the predator fence but sadly no birds were proved to breed. Perhaps next year they will? Although numbers of Avocets may initially appear disappointing compared to last year they are still significantly improved compared to 2015 when there was no predator fence on site.

Beach

For those who visit, you will have noticed a large beach cordon on the eastern side of the beach stretching to Titchwell Creek. By fencing off this area we can provide an area of refuge from disturbance by people and dogs which can have a major impact on the success of ringed plovers and oystercatchers. Two pairs of ringed plover managed to fledge 5 young and 3 pairs of oystercatchers also used this area. It was a great success as ringed plovers in particular are really struggling on the Norfolk coast due to increasing disturbance, predation and lack of habitat. So it is a thank you from us and the ringed plovers.

Turtle Doves.

Last year you may remember that at least one pair bred in the car park, fledging two broods. Although a couple of birds returned in the spring they failed to stay and breed. However based on success from Operation Turtle Dove we trialed supplementary feeding. Spreading 2kg of small seed every week on the Tank Road. This has proved successful and in the past couple of weeks four birds have been seen feeding on the seed with one bird purring from the top of a dead tree. Let’s hope they have a successful migration and return next year to breed.