End of August round up

Few bits and pieces before I set off for a few days in The Camargue tomorrow morning. Came across this superb elephant hawkmoth caterpillar crossing our patio yesterday. Not sure if it was dislodged from nearby rosebay willowherb by the heavy rain, or was off to find a place to pupate. Anyway, put it back in a large rosebay patch so it had the choice.

elephant hawkmoth larva

Also noted on the patio, this immaculate, newly emerged red admiral that went on to join several peacocks, a hummingbird hawkmoth and 2 hornets flitting around the buddleia.

before it closed its wings

Upon closing the wings, the red band disappears to aid camouflage.

Finally, a new moth for the year:  a feathered gothic. This takes the number of moth species for this year to 183 macros and 174 micros, 357 moth species in total from a count of 4,863 moths since early spring this year. Certainly will pass 5000 for the year!

feathered gothic

Updated year List

Although I do not take part in any year list competitions etc, I do like to keep a tab on what I see each year. Last year, my total of 221 species was reasonably respectable for a committed non twitching birder who invariably just visits Kent (esp Dungeness,) Portland a couple of times per year and North Norfolk at least once a month as well as a few sites within Hertfordshire (Amwell regularly, Tring a couple of times and maybe Stockers Lake and the Lea Valley.) Having said that, if I happen to be in Norfolk and a good bird turns up or is present, I shall make an effort to see it; just not wait for more than half an hour for it to show. eg icterine warbler at Burnham Overy dunes showed within 5 minutes and not again as I waited the half hour to improve on photos. A sort of twitching, I suppose!
I have just updated this year's list, having noted many omissions of everyday birds, most seen locally and not added.

Archive photo: Little Hadham winter 2008: goldcrest

1. red throated diver (Holkham)
2. great northern diver (Portland)
3. black necked grebe (Amwell)
4. little grebe
5. great crested grebe
6. red necked grebe (Holkham)
7. fulmar (Portland)
8. manx shearwater (Portland)
9. balearic shearwater (Portland)
10. gannet
11. cormorant
12. shag (Portland)
13. Little bittern (Lakenheath)
14. cattle egret (Dungeness)
15. little egret
16. great white egret (Dungeness)
17. grey heron
18. spoonbill (Norfolk)
19. mute swan
20. pink footed goose
21. greylag goose
22. canada goose
23. barnacle goose (Scotney Pits)
24. brent goose
25. shelduck
26. egyptian goose
27. mallard
28. gadwall
29. pintail
30. shoveler
31. wigeon
32. teal
33. garganey (Cley)
34. pochard
35. red crested pochard (Titchwell)
36. scaup (Dungeness)
37. tufted duck
38. common scoter
39. goldeneye
40. smew
41. goosander
42. red breasted merganser
43. red kite
44. marsh harrier
45. hen harrier (Titchwell)
46. common buzzard
47. sparrowhawk
48. goshawk (Swaffham area)
49. kestrel
50. hobby
51. peregrine
52. red legged partridge
53. grey partridge
54. pheasant
55. water rail
56. moorhen
57. coot
58. crane (Lakenheath)
59. oystercatcher
60. avocet
61. stone curlew (Weeting Heath)
62. little ringed plover
63. ringed plover
64. grey plover
65. dotterel (Choseley)
66. golden plover
67. lapwing
68. knot
69. sanderling
70. turnstone
71. dunlin
72. curlew sandpiper (Titchwell)
73. little stint (Norfolk)
74. wood sandpiper
75. green sandpiper
76. common sandpiper
77. redshank
78. spotted redshank
79. greenshank
80. black tailed godwit
81. bar tailed godwit
82. curlew
83. whimbrel (Norfolk)
84. snipe
85. white rumped sandpiper (Titchwell)
86. ruff
87. great skua (Portland)
88. Arctic skua (Titchwell)
89. black headed gull
90. common gull
91. mediterranean gull
92. herring gull
93. yellow legged gull
94. caspian gull (Amwell)
95. lesser black backed gull
96. greater black backed gull
97. little gull (Cley)
98. kittiwake (Dungeness)
99. Iceland gull (Weybourne)
100. little tern
101. sandwich tern
102. common tern
103. guillemot
104. razorbill
105. stock dove
106. wood pigeon
107. collared dove
108. turtle dove
109. cuckoo
110. tawny owl
111. barn owl
112. little owl
113. swift
114. kingfisher
115. ring necked parakeet (M25)
116. green woodpecker
117. great spotted woodpecker
118. skylark
119. woodlark (Kelling)
120. sand martin
121. swallow
122. house martin
123. water pipit (Titchwell)
124. rock pipit (Portland)
125. meadow pipit
126. tree pipit (Norfolk)
127. pied wagtail
128. white wagtail (Lakenheath)
129. yellow wagtail
130. grey wagtail
131. wren
132. dunnock
133. robin
134. nightingale (Wiverton)
135. black redstart
136. wheatear
137. whinchat (Portland)
138. stonechat
139. song thrush
140. redwing
141. mistle thrush
142. fieldfare
143. blackbird
144. garden warbler
145. blackcap
146. lesser whitethroat
147. whitethroat
148. dartford warbler (Kelling)
149. sedge warbler
150. grasshopper warbler
151. cetti's warbler
152. reed warbler
153. icterine warbler (Burnham Overy)
154. willow warbler
155. chiffchaff
156. goldcrest
157. spotted flycatcher
158. pied flycatcher (Portland)
159. great tit
160. blue tit
161. coal tit
162. marsh tit
163. long tailed tit
164. bearded reedling
165. nuthatch
166. treecreeper
167. magpie
168. jay
169. jackdaw
170. rook
171. carrion crow
172. raven (Portland)
173. starling
174. house sparrow
175. tree sparrow (Dungeness)
176. chaffinch
177. brambling (Titchwell)
178. linnet
179. twite (Thornham)
180. redpoll
181. goldfinch
182. siskin
183. bullfinch
184. greenfinch
185. snow bunting (Weybourne)
186. Lapland bunting (Weybourne)
187. reed bunting
188. yellowhammer
189. bittern (Titchwell)
190. osprey (Choseley)
191. redstart (Holme)
192. yellow browed warbler (Wells Woods)
193. firecrest (Wells Woods)

Yet another day in North Norfolk

On Sunday and Monday heavy rain swept across East Anglia with a south easterly wind. A good direction for grounding southern bound migrants. So it proved with pied flycatchers everywhere, occasional wryneck, several tree pipits and redstarts. By Thursday the wind had moved round to a south westerly, not good for grounding migrants but I thought there may still be some knocking around, so off at 5a.m.

I met Gary at Gramborough Hill, Salthouse and almost immediately it was apparent that nothing of note was present. The 45+ pied flycatchers had all moved on in clear, dry skies earlier in the week. A couple of wheatear were in the fields and a fly over green shank was as good as it got.

Off to East Bank, Cley where bearded tits were pinging in the reeds and waders were silhouetted by the rising sun at Arnold's Marsh. A brief sea watch gave up gulls and some sandwich terns. Not the most auspicious start to the day!

A hobby winged its way over the reedbed, but little else. Gary then had to return home for work, so I decided to head for the hides on the reserve. I dallied with the idea of driving all the way round to Winterton dunes but thought too much time would be spent driving so off the the hides on Cley Reserve.
As I approached a peregrine stooped over the scrape, sending everything off, so that when I arrived, just 7 ruff and a distant greenshank remained. A sparrow hawk over Walsey Hills, a hovering kestrel and 2 marsh harriers were all that were about, so back to the car. Still too early for a coffee at the visitors centre, so I reckoned the track down to the dunes at Burnham Overy Staithe would be as good as anywhere.

kestrel at Cley

peregrine high over Cley 

As I approached the layby, a pied flyctacher (male) flew acorss the road and into the hedge. Once parked, I returned the couple of hundred yards, but no sign, but might indicate a good wander. This was not the case, with a flyover whimbrel, calling incessantly, linnets, tits and a few regular warblers in the hawthorn hedges along the track. A scan of the distant dunes showed there were no birders there, so reckoned it would probably be as void of birds as Gramborough! Back to the car and off Titchwell. At this point I had 4 photographs for the whole morning.
I arrived at a busy Titchwell, quick doze in the car, and then a coffee. The reserve had a fairly comprehensive list of birds reported, albeit nothing startling, so I headed along the beach path and into the Island Hide. This was busy and outside, on the mud, 6 little stints showing well. Dunlin, avocets, ruff and a few distant curlew sandpipers, so at last, I got a few photos.

dunlin

little stint

underwing plumage of little stint

Little stint

From the island hide, I headed through the crowds to the beach. It was now bright and lovely just to sit in the dunes and watch the sea go by through the scope. Arctic skua, cormorants, a solitary gannet and sandwich terns were all noted along with a single bobbing common scoter. After 45 minutes, drizzle and, without my camera bag, I headed for the Parrinder Hide as a downpour looked likely. On the saltmarsh, 6 magnificent, summer plumaged grey plovers and a single spotted redshank, that mysteriously disappeared once I had extracted the camera strap for being caught up with the scope strap!
Into the Parrinder Hide and 3 curlew sandpipers not too far away. Ruff, godwits, golden plover, oystercatchers etc all viewed. I spent a good hour in here, just enjoying the view and trying to find something a little different. 2 yellow wagtails landed on the mud, amongst the meadow pipits and linnets. but nothing else, apart from 4 spoonbills were seen other than the usual fare of shelduck, teal, gadwall etc.

curlew sandpiper

yellow wagtail

Few waders that needed sorting

another curlew sandpiper

I eventually headed back to the car as it was now mid afternoon and drove along to Holme. A coffee from Jen in the splendid cafe and off into the firs to see if I could track down the pied flycatcher that had been reported. Nothing doing, which was a pity as I could do with some reasonable photos of this species in the UK. Plenty from Poland a year last April, but a Norfolk one would be good. A check from the hide gave views of both green and common sandpiper, dunlin etc before I was back in the car and off to Choseley drying barns. Here, 2 marsh harriers quartered the stubble fields, one putting up corvids, the other being got at by a single hare! Too far for what could have been interesting photos.
By now, it was time to head to Walsingham and to meet up with Jan and Gary for a pint at the Bull before the drive home and fish and chips at Brandon.
A good day and I was surprised to find the species list extended to 98! More than I had thought. Last was a barn owl on the road towards Walsingham near Wighton.

Distant grey plovers, Titchwell

Goldfinch in Holme Firs

Choseley marsh harrier

small tortoiseshell at Holme

So another good day, thoroughly enjoyed even if the birding was quantity rather than quality once again. Be a while before I return as off to The Camargue on Tuesday for a few days birding and walking. Should be interesting time of the year, with several species targeted for photos: squacco heron, great white egret, spectacled warbler, calandra lark (if present) roller, short toed eagle (if not already migrated) gull billed tern, slender billed gull and possible caspian tern moving through the area. Not too much to ask, is it?

Migration watch

Over the last 2 mornings I have been out early to see if I can find any evidence of migration through the parish. Having had heavy rain on Sunday, Monday morning looked promising so off to Hadham Hall where the willows around the lagoon can be good for keeping migrants. In 2013 I had both redstart and pied flycatcher here, both excellent records for Herts. Yesterday though, just 6 chiffchaff, 1 first year willow warbler, 1 whitethroat and 7 pristine robins. On the lagoon, a record 18 mallard, 2 moorhen whilst the family of barn owls (2 adults and a solitary fledgling) were noted along with usual residents: common buzzard, jays, green woodpeckers, linnets, goldfinches and plenty of wood pigeons.

chiffchaff at Hadham Hall

This morning, I checked the higher areas of the Ash Valley on the local golf course. Previously, I have noted whinchat, ring ouzel and wheatear here and today was good in that a single wheatear was around the 6th green. A regular haunt for autumn passage. A check on the willows near the 5th green gave up a single chiffchaff.

wheatear on the bin at the 10th tee

same bird, perhaps a moulting adult female?

Moth wise, all rather quiet, with new for year macros being Old Lady, 6 striped rustic and orange swift, whilst no new micros since 21.08.15.
Totals now: 181 macros and 174 micros for the year out of a total of 4640 moths recorded within the parish this year.

Old lady

orange swift

299th macro and 4500 moth record for 2015

Last night looked good, overcast and warm. So it proved with a haul of 74 mothsof  28species. Numbers made up of 12 setaceoushebrew character, 7 square spot rustic, 7 Agriphila geniculea and 11 lesser broad bordered yellow underwing. Surprisingly, only 11 of those species were recorded as a solitary example, so a good emergence over the last few days of typical late August moths.

However, a lesser spotted pinion was new for my parish records, macro number 299 for the parish whilst an Old Lady was my 178th macro of the year.

One of the setaceous hebrew characters also became the 4,500th moth trapped this year, so in with a good chance of recording more than 5000 this year.

Whilst on numbers, with 299 macros and 232 micros since 2011, now on 531 species for the parish.

Pyrausta aurata

lesser spotted pinion

lesser spotted pinion: 299th macro for my parish records.

Back to Norfolk for 2 days

Chance opportunity to return to Norfolk, camping at Stiffkey for one night. Off after emptying the moth trap and straight to Garden Drove between Wells and Stiffkey as this area can be good for migrants. First bird as I got out of the car at the concrete pad, a tree pipit. Hadn't even got the camera from the boot! Year lister 1. A walk to Warham Greens gave views of 20+ red legged partridge, whitethroat and, on the coastal footpath, lesser white throat. Over the marsh, little egrets, golden plover in their hundred, wrens and gulls, but nothing unusual. As I drove back down the muddy track birds were flocking around an oak. Blackcap, great, long tailed and blue tit, willow warbler, whitethroat and chiffchaff all flitting around. Off to Burnham Overy Staithe track where more regular warblers were noted, including a family of sedge warblers. At the end of the track, the icterine warbler showed well as I arrived with one other birder, before disappearing into the brambles and not seen again whilst I remained, hoping for better photos than these! Year lister 2

Whitethroat

Icternine warbler

another disappointing shot of this scarce migrant

From here, I set off to the campsite and put up my little one man tent before heading off for a check on the East Bank at Cley. Again, surprisingly, nothing too noteworthy and this remained the situation throughout the 2 days. Very few good waders, just plenty of godwits, ruff and dunlin.
A coffee at the VC before leaving the car at the campsite and a wander to the gibbert roundabout. Few whimbrel on Stiffkey Greens but no migrants in the sueda.
After fish and chips in Wells and a bit of sleep, I awoke to note a stooping peregrine high over the village. Year lister 3. I set off to net moths on the saltmarsh. A clear night and incoming tide meant I stayed to the footpath, but netted around 40 moths, none of which were unusual, with plenty of large yellow underwings and Pleuropyta ruralis, snout, square spot rustic. All of these were shown to some interested youngsters on the campsite.

avocet

3 dunlin and black tailed godwit at Cley

avocet and 2 ruff at Cley

2 of the 3 little stints

Juvenile little stint

The next morning and rain! A quick wander around the campsite and along the footpath showed that nothing new had come in overnight, so off again to Burnham Overy to see if anything had arrived here. Just the same, with good swift movement overhead, so back to the campsite, pack up tent and off to check the hides at Cley. From Daukes Hide 3 little stint in with good dunlin and ruff numbers. Year lister 4
I then thought Kelling Quag maybe good, but met a chap who had just returned from there with negative news on anything worthwhile, so a check along the coast road, stopping at Lady Anne's Drive, Morston Quay, Choseley and eventually Titchwell. Here, I bumped into Colin, birder from Stortford and we both commented on lack of quality waders. A pintail made the trip list whilst a sea watch gave year lister 5: an arctic skua chasing common and sandwich terns. 2 spoonbills flew over before I finished the trip with a drive down to Thornham harbour but again, just everyday fare, including linnets, redshanks, black headed gulls etc. A quick stop off at Hunstanton for a view across the Wash. Plenty of oystercatchers, sanderling etc on the exposed mud  and hundreds of common and black headed gulls on the pitch and putt course before the drive home.
A trip list of 91 species is not to be dismissed, but all the same, I would have expected a bit more quality. I plan to return next Wednesday, so fingers crossed for some south easterlies or easterlies on Monday and Tuesday.

male linnet

juvenile ruff

adult ruff

black tailed godwit at Titchwell

few of the 1000's of golden plover that arrived in North Norfolk on Wednesday morning

Few new moths

A few days camping in North Norfolk and phone lines burnt out in Little Hadham following a power surge have meant no updates recently. Phones and broadband back on this afternoon after a week.
A white satin and square spotted clay have been added to the macro list for the year, whilst Donacaula forficella was a new moth for my parish records. Also, new for the year, the beautiful plume moth, Amblyptilia acanthadactyla, taking my annual totals to 175 macro species and 185 micro species: 360 moth species in total, with 4335 moths having been trapped this year already. Hoping to make 400 species and 5000 moths for the year.
Returning to Norfolk tomorrow morning, camping for the night at Stiffkey before spending Thursday birding and returning home Thursday evening. Hope to get out on to Stiffkey saltmarshes for a bit of netting with headtorch, too.

white satin, head on.

Amblyptilia acanthadactyla

Aethes smeathmanniana

Donacaula forficella

white satin

Super North Norfolk Day

Another trip to Norfolk as the weather forecast looked good. This was not always the case however, with overcast, if warm conditions most of the day. I decided to begin at Cley and finish at Titchwell as the light is often better there in the late afternoon.
After emptying the moth trap, I set off at 5.15 and was on the reserve at Cley by 7.30.
 The first bird of the day was a strange one: a cormorant flying over the M11, whilst the first year lister was a good tick: goshawk over the road some 3 miles south of Swaffham, near the pig farm with the conifer forest. Huge female flew low over the road.
At Cley a little gull showed well from Daukes Hide, whilst also yellow wagtail, common, green and wood sandpipers. A check from the Bishop's hide gave views of 2 curlew sandpipers coming into land, one in very smart summer plumage. From here, a wander along the East Bank to Arnold's where another wood sandpiper was noted. Greenshank, curlew and little egret whilst out to sea, 5 common scoter flew west. I met with David and Brian and we headed back to the centre for a coffee. Chats about space, astronauts, birding Cley in the '70's etc. All good memories of good birds, such as ortolan, marsh sandpiper, rustic bunting and memories of Richie Richardson.
They then headed for Stiffkey Fen whilst I though Kelling Water Meadows may turn up something good.

red legged partridge as I headed for the hides.

Plenty of birds to check: godwits and ruff, mainly

little gull

Black tailed godwit from Daukes Hide

1st of several wall browns

Having parked at Kelling I wandered along the track: usual fare; chiffchaff, sedge warbler, good selection of usual butterflies, southern hawker, common blue damselfly and common darters. The water levels were exceptionally high due to heavy rain so on the water meadows just black headed gulls and 2 med gulls. Stonechat in a superb state of disrepair whilst I checked for red-veined darters, but not enough sun to encourage them on to the path. However, a female hepatic cuckoo flew from a post before I could get a shot. I had another one of these back in May whilst guiding 3 people, strange to see 2 in the same place. This, as the previous one, a full adult, so possibly the same bird.

Another wall brown, different markings to the Cley individual

Presumed common blue

moulting sedge warbler

common darter

Tatty stonechat

Immaculate red admiral

From here, I drove to Stiffkey Fen, now a good site for spoonbill. Not disappointed with at least 24 on show, along with godwits, gadwall, geese, common sandpiper, ruff etc. A check over to Blakeney harbour showed well over 300 oystercatchers. Butterflies were everywhere, with a small copper and grayling being added to the list. Always a good place to visit, even when the footpath could benefit from a hedge trim. A common buzzard soared as I headed back to the car.

spoonbills at Stiffkey Fen

meadow brown

underwing of meadow brown

Titchwell was just emptying as I arrived about 4.30, so very peaceful. Huge increase in migratory waders whilst avocet numbers, which peaked at 600+ a few weeks ago now considerably lower.
A search for a white rumped sandpiper on Freshmarsh turned up good numbers of dunlin and 2 curlew sandpipers. More wood sands, too along with ruff, godwits, juvenile yellow wagtail etc.
Along to the beach and a quick check on Volunteer Marsh proved useful, in the distance, with a redshank and several dunlin, a smaller bird with bright supercilium, the white rumped sandpiper. Not anything of note on the beach so back to the Parrinder Hide,, where a 2nd summer yellow legged gull was noted. The walk back to the island hide gave good views of dunlin, little ringed plover, ruff and avocet, with more of the same from the hide. Back to the carpark and a quick trip up to CXhoseley for early migrants, but nothing but a few yellowhammers.
A super day and now looking forward to returning tomorrow (Friday 14th) for a few days camping at Stiffkey. Maybe an early morning visit to the gibbert roundabout or Stffkey Fen.

moulting dunlin

first year ruff

sharp plumage!

Posing dunlin

Little ringed plover from footpath

adult ruff

Freshmarsh

Species List:
littlegrebe, great crested grebe, cormorant, little egret, grey heron, sponnbill, mute swan, greylag, Canada goose, shelduck, mallard, gadwall, teal, pochard, red crested pochard, common scoter, marsh harrier, common buzzard goshawk, sparrowhawk, kestrel, red legged partridge, pheasant, moorhen, coot, oystercatcher, avocet, little ringed plover, grey plover, lapwing, knot, turnstone, dunlin, curlewsandpiper, common sandpiper, green sandpiper, wood sandpiper, white rumped sandpiper, redshank, greenshank, spotted redshank, black tailed godwit, bar tailed godwit, ruff, curlew, black headed gull, Mediterranean gull, common gull, herring gull, lesser balck backed gull, yellow legged gull, little gull, sandwich tern, common tern, wood pigeon, collared dove, cuckoo, barn owl, skylark, sand martin, swallow, house martin, meadow pipit, pied wagtail, yellow wagtail, wren, robin, dunnock, stonechat, blackbird, whitethroat, sedge warbler, cetti's warbler, reed warbler, chiffchaff, great tit, blue tit, bearded tit, magpie, jay, jackdaw, rook, carrion crow, starling, house sparrow, chaffinch, green finch, bullfinch, goldfinch, linnet, reed bunting, yerllowhammer.

91 species day.

Butterfly species:
Large white, small white, green veined white, wall brown, grayling, speckled wood, red admiral, peacock, common blue, small copper, gatekeeper, meadow brown.