3 Days Birding and Mothing in North Norfolk

Moth trap set on the salt marsh by Stiffkey Campsite

Tuesday and I was off for two nights in North Norfolk camping at High Sand Creek campsite in Stiffkey. En route I stopped off at Snettisham RSPB in the hope of finding a Turtle Dove, but very little was about as the temperatures increased.

I checked out North Point Pools at Wells before buying supplies at the Co-Op and then pitching the tent and getting everything ready for mothing on Warham Greens. Once completed, wandered along the North Norfolk Coastal Footpath to Stiffkey Fen where several birds got on the trip list, most notably, 3 Spoonbill. This site seems to hold them on a regular basis.

Down to the Red Lion, couple of pints and evening meal before back to set up the trap. Once done, settled down with a bottle of Sancerre, had a couple of hours kip before checking the trap and sheet around midnight. Everything potted for id, others released once checked. Then spent a little time with net and headtorch but all there seemed to be were Green carpets.

Day 2:

Woke early at 6.15, so checked, id'd and released the potted moths before it got too hot and they would cook in their pots. Several were retained and now reside in my fridge at home, ready for inspection.

Showered and a coffee at Wells before heading off to Kelling Heath. Notable birds here were Willow warbler and Dartford warbler as well as the only Coal tit for the trip. From here: Kelling Water Meadows which was very quiet with 3 Lesser whitethroat heard and seen along the track here. Kelling Quags offered even less, so back to the car and a check around Gramborough Hill. By now the temps were in the high 20'sC and it was becoming very hot. Photography was tricky due to heat haze so I returned to the tent for a little rest, but the inside of the tent was unbearable, so, leaving the camera at base camp, headed off to Cley East Bank, Cley beach where I got cooked but at least a little breeze. 

Following this, the temps began to drop so I headed off to West Runton cliffs where I got sand martins and 2 fulmar that stiff winged their way west and then out to sea. I had been out enough so back to the camp for a beer and a glass of wine. I set the trap in the campsite woods ready to plug in later and returned to the Red Lion. As I was setting up I checked any birds out on the marsh and in a huge flock of Starlings, a stand out Rose coloured starling. My first of the year. There has been a steady influx of these into the area over the last 5 days or so. An enjoyable pint of Nelson and a curry and I was back at the campsite by 8.45. Another glass of Claret and off mothing. Green carpets again, difficult to get passed them to anything else, but a Yellowshell macro was in good plumage, as was a Spectacle. I eventually checked and emptied the trap at 1am, left it in situ and hit the sack.

Day 3:

Again, up early to id any tricky moths, a couple of pug species were retained but all micros were easy to id and released. Shower and off for a coffee again before returning to camp to pack up, load the car. Once completed, along Beach Road at Wells where another Rose coloured starling was een near the football club and then off to Lady Anne's Drive but little to be seen so I continued along to the path that leads off the A149 to Burnham Overy Dunes and Gun Hill. Highlights were another spoonbill, a flyby and a Great egret, also aerial. However, best part was being mobbed by a pair of avocets. Clearly they had a nest or young somewhere near and fluttered directly over my head. Too close for photos on occasions. One then landed and played the broken wing trick, leading me away from where I was. They calmed down soon after I had passed through the 5 bar gate. 

Stopped off for another coffee at Burnham Deepdale before finishing the trip at Choseley and then a walk to Titchwell beach through the RSPB reserve. Beach and sea were virtually void of birds, but a great egret was in the reeds near Patsy's Pool whilst several species got on to the trip list.

A great 3 days and now home for a good night's sleep.

Wall butterfly

Dunnock

Linnet

Pied wagtail

House sparrow

Oystercatcher

Peacock

Common tern

Dozing hare

Yellowhammer near Stiffkey Fen

3 distant Spoonbills at Stiffkey Fen

 Species: Birds:

1. Great crested grebe (Titchwell)
2. Fulmar (West Runton cliffs)
3. Cormorant
4. Little egret
5. Great egret (Burnham Overy & Titchwell)
6. Grey heron
7. Spoonbill (Stiffkey Fen & Burnham Overy)
8. Mute swan
9. Greylag goose.
10. Canada goose
11. Shelduck
12. Egyptian goose
13. Mallard
14. Gadwall
15. Shoveller
16. Teal (Titchwell)
17. Pochard (Titchwell)
18. Tufted duck
19. Red kite
20. Marsh harrier
21. Common buzzard
22. Sparrowhawk (Walsey Hills)
23. Kestrel
24. Hobby (Cley)
25. Red legged partridge
26. Grey partridge (Kelling Water Meadows)
27. Pheasant
28. Moorhen
29. Coot
30. Oystercatcher
31. Avocet
32. Little ringed plover
33. Ringed plover (Titchwell)
34. Lapwing
35. Turnstone
36. Redshank
37. Black tailed godwit (Titchwell)
38. Black headed gull
39. Herring gull
40. Lesser black backed gull
41. Common gull (West Runton)
42. Sandwich tern (Cley)
43. Common tern
44. Stock dove (Salthouse)
45. Wood pigeon
46. Collared dove
47. Cuckoo (heard Stiffkey)
48. Tawny Owl (heard Stiffkey)
49. Swift
50. Green Woodpecker (Stiffkey)
51. Skylark
52. Sand martin (West Runton)
53. Swallow
54. House martin
55. Meadow pipit
56. Pied wagtail
57. Grey wagtail (Stiffkey Fen)
58. Wren
59. Dunnock
60. Robin
61. Song Thrush
62. Blackbird
63. Garden warbler (Stiffkey)
64. Blackcap
65. Lesser Whitethroat (Kelling Water meadows)
66. Whitethroat
67. Dartford warbler (Kelling Heath)
68. Sedge warbler
69. Cetti's warbler
70. Reed warbler
71. Willow warbler (Kelling Heath)
72. Chiffchaff
73. Great tit
74. Blue tit
75. Long tailed tit
76. Coal tit (Kelling Heath)
77. Bearded reedling (heard Cley and Titchwell)
78. Nuthatch (Kelling Water meadows path)
79. Magpie
80. Jay
81. Jackdaw
82. Rook
83. Carrion crow
84. Starling
85. Rose coloured starling (Warham Greens and Thornham Marsh)
86. House sparrow
87. Chaffinch
88. Linnet
89. Goldfinch
90. Greenfinch
91. Bullfinch (North Point Pools)
92. Reed bunting
93. Yellowhammer (Warham Greens)

Species: Moths:

Macros

1. Green carpet
2. Yellowshell
3. White ermine
4. Middle barred minor
5. Tawny marbled minor
6. Common marbled carpet
7. Silver Y
8. Common pug
9. Treble lines
10. Vine's rustic
11. Scorched carpet
12. Silver ground carpet
13. Smoky wainscot
14. Orange footman
15. Spectacle
16. Plus 1 pug sp TBC

Micros:

1. Plutella xylostella
2. Acentria emphemerella
3. Aphomia sociella
4. Evergestis forficalis
5. Crambus lathoniellus.
6. Scrobipalpa species x3. Dissection this evening
7. 1 micro still to be identified, looks to be a worn Anthophila species. Dissection tonight.

Species: Butterflies

1. Red admiral
2. Wall
3. Large white
4. Small white
5. Peacock
6. Orange tip
7. Small tortoiseshell
8.  Common blue
9. Holly blue

Other item of Note:

Red veined darter at Kelling Water Meadows.

Red veined darter. More used to seeing these in The Camargue, a rare dragonfly for the UK.

Trap set on the salt marsh

Willow warbler

Kelling Water Meadows hare

Common buzzard

Rock pool Herring gulls at West Runton

Poppies on the clifftop, West Runton

Redshank

Juvenile redshank

Redshanks having territorial dispute

flyby Cormorant

Ringed plover

Little ringed plover

Whitethroat

Egyptian goose

Egyptian goose

Being mobbed by an Avocet

Avocet in defence of its territory

None too pleased with my presence!

Goldfinch

Inquisitive Reed warbler

Checking for food

Marsh harrier

Sedge warbler

Turnstone

Great egret showing breeding plumage with the dark beak