Thursday 9 August 2018

3 Days in Norfolk, mothing and birding

Set off for Stiffkey last Sunday for a few days mothing. birding and camping at High Sands Creek campsite. Wonderfully, traditional campsite, perfectly placed in the middle of North Norfolk. Plan was to meet up with Jess, Richie and their family whom Wendy and I met some years ago at the same site. Eldest son, Sidney, is an enthusiastic lad when it comes to moths,butterflies and insects, so always a pleasure to set up the trap, pot the haul in the early hours and then show them to the children on the campsite the following morning.
I arrived in temps in excess of 30C, pitched the new small tent easily and headed off to Wells for supplies.
Later had a beer with Richie and caught up with the children. Great to see them all again.
That evening, I placed the 15Watt heath trap on the footpath between the saltmarsh and a row of oaks and sycamores, taking several species unusual to me due to the habitat. In amongst this haul were several saltmarsh plume. There were 100's of these on the marsh, as I discovered the following night when the trap was placed actually on the saltmarsh. The final night it was threatening to rain, so I placed it under a large sycamore, close to the campsite.
In total, over 500 moths of 54 species, including 143 saltmarsh plumes on the 2nd night and an August thorn on the 3rd night. On the first night the moth of the evening was my first Evergestis pallidata, a rare moth for Hertfordshire, not yet sure of its status in Norfolk. Other notable ones were first of the year catches of flounced rustic, 6 striped rustic and rosy rustic.
August thorn

Looking at the catch with enthusiastic youngsters

Trap set on Stiffkey saltmarsh

Sunset over Stiffkey

Dusk at Stiffkey

Sidney checking the catch

1 of the 143 Saltmarsh plumes taken on the Monday night
During the day I managed some birding time. On the Monday I spent the day around the Cley Square. The temperatures were again over 30C so I had already decided to not cart the scope around with me: just binoculars and camera. Some good birds with the first arrival of migrating waders. A green sandpiper from Daukes Hide was a year lister. Other good birds were common sandpiper, marsh harrier, bearded reedlings pinging in the reeds, a reed warbler family moving through the reeds and, finally as I was leaving the main set of hides, a single wood sandpiper popped in for a few seconds before moving on as I focused the camera. Another year lister. I then walked to Richie Richardson hide at the end of the East Bank where more bearded reedling were heard, a family of tufted duck dived in the dragonfly pond and from the hide, numerous black tailed godwit. I retreated to the Visitors' Centre to cool down with a drink before heading back to the campsite.
Heat haze photo of juvenile pied wagtail

Green sandpiper

ruff

avocet

Little egret

House sparrow

tufted duck

marsh harrier,juvenile

same bird over the East Bank

Reed bunting in moult
The following day it seemed even hotter as I headed off to Titchwell. Migrant waders were arriving all along the coast so always the chance of something unusual being caught in with them.
A large 60+ strong flock of curlew arrived over from the east, settling on Thornham Marsh. A scan through the bins picked out 2 birds of differing size in amongst them, a knot and a black tailed godwit.
3 curlew and a knot

4 curlew, on calling to keep the flock together

Part of the 60+ curlew Note the leader doing the calling. Black tailed godwit top right
On the Freshmarsh, plenty of female ruff and a few early arrival juveniles, avocets, black tailed godwit and pied wagtails. Overhead, a party of spoonbills came in to feed with others already present on the far side of the Freshmarsh. Canada geese and greylags were in the middle of the marsh as were a single greenshank, several redshank and a solitary spotted redshank. A search for migrating yellow wagtails proved unsuccessful. There were plenty birds in the middle of the Freshmarsh to go through, but nothing else was added to the list.  As I headed back to the car, bearded reedlings flitted through the reeds but not settling for a photo. A movement on the mud caught my eye, 3 little ringed plover scurried around before the regular birds around the centre got on to the list: greenfinch, chaffinch, tits and blackbirds. Lovely to spend time here before into Wells for a pint in The Globe before off to the campsite for a rest before a final night of trapping.
In all, a superb 3 days in glorious weather.
Distant spoonbill coming in to feed

Lapwing

juvenile shelduck

Plenty to keep me occupied here from the footpath bench

female ruff (reeve)

11 spoonbill roosting on the Freshmarsh

suspected juvenile ruff from the footpath

 
Little ringed plover


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This is me

This is me
At the end of another Norfolk Coastal footpath walk. 47 miles, 3 days 99 species of bird. September 2009

Caley Wood view

Caley Wood view
sunshine through the canopy 29.05.08

A walk along the Warta Valley, Poznan, Poland. Feb 2007

A walk along the Warta Valley, Poznan, Poland. Feb 2007
Best birds on this walk: black and middle spotted woodpecker and short toed treecreeper

About Me

My photo
A primary school teacher for 30 years, I retired from teaching in July 2009 to set up my own science enhancement and communication company. The Primary Works offers science clubs, workshops and staged science shows nationwide. I have always been interested in bird watching since my early years. Apparently my first tick was after inquiring about a chaffinch and then receiving the Observer book of birds. By the age of 9 I had moved on to Tory Peterson's collins guide and was now involved on YOC birding holidays to Northumbria, Essex coast, Slimbridge and Yorkshire. My twitching rule is that I will willingly travel 1km for each gram the bird weighs. However, I have had many rarities just by being in the right place. I have travelled widely throughout Europe and also visited Australia and Sri Lanka. In 2016 I spent time at Portland Bird Obs and two trips to Aviero, Portugal. 2017 found me back in Sri Lanka in Feb/March, then July and back for New Year's Eve celebrations in December. Also returned to The Camargue in May for a 4 day trip. Few plans for 2018, but nothing yet booked apart from a trip to the IOW.

Grey heron

Grey heron
Over the allotment 28.09.08

Southern Hawker

Southern Hawker
Ridge footpath 27.08.08

Juvenile green woodpecker (17.08.08)

Juvenile green woodpecker (17.08.08)
Note the stripes, denoting a bird fledged this year.

common blue

common blue
Ash Valley G.C. 15.08.08

Indian balsam (impatiens glandulifera)

Indian balsam (impatiens glandulifera)
River Ash

azure damselfly

azure damselfly
River Ash 28.07.08

marbled white

marbled white
Discovered at Westland Green 22.07.08

ruddy darter

ruddy darter
Bush Wood 21.07.08

honeysuckle 19.07.08

honeysuckle 19.07.08
growing in hedgerow in Chapel Lane

cinnabar moth caterpillar

cinnabar moth caterpillar
Photographed on ragwort 19.07.08

Bittersweet

Bittersweet
Study of petals 11.06.08

male yellowhammer

male yellowhammer
08.06.08

common blue butterfly

common blue butterfly
06.06.08

River Ash

River Ash
looking south from the bridge at Hadham Ford

Common poppy (papaver rhoeas)

Common poppy (papaver rhoeas)
in rape field 29.05.08

Caley Wood sunshine

Caley Wood sunshine
29.05.08

Millenium Wood fox

Millenium Wood fox
24.05.08

common comfrey (symphytum officinale)

common comfrey (symphytum officinale)
06.05.08 banks of the River Ash

Garlic Mustard or Jack by the Hedge,(Alliara petiolata)

Garlic Mustard or Jack by the Hedge,(Alliara petiolata)
flowers, leaves and fruit edible . Good in salad and pesto

April showers

April showers
Double rainbow 30.04.08

Caley Wood bluebells

Caley Wood bluebells
22.04.08

Yellow Archangel

Yellow Archangel
Chapel Lane (20.04.08)

sunlight 16.04.08

sunlight 16.04.08
looking south west from Bush Wood

snowy buds

snowy buds
06.04.08 in Bush Wood

Looking north west

Looking north west
05.04.08 evening shower approaching

Back Garden

Back Garden
Easter Sunday (23.03.08)

Brick Kiln Hill

Brick Kiln Hill
Looking east (23.03.08)

No play today

No play today
The 2nd hole at Ash Valley golf course

Teasel head

Teasel head
Bush Wood (21.03.08)

Reflections

Reflections
daffodils at Bush Wood pond (21.03.08)

Swollen River Ash

Swollen River Ash
The river at the bottom of Winding Hill 16.03.08

Daybreak over the chapel

Daybreak over the chapel
Thursday 13th March

Wild daffodils (narcissus pseudonarcissus)

Wild daffodils (narcissus pseudonarcissus)
growing in Bush Wood

January snowdrops

January snowdrops
Banks of River Ash, north of Much Hadham

Good Moon

Good Moon
From garden 24.01.08

Village Green

Village Green
Looking east towards Acremore Street

Looking south before Hadham Ford

Looking south before Hadham Ford
rare January blue sky

Useful sites

The following are some useful websites that may interest readers of this blog.
Firstly, Bishop's Stortford Natural History Society http://bsnhs.webplus.net/

Fellow birder, Gary Whelan's blog. Gives reports from our trips out together plus reports from his trips abroad. http://hairybirders.blogspot.co.uk
http://www.hertsbirdclub.org.uk/ The official herts bird club website. Frequently updated, listing bird sightings around the county. Offers links to many other websites. Both of these sites also offer links to yahoo discussion groups.
http://www.birdforum.net/ An international site. You can enter as a guest but become a member( free) to post comments, bird sightings and just about anything to do with wild birds. Good news updates, classified section for binoculars, cameras etc.
http://www.guidedbirdwatching.com/ A new site set up where you can contact people worldwide who will help you find good birds in their country. UK section being set up presently.
http://www.britainsbirder.co.uk/
Fellow birders blog. Strtford resident, Graeme Smith regulary birds the area south of Stortford as well as around Spellbrook and the River Stort from Spellbrook to Twyford Locks. Some superb bird photography: Graeme uses a digital camera attached to his powerful telescope to get detailled images of the birds he sees. Well worth a browse.
Two local sites that may be of interest can be found at
http://www.thehadhams.com/ www.thepelhams.net/content/section/12/139/

South Easterly walk

South Easterly walk
black, normal, red extended walk

South Westerly route.

South Westerly route.
Black usual, red extended

North Easterly walk

North Easterly walk
black short, walk. Red, extended

North West Patch

North West Patch
black route regular. Red route the extended wander