New moth for the year.

This morning just 3 moths in the garden trap: common Quaker, small quaker and this grey shoulder knot. Good moth to find at this time of year.

Updated year list updated 09.04.15

Archive photo: coordinated flight of 6 snow buntings. Cley 2008

1. red throated diver
2. little grebe
3. great crested grebe
4. cormorant
5. little egret
6. grey heron
7. mute swan
8. pink footed goose
9. greylag goose
10. canada goose
11. brent goose
12. shelduck
13. egyptian goose
14. mallard
15. gadwall
16. shoveler
17. wigeon
18. teal
19. pochard
20. tufted duck
21. goldeneye
22. smew
23. goosander
24. red breasted merganser
25. red kite
26. marsh harrier
27. hen harrier
28. common buzzard
29. kestrel
30. red legged partridge
31. grey partridge
32. pheasant
33. moorhen
34. coot
35. oystercatcher
36. avocet
37. ringed plover
38. golden plover
39. lapwing
40. sanderling
41. turnstone
42. dunlin
43. redshank
44. black tailed godwit
45. curlew
46. snipe
47. ruff
48. black headed gull
49. common gull
50. herring gull
51. lesser black backed gull
52. greater black backed gull
53. wood pigeon
54. collared dove
55. tawny owl
56. little owl
57. great spotted woodpecker
58. skylark
59. meadow pipit
60. pied wagtail
61. wren
62. dunnock
63. robin
64. stonechat
65. redwing
66. mistle thrush
67. blackbird
68. great tit
69. blue tit
70. coal tit
71. long tailed tit
72. bearded reedling
73. magpie
74. jay
75. jackdaw
76. rook
77. carrion crow
78. starling
79. house sparrow
80. chaffinch
81. linnet
82. twite
83. goldfinch
84. bullfinch
85. greenfinch
86. reed bunting
87. yellowhammer
88. song thrush
89. Jay

90. sparrowhawk
91. kingfisher
92. Fieldfare
93: raven
94. scaup
95. black redstart
96. barnacle goose
97. cattle egret
98 great white egret
99 chiffchaff
100 gannet.
101 snow bunting
102 lapland bunting
103 iceland gull
104 kittiwake
105 water rail
106 brambling
107. wheatear
108. marsh tit
109. water pipit
110. grey wagtail
111. yellow legged gull
112. swallow
113. caspian gull
114. sandwich tern
115. barn owl
116. blackcap
117. little ringed plover

Norfolk Day 13.05.15

A very early 4.45a.m. start for a day birding in Norfolk. First stop was Lynford Arboretum near Mundford. The hawfinches were not to be found but siskins, chaffinches, nuthatches, brambling all kick started the day list. Poor light before 7 meant disappointing shots taken of the brambling. The temperature was pleasant and it was great just listening to the chorus of great tits, blue tits, goldcrests, treecreeper, nuthatch, blackbird, wren and song thrush all competing.

Half Moon at Lynford

wood pigeon in sunrise

early morning wren

Brambling at the feeders

nuthatch

From here, I headed off to Cley East Bank and the beach where I came across a single water pipit commuting between Arnold's Marsh and the reserve. Bearded tits called and flocks of brent and greylag geese overhead. At one point, 4 marsh harriers were in the air, with one seeing off a carrion crow. Lapwings, dunlin, ringed plover and godwits made it on to the day list, before I headed off to Weybourne beach.

greylag goose

roosting herons at Cley

brent goose flyover

distant marsh harrier sees off a carrion crow

 Here, I walked east, stopping to watch a few kittiwake fly past to a field that held a sizable flock of gulls. An inceland gull had been recently reported from this area and it looked like a job of going through several thousand gulls to find it. I joined a fellow birder, Nick but my concern was not warranted as the gull was sitting alone, on a ploughed field and was easy to spot. Both of then carried on towards Sheringham to find, firstly, a wheatear when we were joined by Lee. A scan of the ploughed field gave up 6 snow buntings and then, in the distance, 2 lapland buntings. The latter, too far way for a photo and barely visible with binoculars, definitely a scope job.

Iceland gull

off to join the flock

Find the snow bunting

one hard to find snow bunting

From here, Nick and I headed towards Kelling Heath but after a rather quiet half hour wander, with no dartford warblers or woodlark, we returned to the car. Goldcrests and tits in good numbers along with a green woodpecker. I returned to Cley carparkand the regular confiding black headed gull. The sea was exceptionally quiet so I then thought a quick view at ceratin vantage points along the A149. Stops at Holkham, Burnham Overy Staithe were made before I finished off at Titchwell. By now it was 4.30pm and the light was dreadful so no chance of anymore photos. As it happened, I didn't miss anything, with avocet, water rail, sanderling added to a reasonable daylist. Wonderful day out.

meadow pipit display flight

male reed bunting

female reed bunting

The ever present Cley beach car park black headed gull

Stonechat

Species list;
little grebe, great crested grebe, cormorant, little egret, grey heron, mute swan, pink footed goose, greylag goose, canada goose, brent goose, (10 sp) egyptian goose, mallard, gadwall,  teal, shoveler, pochard,tufted duck, marsh harrier, kestrel, common buzzard (20 sp) red legged partridge, pheasant,
water rail, coot, moorhen, oystercatcher, avocet, ringed plover, golden plover, lapwing (30) sanderling, dunlin, turnstone, redshank, black tailed godwit, curlew, black headed gull, common gull, herring gull, lesser black backed gull (40)kittiwake, iceland gull, wood pigeon, collared dove, green woodpecker, great spotted woodpecker, skylark, water pipit, meadow pipit, pied wagtail (50) wren, dunnock, robin, wheatear, stonechat, song thrush, mistle thrush, blackbird, cettis warbler, chiffchaff, (60)goldcrest, great tit, coal tit, blue tit, long tailed tit, nuthatch, treecreeper, magpie, jay, jackdaw, (70) carrion crow, rook, starling, house sparrow, chaffinch, brambling, linnet, goldfinch, greenfinch, siskin (80)reed bunting

River Stort (Navigation) wander 12.03.15

A midday wander from Spellbrook to Pig Lane along the River Stort as well as circumnavigating Thorly Wash HMWT Reserve.
All rather quiet, with blue, long tailed and great tits showing in Wallbury swamp as well as a flyover male bullfinch. On the river, just a few moorhen, 4 mallards and a coot. The latter being an unusual bird for this part of the river. Also overhead, in total, 4 buzzards and numerous wood pigeons.
Over the actual reserve, a single kestrel hunted and on the deck were a few more moorhens whilst goldfinches (4) fed on teasel seeds.
Towards Pig Lane a kingfisher was heard flying up river as I was heading back down. A single chiffchaff called, as did 5 wrens in total.
A quiet walk but in the next 6 weeks this area will become home to sedge warblers, whitethroat and blackcap and, hopefully willow warbler, garden warbler, grasshopper warbler and cuckoo, so well worth keeping an eye on the whole stretch.

1st common buzzard of the walk

long tailed tit

reluctant green woodpecker

goldfinch on teasel

teasel: food source for goldfinches

another goldfinch in a party of 4

small tortoiseshell

4th buzzard of the walk

moorhen

coot

Checking local woods

 I headed out this morning to check local woods for Lesser Spotted woodpeckers. Singularly unsuccessful and, in total, very little about due to the presence of a crow scarer in an adjacent field. I trust this irritating and, basically, useless piece of kit has not frightened off the barn owl pair that have resided in a tree hole nearby for many years. No sign today.
A common buzzard flew in the distance, several winter thrushes and skylarks overhead and a coot and moorhen on the water. About it, really!

Fwd: New moths

Sent from my iPhone

3 moth species now been recorded in the garden trap over the weekend. A clouded drab and common quaker, the former shown here.

The final sp was a micro: Acleris shepherdana

Yesterday a common quaker and small quaker were in the trap.
Today; a dotted border and another micro: Agonopterix heracliana 
Therefore; running total now 3 macros and 2 micros so far!

Sent from my iPhone

Feet back on the ground

After all the excitement and continual pinging of my phone over the heron versus weasel photos, it was back to a local walk and much more mundane photos as I enjoyed a morning walk back from town.
Not much on offer, in increasingly grey light, but did well for thrushes, with blackbird, redwing, fieldfare and mistle thrush all noted. Gold and greenfinches were knocking about as were the expected great, blue and long tailed tits. 2 common buzzards called along with a few skylarks whilst a solitary yellowhammer was heard from the hedge near the polo fields. In Millfield Lane, a large puddle in the stubble field had attracted the attention of a pair of mallards, but that, apart from crowsm jackdaws, magpies and jays, was just about it. That is, apart from the single, male kestrel near Brick Kiln Hill.
A treecreeper and great spotted woodpecker were heard but not seen in Muggins Wood, where also a green woodpecker was noted darting for cover.

2 redwing and a fieldfare, top right

male blacbird

mistle thrush

drake mallard

pair of mallard

Demise of a weasel.

These shots were taken this afternoon at Elmley National Nature Reserve, Kent. I shall process the other 30+ in the sequence. First ones, taken through the car windscreen, before the heron flew off to drown the weasel where I could then open the driver's window and get better shots. The weasel just kept on giving the heron a hard time and was given ample opportunity to escape.