Moths

As with many birder's blogs .. when there are no birds around attentions turn to other wildlife.

This Summer has been no exception and the moth trap in the garden has produced some good catches including a few scarce Norfolk moths like Red-necked Footman (x2), Lunar Yellow Underwing and some scarce micro moths like Dioryctria sylvestrella (<50 Norfolk records)

Here is a selection of the more distinctive species:

Batman



Great night.... at home

Found out that a team from Bristol Uni were going to be tagging and catching Natterer's bats in the church opposite home and then tracking them around the local area (and over my garden)

I went along and watched / helped on two consecutive nights. I even had the chance to hold and release a few Pipps and Natterer's!

The real surprise was when one of the students said he was bitten by something big in the trap they were using. To our surprise we pulled out a giant Noctule bat! He was not pleased about being bagged and took some thick gloves to handle. Check out his teeth below ( sorry blurry shot, but you get the idea)

And I thought that there were just Soprano Pippistrelle bats over my garden. Now I have 4 species on the garden list!

Moths stand no chance with him about

 They managed to satellite tag over 10 Natterer's and I got to handle Pipps and Natter's, which incidentaly are much cuter than the big male Noctule.. but here is another photo of him as he was fun:

So .. even though there are few birds around, the Moths and bats have been keeping me busy... more to follow on the recent Moth catches

Will have to wait a few more weeks for rare bird hunting on the coast to hot up.

Birds and Art

Always a good mixture. Today I visited Cley and was surprised to see some pieces of sculpture / installation art dotted along the beach at Cley.

Here is my review.
1 - A metal frame which you walk through and then view the sea through a metal, reflective slot. Pretentious and basic

2 - A wood and straw shelter. Called something like 'wood and straw hide' - Doesn't even face the sea and although quite a nice shape from one angle is not the most exciting sculpture

3. Prayer hide - Now this one I did like. A small beach hut that looked a bit like an old Victorian seafront amusement. It invites you in and there is great camera obscura that projects an upside down image of Cley beach onto a canvas. Nice and peaceful inside. A fun piece

4. 'Canute couldn't do it' .... should have been followed by '..but a 10 year old could' - A wire mesh wall covered in sheep fleece. forming different patterns. Not great

Now back to the birds:
Fulmar, Arctic Skua chasing Terns, Arctic Tern fishing in amongst Common Terns close to the shore
From the hides: Spoonbills, LRP, Green Sand, Common Sand, Knot lots of BT Godwits. Nice to see so many returning Waders

and this baby Swallow being fed by parents in the beach car park

Blyth's Reed - At last!

After having seen a non accepted bird on Blakeney Point a few years ago it was great to see a 'no doubts' singing male at Warham Greens today.

First new UK tick of 2012 .. And did not have to travel too far to see it.
On arrival there were only about 15 people listening and trying to see the bird. This shows how regular they have become and how this species no longer has the ability to pull in a big crowd compared to just a decade or so when it was a real rarity! However, a singing bird in summer is still a rare treat and makes it a bit easier to identify.
The song was much slower than Marsh Warbler and without all the mimicry, although I'm sure I heard a few Great Tit calls! Full of whistles and unlike any Reed or Sedge Warbler!

The behaviour also reminded me of the birds I have seen in India. Always on the move in low to middle scrub. In fact even while singing it was moving around and made it very hard to get a glimpse.. The view I had would not get it through any BBRC description report but with the conclusive song.. Who cares! Plumage could be seen to be greyer than Reed but always hard to decipher.

On the whole.. A really enjoyable mini twitch. Now, what will my 451st UK bird be? Not many 'scarce' rather than very rare birds left

Summer time

The Rain has started , so it must be Summer time in the UK

The moths have started appearing including this very smart Eyed-Hawkmoth caught a few days ago

I will now give the Point a rest until the Autumn



I have ended the Spring with no rare birds found (I did manage a Blue-headed Wag at Cley a few days ago)

The Bee-eater at Cley was nice but no new birds yet seen this year - The one day Orphean Warbler would have been a UK tick but was not able to go and see it . The Channel Wagtail was a new 'form' for me and was probably my favourite bird of the Spring, closely followed by Spotted Flycatcher which is one of my favourite, charismatic, birds.

So what will the Summer bring??



Late migration

There is a real sense of excitement building in the air. Which is good seeing as I have a week off work!
The weather today was like an October morning with N winds and misty rain, with poor visibility.

First stop was near the Three Swallows where the Bee-eater was showing very well and seems quite settled - not normal for Bee-eaters. Only the third I have seen in the UK and my second in Norfolk

As I started to walk up the Point it felt like there would be something good
A Siskin shot past, a Les Whitethroat played hide-and-seek for a while
Wheatears were still passing. A hunting Hobby flew through
Marsh Harrier and the usual Grey Partridges

At the Plantation two lovely Spotted Flycatchers were fighting for the best perch

On the walk back down the weather slowly started to clear. Swifts were moving through. W Warbler, Chiffchaff, Whitethroat, a Stonechat (more of an Autumn migrant here) were seen but nothing else of note. (other than a Stoat)
I met some of the regulars working the sueda. One mentioned that they had seen a Purple Sand (which I have only seen once before on Blakeney Point). I could not find it but I then found a freshly dead Swallow. It was still warm and very skinny. Makes me wonder if birds are struggling finding insects in this wintery weather. At one point I thought the Swallow may still have been alive but there was not much hope of it making a recovery even if it was.
Also freshly dead was an adult Guillemot. It too was very fresh...and had just been found by another birder heading up.
...In fact both birds still look scarily alive:

I then headed to Cley to see some waders. 3 Curlew Sandpipers, LRP, baby Avocets hiding under their parents were fun....

I could not resist another look at the Bee-eater before heading home.

Many birders are heading to Hereford to see the Cream Coloured Courser found there. I have fond memories of the bird on St Mary's years ago.. It, unfortunately, did not survive as the weather deteriorated. I hope this desert loving bird finds his way back to a warmer climate!

Migrants stream through

On arrival early in the morning, the first bird I saw was this Channel Wagtail - from the car! The photo above was taken through the windscreen with my phone (+bins). Just shows how close the bird was.
It was amongst 13 Yellow Wagtails. First one of this hybrid/sub-species/form that I have seen and certainly was stunning. Better than going to Yorks to see the other 'hybrid/possible species/form Flycatcher' that is around at the moment!

Walking up to the Point there was a real sense that anything could turn up.

100's Swallows constantly streaming through
A stunning SE Owl flew low overhead
1-2 M Harriers appeared to be fresh in-off
40+ Wheatears
male Redstart flushed from sueda
Willow Warbler x2
Chiffchaff x3
Whitethroat x2
Sedge W x1
H Martins 10
S Martin x4
Swifts 20
Greenshank 1
Little, Common and Sandwich Terns all over the place

Nice bit of Spring passage - finally some birds on the move
Now.... where are those rarities hiding