What have you seen
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On an East Coast walk today, Lots of Common Blue butterflies about. What delightful creatures they are! A few Painted Ladies too. The former will hibernate while the latter will need to migrate south and over the channel to warmer climes. Maybe as climate change advances the habitats those Painted Ladies may just survive our colder spells.
A few hirundines still about but the swifts are absent. Summer is now officially over but that Blue Moon last night was a fabulous sight!
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Had a stroll around Minsmere today.
Nothing spectacular seen but an enjoyable day nonetheless. Highlights were probably Green Sandpiper, Bearded Tits, Juvenile Spotted Redshank and lots of Emperor Dragonflies.
We've been royally entertained by the Swallows on the CL plus a Green Woopecker.
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Delightful day spent at How Hill nature reserve near Ludham today.
Mostly dragonflies with a wonderful Migrant Hawker (proper name) with supporting cast of various Darters, Hawkers and Emperors plus a few Common Brown Lizards, a Grass Snake, a frog or 2 plus an unidentified Deer. Not much birdlife but quite happy with the rest.
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On our morning walk we spotted Red Kite and a Buzzard circling overhead close together. While the Buzzard was being harassed by 6 Crows there were none at all bothering the RK.
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We were moving sites today to one in North Norfolk.
About 2 miles from the site on a back country lane we approached a crossroads. No one else around. We stopped and sat there watching this large bird of prey fly towards us. Just above tree level and we could see the magnificent markings on its breast. It was a Goshawk.
We were then beeped by an annoyed car behind us.
On entering the CL we had to wait at the gate to allow a covey of about 12 Red Legged Partridges to cross in front of us.
Must go out birdwatching with the caravan more often.
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Had a super few hours spent at Cley Nature Reserve.
The birdlife wasn't spectacular, although we did see Little Stint and a Peregrine sitting on one of the scrape islands, but more for the other forms of nature seen.
We managed to get a few of them to sit still for a while. The little Bee with the Red Admiral is a Tree Bee, the dragonfly a Common Darter and the Lizard has been named George by OH. We also saw another Migrant Hawker and a few Emperors as well as a Firecrest whilst walking past the NOA reserve on a walk over to Salthouse.
We were a bit apprehensive that most of the Swallows had gone but there were quite a lot of them still at Cley, including 3 chicks sitting on a Crossbeam in one of the hides being fed periodically by both parents flying in through open windows. Unfortunately they had their bottoms facing us and we didn't want to disturb them by moving in front just for a photo.
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No photos to compare to WN's but when out for my afternoon walk around the woods I spotted the third of the Muntjac Deer that we have seen since being here, and I nearly trod on a Grass Snake, the first I have seen in a while.
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Today I saw a Sparrowhawk ! There is nothing special about that, I hear you all saying, but read on.
I was working just inside my shed doorway with my arm outstretched when the said sparrowhawk, trying to catch birds on one of my feeders, flew in and momentarily landed on my arm. I'm not sure who was surprised the most, me or the bird!
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A wonderful day spent at Frampton Marsh RSPB site.
After the recent 2 days of full on rain and high winds the weather played ball today with hazy sun, light winds and warmth. We had a great days birdwatching.
In no particular order we saw Lesser Yellowlegs (a vagrant wader), Common Crane flying southwards down the Wash marsh, Little Stint, quite a few Curlew Sandpipers, Spoonbills and numerous other more common waders, ducks and birds of prey.
We also had an encounter with a Devils Coach Horse Beetle, a beetle that lifts its tail like a scorpion if threatened and emits a foul smell. We were spared the smell.
Unfortunately it scuttled off before we could get a photo.3 -
Heard lots of geese passing overhead early this morning, long before we got up. Yesterday there were still Swallows about, flying along the cliffs between Overstrand and Cromer.
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Returned to Frampton today.
Even more people there, even allowing for it being a weekend. Several American rarities have arrived, probably on the back of Hurricane Lee.
We managed to get a really close sighting of both Lesser Yellowlegs and White Rumped Sandpiper.
Also nice to see a Peregrine and some late Yellow Wagtails and a lone Whooper Swan who flew off probably in search of his mates, also saw most of the other birds we saw on Thursday.
Didn't see the Pectoral Sandpiper but have seen one here before or the Blue Winged Teal but quite happy with time spent here.
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Over the last few evenings there have been a flock of around 150 Greylags feeding on the stubble near to the site. In among them were 5 Egypian Geese and a large, bigger than any Greylag, mainly white Goose, which had a white face, grey head and neck and small grey patches in its plumage. Could t possibly be a cross between a farm goose and a Greylag?
Today during our walk by the R.Thurne at Repps OH spotted this young Banded Grass Snake on the path. This is the first that we have ever noticed.
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Travelling through the Vale of Pickering yesterday, saw Little Egret, Grey Heron and Great White Egret all within fifty meters of each other. Also buzzards and a solitary Red Kite. Then into the Howardian Hills, wasn’t there a rumour a couple of years ago about the purchase of a site by the CaMC here? Some good examples of land stewardship to be seen with corrective work on the river and its tributaries with water courses and ancient meadows taking place. Rosedale Abbey CaMC site probably closest to the Eastern Edge of this quiet area.
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Yesterday morning, and very high up, there was an enormous skein of geese (probably 3 - 400) flying above me due west to east. About 10 minutes later there was another skein but only about 50 or so in this one. What make
they were I don't know and even too high to see clearly with binoculars. Any suggestions where they might have been coming from and going to? It was their calls that alerted me to them in the first place.0 -
Took a walk to the beach this morning and spotted at least 25 Turnstones that have just returned from their summer vacation. Some are still in their summer breading colours. Need to go buy some mealy worms for them. Just love these busy little birds.
On the way back up the river a seal surfaced close to us, first we’ve seen on the river since early Spring
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While having our lunch yesterday by Walberswick Common a Marsh Harrier flew overhead, and then walking along the river bank there were over 100 Barnacle Geese,and a few Curlew, feeding on the field between the river and the village. Today we saw a couple of Red Kites near our current CL at Woolpit, near Stowmarket.
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I think those Barnacle Geese are now resident as they are always there even in very early September/late August.
If you travel east more or less in a straight line you will come across them breeding on the Biesbosch reserve in the Netherlands. They have very cute goslings.
Always nice to see a Barney though.
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Perhaps they will become as common a resident as Greylags and Canada Geese, which are uberquiose these days.
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Came across this specimen today. Whilst they are reputed to be common I've not come across one.
I think it's a Honey Waxcap but if it's not can someone correct me please.
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Some fabulous winter migrants coming in now, skeins of geese first thing in the morning.
Sad to read about this today though, Rosedale Abbey being an old favourite haunt of ours. Why?https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-67046215
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An otter spraint on a boulder in my stream. First sign for years,. I have noticed more small trout in the stream over the last few years and the Heron visits from time to time. Maybe the mountain streams will be the saver as the Main rivers are said to be polluted. Could it be less acid rain now the conifers are being removed.
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Not as unusual as WN's, but a good example of a Fly Agaric that we spotted today on Litcham Common today, and the Poppy border of a field adjacent.
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After feeding the birds, meal worms and suet pellets. I was at the kitchen window and the usual starlings/sparrows/blackbirds/robins swooped and left. I watched a collar dove fly from the fence on one side causing a magpie, approaching from the opposite fence to about turn. It disappeared from view behind the birch tree. I quite expected the magpie to come down but no it was seen off over the back hedge onto a roof. Magpie went one side of the chimney and dove came back at it. Magpie hasn't come down in the garden again.
I assumed collar doves were just gentle getting on with it birds - clearly not this feisty one!
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Found this under the bench on the patio. Hope he doesn't have any mates about here!
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