Mousehold Heath

28-07-09

A stroll across the city and around the misnamed Mousehold Woods for butterflies. Birds were scarce, as is always the case here (bar that one time when there was a flock of Arctic Redpoll), with a Whitethroat the only thing I stopped to look at. I went as far as the prison on one side and the playing fields on the other, scanning brambles for White Admiral butterflies, but none. I did manage 2 Purple Hairstreaks flying around oaks near Vinegar Pond, but they never came within photographic range. I took a picture of a damselfly that I can't ID, it was a very deep blue and has too much black to be a standard male Common Blue, Azure or Variable. Suggestions welcome.

The damselfly has been identified as a blue-form female Common Blue Damsefly. This was an education, as none of my insect books show any colour forms other than the standard one. Thanks to Simon for the ID.

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Pacific Golden Plover

27-07-09

Yesterday afternoon, the American Golden Plover at Breydon started being reported as a Pacific GP. By now used to this sort of to-ing and fro-ing neither me or Adam took much notice. However as the first decent pictures emerged, it appeared that this bird was indeed Pacific, and for once there didn't seem much of an arguement against. This was more than compensated for with debate about where this bird fits in with the Cley AGP and possibly a Dutch PGP, but to be honest I don't give two hoots where it came from. The simple explanation is that a number of Lesser Golden Plover spp. have travelled here under similar weather conditions.

I got up at 6, to find the rain hammering on my window. Bugger. Still, a summer plumage PGP is a big draw, so I walked through the rain to the station, paying extra for the privilege of travelling before 8.30. An hour later I was standing, completely soaked, scanning waders in the rain, with visibility that I would kindly describe as "poor". Having looked through more Dunlin than I care to remember, I walked back towards the tern platforms, where two birders had just relocated the plover. We got good views (I even managed to digiscope a few record shots) before it flew around into the next bay. A few more minutes of it in the open, before decent flight views. Enough to convince all observers that it was indeed a Pacific Golden Plover, and justifying being out in the rain. First good bird of the summer holidays sorted!

Year list 209 species.

Whitlingham at night

w/c 20th July 2009

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Don't mention cuckoos. I was attending a wedding reception Friday night, and did consider whether to go to Salthouse in my suit, amongst other things, but it just wasn't happening. Anyway, at this rate I'll get another dodgy Lesser Golden Plover at Breydon and everything will be fine. Sob.

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Having mooched around the house for a couple of days since returning from Latitude, I went down to Whitlingham on Tuesday evening with Adam. Whilst there was very little there in terms of numbers, I did add an overdue Water Rail to my site list, and there was a return for Januarys Barnacle Goose (unringed and with a valid UK passport containing Arctic Circle border stamps, just out of shot). Following a tip off from a man on a train (so slightly more reliable than a man down the pub), we waited until dusk in the hope of Little Owls, but no joy. Maybe one for the winter when there are less leaves on the oaks.

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Second generation hybrid goose, something like (Chinese x Greylag Goose) x Domestic Goose. Probably a new low in plastic wildfowl.
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Thursday evening it was back to Whitlingham, this time for some moth trapping. A humid evening was punctuated by the sound of chavs screeching their cars around the Little Broad carpark, in some sort of mechanical lek, trying to impress some random girls they met at Tesco Metro. Probably. We managed about 40 species, including some new to me like Small Rivulet and Scarce Footman, before calling it a day around midnight.

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A giant Common Footman brings terror to the fields of Norfolk

Birding in August - suggestions please!

Shortly I depart for the Latitude Festival, and after that I am in the unfamiliar position of having August off! However, as birding goes, August wouldn't be my pick of the months. I intend to go seawatching towards the latter end, but I would appreciate any suggestions of places to go in Norfolk to get the most out of the summer break. Failing that, pubs that I can birdwatch from (e.g. the Dun Cow) would also be welcome!

Carey's Meadow & Thorpe Marshes

5th July 2009

In stickily hot conditions, me & Adam walked down to Carey's Meadow to look for orchids and butterflies. I managed to get a few shots of Pyramidal Orchids, but the butterflies were too flitty, with Ringlet and Small Skipper the only ones to settle. My first Cinnabar Moth caterpillars of the year were of note. At Station Marsh there was no sign of any Garganey (for the millionth time), but 4 herons were of note (1 ad and 3 juv)

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Cley

28-06-09

Me & Cath went to Cley, partly to enable her to see her first Spoonbill, and partly to try and catch some good returning waders (Lesser Yellowlegs was there the same time last year, plus Wood Sands starting to spread across the county). As it was we didn't see too much, but a couple of Bearded Tits, a Ruff, 4 Spoonbills and a Little Ringed Plover were a decent return for the morning. After lunch we spent a bit of time seawatching (pretty much just Sandwich Terns) and had just settled into North Hide when thick mist started billowing across the marshes, halving visibility. After 20 mins or so we gave up, completed our loop and got the bus back. A number of butterflies and moths about, including these...

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Leucistic Blackbird

20th June 2009

I know, everyone liked the Swallowtail picture, but it's just not a bird is it? I don't really talk about beer that much either (I have AA meetings for that). Luckily on my way to a music fair in the city I bumped into this partially-leucistic blackbird. I had been told by another local birder that there was one in Chapelfield Park, but I hadn't seen it on my daily walks through. The bird was initially feeding near Vauxhall Road until pedestrians flushed it, and further investigation showed it was feeding a fairly well-grown juvenile near Pedros restaurant. The juvenile bird showed normal plumage as I would expect (presumable leucism is a recessive trait), but that got me thinking whether juvenile plumages show albinism/leucism or not? Opinions welcome.

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Carey's Meadow

12th June 2009

An after work jaunt down to Carey's Meadow to look for orchids.

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All around Norwich

9th-15th May 2009

A great week for birding at the coast (Kentish Plover, Collared Pratincole, Citrine Wagtail etc etc) but not such a great week around everybody's favourite fine city. A series of afternoon and evening walks around UEA, Mulbarton, Whitlingham, Whitlingham Thorpe Marsh, Mousehold Heath and Earlham Marshes was not enough to catch any of the clouds of Black Terns filling the place. Highlights (trades descriptions act warning) were Kingfisher, Muscovy (!), Greenshank, Common Sandpiper (a confiding bird on the slipway at Whitlingham) and loads of Whitethroats and Blackcaps.

Whitlingham (15)

4th May 2009

I managed to catch up with Garden Warbler following a recent mini-influx, one singing in the hedge between gardens and the little broad. Other warblers around were Whitethroat, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Cetti's and Sedge. Breeding is now in full swing, with broods of Canada Geese, Greylag Geese, Coot, Great Crested Grebe x 2, Mallard and Egyptian Geese x 4. The cloudy weather helped bring the hirundines closer, and around 10 Swifts were catching insects over the great broad. A pair of Pochard lingered in the conservation area.

Incidentally, it appears that the finder of the Weybourne Cowbird has previous experience of the species, and with the recent find in Shetland, good luck to anyone searching for it!

Carey's Meadow and Thorpe Marshes

30th April 2009

An after work jaunt to see if any more migrants had trickled Norwich way. Carey's Meadow was relatively quiet, although it took me about 5 minutes to recognise a Whitethroat call, which doesn't bode well. I was quicker with the second one! Walking further along to Thorpe Marshes, I walked around the path, doing my best to stop, scan and scowl at the guy that decided that it was a great idea to ditch jump and wander along the waters edge. I almost forgave him when he flushed a Greenshank, giving good flight views and distinctive "chew chew chew" call, but not quite. It's not like he gained anything, it was quite clear that he didn't see it, he was too busy staring at the back of Tufted Ducks (56 still around) as they swam rapidly away from him. I despair sometimes. Two Cuckoos were calling distantly, although no hope of seeing either, and still no sign of any Swifts.

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Year total 182 species.

Whitlingham (14)

23rd April 2009

Having been at work all week I took advantage of a warm evening to get down to Whitlingham. The brood of 4 Egyptian Geese are all still alive and well, but the Mallard ducklings were down to 3! Walking round there were another two broods of Egyptian Geese (3 & 9), a brood of 4 Coot and a Moorhen nesting 6 feet up in a tree! The pair of Grey Wagtails were also around the Little Broad beach.

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Moorhen in a tree. According to the guy I was talking to, the Moorhens have to climb up the branches rather than fly in to the nest!

The Great Broad was fairly quiet, 13 Sand Martins and a singing Lesser Whitethroat were the highlights. Scanning the old workings produced one Shelduck and around 30 Tufted Ducks. Again my timing was off (next day Sandwich and Little Terns seen), but the walk was pleasant and had a good chat with one of the locals.

Whitlingham (13)

17th April 2009

Dragging myself out of bed, I made my way down to Whitlingham about half-pace. Along the Little Broad a Lesser Redpoll was singing in the alders and giving good views. A singing Reed Warbler was only seen briefly, and took a call recording for me to be confident it wasn't sedge! I must find some way of learning bird calls properly. The Egyptian Goose fledgelings have all survived so far, and a brood of 8 Mallard chicks had joined them. Both broads were devoid of ducks (6 Tufted, 9 Gadwall), but thats not too surprising considering the amount of dogs running around off leads. I imagined the following conversation, although it probably happens regularly. "Shirley, does that Conservation Area, Dogs On Leads sign apply to us?" "Don't be daft Bobby, we own a goat" "Oh yeah hur hur, silly me"

I counted five singing Cetti's Warblers, and four Sedge Warblers (seeing my first of the year). Hearing dogs barking loudly, I looked across the river where police were talking to the owners of the houseboat with the out of control dogs on it. I wonder if people have complained about them? A scan of the new workings turned up the missing 100-odd Tufted Duck, along with four Shelduck. Still no sign of any LRP though.

Continuing round, a flock of 15ish House Martins, 2 Swallows and a Kestrel flew over, a Grey Wagtail flew along the shore and the pair of Black Swans were on the slipway. A Gadwall looked like it may have a few farmyard mallard genes in it. A Blackcap was eating insects out of Blackthorn flowers, and a couple stared at me for taking pictures of a Treecreeper that they obviously couldn't see. I came home and had one of my Scottish beers, Harviestoun's Black Engine Oil. Described as viscous, chocolatey and bitter. Oh yeah.

Species list 173 species.

Whitlingham (12)

7th April 2009

Seeing how busy Whitlingham had been the day before, I planned an evening visit to avoid the crowds. Walking across Trowse Common a Kingfisher flew in a wide arc around the river. Some of the Tufted Ducks were already putting their heads into their wings, so I probably got there a bit late! There was a good range of ducks (no Garganey though); Pochard 6, Teal 2, Shoveler 4, Gadwall 12 and 140+ Tufted Ducks, along with a group of 5 Little Grebes. 5 Cetti's Warblers were singing, one of which we got a glimpse of. A lone Swallow flew over the east end of the broad. By the time we got to the far end, the sun was beginning to set. As we walked past the little Broad, four small bats (probably Pipistrelle) were hunting insects over our heads.

Whitlingham (11)

6th April 2009

Seeing that the country was being flooded by Little Gulls, I went down to Whitlingham in hope rather than expectation. As I'd suspected, the country park was full of families and dog-walkers, suffice to say no sign of any Little Gulls. As it was, 14 were reported from Colney GPs, so I wasn't far off. The day wasn't a complete failure, the first brood of Egyptian Geese chicks were on the Little Broad, and the 2 Black Swans were doing a brief courtship of head raising and bobbing. Further round I found a hybrid goose that me & Adam first saw last year. We think it's parentage is likely to be Lesser Whitefronted Goose x Barnacle Goose.

Around the back of the broad the Willow Warbler that started singing a week ago was still in the same group of trees, and back in Trowse a Kingfisher flew out of a buddleia and downriver. The next day I found to my despair that after I had left, a pair of Garganey were located that evening at Whitlingham by one of the punks. Darn it!