A (mainly) Insect based update

Set the Moth trap at the folks' on Friday night in ideal conditions. We were not disappointed, a great haul including both Privet and Poplar Hawk, Peppered, Scalloped Oak, Dot and Common Footman amongst others. Some of the duller, more worn individuals have proven tricky to ID, so the pictures have been emailed to my Moth expert. A full list to follow!

Surlingham Saturday evening was glorious as usual, although bird life was restricted to a reeling Grasshopper Warbler and soaring Sparrowhawk. I will hold back from saying the Lapwing chicks have all been predated until I can visit again. Debs and I managed a good Butterfly list:

Large White

Small White

Green-veined White

Red Admiral

Ringlet

Large Skipper

Comma

Common Blue

Meadow Brown.

Also, can anyone ID this snail?? I believe Surlingham is known for its invertebrates, and one snail in particular. Maybe this is the critter?

Sunday afternoon looked promising for more Butterflies, so we again grabbed the camera and headed out, first visiting little known Booton Common NWT. Again, Ringlets galore here, plenty of Meadow Browns and the odd Large Skipper. A singing Chiffchaff was one of few birds seen or heard.

My Butterfly list is small, but with so many good areas of habo in Norfolk I hope it will be positively swelling by September. Buxton Heath holds a small colony of the rare Silver-Studded Blue, and Deb's pictures below will tell you all you need to know.

Bullfinch calling here also, and a Siskin flew overhead. Yellowhammer numbers seem good here, and the site looks ideal for Tree Pipit and Woodlark.

Still becoming better aquainted with the finer points of Dragonfly ID, although I am fairly confident that we had a pair of Broad-bodied Chaser investigating a large puddle.

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Grey Phalarope- a new patch bird

The 7th of April was another bitterly cold Spring day, hats and gloves in prime position on pegs and in bags ready to be deployed. A few brave Garganey have been reported north of the river, but it was a bird from the north itself that had me rushing for the thermals and the telescope late in the day. I was thankful for the local Whatsapp group who were quick to report that a Grey Phalarope had been seen on Rockland Broad. This tiny Wader would have come in on the northerlies over the last few days, although to grace one of the broads is a real surprise, since most stick pretty close to the coast before moving on. Indeed, my experience of the birds has usually been on a sea watch in the Autumn, waves crashing and foam flying, my eyes straining to pick them out as they fly low just above the surf. They are fantastic birds, and now one was here on the patch. I had a brief panic when I realised my scope was in my car at the garage (thankfully I do have a much older spare) but once the ho

A change is as good as a rest

Casting my mind back to February 14th, survival rather than love was in the air for the birds of the Yare Valley. Tramping across the Surlingham corner of the patch, I recorded 8 Woodcock within 2 hours. These Cryptic Waders had been forced out of hiding, and even amongst the woodland floor they were easier than usual to spot against a backdrop of snow. The small pine wood opposite the church and adjacent to the parking area held at least 2 birds, creeping around and huddled up low to the ground. A further investigation of likely habitat around Church Marsh and I was presented with 6 more, a record count for me in a single day. I hope they made it through the trial sent from the north in the form of ice and snow. A Great Egret exploring a dyke at Postwick must've been thinking twice about the whole range expansion thing. However, a small Squadron of Bewick's Swan and a single Goosander over Claxton fitted the mise en scene nicely during this period. That image and that day fee

Foulden Common- Skippers and a Hairstreak

Been meaning to get to Foulden Common for what feels like years, and it probably is that in terms of timescale! I recall being poorly last Spring, and my days put aside for a Butterfly hunt there were postponed. Before long, the mid-summer doldrums had set in and all thought of Norfolk's scarce Skipper species were put on hold until 2019. And so despite the overcast conditions and lack of some Bird Therapy, I headed out this morning. Arriving from the direction of Mundford, travelling through Foulden village and approaching an S bend, I noticed a small bowl-shaped pull in. Doubling back I parked up, walked through two gates and began searching the common land. The first 45 minutes had me cursing the lack of sun and planning my next free morning before returning to work. A pair of Common Blue and Small Copper gave some hope, and a hoarse Cuckoo and 2+ Garden Warbler were clearly harbingers of warmer fronts moving in. As the sun threatened to bust through the clouds, I pic

Notes from the valley

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