Notes from the valley

I have had my eyes on the tide times that could produce a 'Wader Spectacular' this year at Snettisham, and whilst many have been and gone that coincided with me being at work/asleep, I was pleased to finally connect with this experience on Tuesday morning, arriving at Snettisham around 8am. The times provided by the RSPB helpfully allow for a moderate walk to the estuary, nonetheless I got there in plenty of time and watched the tide gently encroach on the mudflats, eventually forcing the 10s of 1000s of Waders off the estuary, many alighting on the small pools behind the rotary hide. The decision making process that the birds must go through fascinates me. I had only been watching for half an hour, and the first of the flocks got up and began swirling against the blue, before coming down behind me. There was still plenty of mud spare at this point, but an active decision had been made- enough is enough chaps, we're moving now. And so this dynamic continued, groups of 10s ...

Driving along the track to Minsmere, I was reminded of how much excellent and often impenetrable habitat there is here. Upon arrival, hearing a Bee Eater had been seen on the reserve, I remarked to mum that it would most likely have worked its way inland by now. Thankfully, I was wrong. The bird remains present today, and we both managed distant views of this most exotically dressed of migrants as it hunted for bugs over the woods. Within minutes of seeing this bird from East Hide, I picked up an interesting looking Buzzard over Westleton. A prolonged look and this turned out to be one of the Honey Buzzards in the area, drooping wings and more pronounced tail giving it away. With 2 excellent birds in the bag, a look over the scrape revealed a Little Gull and a few Ruff. Minsmere being what it is, more was in store. A female Adder almost crossed our path as we walked amongst the dunes, the first time I have seen one of these for at least 2 years. A couple of Wheatear whizzed about in ...

Although we are still enjoying some excellent summer weather in East Anglia, a run of easterly winds and a few migrants making landfall signals that Autumn is underway for the birder. On the 17th I headed to Caister early morning for my now usual circuit at this time of year. Beginning at the golf course, I picked up 2 Whinchat and 5 Wheatear. This boded well, but was infact the best of the migrants today. Caister north dunes gave up a single Whinchat and Wheatear, and many Common Blue Butterflies, which seem to be having a good time of it. With time in the bank, I headed to Winterton South dunes but could only pick up a Chiffchaff here, the Grayling and Small Heath Butterflies stealing the show. Summer hanging on, but Autumn more than knocking. That evening, I took the usual route down to Claxton Marshes and my good (ish) fortune continued- at least 2 Purple Hairstreak were in the Oaks, a very good local tick. Out on the marshes, Marsh Harrier and Kestrel were hunting, and a Reed Wa...

I've owned a Moth Trap for a few years, but having moved a few times (the trap likely to cause disturbance in a couple of locations) coupled with some shocking summers, only now have I been making a constant effort to trap, almost nightly. Truly bitten by the bug now. The excellent Norfolk Moths website has been a real help, as has a chap on Twitter who goes by the moniker @mothiduk ! I have also attended a Moth morning at Strumpshaw and one here in Claxton, hosted by the SYWG. Both of these mornings amassed some impressive totals, over 100 species at Strumpshaw (a few micros pending) and 39 at Claxton (excluding micros). I particularly enjoyed the Wainscots at Strumpshaw, and of course a migrant Tree Lichen Beauty was an obvious highlight. In the village, a Reed Dagger was probably the scarcest Moth trapped.  At home, species counts have varied from 10-40, many micros on top of that not yet being identified. The Micro fieldguide is on the birthday list. Highlights have included...

I almost couldn't believe the Bonapartes Gull on the Wansbest Estuary was still present come the start of summer, and ever since June I have been crossing my fingers that this bird would stick so I could get a look on the way up to our holiday cottage in Northumberland. I surely deserved some luc, having left East Anglia just as a first for Britain shows up. And so it was , on Saturday July 30th Debs and I descended the concrete bank of a fly-over (cue various remarks about the places we end up) to view the Wansbeck Estuary near Ashington. It did not take long to pick up the Bonapartes, a smaller Gull than the Black-headed species with which it was associating. Paler, and with an all-black bill, this was a learning curve for 2 Gull amateurs and a great start to the break. Also on the mud here were Whimbrel, Dunlin and a few Sandwich Tern more distantly. We stayed near Bamburgh, and the rolling countryside around our cottage was home to plenty of House Sparrow, Yellowhammer, Hare ...