Notes from the valley

After a quiet November, I had to wait until the 20th of December for one of the patch days of the year. I began with a casual pre-lunch stroll down to Claxton Marshes, hoping for the first Short-eared Owl of the Winter. The marshes themselves were quiet, save for the small gathering of Mute Swan and 2 hunting Marsh Harriers, both female. The dyke alongside the footpath caught my attention however, with the pings of Bearded Tit emanating from the lower stems. There were at least 3 birds here, at least 1 a male, and these birds constituted my 3rd, 4th and 5th records in Claxton. Much closer to home than the last; a garden bird next?! I watched them feed for a while, then lost sight and turned my attention to the wet flashes across the grazing meadow, which had caught the interest of a group of Lapwing and Starling. One of the Harriers flushed a Snipe, and walking back I looked up to hear the monosyllabic call of a Pipit, and one I had been after for a while- this one was a Water Pipit, m...

Like a child in a sweet shop, I studied the charts for my two weeks off in October. However, the shelves appeared empty of treats, for westerlies were forecast to set in for the foreseeable future. But were they really empty, or is this just a Norfolk-biased perception? Understandably, there has been much lamenting on Twitter of 'the worst Autumn in Norfolk's history' and indeed I believe more Autumns like this will follow with climate change impacting on both the frequency and ferocity of Atlantic storms. Having said all this, migration across our isle has continued and the expected visual changes that glorious Autumn brings are all there to see. On the 8th, I was at Church Marsh early doors and this was the day that the Redwing officially reached the arrivals lounge. Flocks of 52 went north, 165 South. Brambling and Redpoll also called and flew over the bus shelter hide. This was fantastic to observe and proof that migration doesn't have to be rare for it to be an e...

On the 25th August I attended the Norfolk Moth Group meet at Brickyard Farm Surlingham. By midnight the temperature had dipped to 9 degrees celsius and the mist was settled over the reeds, which put pay to the session but nonetheless a few interesting species were trapped. Oblique Carpet was a new Moth for me, as was Round-winged Muslin. We also trapped Latticed Heath, Webb's Wainscot, Currant Pug, Pinion-streaked Snout and Bulrush Wainscot. Dave Appleton took a few micros away with him, and came back to us with some good news: Gynnidomorpha permixtana , was new for Norfolk and we think East Anglia. I look forward to coming back to Brickyard in the future, hopefully when the temperatures hold at 15+ and we catch more Moths than Hornets! Returning to work after a long hot summer is always tough, so when news broke of a White-winged Black Tern at Rockland Broad on the 4th of September I felt properly summer-sick. Thankfully, I was able to get to the broad straight from work. The he...

The title cannot of course refer to the relatively mild mid-summer weather, but instead subtly alludes to a summer that has seen me connect with a number of new species of Butterfly in a short space of time (one of those of course a Hairstreak). Early August, the now Bradley clan descended on the peaceful Cotswolds, first for a 10-mile pub crawl consisting of 8 pubs and at least as much local ale (Rose and Debs bit-part players in this quest it has to be said) but secondly for relaxation and some Blue Butterflies. The weather made seeking out the specialist species difficult, but I was thrilled to find 2/3 Adonis Blue on the chalky hillsides of Rodborough Common. Chalkhil Blue was very much the default Butterfly of these parts, so when I finally stumbled across a flash of electric blue, I knew instantly I was dealing with my target. Fantastic. Whilst the same wow factor did not follow when I found a single male Small Blue, I will at least remember traversing the slopes of Selsley...

Inland migration has slowed right down, and the soft tones of Summer have set in, albeit with oppressive levels of heat during the last 30 days. Today the garden has finally had a good dump of rain which the flowers we have been planting will enjoy. With avian interest naturally dipping,  Lepidoptera are keeping me busy. Some nice firsts in the garden trap, including Scorched Wing, Figure Eighty, Cream-bordered Green Pea, Small Angle Shades, Puss Moth and a garden record count of 174 Moths of 64 species on the night of the 24/25 June. The Swallowtail was always high on the agenda in June, as I had been asked to privately tour a small group with this target species in mind. I had been successful at Wheatfen (4) and Strumpshaw (3) during June, but with poor weather seeing out the month I had to move the tour to early July. Thankfully, the group were not disappointed and we achieved views of 2/3 Swallowtail at Strumpshaw Fen. I think though that they were won over by the White Adm...

I have put a fair few hours in over the years in the Thetford Forest complex, searching for Long-eared Owl. My best views of this crepuscular species have always been on migration, but that all changed when Ricky and I descended into the forest in early June following a tip-off and a from Shaky which suggested I might finally achieve the views I had craved. Locations will not be given out for obvious reasons. Arriving at the site around 9pm, we inadvertantly flushed 3 young birds which had been roosting on the ground, a slightly different spot to a day or so ago. Stepping back, we listened as the Owls began to squeak. Naturally curious, it did not take long for the young to begin a few practise flights, one particular bird confident enough to fly past us as we stood flabbergasted in the ride. I knew as I watched this unfold, this was a wildlife highlight I would look back on with fondness for the rest of my days. Feeling as if we had taken up enough of their time, and to allow the ...

Red Kites continue to make their push eastwards, and the bird below was photographed (badly) today on Claxton Marshes, coming out of an aerial duel with a Marsh Harrier and continuing to search for food. Another, perhaps the same, was seen on the 13th in the same location. On the 16th I observed one passing the window, from the couch! Huge excitement ensued on the 3rd. when a juvenile White-tailed Eagle made landfall at Buckenham that evening. This individual, assuming it is one and the same, has been touring Norfolk and Suffolk for a few weeks now and this was a rare opportunity to add it to the 'seen from patch' patch list. In brisk chilly weather, I parked at the Beauchamp Arms and walked east to a small hut presumably used for monitoring sailing or fishing competitions. This gave me an elevated view over Buckenham Marshes, and the Eagle was easily picked out on a gate post. Needless to say this was a giant of a bird, and the Oystercatchers were very brave indeed to wan...

Although the end of April and early May has been chilly enough to warrant a woolly hat and jacket, the winds from the east and north have bought with them some decent birds on the patch. Having been laid up for a spell after Scotland with an infection, I was finally getting better on the 23rd and headed to Church Marsh to conduct a Wildfowl and Waders survey, whilst at the same time noting any Bearded Tit or Marsh Harrier behaviour. Shelduck, Gadwall and Teal were paired up on the lagoon, and a single Snipe landed out of view. A male Marsh Harrier was circling over the western corner of the marsh but no sign of a female with him. I heard a couple of pings from the resident Beardies but nothing conclusive. Reed Warbler and Grasshopper Warbler although late were new for the year. The following evening I enjoyed decent views of the latter on Claxton Marsh, exciting to find new territories of this elusive Locustella. A walk round the patch on the 29th threw up a beautiful Wheatear on Roc...

I made my way up to The Highlands again this April, an annual visit at this time of year and my fourth year in a row. Having nailed avian targets bar Capercaille and Scottish Crossbill on previous visits, my only real target was the former this time so I was able to try some new sites and finally take part in a distillery and tasting tour at Tomatin (the trip highlight!) It was a fairly bleak week weather-wise, but with clear skies forecast myself and 2 friends went to the Findhorn Valley on the afternoon of the 10th. One distant Golden Eagle and a pair of cavorting Peregrine were the Raptor highlights amongst the munroes, and a pair of Curlew were calling on territory. As the promised weather failed to deliver, we made for Loch Ruthven and enjoyed 3 Slavonian Grebe on the water close to the hide. The following day was the only planned 'day in the field' and we made an early start searching for Capercaille. How close we came. I have in my possession 2 feathers found on a tr...

 Like buses, Red Kites. Hot on the heels of one on patch and 2 just off around Hales, I added a further 3 birds yesterday and I feel like this species has now formally announced its arrival having briefly popped in earlier in the year. 2 birds were spotted high above Wheatfen by my cousin Ben Moyes, and a further bird was seen close to home at Claxton marshes late in the afternoon of the 6th. A superb addition and surely here to stay. Looking back over my notes since my last post, a singing Blackcap on the 25th of March was my earliest record for the patch. Others have since piled in and are vocal throughout the valley in gardens scrub and woodland. Debs and I finally connected with some Hirundines with 4 Sand Martin and 2 Swallow following the river west at Buckenham Marshes RSPB. Swallow soon followed this side of the river, when at least 2 were seen hawking for insects with a House Martin on the 6th at Surlingham Church Marsh. I had to wait until April the 3rd for the first Wi...

The month began with some chilly weather, soon turning mild by the 10th. On the 5th of March, a ringtail Hen Harrier was hunting Claxton Marshes, a welcome year tick and on the day nice to compare this bird with hunting Marsh Harrier. A single Barn Owl was also out and about as the days began to lengthen. I completed the WeBs counts on the weekend of the 11th, and the headlines here were the distinct lack of wildfowl. Teal were down to 10 at Church Marsh, and the only bird on the rise on the water was the Great-crested Grebe at Rockland Broad, at least 4 pairs here. The 11th was a red-letter day for me, as I recorded my first Butterfly of the year: a Small Tortoiseshell in the garden sunning itself. This was followed by  Brimstone, another Small Tort and my wife saw at least 3 Peacock in the village. I really should have put out the Moth trap over this weekend, since then the weather has been wet during the nights of Friday and Saturday, limiting any opportunity. Having already...

Funny thing, I don't seem to have the time these days. Not that I haven't been out this year, I have, but it was only today that I felt compelled to post. Hopefully this will kick-start the blog again for the year which, even if nobody reads it(!) I do find it useful to look back and use it as a retrospective diary. Numerous trips with the pushchair down to the marsh in January got the year list ticking over, without anything in particular to raise the pulse. Infact, bar the usual Barn Owl, Claxton remained quiet until mid February. Bird of the month was most certainly the Woodcock, with birds at Wheatfen on the 7th (2) and Claxton on the 21st. Patch scarce in the form of Bearded Tit were heard pinging at Church Marsh on the 14th, and a foray away from home at Herringfleet Marshes on the 22nd had 9 Reedlings at dusk together. Into February, and the WeBs count was a record breaker at Rockland Broad with highest ever counts of Tufted Duck (26), Coot (13) and interestingly Gad...