Anne's Journal

 Monday September 1 Driving past Holt, I had two bird species on my day list. Wood Pigeon and Kestrel. Pam saw ten in the garden  whilst eating her breakfast. We met Pauline at Morrions car park in Fakenham, somewhere where she could leave her car for the day and was convenient to both her and us.Harpley Cottages are dependable for Swallow and House Martin, Sculthorpe Mill  gave us the only Robins of the day. A lane of newly released, scurrying Red-legged Partridges and a couple of Pheasants at Valley Farm Lane. Nothing else of note until we had survived the potholes and unmade cement/ gravel/ dirt road through the chalet park to Snettisham RSPB. Seeing that the tide was way out, Pam checked the tide timetable, we were only an hour or so away from hight tide. But, they are neap tides at the moment so don't cover the mud at all. Very distantly were the usual enormous masses of Oystercatchers, a few Grey Plover, Ringed Ploover, Curlew and Knot well spread across the brown l...

 Saturday August 30 Our first trapping was pre-covid - I'm hopeless with dates, one of the earliest in Norfolk in recent times.It caused quite a stir. Since then, we have caught one annually. Probably not the euphoria of the first sight of this magnificent moth lying in the bottom of the trap, but each time like Christmas and birthdays rolled into one. A Clifden Nonpareil, much preferred name to Blue Unnderwing. This moth is now well established in the county but still not common. Norfolk moths says : Norfolk status Rare immigrant. Recent resident. This is the Victorian collector's classic all-time favourite, often named the 'Blue Underwing'. Up until recently (2019+) all modern-day Norfolk records were of assumed migrants, recorded mainly along the coast, usually in late August - September. It is now confirmed to be resident. I'm glad I looked it up, my photo has been used to illustrate the page. These are better ,as they show the underwing.The date for our fir...

 Wednesday August 27 A most enjoyable week with my daughter Sara and her husband Mike kept us away from birding last week, that and the lack of birds around. Wader migration is on its way and passerines are leaving for the winter, most of them beyond car birding. We decided that Biuckenham was worth a look.  No birds at all in the woods on the approach road and only about a hundred Canada Geese, a few Greylag and a smattering of Mute Swans. I only saw one Chinse Water Deer too, usually there are many more.As we neared the pull off from which we can scope the distant pool, a car pulled into it, the passengers got out and walked to the hide. There was plenty of room in the nearby car park. We were chuntering about this when Pam turned and pulled in just beyond the hide where we can view part of the distant pool. One of the birders came up to my window to tell us that there was a Spotted Redshank in front of the hide, not viwable from where we were. Helpful really. Pam asked...

 Wednesday August 6 Butterfly Conservation, Norfolk Group had, for the first time ever, organised a moth trapping session at Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve. As we were unable to attend Thursday's usual meeting at Cley -Pam had an appointment to complete a Speed Awareness Course in Norwich - we decided to attend. David N met us in the car park, saying that he'd been asked by Paresh Shah - County moth recorder - whether we'd be attending. I'd  been expecting a morning where I was a part of the audience. Instead, I was recorder. I didn't mind at all. I've already been asked if I'll be at Foxley in September.  We were seated under a purple awning, supplied with a drink , and David opened the six traps which had been placed overnight in varying parts of the reserve. One of them was inside the Beaver enclosure. We'd very much like to see these animals but apparently it's too boggy for us. There are now two adults and six young. They've raised two young...

 Sunday August 3 My choice as to today's destination, as it was my 87th birthday. Lakenheath, Dunwich and Frampton were ruled out because of the distance for Pam to drive, her shoulders are very painful at the moment. I am always very happy to bird the north coast. Selbrigg is shelved for the next month or so, no-one is feeding the birds regularly. Snettisham was very different from Friday. We were there an hour before high tide but a 5.1 metre height meant that the water did not come near to the shore. The birds were clustered at the far edge, others feeding well apart. The swathe of terns was much smaller, nearer to the Yacht Club and,when inspected, mostly Mediterranean Gulls, with a few terns amongst them. The last pit had still got plenty of birds, but in nowhere near the number  Despite the poor light, I took a shot of the Spoonbills on their favourite lounging bank. The tide always comes in first at the Yacht Club end of the reserve, near the entry gate. I was sca...

 Friday August 1 Our usual late start - I had a better night - we drove directly to the only place we can see waders. It was almost an hour past high tide, but the water was still well in. Having ascertained that the mud had very few birds, just a few Dunlin, Sanderling and Ringed Plover, we drove as far as Rotary Hide before reversing down the causeway. The pit's banks and islands were crammed full of birds. There seems to be a ghetto instinct. One island held Golden Plover, another, Knot. The Black-tailed Godwit were clustered on the far bank near the Shore Hide, twenty plus Spoonbills on the shingle bank next to the newest hide.  All the islands held other birds, but it was too far for me to idientify them with certainty. Dunlin were packed tightly on another rocky isle. Further scanning saw Egyptian Goose, Moorhens, thirty Cormorants, Little Egrets, and Common Terns. A roosting flock of birds suddenly sprang into the air, making their morphing cloud way back out to the fee...