New Month

 Tuesday August 1

As an RSPB assistant warden at Snettisham, got out of his car, I searched for our permit. Last year's was an ordinary sheet of folded paper, not the laminated card of old. Therfore, I don't automatically display it, as it easily blows away. He nodded as he passed and I idly looked at the date before returning the permit to the shelf. It ran out in April. 

Snettisham was heaving with birds. The last pit's islands looked like rocky hillsides - until one noticed that there was constant rippling movement. Knot, Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwit made up the most numbers, Redshank and Bar-tailed Godwit were scattered throughout. Nine Spoonbills slept on the bank beside the new hide on the far shore, the sloping bank in front of them another mass of waders. The Wash itself was a muddy expanse, many more waders clustered along the shoreline, out of focus in the heat haze. Notable was the lack of Shelduck, usually present in large numbers. Only about ten were viewable, the others gone to the Zuider Zee for their annual moult one assumes.

Again, few butterflies around. I saw this less than pristine Comma along one of our lanes near Harpley.

 

Plenty of House Martins and Swallows still at the cottages too. We didn't see a Swift all day. Our village birds left in the last day or so.

The now essential visit to Titchwell shop to renew our Snettisham permit, informed us of another innovation. At times of high tide spectaculars at Snettisham, from now on, booking a place is essential, as it has become so popular. Maybe they should check that all the cars present have permits to drive there, this hasn't been so in our experience. Again, the few spoil things for the many.

August 2

Moth-ing at Natural Surroundings this morning was daunting. All three traps were full of moths and beetles. Dozens of the very small beetles which have plagued us at home, plus several other varieties. The moths were very lively too in the hot conditions.  Most interesting was finding nine Dark Swordgrass, a migrant. Neither Richard nor I have seen more than one at a time before. When we got home and opened our traps, we had three in ours. The best for us was another immigrant, our first Vestal of the year. The 3rd recorded in Norfolk so far this year. I'll include a photo taken in the pot and hope for a better one after taking it to Cley on Thursday.




 

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