Anne's Journal

Sunday June 29 Pam as still not feeling herself after a couple of days stomach upset - she thinks it was the prawn lunch she had. Saturday was so very hot, the temperature reached the lower 30sC, that the prospect of an air conditioned car tipped the scales. We didn't set off until 10 a.m. and were home by 3 p.m. It was a much more reasonable temperature too, the sun hardly appeared. With only two short stops, at Sculthorpe Mill and Abbey Farm, we were soon at Snettisham. The first thing we noticed was the number of Egyptian Geese around, all with well grown young, they've had a very productive year here.   Scanning the vast expanse of puddled and creeked mud, I came across a stretch of what appeared to be roosting gulls. I worked my way throught them, finding that most of them were adult Mediterranean Gulls, Pam reckoned there were more than a hundred, the most I've ever seen together. Every bird was either asleep or busy preening.   I then noticed a few Sandwich Terns dot...

 Thursday June 19 June is always considered to be a quiet month for birds,so far, this one is no exception, even worse if possible. In common with many other birders, mothing takes first place, especially using pheromone lures in the garden. The lures can be used for various micro moths, our targets are macro moths of the family Clearwing.  So far this year we have trapped five different species, three of which I've been able to photograph.  White-barred Clearwing Was a new species for us, spreading slowly from the Broads area, a nationally NB species.   Currant Clearwing New for the  garden, previously seen at Wiveton Fruit Farm.   Lunar Hornet Clearwing Trapped in the garden every year so far.    The unphotographed species are:  Yellow-legged Clearwing and Red-tipped Clearwing.

 Sunday June 1 I believe that we'd have seen almost as many birds if we'd stayed at home and watched the garden. Although relatively warm, with sun most of the day, a strong wind is not conducive to birds. They stay hidden and don't sing as much - if at all. List ready, pen posed, I'd added two birds by the time we got to North Walsham, Carrion Crow and Wood Pigeon. It's sad that, for the first time since we have lived here, 1974, there are no Swifts around the White House. No Swallows in the village and no House Martins on our house, John's next door and the Hughes's across the road. The three weeks of no rain also meant no mud for nests. Did this deter them? We did see one Swift, and both the mentioned hirundine, during the day, but very few. We checked Strumpshaw Mill for Spotted Flycatchers, unsuccessfully. We don't know of anyone who has seen them this year, they do move their nesting sites around, some more viewable than others.  I've read that...