Anne's Journal

 Sunday September 28 How did the years go by so quickly? My daughter, Sara was fifty nine today. We celebrated by going out birding, what better? Friend Pauline, who recently accompanied us on one of our birding from the car days, said that we went looking for birds rather than looking for one in particular. I think that sums it up well. When we were fit and able, we did both of course, but month listing as well as year listing and age has brought about an increase in the general approach. Driven by necessity but really rewarding.  The lack of Blackbirds has been noted, we can spend a day out and see none. This week we had one bird in the garden with feathers missing from its head. The single bird we saw at Snettisham looked the same. Is this a sign of the disease affecting southern birds? The sea at Snettisham could have been further out, it was well on its way. A mass of Knot and Bar-tailed Godwits crowded the shoreline. a phalanx of Oystercatchers, including one albino bird...

 Saturday September 20 The Norfolk branch of the Butterfly Conservation organised a moth-ing session at Foxley Woods, which is a Norfolk Wildlife Reserve. It's Norfolk's largest remaining ancient woodland, good for  both moths and butterflies. Our last session here, earlier in the year was disappointing, as the weather was not conducive,.This is the latest date that a trapping session has taken place here.  Yesterday, the temperature had risen to 25C in parts of Norfolk, so hopes were high. Six traps had been spread around the reserve overnight by the ever willing Mike Glasson. David Norgate did the trap opening. His identification of the smaller moths was aided by Andy Wallis and Andrew Kershaw so that David could carry on with the main catch. Green Brindled Crescents, Brindled Green, Black Rustic, were very welcome.As was the single Clifden Nonpareil. The latter is known to be present but it's the first time one has been trapped. A Deep Brown Dart was brought in from th...

  Sunday September 14 Having talked about it as a possiblity over the last couple of weeks, today it happened. We drove to the Great Cressingham area in search of pig fields. Their position changes from time to time, don't know if it's annual. Moving all those pig houses must be a mammoth task. We found three very extensive areas quite closely covered with igloo like domes. Each one a shelter for a family. Piglets of varying size sped about, rootling the soil with their square snouts as diligently as the adults - but less efficiently.  Viewing from the car is difficult, through five barred gates or small gaps in thick hedgerows, usually through the top of tall weeds. After an hour and a half of diligent scoping, eyes watering and intention flagging, a small gap in the hedge allowed Pam to call 'got one'. Two Stone Curlews were squatting on the stony ground produced by the pigs' snouts, ideally camouflaged, occasionally opening a round yellow eye. Traditionally, the...

 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...