Sunday 1 October 2017

Easterly wind, migrants, 2 good walks and a rare wood wasp

 A promising looking week with easterly airlflow made me book monday and wednesday off in the hope of finding some drift migrants. I was largely successful in finding the more frequently encountered migrants, but rarer species illuded me. I was surprised that there was nothing particularly rare found in norfolk over the week.

Blakeney point Monday 25th September
whinchat-10
redstart-4
spotfly-2
brambling-1
wheatear-1

A good walk from Waxham to winterton via sea palling
YBW-2
spotfly-2
redstart-5
whinchat-4
wheatear-15
brambling-1
redpoll-3
hobby-3
mipit-141South
willow warbler-2,
blackcap-3

Matt Stainthorpe and I had another visit to East Hills on 30th September, a very pleasant day, starting with a yellow browed warbler in the dell before making our crossing.

East Hills
YBW-3
ringtail hen harrer
chiffchaff-6
goldcrest-4
wheatear-2
pintail 1 over

The most interesting sighting of the day at East Hills was an insect, a wood wasp, sirex notilio. This is a rare insect not encountered frequently at all. It is unclear just how rare it is in Norfolk, or indeed if it haseven been recorded before in Norfolk! An amazing beast whatecver its status and a good spot by Matt, the insect is about an inch and a half in length!














Wednesday 30 August 2017

Southern migrant hawker

On my way to Dungeness I nipped home as it was en route, I also had the chance to finally catch up with a new dragonfly...Southern migrant hawker.
The habitat, wedged between a tidal creek and busy Canvey Island road, did not exactly shine as being overly interesting, but the rushy ditch was certainly very appealing for the SMH. I got there quite early as wanted to spend the majority of the day at Dunge, I managed to find at least ten SMH's in around half an hour, one of which I found before it saw me (they were quite flighty, especially when warmed up).
As soon as I saw one in flight, I instantly knew I had got lucky, the amazing blue eyes, thorax side and very blue abdomen really stands out, far more even than the photos show. A truely stunning dragonfly, I hope they follow others and spread a little further North, would very much like to see these again.




Sunday 27 August 2017

Caspian/yellow legged gull?

On the evening of 13th August Dave Hawkins and I were watching the gull roost at Titchwell.
We soon noticed the gull pictured below, which stood out as looking a little different. The features that made it stand out were- paralel sided pale horn coloured yellow bill (quite different to all other gulls in the area), upright stance with high chest and bulging feathers behind the legs, leg colour was a pastey pinkish colour and mantle colour looked paler than yellow legged, but slightly darker than herring (although light was harsh and mantle colours were changing as the gulls turned etc.) I am no expert at large gulls and with this gull in wing moult (two primaries missing?) I am not sure about the open wing formula.
I must admit that in 'real life' it appeared a better fit for Caspian than the photos suggest, especially the high chested elegent upright appearence, I dont seem to have captured this at all well, however I guess the camera doesnt lie when it comes to the wing formula!
Can anyone help with the identification?












Here pictured with a yellow legged gull preening on left (appears darker grey in pic and in observation through scope)

Monday 21 August 2017

Sabbatical part 1-Dungeness RSPB (and bird obs)


As I am in my seventh consecutive year with the RSPB (would have been 10, but had a year with Kent Wildlife trust in between) I am allowed to have a three week sabbatical. Me being me, I decided to contact reserves ecology to see if they wanted any particular moths to be surveyed/searched for.

Many suggestions were given, but due to time and budget constraints I could not do all of them! The chosen few are- scarce vapourer larval and adult search in the broads (2 days), white mantled wainscot, North Warren (1 night), Scarce chocolate tip, Dungeness (5 nights), Scarce pug larval searches, N Norfolk 2x 3 days, coleophora hydrolapathaella in Mid Yare (2 days?) + something else local if I have some spare days.

My first photo round up is from Dungeness, where I was rewarded with a few very scarce species, but was surprised by the very low catches on what is supposed to be one of the best areas for moths in the country, unfortunately this was due to cold wet and windy conditions throughout my stay. The final list was 167 species from 18MVs and 14 actinic traps.
Dad came and joined me for two nights, which rewarded him with 17 new species, not bad at all when youve seen as many species in the uk as he has! The extra traps, knowledge and dissection skills increased the final species list!

I should say a massive thanks to the team at the rspb reserve for all of their help and for the guys at the obs for the info, retaining moths and generally being helpful!



As well as the moths featured below dad/we managed to confirm the following coleophora-C.lusciniaepenella, C.saturatella, C.galbulipennella (only found at Dungeness).
Celypha cespitana confirmed (3 specimens) as well as Aroga velocella, Chionodes fumatella, Chionodes distinctella, Bryotropha senectella.




Day 1 24/07
2 MV's and 1 actinic
86 species
Sussex emerald- the only breeding site in UK, it is a protected species so is actually illegal to put in a pot! luckily this one allowed me to put it on a bramble and take its picture

A shining marbled!! found in my first trap, 1st for Dungeness and 11th for UK! I was somewhat perplexed when this apparently quite distinctive moth was not in my field guide, luckily I did get to the bottom of it thanks to the uk moths app, a very nice start...

Plumed fan-foot, the completion of the trio of amazing moths on the first morning, again a local very rare breeder
back at the obs they saved me a white-spot another new species for me




Day 2 25/07
3MV
34 species
Cynaeda dentalis- a stunning little pyralid

Two juv peregrines having a preen on typical Dungeness habitat


Southern Oak bush cricket new orthopteran no.1

Day 3 26/07
5 heath traps, 5MV's
102 species
An example that despite putting all of these traps out, just 102 species came from it, amazing to think one MV in my garden can attract that many and I have had close to 200 species in 2 traps at Strumpshaw

Oncrcera semirubella

Pale grass eggar, a local subspecies only found at Dungeness

August thorn

Marbled coronet

This is Prochoreutis myllerana and was trapped at the obs, another new species and one I have wanted to see for a while after checking hundreds of nettle-taps!


Day 4 27/7
5 heath traps 5 MV's
84 species


Jersey tiger, brought into the obs... stunner!


Shark

...And finally on the penultimate day a scarce chocolate tip graced the trap. I was hoping to find out a bit more about the habitat preferences of this very rare species, however this was the only specimen I found, so hard to draw conclusions! Although it was in a trap under the only grey poplar I saw...


Celypha rivulana

Sickle baring bush cricket ortho no2 tick

four spotted footman

Tachystola acroxantha, an Australian species that appears to be expanding its range in the UK

Day 5 28/7
3 heath, 3 MV
46 species
Great green bush cricket...monster!

Grey bush cricket ortho no.3 tick as well as Ceperos groundhopper being no. 4

Typical vegetated shingle scenes