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!