Northwest Norfolk Naturalists: September 2014

Monday, 29 September 2014

Crippling Red-throat!

A post showing noting more than a personally pleasing photo of a Red-throated Diver showing amazingly well on the sea this morning at Holmel.

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

I found this brilliantly marked Comma at Ringstead Downs on Monday. It was sunning itself on bramble leaves and behaved quite well for photographs. There weren't many other butterflies around but I did have 5 Small Coppers on the north slope by the still-flowering Small Scabious. Also few species at Holme Dunes last Thursday but good numbers of Wall and Small Heath.

Sunday, 21 September 2014

Some late flowers

Probably some of the last new plants to be found in flower this year. Three of them presented some difficulty in identification and one has been in bud for weeks but has only decided to flower in the last couple of days.
A patch of Michaelmas Daisy has been growing alongside the gravel road at Holme Dunes for at least 3 years. After using a number of different keys it has been identified as Narrow-leaved Michaelmas Daisy Aster lanceolatus, an introduction from North America.
Two Bur-marigolds have appeared on the reserve. A large patch of Nodding Bur-marigold Bidens cernua on the grazing marsh south of the River Hun, and a single small plant of Trifid Bur-marigold Bidens tripartita near the Visitors' Centre.
We have been waiting for the Sea Wormwood Artemisia maritima to flower for several weeks. It grows at various locations on the edge of saltmarshes on the reserve. In the recently published Vascular Plant Red List it is listed as "Near Threatened".

Narrow-leaved Michaelmas Daisy Aster lanceolata

Nodding Bur-marigold Bidens cernua

Trifid Bur-marigold Bidens tripartita

Sea Wormwood Artemisia maritima

Sunday, 14 September 2014

Wader Roost at Holme-next-the-Sea, Friday 12th September

Gary led the West Norfolk NWT Group on a wader watch at Holme at the morning high tide. About 30 people attended and were treated to a great display by the birds in beautiful weather.
Apart from 30000+ Knot and 3000+ Oystercatcher there were large numbers of Grey Plover (some still in their summer plumage), Bar-tailed Godwit (some still in summer plumage) and Ringed Plover. Also good numbers of Great Black-backed, Black-headed, Herring and Common Gull. Sandwich and Common Tern were also present. Gannet, Arctic Skua, Eider and Common Scoter flew East over the sea, with 3 early-arriving Brent Geese. 4 Spoonbill flew East high overhead. The arrival of a Peregrine sent the Knot into the sky. Other birds seen were Fulmar, Wheatear, Swallow, Wigeon, Turnstone, Linnet, Meadow Pipit, Little Egret, Cormorant and Pied Wagtail. A perfect morning!

Miscellany at Holme

A few finds while working at Holme Dunes on Thursday.

Sea-buckthorn berries

Sea-buckthorn bracket fungus Phellinus hippophaeicola

Broad Buckler Fern

Intermediate Polypody

A pale Common Carder bumblebee ? on Gypsywort

After watching the wader roost on Friday I found a single Eyebright plant growing by itself on the dunes. It had very pink/purple flowers compared with all the other Eyebrights I have seen on our patch.

Saturday, 13 September 2014

Nodding Bur-marigold and some Knot

A good WeBS count on the high tide at 09:44 hrs revealed a good variety of wildfowl including 94 Grey Plover, 66 Ringed Plover, 650 Bar-tailed Godwit, 19, 600 Knot and a huge count of 4450 Oystercatchers - way more than twice the number I've ever counted at the Gore Point roost in over 10 years of counting. Elsewhere the avian highlight was a count of 3 Curlew sandpipers on the pools, where at least 20 Black-tailed Godwits and 2 Ruff were also present. Trifid Bur-marigold was in flower on the grazing marsh.

Knot, Gore Point, 13th September 2014