"For now we are young let us lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see" Neutral Milk Hotel.

Sunday 17 April 2016

Lords and Ladies, Cuckoo-pint, Wake Robin or ?

Arum maculatum is known by all the above names plus many more.  I saw my first plant of the year in flower today (rather late this year) in Ringstead Downs.  It is certainly one of our more unusual native plants, with the flowering organs, spadix, enveloped in a characteristic sheath-like bract called a spathe.  The upper part of the spadix is cylindrical club-shaped and usually chocolate-purple; the lower part is hidden in a cup.  The leaves are arrow-shaped to triangular and a bright green, often with purple spots.  The red berries, in a dense spike, are a common autumn sight.
According to Culpepper's Herbal - The berries or roots beaten with hot ox-dung, and applied, easeth the pains of the gout. The roots and fresh cow dung were both available at the Downs, but seeing as I don't have gout I couldn't try out the remedy!

Arum maculatum

One of the 5 British White Cattle in Ringstead Downs

Monday 11 April 2016

Pied Flycatcher

This cracking 1st summer male Pied Flycatcher found by Gary was showing down to 8ft this evening!


Saturday 9 April 2016

Meadow pipits a plenty in the rain

Hunstanton Cliffs
Counting period: 06:20 - 08:20
Count type: coastal vismig (landbased birds only)
Weather: wind var2, cloud-cover 8/8, precipitation drizzle
Observers: Gary Hibberd and Robert Smith



S
N


S
N


S
N
Little Egret  1  -  House Martin  2  -  Linnet  146  -  
Lesser Black-backed Gull  2  -  Wheatear  2  -  redpoll sp.  11  -  
Collared Dove  1  -  flava wagtail sp.  2  -  Goldfinch  22  -  
Rook  3  -  alba wagtail sp.  9  -  Siskin  144  -  
Sand Martin  1  -  Meadow Pipit  1378  -    
Swallow  22  -  Tree Pipit  1  -    

Totals: 1747 individuals, 16 species, 2:00 hours

Bold = Remarkable observation (scarce or rare species or large number)
Comments: Wind direction variable, from SW to SSE. A nice count of meadow pipits which was not witnessed on Scolt Head to the east which was a surprise.

Friday 8 April 2016

Garganey

A pair last week were seen to come in off by a visiting birder during a late morning sea watch and appear to drop in on the reserve pools!  The birds slept in front of hide three (Hun Pool) before swimming out of sight late evening.  The pair were not seen again till the following evening when Philip relocated them on Broadwater.

Other recent birds include two Black Redstarts, two-three Redstarts, multiple Ring Ouzel and Wheatears, two Firecrests, small numbers of Yellow Wagtails dropping in the feed in our Konik paddock and best of all a Muscovy Duck and Bar Headed Goose!


Thursday 7 April 2016

Cliffs, Thursday 7th April 2016

    Thursday 7 April 2016


Counting period: 06:25 - 07:25
Weather: wind WSW5, cloud-cover 2/8, temperature 4 ℃
Observers: Andy Brown

SNSN
Collared Dove  2  -  Meadow Pipit  10  -  
Jackdaw  2  -  Chaffinch  1  -  
Carrion Crow  1  -  Greenfinch  2  -  
Swallow  1  -  Linnet  285  -  
Starling  8  -  Goldfinch  20  -  
alba wagtail sp.  6  -  Siskin  12  -  

Totals: 350 individuals, 12 species, 1:00 hours

Bold = Remarkable observation (scarce or rare species or large number)

Wednesday 6 April 2016

Cliffs, Wednesday 6th April 2016

    Wednesday 6 April 2016


Counting period: 06:30 - 08:00
Count type: coastal vismig (landbased birds only)
Weather: wind WSW2, cloud-cover 8/8
Observers: Andy Brown, Gary Hibberd, Gary Elton

SNSNSN
Common Gull  2  -  Sand Martin  14  -  Meadow Pipit  773  -  
Herring Gull  16  -  Swallow  21  -  Chaffinch  3  -  
Lesser Black-backed Gull  2  -  House Martin  10  -  Brambling  1  -  
Woodpigeon  11  -  Starling  14  -  Linnet  308  -  
Collared Dove  1  -  Fieldfare  2  -  redpoll sp.  1  -  
Rook  4  -  flava wagtail sp.  1  -  Goldfinch  56  -  
Carrion Crow  5  -  alba wagtail sp.  14  -  Siskin  64  -  

Totals: 1323 individuals, 21 species, 1:30 hours

Bold = Remarkable observation (scarce or rare species or large number)

Tuesday 5 April 2016

Cliffs, Tuesday 5th April 2016

    Tuesday 5 April 2016


Counting period: 06:35 - 08:35
Weather: wind SW3, cloud-cover 2/8, temperature 7 ℃
Observers: Robert Smith, Frank Branch, Robert and Andy Brown

SNSNSN
Woodpigeon  111  -  Swallow  12  -  Linnet  217  -  
Collared Dove  3  -  Starling  2  -  redpoll sp.  4  -  
Jay  1  -  flava wagtail sp.  4  -  Goldfinch  109  -  
Jackdaw  4  -  alba wagtail sp.  6  -  Siskin  49  -  
Rook  9  -  Meadow Pipit  148  -  Yellowhammer  1  -  
Blue Tit  1  -  Chaffinch  1  -  Reed Bunting  2  -  
Sand Martin  9  -  Greenfinch  1  -    

Totals: 694 individuals, 20 species, 2:00 hours

Bold = Remarkable observation (scarce or rare species or large number)
Comments: 2 Sandwich Tern were feeding offshore

The first Stonefly of the year

Nemurella picteti, Holmhurst Track, 3rd April 2016



Monday 4 April 2016

The first sawfly of the year........

Aglaostigma aucupariae, Holmhurst Track (north end), 3rd April 2016


A stellar cast of early spring invertebrates from Holme, Monday 4th April

Coastal Flat-body, Agonopteryx yeatiana, Holme NOA, 4th April 2016


Emperor, Holme NWT, 4th April 2016


Cheilosia grossa, Holme NWT, 4th April 2016


Cliffs, Monday 4th April 2016

    Monday 4 April 2016


Counting period: 06:30 - 08:30
Weather: wind South2, cloud-cover 8/8
Observers: Andy Brown, Gary Elton, Gary Hibberd, Robert Smith

SNSNSN
Woodpigeon  21  -  Wheatear  1  -  Greenfinch  2  -  
Sand Martin  14  -  Goldcrest  1  -  Goldfinch  27  -  
Swallow  23  -  Jackdaw  8  -  Siskin  73  -  
House Martin  2  -  Rook  2  -  Linnet  70  -  
Meadow Pipit  973  -  Carrion Crow  2  -  redpoll sp.  8  -  
Grey Wagtail  1  -  Starling  15  -    
alba wagtail sp.  11  -  Chaffinch  2  -    

Totals: 1256 individuals, 19 species, 2:00 hours

Bold = Remarkable observation (scarce or rare species or large number)
Comments: Wind dropped before end of count as did numbers 

Sunday 3 April 2016

Little Ringed Plover over Hunstanton - Sound and Sonogram by Gary Elton



Dead Fish of the Day

Dogfish, Holme NWT, 3rd April 2016


Sunday Moths

A nice catch of moths in one of the NOA traps included the first Oak Beauty and Pale Pinion of the year, 5 Hebrew Characters, 4 Red Chestnuts, a March Moth and a very scarce micor-moth, the Sallow Button.

Red Chestnut, Holme NOA, 3rd April 2016


Pale Pinion, Holme NOA, 3rd April 2016


Oak Beauty, Holme NOA, 3rd April 2016


Sallow Button, Acleris hastiana, Holme NOA, 3rd April 2016



Cliffs, Sunday 3rd April 2016

    Sunday 3 April 2016


Counting period: 06:30 - 09:00
Count type: coastal vismig (landbased birds only)
Weather: wind SW2, cloud-cover 8/8
Observers: Andy Brown, Gary Elton, Gary Hibberd, Chris Mills, Robert Smith

SNSNSN
Little Ringed Plover  1  -  flava wagtail sp.  2  -  Tree Sparrow  4  -  
Golden Plover  1  -  Grey Wagtail  2  -  Chaffinch  4  -  
Mediterranean Gull  2  -  alba wagtail sp.  29  -  Greenfinch  5  -  
Lesser Black-backed Gull  2  -  Redwing  1  -  Goldfinch  52  -  
Woodpigeon  11  -  Magpie  2  -  Siskin  143  -  
Collared Dove  1  -  Jackdaw  4  -  Linnet  40  -  
Skylark  1  -  Rook  4  -  redpoll sp.  7  -  
Meadow Pipit  763  -  Starling  21  -    

Totals: 1102 individuals, 23 species, 2:30 hours

Bold = Remarkable observation (scarce or rare species or large number)

Butterflies etc. at Ringstead Downs

The UKBMS butterfly transects began on 1st April and so as today was sunny and quite warm I walked my first transect of 2016 at Ringstead Downs.  Not many flowers out to provide food for the butterflies, except for the many plants of Ground-ivy Glechoma hederacea which suddenly seem to have covered the north bank of the valley.  It was among these that I came upon my first butterfly, a beautiful male Brimstone flying between the flowers (unfortunately I only managed to get a rather over-exposed, poorly focussed photo of it!)  Further east along the valley there were several Commas and Peacocks flying or soaking up the warmth of the sun. Altogether on the transect I recorded 1 Brimstone, 4 Peacocks and 5 Commas; not bad for the first week in April.  There were also several Buff-tailed and Red-tailed Bumblebees visiting the Ground-ivy and a few Bee-flies.
After finishing the transect I went to check whether the Gooseberry Ribes uva-crispa bushes at the top of the south bank had opened their flowers (there were a few) and also found a number of flowers on the European Larches Larix decidua.  The Gorse bushes were crawling with 7-spot ladybirds.
When I got back home there was a Small Tortoiseshell in my garden.

Brimstone on Ground-ivy

Peacock

Comma

Gooseberry

Larch



Saturday 2 April 2016

Mediterranean Gull over Hunstanton Cliffs

Click on the link to a recording made by Gary Elton on 29th March :

https://soundcloud.com/user605645275/med-gull-hunstanton-cliffs-29032016

Cliffs, Saturday 2nd April 2016

    Saturday 2 April 2016


Counting period: 06:30 - 09:00
Count type: coastal vismig (landbased birds only)
Weather: wind SSE3, cloud-cover 8/8
Observers: Andy Brown, Gary Elton, Gary Hibberd and Robert Smith

SNSNSN
Marsh Harrier  1  -  alba wagtail sp.  18  -  Goldfinch  29  -  
Curlew  9  -  Fieldfare  5  -  Siskin  476  -  
Woodpigeon  127  -  Rook  2  -  Linnet  73  -  
Collared Dove  5  -  Starling  4  -  redpoll sp.  3  -  
Sand Martin  21  -  Chaffinch  6  -  Reed Bunting  5  -  
Swallow  17  -  Brambling  2  -    
Meadow Pipit  540  -  Greenfinch  2  -    

Totals: 1345 individuals, 19 species, 2:30 hours

Bold = Remarkable observation (scarce or rare species or large number)
Comments: A nice strong SW wind overnight displaced a few birds our way. Best meadow pipit day of the year so far and siskins picked up as the morning went on. The marsh harrier flying into The Wash had green wing tags but these were unreadable. A female Black Redstart was present - possibly yesterday's bird -and both Wheatear and Chiffchaff were on the cliff top. 

Friday 1 April 2016

Cliffs, Friday 1st April

    Friday 1 April 2016


Counting period: 06:25 - 08:25
Count type: coastal vismig (landbased birds only)
Weather: wind SE3, cloud-cover 3/8, temperature 4 ℃
Observers: Robert SJ Smith and Andy Brown

SNSNSN
Woodpigeon  57  -  Black Redstart  1  -  Chaffinch  4  -  
Collared Dove  1  -  Blue Tit  1  -  Greenfinch  2  -  
Sand Martin  2  -  Great Tit  1  -  Goldfinch  64  -  
Swallow  1  -  Jackdaw  20  -  Siskin  173  4  
Meadow Pipit  37  -  Rook  6  -  Linnet  18  -  
Grey Wagtail  1  -  Starling  16  -  redpoll sp.  5  -  
alba wagtail sp.  7  -  Tree Sparrow  11  -  Reed Bunting  1  -  

Totals: 433 individuals, 21 species, 2:00 hours

Bold = Remarkable observation (scarce or rare species or large number)
Comments: The Black Redstart was nice - there was another in my street on my walk home 

Cliffs, Wednesday 30th March

    Wednesday 30 March 2016


Counting period: 06:42 - 08:42
Count type: coastal vismig (landbased birds only)
Weather: wind WSW2, cloud-cover 0/8
Observers: Andy Brown, Greg Beeton, Gary Hibberd

SNSNSN
Mute Swan  1  -  Meadow Pipit  182  -  Greenfinch  4  -  
Lesser Black-backed Gull  1  -  alba wagtail sp.  9  -  Goldfinch  37  -  
Stock Dove  1  -  Jackdaw  3  -  Siskin  26  -  
Woodpigeon  46  -  Rook  6  -  Linnet  60  -  
Collared Dove  3  -  Tree Sparrow  1  -  Reed Bunting  2  -  
Swallow  3  -  Chaffinch  20  -    

Totals: 405 individuals, 17 species, 2:00 hours

Bold = Remarkable observation (scarce or rare species or large number)
Comments: A dribble of migrants today.