Wednesday, 26 October 2016

Off Patch: Desert Wheatear at Gun Hill, 24th October 2016

Hunstanton Cliffs vis-mig

Wednesday 26 October 2016

Counting period: 07:15 - 09:15
Count type: coastal vismig (landbased birds only)
Weather: wind SW2, cloud-cover 8/8
Observers: Andy Brown, Lee Locke, Gary Hibberd, John Baker, Richard Belter, Frank Branch, Robert Smith, Robin Jolliffe

	S	N		S	N		S	N
Little Egret	1	-	Starling	15893	-	Rock Pipit	4	-
Lapwing	38	-	Blackbird	3	-	Chaffinch	278	-
Mediterranean Gull	1	-	Fieldfare	31	-	Brambling	3	-
Woodpigeon	35	-	Redwing	31	-	Greenfinch	61	3
Jackdaw	2	-	Song Thrush	1	-	Linnet	5	-
Skylark	7	-	Grey Wagtail	1	-	Goldfinch	17	-
Shore Lark	1	-	alba wagtail sp.	5	-	Siskin	23	-
Swallow	1	-	Meadow Pipit	20	-	Lapland Bunting	5	-

Totals: 16470 individuals, 24 species, 2:00 hours

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

Comments: The chaffinch nos were very disapointing, starlings numbers increasing at last.

Birds at Holme NWT, Tuesday 25th October 2016

Shorelark

Stonechat

Lapland Bunting

Migrant Starlings pausing to feed in the dunes

Heron

Sunday, 23 October 2016

Jack Snipe at Holme Dunes

A Jack Snipe was sleeping and then feeding on the water's edge just in front of Hide 3 at Holme Dunes on Thursday 20th October. While feeding it often stopped to do trademark bouncing sessions.

Tuesday, 11 October 2016

A whole new sub-phylum and class for the patch

Star Ascidian, Botryllus schlosseri, Hunstanton, 10th October 2016

From our very own Phylum Chordata, the tunicates form the sub-phylum Urochordata, the ascidians being free-living or colonial representatives which in this species gather in groups, forming star shapes around a common gut within a common gelatinous outer casing or test. They tend to form thin crusts over rocks or see weds and, on being dislodged, are often to be found washed up on the shore.