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

Thursday 30 March 2017

Cranes at Holme

Cranes, Holme NNR, 22nd March 2017 - Gary Elton



Cranes pass through most springs - presumably birds wandering from the east of the county, but rarely do they travel in such numbers or so low and even more rarely does one of us manage to get a photograph - well done Gary !

Thursday 23 March 2017

Cliffs: visible migration Wednesday 22nd March 2017

    Counting period: 06:10 - 08:10
    Weather: wind SSE4, temperature 4 ℃
    Observers: Gary Elton, Andy Brown and Frank Branch

    SNSNSN
    Red Kite  1  -  Carrion Crow  1  -  Chaffinch  2  -  
    Woodpigeon  289  -  Wood Lark  1  -  Greenfinch  9  -  
    Collared Dove  8  -  Starling  95  -  Linnet  43  -  
    Magpie  7  -  Tree Sparrow  7  -  Goldfinch  33  -  
    Jackdaw  9  -  alba wagtail sp.  47  -  Siskin  24  -  
    Rook  23  -  Meadow Pipit  80  -  Reed Bunting  5  -  

    Totals: 684 individuals, 18 species, 2:00 hours

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

    Red Kite, Hunstanton Cliffs, 22nd March 2017 - Gary Elton


    Tree Sparrow, Hunstanton Cliffs, 22nd March 2017 - Gary Elton


    Thursday 16 March 2017

    Cliffs: visible migration 16th March 2017

    Counting period: 06:05 - 08:35
    Weather: wind WSW4, cloud-cover 3/8, temperature 6 ℃
    Observers: Andy Brown & Frank Branch

    SNSNSN
    Woodpigeon  745  -  Fieldfare  228  -  Linnet  145  -  
    Collared Dove  1  -  Redwing  1242  -  redpoll sp.  7  -  
    Magpie  4  -  Tree Sparrow  53  -  Goldfinch  104  -  
    Jackdaw  9  -  alba wagtail sp.  95  -  Siskin  534  -  
    Rook  19  -  Meadow Pipit  79  -  Yellowhammer  1  -  
    Carrion Crow  12  -  Rock Pipit  1  -  Reed Bunting  2  -  
    Blue Tit  3  -  Chaffinch  44  -    
    Starling  224  -  Greenfinch  8  -    

    Totals: 3560 individuals, 22 species, 2:30 hours

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

    Wednesday 15 March 2017

    Cliffs: visible migration Wednesday 15th March


      Counting period: 06:10 - 08:10
      Weather: wind WSW2, cloud-cover 6/8, temperature 8 ℃
      Observers: Gary Elton & Andy Brown

      SNSNSN
      Woodpigeon  687  -  Redwing  363  -  Bullfinch  1  -  
      Collared Dove  3  -  Tree Sparrow  23  -  Greenfinch  1  -  
      Jackdaw  10  -  Grey Wagtail  3  -  Linnet  127  -  
      Rook  3  -  alba wagtail sp.  78  -  redpoll sp.  1  -  
      Carrion Crow  1  -  Meadow Pipit  68  -  Goldfinch  20  -  
      Starling  72  -  Rock Pipit  1  -  Siskin  233  -  
      Blackbird  2  -  Chaffinch  40  -  Reed Bunting  2  -  

      Totals: 1739 individuals, 21 species, 2:00 hours

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

      Sunday 12 March 2017

      Four Flies

      Lispe tantaculata, Holme NWT, 12th March 2017


      Hydrophorus oceanus (Dolichopodidae) Holme NWT, 12th March 2016


      Unidentified Scathophagid, Holme NWT, 12th March 2017


      A Heleomyzid, tentatively identified as  Tephrochlamys tarsalis, Holme NWT VC, 12.03.2017


      Spring arrives - and the Environment Agency are out cutting and smashing our native plants into submission on Thornham Bank yet again.

      No way to treat a nationally scarce plant: Suaeda vera - part of the special interest of this internationally  important site - smashed to pieces on Thornham bank yet again by the Environment Agency, 12th March 2017.




      Saturday 11 March 2017

      Saturday 11th March: Kite, Coltsfoot, Bittern and Holly Speckle

      Red Kite, Holme NWT, 11th March 2017


      Coltsfoot, Holme NWT, 11th March 2017


      Bittern, Holme NWT, 11th March 2017


      Holly Speckle, Trochila ilicina, Holme NWT, 11th March 2017

      Tuesday 7 March 2017

      Mallow rust

      Rust fungus Puccinia malvacearum on Common Mallow on Redgate Hill.  The rust is also found on Hollyhock.

      Monday 6 March 2017

      Sweet Violets

      Sweet Violet, Viola odorata, Ringstead Downs, 6th March 2016




      Off Patch - some beetles from Dersingham Bog

      Hyperaspis pseudopustulatus, Dersingham Bog, 6th Martch 2017


      Strophosoma melanogrammum, Dersingham Bog, 6th March 2017


      Stenolophus teutonus, Dersingham Bog, 6th March 2017


      Heather Ladybird, Chilocorus bipustulatus, Dersingham Bog, 6th March 2017


      Some recent beetles from Ringstead Downs

      Ocypus aeneocephalus, Ringstead Downs, 6th March 2017


      Graptus triguttatus, Ringstead Downs, 6th March 2017


      Longitarsus dorsalis, Ringstead Downs, 6th March 2017


      Rhinocyllus conicus, Ringstead Downs, 6th March 2017





      A queen Hornet in the Downs

      Hornet queeen, Ringstead Downs, 6th March 2017




      Daddy long-legs spider

      An inhabitant of our conservatory - Pholcus phalangioides Daddy long-legs spider.


      Sparrowhawk feast

      This afternoon a female sparrowhawk was feasting on a collared dove kill for over an hour. I didn't see it fly off but only feathers were left behind.  Just a few days ago a male sparrowhawk stunned itself flying into our conservatory window.  After a few short aborted flights it then flew off apparently none the worse for its collision.




      (Photos taken through window glass)
      [I was hoping to attach a short video but I think it's the wrong file type.]


      Saturday 4 March 2017

      Crepidula at Holme

      A small number of these Crepdula limpets were found inside a tideline traffic cone at Holme in February. They don't look like either of the "British" species - Slipper Limpet Crepidula fornicata or Chinaman's Hat Calyptraea chinensis, though most votes are for very flattened fornicata, which in more usual domed form is abundant here now.



      Black Oil Beetle

      Black Oil Beetle, Meloe proscarabaeus, Ringstead Downs, 4th March 2017


      A scarce Moth and a widespread Rust

      Salad Burnet Rust Phragmidium sanguisorbae, Ringstead Downs, 4th March 2017


      Mompha miscella, Ringstead Downs, 4th March 2017 (in Rock Rose leaf)


      Mompha miscella, Ringstead Downs, 4th March 2017 (in Rock Rose leaf)


      A Green Turtle at Holme

      Green Turtle, Holme, 27th February 2017




      Some beasts from Redwell Marsh, 27th February 2017

      Glischrochilus hortensis, Redwell, 27th February 2017


      Water Measurer, Hydrometra stagnorum, Redwell, 27th February 2017


      Coccidula rufa, Redwell, 27th February 2017


      Paedarus riparius, Redwell, 27th February 2017


      Winter Aconite, Ringstead Downs, 20th February 2017

      Winter Aconite, Ringstead Downs, 20th February 2017