Chinese Water Deer

Chinese Water Deer, Holme NWT, 14th March 2020

Hedgehog

Hedgehog, Ringstead Downs, 29th September 2017

Roe Deer buck

While walking my butterfly transect at Ringstead Downs on 27th July I glanced back and saw this Roe deer buck watching me.  When I started watching him he proceeded to walk up the bank and into the bushes.

Bats on patch

Whiskered Bat, Hunstanton, February 16th 2016

Natterer's Bat, Hunstanton, February 16th 2016

Daubenton's Bat, Snettisham (off patch, with condensation on fur), February 16th 2016

A sad end to the Sperm Whale's visit to Hunstanton

Sperm Whale, Hunstanton, 23rd January 2016

Sperm Whales at Hunstanton

Three or maybe four Sperm Whales were off Hunstanton late afternoon. One male became stranded on rocks below the cliffs and was still fighting to free itself as night fell and as the water ebbed........

Sperm Whale, Hunstanton, 22nd January 2016

A prickly visitor at Holme Dunes!

This hedgehog was wandering around the grass by the visitor centre at Holme Dunes on Thursday afternoon.

2 minutes in the life of a young Grey Seal

ZZZZZ.......

Huh ????

I can't see any Ivory Gulls....

Hey - no photos, please

Go on then - just as long as you don't make my belly look too big......

That's enough now......

ZZZZZZZ.......

Some recent patch mammals...

Chinese Water Deer

Hare

Some recent beasts on the patch

Dotted Footman, Holme NOA, 28th July 2014

Sallow Kitten, Holme NOA, 28th July 2014

Pebble Hook-tip, Holme NOA, 28th July 2014

Assasin Bug Empicoris vagabubdus, Holhurst Track, 28th July 2014

Small Phoenix, Hunstanton, 31st July 2014

Clouded Yellow, Ringstead Downs, 31st July 2014

Chalkhill Blue, Ringstead Downs, 31st July 2014

Basil Thyme, Ringstead Downs, 31st July 2014

Larkspur, fields to west of Ringstead Downs, 31st July 2014

Square-stalked St. John's Wort, Holme Marsh, 31st July 2014

Hedgehog, Holme Marsh, 31st July 2014

Rare mammal patch tick!

A long day on the patch but little seen after 3 o'clock due to some knobs on quads tearing up the beach and saltmarsh but between the thunderstorms in the morning we managed a decent haul.  An immature male Montagu's Harrier spent most of the morning on Twite Marsh, a Hedgehog crossing the track near the curry coloured house was a rare mammal tick, Shoveler and Pochard ducklings attracted unwanted attention for a Grey Heron,  I caught up with Common Tern on the patch, the first Painted Lady of the year flew across Redwell and moths in the NOA included The Fern & Obscure Wainscot.

Hedgehog - a first for the patch for me.

c-r Redshank.

Grey Heron after ducklings!

Shoveler & Pochard broods - more firsts for me!

immature male Montagu's Harrier.

One for the Plane spotters...

A productive breeding season for the Greylags of Holme...

Two Grey Partridges that refused to move as I left Holme at 2330!

Taking away dipping Norfolk's third Alpine Accentor on the patch it was a fine Springs day birding.  We had several Tree Pipits over during the course of the day along with a steady passage of Swallows, three Wheatears were present in the forestry, c50 Yellow Wagtails with the cattle, c30 Ruff on Rowans, several Whimbrel through & Greenshank on North Field.  Three year ticks came in the form of Common Sandpiper, Cuckoo and Reed Warbler.

Non-avian highlights included this obliging Muntjac, Green-veined White, the fly Mesembrina meridiana, and several calling Natterjacks

Mesembrina meridiana

A warm Sunday

The day started well with an Early Grey, Clouded Drab and Hebrew Character in the moth trap. Today was WeBS day so I made for the west end roosts shortly after dawn to catch the high tide. Almost as soon as I began to count a long line of Oystercatchers, I caught sight of a small bird bobbing about offshore, barely discernible in the weak, hazy light. Could it be a Red-breated Merganser - it didn't look right though - too small. And it was no Great Crested Grebe. Perhaps it was a Red-necked Grebe ? But really, it was too far out and too far to my west to make much of it at all. But it did kook interesting. Just then Phil appeared to the west and scampered eastwards to tell me he had been watching what he thought could be a Slavonian Grebe. He indicated an angle to seawards roughly to where I'd been watching 'my' bird and as there was nothing else on the sea, this had to be the same bird.  Excellent ! Once we re-located the bird, it  had travelled a considerable distance eastwards and come closer inshore, and we realised it was actually a stunning Black-necked Grebe in summer plumage. The golden ear tufts were just discernible as were the dark orange lower flanks. The bird's peaked-cap and steep-headed profile really gave it away though. I managed some dismal shots through my scope and made a couple of calls and over the next hour or so, several others were able to see either their first Black-necked Grebe for the patch or the first in many, many years.

The NOA moth trap held a stunning Oak Beauty as well as 2 March Moths, a Common Quaker, Clouded Drab and several Hebrew Characters. Robert and I went to try and get better views of the Early Longhorns in the forestry - hoping for some decent photographs. Robert's 50X came in handy and he managed to get shots which clinched the identification - new for the reserve, patch and area. By late afternoon, there were 12 dancing above the Sallows. We searched flowing Sallows for various invertebrates and found another first for the reserve - Tree Bumblebee, as swell as its highly conniving mimic, the hoverfly Criorhina berberina and the much less attractive small overfly Platycheirus albimanus. A rather confiding Water Vole by the Hun Bridge and a hunting Short-Eared Owl in the dunes finished the late afternoon off nicely.

The west end roosts, sea and saltings held:

Black-necked Grebe 1
Great Crested Grebe 1
Curlew 3
Turnstone 13
Oystercatcher 492
Dunline 16
Grey Plover 111
Teal 4
Redshank 58
Sanderling 36
Cormorant 7
Bar-ailed Godwit 97
Ringed Plover 6
Common Gull 48
Herring Gull 420
Great Black-backed Gull 6
Knot 30
Brent Goose 19
Black-headed Gull 49
Avocet 12
Little Egret 1
Greenshank 2
Snipe 9
Jack Snipe 1
Shoveler 1
Shelduck 7

About 400 Common Scoter flew east as well as a party of 15 Eider, including about 6 smart adult drakes. Single Wheaters were in the forestry and on the beach, 5 were on the golf course and 4 on the east bank.

Black-necked Grebe, Holme NWT, 30th March 2014

Oak Beauty, Holme NOA, 30th March 2014

Platycheirus albimanus, Holme NWT, 30th March 2014

Early Grey, Hunstanton, 30th March 2014