Chrysolina violacea

A smart looking NB Chrysolina Leaf Beetle from Ringstead Downs last weekend

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

Saturday 26th April

The highlight of the day was undoubtedly the first Houndstongue in flower, though one person did claim, with some photographic evidence, to have seen an Alpine Accentor, the first for the patch and only the third for Norfolk. We didn't mind missing that of course, and thoroughly enjoyed a Common Sandpiper on the beach, a Reed Warbler in the reeds, a Swift overhead and a steady passage of Yellow Wagtails and small numbers of Tree Pipits instead. I found Tamarsik, Adderstongue, Cleavers and Hairy Tare in flower for the first time this year and found more Feathered Bright moths, this time in Home Marsh. St. Mark's Flies were plentiful in sheltered places. A fine Green Longhorn Moth was along the Peddars Way.

Houndstongue, Holme NOA, 26th April 2014

Feathered Bright, Holme Marsh, 26th April 2014

Cleavers, Peddars Way, 26th April 2014

Green Longhorn, 26th April 2014

A busy day at Holme and Ringstead

While volunteering at Holme Dunes on Thursday this week I had the opportunity to look at what plants were around.  I started off the day by walking with Gary from Thornham harbour at the beginning of his Lapwing survey. It will be interesting to see what grows on the new bank this year. Along Holmhurst path there were quite a lot of plants of Wild Onion (not flowering yet). In the wet meadow to the west there were large patches of Greater Pond Sedge.
I then went to check the ponies near the village and some Elder was in flower.
As it was a sunny day I proceeded to Ringstead Downs to carry out the butterfly transect - no new butterflies but lots of Green-veined Whites, Peacocks, Orange Tips and one Small Tortoiseshell. It was good to see a good spread of Wild Strawberry in flower and my first flowers of Rock-rose, Salad Burnet and Mignonette. New flowers for the patch were Thyme-leaved Sandwort and Glaucous Sedge. The Barberry opposite the Downs Farm cottages was also in flower (I didn't have my camera with me). The temperature at the Downs was peaking at 24 degrees, some 6 degrees higher than at Holme Dunes.
Upon returning to Holme I walked the butterfly transect there. It was cooler and breezier and so I only recorded 3 butterflies on the transect - 2 Peacocks and my first Small Copper. Someone reported seeing 2 Green Hairstreaks but unfortunately I did not come across them.
During the transect and afterwards I was able to have a good look at the plants in flower. It is really amazing how many plants are flowering in the grey dunes, but because they are so small you don't notice them unless you get down to their level. There were very good numbers of Rue-leaved Saxifrage, Spring Vetch, Early-flowering Forget-me-not, Common Cornsalad and Heat Dog Violet. Sand Sedge was beginning to flower in abundance. Elsewhere on the reserve there was Small-flowered Cranesbill, Thyme-leaved Sandwort, Bugloss and Glaucous Sedge, to mention just a few. At the Saltings car park there was a large patch of Greater Stitchwort. The Columbine plant was flowering by the coastal footpath and the Adder's-tongues were beginning to stick out their tongues.
Altogether a great day to be out and about in North West Norfolk. (Just one unidentified sedge to be looked at again soon). There were quite a few birds around too!

Small Copper at Holme Dunes

A patch of Rue-leaved Saxifrage

Heath Dog Violet

Adder's-tongue

Friday 25th April

During a rather foggy night, my garden month catch was rather modest:

Early Grey 3

Hebrew Character 2

Shuttle-shaped Dart 1

Narrow-winged Grey 1

Common Plume 1

Mullein and Streamer

Two moths caught overnight Monday/Tuesday, before I had to head off for the reed beds at Leighton Moss, Lancashire for a couple of days - a fine Mullein and a Streamer, both the first Ive caught in my garden.

Mullein, Hunstanton, 22nd April 2014

Streamer, Hunstanton, 22nd April 2014

Pics from today!

A mid afternoon walk along Bakers Carr, followed by a walk to Gore Point! Snapping as I went! Still plenty of Wheatear, Common Tern off Gore Point, and 1st summer Kittiwake on the beach. Barn owl at 7.30pm

Skylark

Wheatear

Wheatear

Nettle-tip Anthophila fabricana

Orange Tip

Fly sp. one for Andy or Robert!

Mesembrina meridiana

Green-veined White mating

A great Spring Day

Late April is often rewarding and today was certainly a great day to be out!

The day started with Viz mig at the Cliffs. Gary H was already there when I arrived and we had a reasonable selection of migrants overhead, c60 Yellow Wags, a light passage of Swallow, a few House Martin and 1-2 Sand Martin Linnet, Goldfinch, Mipits, 1-2 Redpoll also noticeable was a good corvid movement, plus 6+ Med Gulls, I added 4 more a little later as well. There were also 5 Wheatear in the car park.

We finished at 7.50 and I was back there with my group for the day at 8.20, there were now 7 Wheatear, plus 4 more Yellow Wags & 4 more Mediterranean Gulls over.

Down at Holme there was at least 13 Wheatear between the entrance gate and the Obs. A Ring Ouzel was heard calling from the forestry area, but wasn't showing. However, 2 Cuckoo, 5+ Lesser Whitethroat, 4 Sedge Warbler and 4+ Common Whitethroat were all very showy. We had several Sandwich Tern offshore and a sprinkling of Swallow, Meadow Pipit and Yellow Wagtails continued overhead. Plus a further 4 adult Mediteranean Gulls passed through.
After a call from Gary at the Obs we dashed up there and were very fortunate to watch a Cuckoo being weighed, measured and ringed. Also Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat and Common Whitethroat watched being ringed.

We took lunch, watching 4 "Northern" Golden Plover, these fully black bellied forms were in their full summer finery, beautiful birds!

After lunch we were treated to stunning views of a reeling Grasshopper Warbler as it sat atop the brambles reeling, we had a full stereo effect with a second Grasshopper Warbler responding nearby.

We finished the day off with excellent views of 3 Cuckoo chasing each other and close up views of flying and perched Marsh Harrier.

Insects were evidence in the warm afternoon sun - Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell, Orange Tip, Small White, Holly Blue and Speckled Wood. Plus along Bakers Carr the first Hairy Dragonfly, rather early for this I thought.

Cuckoo ringed by Gary Elton

Yellow Wagtastic

I ventured out around 3pm, there was a warmer feel to the weather with a light SSE breeze, there were 1-2 light showers and it felt good for a migrant or two.

I walked out from the beach road car park and walked along the shoreline, this produced 4 Little Tern and around 10 Sandwich Tern, both my first of the year.  A few hirundines flew past me and there was a light passage of c40 Swallow,  4 House Martin and 1 Sand Martin over the next 2 hours. Next up 4 Whimbrel flew overhead, calling as they passed overhead and noted at least 4 more. There was still c80 Brents on Lavendar marsh, plus c14 Eider and Great Crested Grebe on the sea.

I took up the faithful post at Gore Point around 4PM, I could hear at least 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Whitethroat and Sedge warbler and shortly after a Cuckoo, which I soon located just off the boardwalk perched atop a bramble. A few Yellow Wags in 1-2's passed overhead, then I was sure I could hear Little Ringed Plover  and sure enough it called several times more as it passed overhead and kept flying south! The best was to come though, as I heard several Yellow Wagtails calling, I picked up a bunch of around c20, over the dunes and saltings, but they just kept appearing as they flew south along the dunes and saltings, an incredible flock of c150 Yellow Wags, the biggest flock I have seen in the Uk for many years!

As I started the walk back there were 5 Wheatear in the short turf before the forestry and at least two more singing Sedge Warbler near the gate.

April 21st. Easter Monday.

Migrants continued to appear, with more Whitethroats and Willow Warblers in evidence, a Wheatear and a Cuckoo in the forestry, at least 4 Tree Pipits and 6 Yellow Wagtails heading east overhead and 2 Marsh Harriers east out at sea. A near-miss came in the form of a Hoopoe which spent the day on lawns within 100m of the patch boundary.........

The only plants new in flower today were a Columbine by the coast path and a small stand of Thale Cress at the stat of the Holmhurst Track. Patch highlights today were undoubtedly the moths, with Yellow Barred Brindle, Shuttle-shaped Dart and Sulphur Tubic the best in my own trap and Chocolate Tip, Pebble Prominent, Chinese Character, Cinnabar, Water Carpet, Small Waved Umber, Grey Pine Carpet, Nutmeg, Powdered Quaker and Flame Shoulder amongst others in the NOA traps. A Hawthorn Shieldbug was on Alexanders down the Holmhurst track late afternoon - the fourth Shieldbug for the weekend and the sixth for the patch this year. A Bee-fly down the same track struck a very strange pose - presumably in an attempt to catch as many rays of  the dying sun as possible.

Yellow-barred Brindle, Hunstanton, 21st April 2014

Sulphur Tubic,  Hunstanton, 21st April 2014

Common Carder Bumblebee, Holme NWT, 21st April 2014

Small Waved Umber, Holme NOA, 21st April 2014

Water Carpet, Holme NOA, 21st April 2014

Hawthorn Shieldbug, Holmhurst Track, 21st April 2014

Dark-edged Bee-fly, Holmhurst Track, 21st April 2014

 Dark-edged Bee-fly, Holmhurst Track, 21st April 2014

Hoopoe, Thornham, 21st April 2014 (out of patch)