Pretty Polly !

The Hunstanton and Holme shore today was littered with razor shells, dead crabs and vast amounts of hornwrack following the strong onshore winds of the weekend. Unsuprisingly, it was frequented by a large number of gulls, including an adult Mediterranean Gull wearing a lime green darvic. Amongst the flotsam and jetsam were hundreds of conical sand tubes, made by the Polychaete Pectinaria koreni. 

Tubes of Pectinaria koreni, Holme NWT, 2nd February 2015

Tubes of Pectinaria koreni, Holme NWT, 2nd February 2015

This photograph shows a live Pectinaria koreni, taken on the shore at Hunstanton on 6th April 2012

Belated Great Northern Diver

from last weekend...

Spotted Redshank at Thornham

Spotted Redshank, Thornham, 25th January 2015

A Waxwing in Hunstanton

This pretty beast attracted a steady stream of admirers today..........

Waxwing, Hunstanton, 22nd January 2015

An unhealthy holly!

I have a holly bush tucked away in a corner of my garden. The holly doesn't get much light or nutrients and as a result it seems to be prone to pests as I discovered when I reached it on my pruning rounds today.  A few of the leaves had "mines" being made by the leaf miner fly Phytomyza ilicis.  However, many more leaves were infested with scale insects.  These live on the under-surface of the leaf.  They secret honeydew which promotes the growth of a black sooty mould.

Holly Leaf Miner Phytomyza ilicis

Scale insects on Holly with black sooty mould (Both species not named!)

Alexanders and its rust

I am always amazed at how well the Alexanders Smynium olusatrum stands up to the cold weather. It provides an abundance of fresh green leaves throughout the winter. There were even a few plants in flower on New Year's Day. Today I noticed that a number of plants had the rust Puccinia smyrnii growing on them.

January 17th

A day spent looking for leaf mines and new birds for the year, with highlights including Treecreeper, Nuthatch & Marsh Tit in the Downs, a Green Sandpiper at Holme Marsh and a new beetle for the patch in the guise of Anchomenas dorsalis.

Mine of Golden Pygmy Moth, Stigmella aureola, Holme village, 17th January 2015

Mine of the Dipteran Phtomyza ilicis, Holme Churchyard, 17th January 2015

Mines of the Chrysomellid beetle Apteropeda orbicula on Cowslip, Ringstead Downs, 17th January 2015

Black Snail Beetle, Silpha atrata, Ringstead Downs, 17th January 2015

Anchomenas dorsalis, Ringstead Downs, 17th January 2015

Orange footed Pink-foot?!?

Firethorn Leaf-miner

Following Robert's suggestion today we looked for - and immediately found, Firethorn Leaf-miner  Phyllonorycter leucographella on some Pyracantha shrubs growing on Holme Marsh. The moth's caterpillar is rather oddly-shaped, with a black, flattened and pointed head.

Firethorn Leaf-miner Phyllonorycter leucographella, Holme Marsh, 12th January 2014

2670 species found on the patch in 2014

Species Group	Total number of species recorded on patch in 2014		Species Group	Total number of species recorded on patch in 2014
Mammals	28		Cnidarians	8
Birds	227		Bryozoans	4
Reptiles	2		Silverfish	1
Amphibians	4		Fleas	1
Fish	19		Scorpionflies	1
Butterflies & Moths	562		Stoneflies	2
Beetles	583		Caddisflies	1
Hempiterans	169		Lacewings	1
Hymenopterans	49		Collembolans	1
Dipterans	113		Crustaceans	16
Orthopterans	12		Annelids	3
Dragonflies	15		Vascular Plants	567
Molluscs	62		Bryophytes	33
Arachnids	36		Algae	17
Ctenophorans	1		Fungi	129
Echinoderms	3		GRAND TOTAL	2670