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Yellow-legged Gull |
Birds of the Bure and Beyond
Friday, 2 August 2019
Horstead Mega (kind of)!!!
On Saturday, I planned on a quick walk around 'The Heath'. Upon reaching the pig field, which has been holding increasing amounts of Gulls each day, I had a quick scan. This revealed 5+ Lesser Black-backed Gull, 1 Great Black-backed Gull, 20+ Black-headed Gull, 1+ Herring Gull and best of all, a first confirmed record for Horstead and my first on the patch as well, a Yellow-legged Gull!
You've heard of a goatsucker, but this gull looks to be a sowsucker. Anyway, bad jokes aside, a male Bullfinch called and showed briefly behind me before I headed back as it started to rain.
Wednesday, 17 July 2019
A Few Local Butterflies
On Sunday, I was inside catching up with homework, updating the blog etc. and I needed a break, so I agreed to a short family walk around 'The Heath', hopefully, to see a few butterflies. Just before our departure, I spotted a Comma which fluttered through the garden without stopping (a garden butterfly tick). Along Green Lane and Mill Road, Large Whites were everywhere, a few Meadow Brown fluttered around and a Comma wouldn't sit still.
As we walked past the pig fields and further along the track to the set-aside field, we saw a flock of around 20 Black-headed Gull (much more than the 2 two weeks ago), 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Comma (showing very well), Red Admiral (not seen by me) and even more Large White.
Upon reaching the set-aside field (a small section of a field left to be wild), we saw more Meadow Brown, Large White and Ringlet, my first patch Gatekeeper of the year, Essex Skipper (which was my target species for the day), Cinnabar moth caterpillar, two Red Soldier Beetle, Musk and Creeping Thistle (according to my mum who learnt about thistle on Saturday) and a dragonfly sp. we flushed that zoomed away and out of sight.
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Large White |
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Comma |
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Ringlet |
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Essex Skipper |
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Cinnabar moth caterpillar |
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Red Soldier Beetle |
Sunday, 7 July 2019
A Few Bits and Bobs From The Sailing Boat On Thursday
Sailing at Horning on Thursday evening provided some decent bird and dragonfly interest. Firstly, a Marsh Harrier flew in fields alongside the road between Coltishall and Hoveton which is a patch lifer (although I've had a probable over the house and I regularly see them just outside of the patch at Horning)! Next, on the way up to Hoveton Little Broad, a Grey Heron investigated someone's patio, a Reed Warbler sung from the reeds and a few Dragonflies zoomed around the entrance to the broad with at least one of them being a Broad-bodied Chaser. On the broad, a pair of Common Terns chased off another pair investigating the broad which is the most I have seen on the broad before (I often see 3 individuals though). Also, 2 Marsh Harrier flew over and the undoubted highlight was a flock of around 20 Godwit sp. which flew over (probably Black-tailed), which is the closest I have seen them to home. All in all, not a bad night, and there was some good wind for sailing too.
Saturday, 6 July 2019
Even More Butterflies and Dragonflies!
I took a shortish break from my revision on Sunday to take a quick walk around my butterfly walk but not quite as far as on Friday. The first butterfly was a Red Admiral on Green Lane and this was swiftly followed by a wonderful Comma which is a patch first for me (after starting my butterfly list on Friday) on Mill Road. After that, I glimpsed a Meadow Brown on the margins of the pig field just before Heggatt Hall and then just past Heggatt Hall, I had a Green-veined White (thanks to James on BirdForum for the ID) as well. The footpath to 'my' patch of brambles had a pair of Cinnabar Moth, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell and a Silver Y (thanks to Lewis on BirdForum for the ID). Upon reaching 'my' brambles, I saw a second Comma, a Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Small Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady and Red Admiral. Overall on my small walk, I saw 7 species of butterfly with 6 of them on 'my' brambles. Not bad!
The only dragonflies were 2 Black-tailed Skimmers. I spent at least 10 minutes trying to spot one of the Black-tailed Skimmers settled to confirm the ID but it was easily worth it to see it perched on a twig in the sun.
Avian highlights were a Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Black-headed Gull and double figures of Stock Dove on the pig field as well as a Stock Dove singing near Heggatt Hall (again) and 2 Grey Herons flying high over the river valley. Also, the Rook and Jackdaws presumably nesting in the trees just past Heggatt Hall were creating a racket as per usual.
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Red Admiral |
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Comma |
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Green-veined White
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Painted Lady |
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Ringlet |
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Small Tortoiseshell |
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Cinnabar Moth |
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Silver Y |
The only dragonflies were 2 Black-tailed Skimmers. I spent at least 10 minutes trying to spot one of the Black-tailed Skimmers settled to confirm the ID but it was easily worth it to see it perched on a twig in the sun.
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Black-tailed Skimmer |
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Black-tailed Skimmer |
Avian highlights were a Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Black-headed Gull and double figures of Stock Dove on the pig field as well as a Stock Dove singing near Heggatt Hall (again) and 2 Grey Herons flying high over the river valley. Also, the Rook and Jackdaws presumably nesting in the trees just past Heggatt Hall were creating a racket as per usual.
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Stock Dove (and Jackdaw) |
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Lesser Black-backed Gull |
Sunday, 30 June 2019
Local Butterflies Galore and More!
A quick walk to High and Low Bridge (a bridge that goes over a silted up canal which is between Heggatt and Crostwick) on Friday provided little avian interest but plenty of butterflies and a few dragonflies too. By the time I reached Heggatt Hall, I had seen Painted Lady and Red Admiral. At Heggatt Hall, the Rooks in the treetops were deafening so I soon continued my walk briskly. The hedgerows and brambles beside the footpath towards High and Low Bridge were full of butterflies and I counted 6 species - Red Admiral, Painted Lady, Small Tortoiseshell, Meadow Brown, white butterfly sp. and Ringlet.
I also saw some wonderful dragonflies too - Norfolk Hawker (ID'ed thanks to JWN Andrewes on BForum) and Black-tailed Skimmer.
A Dock Bug (I think) was beside the path.
Avian highlights were young Chaffinch and Great Tit, a singing Stock Dove and a Blackbird desperately trying to cool down. There is now a very large mixed flock (probably 1000+) of corvids passing over my house every evening which ensures I can't get to sleep too early. I only captured a small amount of the flock in the video below.
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Painted Lady |
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Small Tortoiseshell |
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Norfolk Hawker |
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Black-tailed Skimmer |
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Dock Bug |
This Is Why I Have A Patch (and a garden lifer)!
Saturday
Last weekend, a walk around the Mill, down the river to Mayton Bridge and then back along the roadside turned up some of my best patch birds ever!Firstly, Horstead Mill sadly turned up no birds of note although I'm sure if I had the time to sit down, I would have seen something of note (lots of exam revision to do later in the day meant time was limited). Ambling down the riverside provided much more of interest with a pair of Egyptian Geese with 2 young, one red damselfly species (probably Large Red) and loads of Banded Demoiselle, a Scorpion Fly, two mean looking Pellucid Hoverflies, a Harlequin Ladybird larva, 3 species of butterfly, a Moorhen 10+ Reed Warbler (!) and a Sedge Warbler.
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Egyptian Geese + Goslings |
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Scorpion Fly |
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Banded Demoiselle |
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Pellucid Hoverfly |
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Meadow Brown |
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Painted Lady |
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Red Admiral |
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Reed Warbler |
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Harlequin Ladybird larva |
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Baby Garden Warbler |
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Moth sp. (Brown Silver-line?) |
Whilst sitting out in the garden in the evening, I saw a family of Grey Wagtail inc. 1 juvenile, a Small Purple & Gold (a moth), a Painted Lady and a few common garden birds (mostly pointed out by our 'expert' visitor).
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