Were we really in Scotland this time last week?
Our first chance to bird since getting home. We drove to Winterton Beach car park, where the parking fee is now £1.50 for an hour, 50p more. We enjoyed the first hour in sunshine, watching ever present Gannets of all ages, small groups of Auks, mainly Guillemots with a few Razorbills, Common Scoter, Kittiwake, Brent Geese, one Shag and Cormorants. The green birds are Norfolk year ticks !
Greatest excitement was sighting a very large, pale, winter plumaged diver fly by. Distant and only binoc. views as I hadn't got my scope set up yet. Was it? A birder we know well by sight knocked the window behind me. After I'd peeled myself off the car roof.........In answer to his ''what have you seen'' question, I told him about the diver. He'd had a similar experience earlier in the week. He'd seen Great Northern this morning but that was in summer plumage still. At least I learned that the White-billed Diver present in the area is in winter plumage. I bet that's what it was. We see enough Great Northerns on Mull in May to notice that the '' b great diver'' I called was different.
More Pinks have arrived in the area. We had two large skeins fly over the house this morning. I don't know what they'll find to feed on, virtually no sugar beet fields around. Plenty of celery and green feed for sheep.
Moth-ing in the present warm spell is continuing to be interesting. I thought we'd missed Vestals, coastal migrants from the continent,, but we trapped our own on Tuesday. I didn't manage to photo that one, this one turned up at Cley yesterday.
We are still getting unseasonably late moths e.g Brimstones but are also seeing Red Admirals most days. 310+ (everyone got tired of counting) Large Wainscots in two marsh traps at Cley yesterday was a record. We trapped 7 overnight ourselves, a garden record.
Giles and Judy brought in a much debated Carpet sp. Richard took it home and - much to everyone's delight - pronounced it to be an Autumn Green Carpet. Local and a new one for everyone. David N brought in another goodie Small Marbled.
Giles and Judy brought in a much debated Carpet sp. Richard took it home and - much to everyone's delight - pronounced it to be an Autumn Green Carpet. Local and a new one for everyone. David N brought in another goodie Small Marbled.
Also at Cley yesterday was this small and moribund Bee sp. We believe that it's a Nomada Stignata
We often find wildlife of interest, apart from Moths, in the traps. A superb Tiger Beetle in one trap at Natural Surroundings on Tuesday.
The insect in your post is infected with a fungus, Entomophthora muscae, which has caused that buff and black patterning. Because of this I don't think you'll be able to ID the original species.
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