Long Ago

 Monday September 28

 

It was my daughter, Sara's, 54th birthday to-day. Time flies. I remember her pre birth day well. I spent the night listening to The Dirty Dozen being filmed at Elstree Studios - or was it MGM.  We were near enough to hear the incoming planes, the gunfire and the explosions. Borehamwood was the centre of the British film industry.

She celebrated the weekend by spending a few days in Noosa, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane. Then, a whale watching trip to round off her actual birthday. Sounds good to me.

I assume that husband, Mike, took this photograph during their hire boat trip on the river. 

 

After the Storm

 Sunday, September 27

Still windy, but venturing out looked like a reasonable option.I was longing to seawatch over the weekend, one of my most loved birding experiences. Age and the memory of a sand blasting of optics and car at Walcott kept us at home. A wise decision. I hope that David B didn't damage his optics on Saturday. Walcott is always our first port of call for sea watching although, almost invariably, they are too far out for comfortable viewing. After THE hurricane, we did see a Sabine's Gull on the beach  and a Pomarine Skua flew over our heads. The Manx Shearwaters were close in too.

This is what Walcott looked like to-day.

 I wouldn't want to be the owner of this car.

 

East of Happisburgh, a flooded field was full of birds. Mainly Black-headed Gulls and Pheasants, at least 50 of the latter sheltering in a corner. A few Herring, Common and Mediterranean Gulls too.

 

The pale scar of a large branch blown off an Oak tree at the very back of the field, drew our attention. One of the seven Buzzards sat in the field was perched in the centre, Pheasants clustered around.

An hour parked at Winterton Beach car park was not overly productive, we'd missed the best. Two Scoter and a Cormorant, and a few juvenile gulls braved the big seas. The best was our first returning  Brent Geese of the Autumn. First a single, silhouetted agains towering waves.

 

Then two groups of about thirty birds hugging the shoreline. 

 

 I could spend hours watching the sea, whatever the weather.

Big Storm

 Saturday, September 26

We've been without power for much of the last three days. Gale force wind and driving rain has caused havoc in the garden too. Pears are littered around the tree and our very heavy patio table, umbrella and granite base were tipped over onto their side, barely missing the sun lounge window. Rai has had a tree down in the back garden, taking a cable down with it.

Peter next door brought us some candles on Thursday night. We were OK with torches - neither of us could remember where our Christmas candles have been stashed, nor the camping gas two burner portable. We were well prepared in the seventies when we moved in. Power cuts were regular. We had a coal stove, twin burner giant gas rings, a Gaz lantern and a gas heater.  We even had a long handled toasting fork so that toast could be made over the fire. Now? Oil fired central heating, everything electric. It did get very cold on Thursday night, we retired to bed at an earlier hour than I have  for years.

To-day, the power went off before 9 a.m and did not return until after 1 p.m. I switched on the TV in time to see Rashford's brilliant solo goal against Brighton, away. We won, undeservedly, by 3-2, saved by woodwork and a stupid handball by Maupay as the whistle blew for full time. Penalty. Rodroguez does not miss. Given time, 90+10 !!

Taking note of the weather forecast, although we'd visited Snettisham on Monday, we went again on Thursday as it was the last good day before the storm. Not a high tide, the birds were distant and did not fly in to the pits.We were there over an hour before its zenith, so had a chance to see the swirling flocks of Knot being moved along the shore by the incoming tide.

 

 

Pam also managed to see one of the Little Stints feeding on the near mud. She no longer has a telescope so her viewing is limited.

Socially distanced - segregated anyway - Redshank

 Our last visit to Holme was pre lockdown. The road has not improved. Neither did we see any birds of note.

Brancaster Staithe was full of cars, we stayed long enough to take a photo of a Curlew which appeared around the front of a boat until, startled at seeing us, it flew off. 

 

Maize in the roadside field overlooking Holkham Marsh is now too tall for us to see anything. Approaching the area, skein after skein of Pinkfooted Geese flew inland to feed, their call is a winter delight. The first flock flew over our home last Saturday. 

 

 

Last Day of High Tides

 Monday, September 21

We didn't actually check until part of the way there. It's been a weekend of 7 metres + high tides at Snettisham, the place must have been packed. We'd chosen the last day of really high tide and were there about half an hour after its zenith. I couldn't resist taking photos of the noisy Greylag Geese splashing onto the first pit  as we enetred the chalet park.

 

As we crested the track before the last pit, for probably the first time in my experience, the Wash looked like a millpond. Small groups of Shelduck and Mallard, floating amongst their own shadows, looked ghostly against the milky sea. Ten cars were already squeezed into the small parking area near the causeway, we managed to find a space on the flat shingle near the gate.

Waders were already leaving the pits, returning to the western banks where they gathered in masses.

 

A Marsh Harrier caused chaos floating across mid level but the roosting birds' flight was short-lived. 

 

We left the car for the Rotary Hide, from which we had an unencumbered view of the receding tide and the gradual appearance of the waders. Apart from the general exodus of all the birders who had been tiered along the far shore that is, where the waders fly in and out overhead

 Despite the warm sunshine, I got very cold in the hide. Part of it being an unencumbered view is that there is no glazing in the windows either side, That results in a cold through draught. A bit like the shelter on Sheringham's top level. We spent a most enjoyable hour just sitting and looking before retiring to the warmth of the car for lunch.

Not as many cars, caravans and motorhomes about to-day, we saw very few. The Grey Brigade were out in force though. With the same thought as us, schools back, work back, lovely day with bad weather forecast for later in the week, let's go birding. With that and high tide meaning sailing out in force at Brancaster etc, we decided to drive inland and home to open the moth traps.

In addition to The Delicate mentioned in my last posting, we also had another migrant on the same night. Pam discovered it when she was emptying the egg boxes. Unable to identify it after scouring the Norfolk Moths website, both Waring and Manley books she brought it over to me. I used my phoneapp, more in hope than expectation. I was in the middle of doing something so I pointed my phone camera at it and it came up with Helicoverpa armigera Old World Bollworm. What? The only bollworm I could find was a micro found in the US which decimates cottonfields. So I sent a photo to Richard E who is both expert and very hepful. Back came the answer. Scarce Bordered Straw. An immigrant species to Britain, mainly around the southern coasts, and occurring most often in the autumn months.

 

We have seen two before, at moth meetings but it's a first for our garden (NFG).

An old farming cottage at the junction of Valley Farm Lane has been sold and updated, making it into a very desirable residence. What I really covet is their magnificent weather vane, only viewable from the busy road. Pam found a lull in the traffic so that I could photograph it.

 

 I want one!

Photo Record

 Sunday, September 20

Three beautiful late summer days. The wind was a little gusty for moths but made gardening pleasanter than the full heat of the sun would have allowed.

The Conference pears are ready to pick a couple of weeks earlier than usual. We used to do so before leaving for Scilly in early October.We have a good crop this year.

 

Gentians,

 

 

and alpine Autumn crocus are making a late show in the sinks and in the alpine bed.

 

I've done some more clearing in the alpine bed, ready to place the remaining bulbs and plants. I can't reach to weed the centre. Andrea will do that on Wednesday. Andrea is an RHS trained gardener who has recently moved in three doors away. She hopes to gradually finish her Norwich round and replace them with local customers. We have used her primarily to empty and re plant the centre bed (hiding 4 manhole covers). It's bliss to have someone who knows the names of all the plants - and what she's doing, without direction. The two hours she has worked so far were very productive. Adrian is only doing one session a week at the moment, mainly lawn mowing and hedge trimming, as he has building work elsewhere.

Moth-ing has really trailed off with the cooler weather and wind. Numbers are still good but variety is down to the mid to upper teens.

The Delicate is the best moth we have found this week.

 

 

Success

 Thursday, September 17

A planned power cut for our area, scheduled to begin at 8.30 - it did -  encouraged us to spend the day birding. It was tempting to do our north coast run, when birds can be guaranteed. Instead, we drove to Great Cressingham, another Autumn gathering place of our target bird. We've only been to the area once before so it's not at all familiar. The first onion field that we found was red onions in varying stages of harvesting, in a field that seemed to stretch as far as the horizon. My eyes were watering from scope use, not the onions, by the time we'd made several scoping stops, through hedgerows again. Immense fields, no gateways? Rooks, Carrion Crows and Red-legged Partridges. We drove on.

A few pigfields later, we arrived back at the A1065 and the pigfield we'd scanned two years ago.

Another massive Saddleback boar moseying about, the sows were mainly asleep, sprawled on the ground.

 

Turning around to retrace our drive, the field opposite was .......an onion field, white this time. Again, in varying stages of harvest. The part nearest the A1065 - and our only see through place - looked like grey, powdery, undulating, low dunes. Another lengthy scan from varying car positions. Long rows of heaped onions ready for machine pick-up, concealing the open areas between the rows. A scattering of Lapwings and Wood Pigeons. 

We drove on. A hundred metres down the road, a flock of birds hurtled across the road at treetop height. Stone Curlew. Brilliant. It took far too long to find somewhere to turn and to drive back to the onion field viewing gap.

At first, nothing bar Lapwing. Gradually we both noticed  small groups and individual birds scattered on the bare area. Heat haze and distance, plus close vegetation, made viewing frustrating  but I had excellent views through my scope. Enthralled by the sight of more Stone Curlews together than I have ever seen before, I forgot to take a photograph. As I lifted my camera, a calling Buzzard appeared overhead. The squatting birds stood up and, together with the Lapwings, shot into the air. The one photograph I managed included three birds, with images of varying paucity. I'm embarrassed to include them. Both photos were in the one frame. I copied and edited twice. I couldn't see any birds at all in the random shot until I enlarged it.

 

Again, they flew over the road, too far away to use my camera. I calculate that there were between 35 and 40 birds. Possibly more. The flock was not a tight one, birds kept appearing. We parked  in a shady area  to eat lunch before returning for another scan. No birds present. 

Pam thinks that we had the Buzzard to thank for seeing them in the first place, as it had been calling from a distance for some time before the birds flew in. He was definitely responsible for the general exodus.

 

At Home

Sunday, September 13

Having recently received an alpine bulb order, which I'd forgotten about, from Pottertons Alpine Nursery - ordered in the spring - and some new alpine plants from Slacktop Nurseries in Yorkshire, it was time to sort out where to plant them.

 

Pam and I worked on the bulb trough first. Removing the carnations from a long trough made room for most of the bulbs. I can then keep an eye on them as they establish, before deciding on a permanent home. 

 

I still had an unplanted sink from a bargain buy (!) I made last year. I use a mix of 2 x JI3 to 1 x grit as the planting medium. The grit usually has enough sand in it to help with the necessary drainage. 

 

 

A further layer of grit on the top surface after planting keeps the necks of the plants dry - as per alpine habitat. A failing of mine is to put too many plants in a container, they always look so sparse when newly planted. Looks about right this time - but I've thought that before.

 

We had a new moth for the year this morning, a Large Wainscot. We usually get one or two but Cley always had plenty. They are reedbed and reedy ditches moths. Our bottom of the garden drainage dyke does have a few reeds.

 

A Pine Hawk-moth in very good condition, was a surprise. It's late for them, and the one we caught last week was very tatty indeed, as expected for September. Townsend and Waring give the flight period as May to early August. I expect it will be put down to global warming, everything usually is.

 

Beautiful beasts - they are rather large. Townsend and Waring print the size as being 35 - 42 mm I don't know where they are measuring.... ours is 60 mm from nose to wingtip when closed, more than that from wingtip to wingtip when the wings are open. There does not seem to be a standard method of measuring moths. Sometimes it's forewing length but that's usually stated in the case of some micros. I've tried to find out, with no success so far.

Pig Tour

 Friday, September 11

Yesterday, I spent an inordinate - and abortive - time, touring and scanning the pig fields of the Cockley Cley area.  The first pass of the spread out fields was binocular search only, the second scoping through undergrowth, between tree trunks and small gaps in the hedge. None of the fields had gateways where we could stop, all the searching had to be done from the roadside, with due attention to other traffic.

I've never spent so much time viewing through and past mobile pork and bacon. They were all breeding sows or butcher fattening animals. One field held two mighty Saddleback type boars, their back legs bowed to make room for their impressive appendages. I saw a plethora of corvids, largely Rooks, a family of Pied Wagtails, three Mistle Thrushes - and nothing else. I decided to call it quits when I started inspecting tails and their differing stages of curliness. The looked for Stone Curlew which collect here in the Autumn, were not there for us to-day. Maybe an earlier start would have helped. The field I'd map spotted for Ron two years ago, when he was successful is not being used this year. The pigs make such a mess with their ploughing snouts that they need moving on regularly.

Just as well we didn't go to-day after my six weekly visit to Cromer Eye Clinic. I have large black floaters in my left eye - which has a leaking capillary needing Lucentis injections to keep some vision going. The pigs would have looked like Dalmations.

We did come across the largest congregation of white geese I've ever seen. 

 

As we stopped, a tractor drove towards them, causing a fast, synchronised goose-step of Persil white duvet filler to their own cackling accompaniment .

 

The tractor drove away, they turned in unison, and high-stepped it back from whence they came. 

 

Back to School Weather

Wednesday, September 9

In almost forty years of my teaching career, starting the Christmas Term is remembered as heralding an improvement in the weather. Stuck in a classroom with hot and bothered students, all of us longing to be outdoors enjoying the sunny spell known as an Indian Summer. Why an Indian Summer? I've often wondered.

The exact origins of the phrase are uncertain, several writers have speculated it may originally have referred to a spell of warm, hazy autumn conditions that allowed Native American Indians to continue hunting.
Whatever the origin of the phrase, it evidently first was used in the eastern United States. The first recorded use of the phrase appears in a letter written by a Frenchman called John de Crevecoeur dated 17 January 1778. In his description of the Mohawk country he writes "Sometimes the rain is followed by an interval of calm and warm which is called the Indian summer." Met Office

Maybe the moth-ing will improve with the good weather forecast for the next few days. We have already trapped the first of the Autumnal moths expected. 

Black Rustic

Lunar Underwing

and a lovely second generation Oak Hook-tip.

Another Grasshopper on the outside of the actinic light this morning. I wish I could identify them more positively. I believe that this is a Speckled Bush-cricket.

We often drive home through Langham after our North Norfolk birding trips. On Saturday, a new erection near the dome off Cockthorpe Road once used to train anti-aircraft gunners, was impossible to miss. A silver replica Second World War Supermarine Spitfire, gifted by the RAF Museum at Hendon, now mounted on a plinth next to the building. My first impression was how small it is. Piloting that would have made the flyers very vulnerable. It's a wonder that any of them survived. 

The stand has a rotating bearing to allow the Spitfire to rotate freely to follow the prevailing wind. It will be taken down in late October for winter storage. 

A Raptorous Day

 Saturday, September 5

 There is a disused old road near Harpley cottages which requires a lack of traffic both ways to access as it involves crossing a double white line near the top of a hill. It's a favourite of ours as there are wide verges of wild flowers, untended hedges and wildflower planted field edges. Excellent for all wildlife. We often see Brown Hares here and Red Kites frequent the ridge. 

Yesterday was amazing for raptors. As soon as we stopped, at the first open entrance, one Red Kite and two Marsh Harriers appeared above the ridge, interacting whilst soaring, rising and falling. As they drifted away, four Buzzards appeared, doing the same thing, seemingly enjoying the lovely sunny morning. Then, another Red Kite joined the party.

One Red Kite and two of the Buzzards

 

We'd already seen two Red Kites - and were to add another three Buzzards - before reaching Abbey Farm. Supporting cast, one Kestrel.

Not a surprise when I think about it, still a disappointment though, Sculthorpe Mill Hotel/restaurant has closed. Another Covid19 lockdown victim. Greene King has yet to make up its mind (notice on the door) as to what the future holds for this very attractively situated hotel. The car park was cordoned off, but there was still room to pull in so that we could look at the mill race and the surrounding area. A family of Mute Swans and the ubiquitous Goldfinches, the only birds on view this morning.

Driving back along Valley Farm lane, Pam noticed a bird on the wires opposite the barn. A Spotted Flycatcher. Only the second we have seen this year. Does that mean that they have bred in this area or was it a passage migrant?

The high tide was on its way out when we crested the rise at Snettisham. A couple of photographers crouched on the tideline alerted us to the presence of a smattering of Ringed Plovers on the stony edge to the tideline. 

Whilst watching, the group increased dramatically as Turnstone and Sanderling and more Ringed Plovers settled. Effectively camouflaged, huddled down amongst the stones. Very reminiscent of the spring 'Littles' on Ard an Runair beach on North Uist.

The tide here recedes at Usain Bolt pace, taking the birds further and further away. Large groups congregated along the shore, a constant flux of incoming and departing birds. 

Others sat on muddy areas, not feeding, just loafing. The many hundreds of Oystercatchers like a dark oilslick, the Redshank a haze of bright orang/red legs. The Knot have yet to arrive in their thousands, the fore-runners well represented.

I never tire of this spectacle.

A few Common Terns remain on the end pool's islands, along with hundreds of Greylag Geese, a few Cormorants and ducks. One sleeping Spoonbill and two Little Egrets at the far end.

Scoping again on our return journey, I saw a Little Stint, a Grey Plover, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, and about fifty Golden Plover.

Hurrying through Hunstanton and bypassing Wells, we regretted entering Brancaster Staithe car park. It was heaving. A few quick photos of a feeding Little Egret and a Black-tailed Godwit before leaving as quickly as was possible.

The last stop was to view North Point Pools from our customary vantage point. Another mass of Greylags and eclipse ducks, predominantly Mallard, but Wigeon have returned from their breeding grounds. A few Teal made their diminutive presence known, swimming fast away from aggressive Mallard. About a dozen Ruff, a few of them this year's birds, one of them a moulting white male.

Time to go home and open the moth traps before the England/Iceland match at 5.00 p.m.(1-0 win after a pretty ordinary performance. A Sterling penalty on 90 minutes, a penalty miss by Iceland a few minutes later, and both sides down to 10 men).

Another poor moth trapping, yet with a few good examples.One trap  contained what we initially thought was an unusual for us, shield bug. Pam did some initial insect book perusing, whilst I investigated on line. Pam  narrowing it down to being a member of the Leatherbug family. We thought that it could be  a Narrow-shouldered  Bug  I sent the photo to A. Duff and his opinion is that it's a Box Bug. Now confirmed by IRecord.

 Gonocerus acuteangulatus Box Bug
Family: Coreidae
A relatively large reddish-brown squashbug, distinguished from the commoner Coreus marginatus by the narrower abdomen and more pointed lateral extremities of the pronotum. Nymphs have a green abdomen.

Historically very rare (RBD1) and known only from Box Hill in Surrey, where it feeds on Box trees, this bug is expanding its range and now occurs widely in the south-east of England and beyond. It is exploiting different foodplants, and has been found on hawthorn, buckthorn, yew and plum trees.

Three nore new for 2020 moths (NFY) were, a Latticed Heath

a Small Dusty Wave

and a Red Underwing - a different species from the Dark Crimson Underwing caught a week or so ago.

Two more Orthoptera species fell to Pam's eagle eye. Well. we think that they're different. So difficult to identify for us clueless amateurs. This is one of them.