July Birding and Mothing

 Monday, July 4

When you set off with low expectations, the day can either be surprisingly good - or live up to expectations. Should that be down? As always, so good to be out searching and identifying, scanning the cloudy sky, enjoying the flowering verges, hedgerows, and poppy- bright fields. 

Both Tree, and House Sparrows, were occupying the nest boxes on Valley Farm Lane. The adults looking the worse for wear.

 

Barry was waiting for us on the return trip down the lane. No tales of kitchen chandeliers this time. Much of the chat centred around bird food. He wanted to know which fat balls we use. In response, he hefted a large box of them from his car boot to show us his - he couldn't remember the make. It was prices he was most interested in. Why? He is given his as payment for work done. Mole trapping on this occasion. It didn't help that Pam couldn't remember the price of 'decent' ones, as Van Der had run out of supplies on the last visit. Pam put alternate 'good' ones with cheapies in our feeders. The good ones soon disappeared, the cheapies are still there.

Sharp-eyed Pam spotted a Pyramidal Orchid growing in a verge near Abbey Farm. I was able to take a few photos for both of us, by leaning out of my side window.

 

The track out to Holme has been newly gritted, it's much better than the road past the houses.One now has to book a parking space at the weekend for the NWT car park, names are taken at the entry kiosk. We went to the NOA car park, which had more cars than usual. We added Sedge Warbler and Cetti's to the month list before leaving.

As we approached Holkham, the heavens opened. Very heavy rain. We parked in the estate gateway to wait out the main downpour. It looked lighter in the distance. It did eventually stop for me to scope, three Spoonbills, a dead tree full of Cormorants, Avocets, Shelduck and dozens of Greylag. The two Egyptian Geese looked very exotic in comparison.Only a short distance to the Victoria - where the road was dry.

At least thirty, brick-red Black-tailed Godwit, at North Pools, Wells were the remaining highlight.. 

The moth traps have been more interesting for the invaders, rather than the moths, during the last week or so. I do not enjoy the beetle species crawling with mites, nor the ones which emit a pungent odour when I scoop them into a tube for disposal in the garden. The tube stinks afterwards. It makes my brain want to close down.

Parasitic wasps are attractive, often difficult to assign to a particular species. This is an Ophion  wasp of which there are two in the UK. I think that this is 

Ophion obscuratus, Cream-striped Darwin Wasp rather than Ophion scutellaris.

This is:  Pimpla rufipes, Black Slip Wasp,  identified by its golden thighs