Highlands and Islands

 Wednesday April 20

My Blog until May 21 will be on this address :

 

https://highlandsandislands22.blogspot.com

Easter Weekend

 Saturday April 16

Bank Holiday weekends are when we usually prefer to stay at home, eschewing the crowds.  As we are going away on Thursday, and the rest of this week is full of 'appointments', we decided to brave the roads. It wasn't until the Fakenham roundabout that we encountered the first heavy traffic, until then, it was much lighter than usual.

Negative for the Ring Ouzel we saw at Bodham on Friday afternoon, after a Cromer xray visit for Pam  We'd have liked better views. We showed the bird's distant location to Janice, Steve and friend, drove up the road to turn round, before settling in a layby. No sooner had I got the scope set up than a passing vehicle hooted loudly at the others, scattering the Ouzel, Yellow Wagtails and Skylarks into the distance. They did not return. I understand Janice's decision to make a gesture at the departing vehicle. 

We braved the Holme  road for the first time this year - and maybe last year too. The first section past the houses is appalling, the reserve's gritted track much better. The best thing here was two reeling Sedge Warblers, announcing their territory. Pam saw a hirundine, but not well enough for a positive identity.

Three Konic ponies grazed behind their electric fence.

New for us were a small herd of English White heifers, looking roundly in calf, their black noses and ears diagnostic.

Pam spotted some fungus sprouting out of the top of some old straw bales used to block field entries. It looks past it. We are yet to identify it.

 

This Wood Pigeon will not be sitting comfortably if this is how he lines the meagre nest platform.

 

In the warm sunshine, to-day was remarkable for both the number and variety of butterflies that we saw. Orange-tip, Small Tortoiseshell. Green-veined White, Peacock and Holly Blue in good numbers everywhere.

Moths have not been remarkable of late, a small trickle of new for the year species continue to arrive. Here are a few of them.

Lesser Swallow Prominent

Lunar Marbled Brown

Oak Nycteoline

Muslin

Probably the best has been a micro which Pam took in for Richard and the group to identify. It's not in the Sterling and Parsons book, but is in the newest Manley photo guide. New for Richard, always a pleasure to add to his list. And ours.

Eriocrania unimaculella

 

Hiatus

Wednesday April 13 

 Due to various health problems - labarynthitis, which caused extreme vertigo - and an adverse reaction to my fourth Covid jab, I have neither been out birding, nor written a Blog.

Pam was busy watching the small garden pond earlier this week.  All these photographs are hers. Leaning over the pond would probably have produced an almighty splash from me, as I fell in headlong.

We have no frogs for the second year running, plenty of Toads though. These are all toadlets and the Newts are Common. 

Squirrel Proof

 Wednesday April 6

Alerted by a call from the kitchen, I picked up my Canon SX 70 Powershot bridge camera and found this..

 

 

These squirrel proof (!!) domes are not cheap. It did take them a few days to work out an approach to their favourite fat balls. You really have to admire both their tenacity and intelligence. They are survivors.

These photographs were taken through dirty double glazing - the window cleaner came a day before the Saharan sand blew in.

No Fools Day

Friday April 1 

Not an early start, still cold though. As we approached Fakenham, a navy blue cloud loomed into view. Oncoming cars had their headlights on. A heavy snow shower whitened the surrounding fields, adding to that already lining the road. We soon drove through it, and only had a small hail shower for the rest of the day. 

Not many birds around today, it took ages to see our first Red Kite. Many winter visitors have left, the number and variety of summer visitors yet to come. We usually manage a March Wheatear, but missed the only one seen on the Eye Field at Cley. The northern isle of Lewis has had at least one. In good weather, many migrants fly through to their nesting grounds, without loitering at the coast to fuel up. We still have at least six male Bramblings and two females feeding in the garden, the Siskins departed a few days ago. One of this week's males was in the best breeding plumage I have ever seen..I didn't manage a photo, unfortunately.

The last time we visited Snettisham, I recounted the tale of two men in two vans, one of whom fell down the bank whilst measuring. To-day, there was a post and blue cord/rope lining the whole length of the reserve's shoreside path, the end nearest the entrance extending downwards towards the sea. Nesting birds, keep off, notice attached.  Excellent. What about the dogs who will run freely through?

About a hundred Knot remain out of the thousands, a few Curlew, Avocets, Oystercatchers, Ringed Plovers, Turnstone, Dunlin, Mallard and Shelduck fed on the mud.Viewing the pit is difficult as one has to look into the sun. All I could make out was hundreds of Black-headed Gulls and Greylag. We went the whole day without seeing Coot and Moorhen. The wind was sufficiently strong to whip up white water in the pits. This male Tufted Duck, sporting his summer head plume, was surfing the waves.

 

As we parked on Hunstanton clifftop, I could hear the gabble chatter of nesting Fulmars, not one in sight. We soon had five in the air. They always seem to be really enjoying their flights, not surprising that they were James Fisher's favourite birds. Awesome flyers too.

Brancaster Staithe was an opportunity to photograph - never near enough - mud-larking Black-tailed Godwit.

 

One of these days I'll get an Avocet photo which pleases me. I wish.

 

Whilst I was scoping the water at the western end of North Point, Wells, Pam found a pair of Grey Partridges huddled low,  feeding near the fence. Our first this year. 

 

Always highly anticipated is the stop at Holkham Meals House gate, to look over the extensive marsh. Everything is very distant, using a scope is essential. With patience, and Pam's direction at times, we saw four Great White Egrets in a reed bed, two of them mating. That was a first too. For me that is. A lone Spoonbill amongst the nesting Cormorants, Egyptian Geese, Shovellers, Marsh Harriers, Buzzards, Kestrel, Lapwing and Wigeon. The usual herd of Belted Galloway in front of the wall, and at least five Red Deer - from the front legs up - peering out of a reedbed. 

Straight home via Blakeney, in time for a Pointless which had been cancelled for the World Cup draw.

 

 

Morston

 Thursday March 31

Despite the awful cement bumps on the entrance road, Morston is a favourite destination after one of our moth sessions. The three turkeys are still inside a wire pen, where they have been since shortly before Christmas. Previously they were relatively free to roam an area, the males often displaying their impressive fanned tails. The goats are also penned. 

It's often where we find a Greenshank in the muddy creek amongst the rotting timbers of the boat tie-ups.

 

The tide was out so conditions were favourable.The first bird was at the far end of a group of Brent Geese.

 

It The Greenshank fed nearer and nearer until it was tantalisingly close enough for some decent photos - when it turned and wallked back to where it had begun.

 

At the end near to the entrance and cabin shop, a second Greenshank was also feeding avidly at the creek's edge. Pam was in pole posotion for a change, and took some photos of the bird catching a small Dab. 

 

 Pam then turned the car so that I could have a go. 

In time for me to see a Black-headed Gull steal the catch, after driving off the Greenshank.