Family Visit - Ridlington

July 22 - 28

Daughter Sara and younger grandson Josh, arrived at Norwich Airport on Sunday the 22, having spent two nights in Amsterdam so that Josh could experience a country where English was not the native language. They had a very packed and enjoyable full day and a half, including a river trip and a swing which launched them into space over the side of a skyscraper !

Food seems to have played a large part in the enjoyment, 

especially Josh's giant crepe with strawberries and chocolate sauce.

And tomato free pizza.........I'm sure that shouldn't be called pizza. First time I've met someone who dislikes tomatoes.
Not many photos of Sara as she is the photographer. 

Their unexpected - and much appreciated - visit is in order to join us in celebrating my birthday on August 3. They've been in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia for 13 years this August, first time back in the UK for them. Older grandson Harry is at work and Mike is at home looking after the animals - and is also at work. I haven't seen them for four years, apart from Facetime,  which is when we last visited Aus.

Both of them have spent much of this very hot 30C + week driving around so that Sara could visit old haunts, show Josh her memories and socialising with  close friends who live in the Beccles area. Her godchildren are now 22 and 25 years old !
One of the week's highlights for me was lunch at the Gunton Arms, which is situated on a deer park between North Walsham and Thorpe Market. We'd heard of it through friends but never visited ourselves.
We were seated in this room very near the blazing log fire !!!!!! when it was 30c+ outside. 

We requested a change of table and were re-located to the one shown here under the copulating dinosaur painting back right. 

A less than flattering photo of Sara but it shows the dinosaurs - not noticed until I downloaded the pics.
I don't use my phone to take photos.........I tried it out and kept my finger on too long.
A partial shot of the menu - taken by accident !

We had a very well cooked meal and a most enjoyable couple of hours. We all ate something different of course. Sara had cod cheek, Pam a steak burger, Josh a Sirloin steak and me a Lamb shank. Sara was the only one who eschewed dessert, replacing it with a soya milk latte. Pam raved about her Kent cherry and almond tart and, Josh loved his strawberry cheesecake. I had two scoops of a delicious chocolate icecream.

We leave for a barn conversion on the Gower peninsula, South Wales to-morrow (Saturday).

July Round-up - So Far.......

Saturday July 14

Le quatorze juillet.......... final execution for the English football team. 2-0 loss to Belgium in the 3rd place play-off. Beyond my expectations but reality bit in.

We seem to have spent much of the month so far moth-ing. It's high season with many Butterfly Conservation and GB organised Tuesday meets around the county. Natural Surroundings will not see Pam and I until August 21st. 

July 1

The month started with Abbey Farm Open Day and moth trap opening on Sunday July 1. Disappointing compared with last year, overnight conditions were not conducive for lepidoptera. Most disappointing was the dearth of Royal Mantle for the group members who'd missed them last year.
Unable to walk some usually inaccessible areas of the farm, we drove to Snettisham Pits where we saw..........very little. The mud was virtually empty, even the Shelduck had deserted.  

July 3 at National Surroundings
DN brought in an Oak Nycteoline and a Maple Prominent, both new for us and many others.
Our minute micro which looked like dust at the bottom of the trap was identified by AD as a memnber of the Nepticulidae family, very difficult to Identify. I managed a pretty poor photo of a moth less than 1 cm in length.

Friday July 6
England beat Sweden to go through to the last four of the World Cup. And........Pam checked the lure trap and found TWO Yellow-legged Clearwings waiting. Euphoria. I alerted our group, this Macro was a new moth for all apart from Pam and I , J Lowen brought one to YBC for us when he gave a talk. There's nothing quite like trapping your own though.

I never did manage a photo of one out of the pot, successfully keeping it alive until Foxley.


July 10   Foxley NWT reserve 
A Butterfly Conservation meet. 
Brought in: Muslin Footman, Blackneck and Dark Umber.
So many moths, the traps were full. Highlights for me were : Small Dotted Buff, Willow Tortrix, 

Lunar Yellow Underwing, Box-tree Moth (an adventive first found last year in Norwich by MC), Syncopacma larcenella and Wormwood (the second I've seen).

Thursday July 12
Greg brought in this lovely Citron Plume, identity confirmed by AD later. 

July 14 Holme NOA
After overnight easterlies,Sophie apologised for the low number and variety of moths caught in three traps. It was well attended, including nine members of our usual group. Tony brought in a Coronet and a Small Rivulet. Richard an Athrips Morffetella. Shore Wainscot was the pick of the catch even if it was very worn.
After a very pleasant coffee with S and I and R and J, we left for home and a rest after a very early morning.

Some highlights from our own garden trap.

Bordered Pug

Leopard Moth - worn wings

Barred Yellow

Blue-bordered Carpet

Argyresthia brockeela

True Lover's Knot

 No ID as yet for this tiny insect Pam had crawling on her hand at Foxley.

Back to 'normal'

Thursday June 21

Cley NWT, as usual on a Thursday . A very strong gusting, northerly wind forced us to move to the shelter of the building, instead of our usual exposed picnic table. G is in Estonia, A D and DN  shared the trap opening duties.

 All the usual Cley suspects for the season until, to every one's  joy, a Netted Pug was pulled out of a trap and potted for the perusal and admiration of all. I've long coveted a view of this very identifiable Pug sp. The photp was taken whilst it was in the pot, never the best option.

After a chat with the Duffs over a drink, we left for Cromer clifftop,  where a Pied Crow of unknown origin has been visiting for the last couple of days. First reported in the Channel Islands, it has made its way north via Winterton and West Runton. G had told us that it liked the clifftop car park, I was scanning as we drove past, both of us seeing the bird just inside the roadside fence, looking like a larger Hooded Crow. Pam drove into the car park and stopped so that I could try to photograph it. DN, MH and AW were already in situ. 

After ten minutes of trying to improve the angle, the bird flying about and then disappearing inland over the roof-tops, we left. It's on the Insurance tick list.

Vertical take-off

DN later posted a photograph of me photographing the crow from our car window, the bird in between our two cars. I'll see if I can copy and paste it here.

I'd planned a visit to Titchwell to catch up with some year birds for Friday the 22nd but I think that maybe a rest and catch up with office chores is necessary. At last I have completed the Kentish Glory lure trial report form and sent it to Tom. It was much more scientific and detailed than I had anticipated.

I also paid the last deposit for our 2019 Scottish trip, all done now. I've also booked a hire car for Sara and Josh to use when they arrive late July. They can drive themselves to Gower and it allows us to do our own thing too - room for an extra moth trap in the back of our car !

Moth-ing Round-up

Wednesday June 20

Following a very busy, tiring,  yet exhilerating, period of County moth-ing largely organised by Greg and the Butterfly Conservation local group.

June 12 Foxley Woods

Not a general open day so we had long, wet, grass with which to contend. Not all the traps had worked either, generously set at dusk and collected at dawn by M G.

New for me were : Brindled White-spot,  

Ochreous Pug,and a number of Micros. I have to make sure that I see the latter as they are usually potted for further research and not always available to the masses (me).

Female Ghost Moth

Lobster Moth, we get a few in the garden every year.

Small Yellow Wave

DN brought in a Red-tipped Clearwing he had lured in his Dereham garden. I saw a couple at Strumpshaw in 2016.

July 14 St Helen's, Santon Downham

A new venue for our group, in very windy conditions. Trios of fighter planes flying low overhead and trains passing frequently behind us.
More new moths for me, always pleasing. Reddish LIght Arches, Clouded Buff, Clouded Magpie and Tony brought in a Colon.
Probably some of the Micros were new too but I've yet to sort out the list. Strangely, I didn't take any photographs to-day. Group rules (Greg's) are that we must wait until the end and then join the queue waiting to inspect the pots. I couldn't be hassled. Understandable rule as some people take ages. I take less time photographing than some people use just looking and discussing on the way round.

June 17 Catfield Fen

Catfield Fen reserve is part of the Ant Broads and Marshes National Nature Reserve (NNR), which covers much of the floodplain of the middle Ant Valley. The NNR is one of the best and largest remaining areas of fen habitat in Western Europe. The area is a stronghold for the Swallowtail butterfly.

BC Norfolk Branch (BCNB) bought the reserve in 1992 and has managed it ever since.  From 2012 BCNB has collaborated with the RSPB regarding management, their employed warden, Mick D'A looking after the site and putting out the 7 moth traps for to-day's annual Open Day. The moth trap opening had a large audience to begin with, the less interested gradually drifting away for a boat ride along a dyke or walks to look for Dragonflies and Butterflies.The reserve is a typical fen mixture of open water, reed, sedge and carr woodland, too dangerous for unsupervised access. This one day is the only chance to visit.

One of my favourite days of the year, I was not disappointed.

Highlights for me were :

Oblique Carpet

Dentated Pug

Hawthorn Moth scythropia crateigella

Dark-barred Twinspot Carpet

Minor Shoulder-knot 

Apatomis turbidana

Scalloped Shell.

Never tire of seeing Plusia's and Beautiful Golden Y and the very local Reed Leopard

 and Reed Dagger.
Another much 'wanted' moth, the Blotched Emerald. Much lovelier than shown in this pic, hastily taken in a filthy pot.

June 19 Strumpshaw Fen RSPB

Disappointingly .......pouring down when we left home. From Stalham onwards it was dry. Relief. Later than our intention as the road was closed shortly before the turning to the reserve. That brought about a 10 minute semi circular diversion.

The trap opening didn't start until 10.00 a.m - I had 9.30 written on the calendar - and took place outside the visitor centre, as a large school party occupied the previous opening site.

As is uaual at the moment, numbers are down but the percentage of species is up. 80+ species from c 180 moths to-day - so Ben the warden told me.

Nothing new for me to-day but only my second European Corn Borer and a very worn Grass Rivulet from Ben's garden trap.

Watching the wildflower garden afterwards whilst the group went for a walk, I photographed a tiny male Swollen-thighed Beetle on a Clover flower. 

These tiny beetles, members of the water beetle family, are often seen on daisy-type flowers in our garden.

We missed a sighting of a White-barred Clearwing, which came to a Currant Clearwing lure by not walking...........It would have been a tick.

Success with Two

Monday June 4

Weeting and then Lakenheath Fen is an, at least, annual trip. Not the best of days, grey, low overcast and a cold northerly wind. Immediate success at Weeting NWT, one adult Stone Curlew, barely visible in the long grass to the right of the solar panel powering the nest cam.

There were also two chicks reported but we didn't see them. They could do with the rabbit we were horrified to see in our garden yesterday, for the first time ever. Last weekend's  Muntjac which ate all the tops off my strawberries was bad enough. Tewo Grey Squirrels was a first too. I love animals when they're not in the garden !

Lakenheath reserve is one of our favourites, for the insect life as well as the birds. Whitethroats, Wrens, a Cetti's and a Blackcap sang as we drove out to the hide overlooking a pool and woodlands. We sat in the hide shelter for almost two hours, despite the cold, ever optimistic. There were not any Dragonflies nor Butterflies flying about, hardly surprising that we only saw one Hobby - and that was a short view. A family of Coot, two adult Great Crested Grebe and their stripe-headed young, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Reed Bunting and Reed Warblers kept us interested, on and around the pool. The Hobby was over the distant clearing, as was a Green Woodpecker. Neither of us remember seeing a pair of Cuckoos do a fly-past, the difference in size and colour obvious. He had been calling most of the time we were there. We usually see boith Kingfisher and Bittern, not to-day.

Back to the comfort of the car. I got there first as Pam was sleuthing the roadside verges, very successfully, she's good at spotting invertebrates.

She drove me back so that I could photograph this Micro moth. One of the Adelidae (Longhorn) family. I identified it as a Breckland speciality, Adela croesella,  but there is another, commoner and very similar, Nemophora degeerella.

Armed with a hot drink from the Centre, we drove home to open our own moth trap. The best was a Clay Triple Lines which we'd only seen once before - at Lynford last year.

Natural Surroundings Tuesday June 5

David N had brought in a nationally scarce and threatened Grey Carpet. Such a featureless moth, shamefully I might have dismissed it as 'too faded to identify'.
My photo is truly 'orrible, in a very dirty and much used pot. And a poor attempt by me. This is not my photo !!

The other moth of note was this superb and uncommon colour variation of a  Lime Hawk-moth, brunnea,  where the green is replaced by a rich chocolate. Shame that one wing is damaged.

Go West Old Woman

Friday June 1

PC has often said that repeating our 'First of the Month' trip in Norfolk must be really boring. I have always vehemently disagreed, but......it did cross my mind this morning. Setting off in mist which became thick fog at Sheringham, it was a quick repeat of last Sunday's May in Norfolk outing. It was only a fleeting thought as I love the trip and would happily spend the rest of my days birding. Every day, all day. With moth-ing as the start and finish. 

It was less foggy inland, visibility was reasonable at Sculthorpe Mill. How the trees have launched into full green in a few days of warmth. The Spot Fly perch tree is now fully leafed - even the Goldfinch family was difficult to locate, the youngsters frantically vying for the next beakful brought in by harrassed parents. Pam did locate a Spotted Flycatcher, in the garden behind the Hotel, viewable from the car park. The same one, or is there more than the one pair. Still no sign of any Grey Wagtails, their nest may have been washed away by the flooded Wensum. The nest in the lock wall at Ebridge is unused this year. The improvements made to the canal - and therefore disturbance - must have persuaded them to re-locate. There are always people there these days, even parking on the grass next to the lock, canoeists, anglers and dog walkers.

Pause there. A young Muntjac is walking across the lawn. Lovely but unwanted. 

Snettisham in the fog ! Visibility gradually improved but the tide was way out - again. We're in the middle of high tide days too so low is even lower. Apart from Avocets, Shelduck and Oystercatchers the mud was empty. And this lone Ringed Plover.

It was worth it for the singing Cetti's Warblers, definitely two, and a Cuckoo triumphantly proclaiming its success. I always think it's thumbing its beak and going Naa na na na na. 

There's always the possibility of something good here.

Holme NWT to check on the Marsh Orchids. Many more visible and in full spike. Pam got out to take some photographs. I was still holding my camera, which I'd picked up to photograph the two close Tree Pipits - which flew away before I could point and shoot. Two tiny blue butterflies settled on a bramble in the verge which I then found, and  photographed using my 300 mm lens.

Common Blue Pam thinks. 

On the return bump and lurch, it was my turn to  photograph an Early Marsh Orchid-or two.

when  Pam called a Barn Owl making a purposeful flght east about a 100 metres away. A quick re focus and pan........

Lapwings are beautiful birds which I can often pass by as photographic subjects. Despite the lack of sun, their almost iridescent plumage colours are obvious. Couple that with the crazy hairstyle....

Holkham Marsh is always worth a look. Full house to-day. Marsh Harrier sat in a bush, Spoonbills, Great Egret, Grey Heron and LIttle Egret. We'd already seen two Spoonbills, a Brancaster Staithe tick, never too many. 
We both love fine farm animals. Holkham's herd of Belted Galloways, cows, calves and a bull, added another dimension to the marsh view.

I have a better photo, this programme will not accept it !!
Inland at Stiffkey to avoid the coast road, a Little Owl on shed 12B again, sat on the apex this time. 

What an enjoyable day, with 75 species seen, despite the paucity of both waders and duck species.  No Buzzard !! That's part of what makes the day out interesting, there's always something different seen and unseen.

May Moths - Garden

Wednesday May 30

We've had our Robinson MV out nightly since returning from Scotland, with very mixed results. Nights have been cold, misty, windy rainy - and any mix of these conditions  Everyone seems to be complaining about the lack of moths.

I now realise that I don't take as many photos as I once did ! Here are a few of this month's beasties.

Privet Hawk-moth

Rivulet

Ephestia woodiella I believe.

May Highgflyer

Cabbage

Yellow-barred Brindle