Friday 30 May 2014

A late morning and afternoon in West Norfolk - May 29, 2014

I female Black-headed Bunting had been reported at West Runton yesterday evening and was on Bird Guides quite early this morning and after phone calls to David, Roger and Ken we decided to go over as it was new bird for David, Roger and myself.  Dave drove and we were to pick Ken up at Uppingham before continuing to West Runton.  As we approached the bottom of Wardley Hill a Hobby flew over the road and then alongside the car briefly and after picking up Ken we continued to West Runton without seeing anything else of note.  We arrived at about 12:20 and after getting some gear on as it was quite cool we walked to where others were watching.  Steve Beale was just leaving but he hadn’t seen it and looking across the field to the bushes and feeling the fresh and cool easterly wind I thought we might be in for a long wait.  No more than two minutes after Steve had left both Dave and I picked up a bird that had flown out of the field and landed in the closest hedgerow.  It sat facing us and initially it appeared quite yellow and was slightly obscured but we were soon certain that it was the bunting.  We watched it for almost thirty minutes in which time it barely moved, giving us reasonable views of the underparts and head.  We finally decided to have some lunch and it disappeared just after we had walked away.  After a bite Ken went back for another look as it was obviously back and he called us over as it was now back on and we were able to see the upperparts for the first time.  It was perhaps a little brighter than I had expected, particularly the underparts with the upper breast and throat appearing quite yellow.  The head was brownish–olive being of similar shape to a male’s.  The back and rump were similar with some faint streaking, which was not always obvious and the tail was blackish with no white in the outer feathers.  The coverts and flight feathers were blackish-brown and obviously edged yellowish-brown, giving a scruffy appearance.  There was the suggestion of a wing-bar across the lesser covers but this was not always obvious.  Whilst we were watching it two parties of Gannets moved east along the coast and a Whitethroat was also observed.

The bunting then disappeared again and we decided to go to Kelling Heath in the hope of seeing a Dartford Warbler but had no joy, although we did see a Hobby, a Green Woodpecker and a Woodlark.

News of a Spoonbill between Cley and Salthouse sent us in that direction and we found the bird from the iron road but it was on a distant pool quite close to the shingle bank.  A quick visit to Cley produced a Marsh Harrier and fifty-nine Black-tailed Godwits.


On the way home we were held up around Peterborough in a traffic jam but we did have three Red Kites, two Buzzards and several Kestrels between Kings Lynn and Uppingham.

Monday 26 May 2014

An early morning moth trapping in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - May 25, 2014

Put the moth trap out last night but only caught twelve moths of ten species, perhaps not too surprising considering the recent weather and it was rather cold.

There were no new moths but three were new for the year: Mottled Pug, Buff-tip and Large Yellow Underwing.


The following were trapped: Light Brown Apple Moth [1]; Mottled Pug [1]; Brimstone Moth [3]; Peppered Moth [1]; Lime Hawkmoth [1]; Buff-tip [1]; Buff Ermine [1]; Large Yellow Underwing [1]; Rustic Shoulder-knot [1] and The Spectacle [1].


Mottled Pug


Peppered Moth


Buff-tip


Buff Ermine


Large Yellow Underwing


The Spectacle


The Spectacle


The Spectacle

Sunday 25 May 2014

A day's birding in Leicestershire and Rutland - May 24, 2014

Despite a grim forecast Dave, Roger and I set off for Rutland Water in the hope that the rain would bring down some waders.  On route over we had a Red Kite near Gaulby and a Buzzard at Skeffington.

On arrival at Rutland Water it was overcast but dry and we set off to dunlin hide on lagoon four.  As we walked down the service road it started to rain and by the time we reached the hide it was falling steadily.  There was a group of wades just to the left of the road that included several Ringed Plovers, a Sanderling and a Dunlin.  We continued to scan the lagoon and found a single Avocet, two Little Ringed Plover, at least nine Ringed Plovers and a Redshank and there was also a couple of Little Egrets.  As we were scanning Dave picked up a group of waders and four Sanderling flew by and landed close to island ten.  There was also a probable third-year Yellow-legged Gull but we couldn’t see it very well due to island six.  As the rain eased we made a dash to plover hide where were able to confirm it has a third-year Yellow-legged Gull and although we had several sightings of all the waders seen from dunlin hide there was nothing new arriving.

We eventually moved to bittern hide on lagoon three where we remained for some considerable time due to the now very heavy rain.  There were plenty of Swifts feeding over the lagoon and they were interspersed with a few Sand Martins and Swallows and two House Martins.  Reed and Sedge Warblers were singing continuously and a Cuckoo was also heard on several occasions but we didn’t see any of them.  Eventually the rain eased and we went to sandpiper hide on lagoon four and other than a few Ringed Plovers we couldn’t find anything else and we eventually headed back to the centre.

The rain now eased and we were able to eat or lunches in the car park.  Based on what we had seen earlier we decided to go the Lyndon Reserve.  There were two Tree Sparrows on the feeders along with Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch and two Yellowhammers.  We went to teal hide and observed south arm and I quickly picked up a couple of Osprey towards the Old Hall.  We then found a couple of Red Kites and four Buzzards and six Hobbies were hawking close to Brown’s Island on the Egleton Reserve.  As we went back to the car park we saw a single Willow Warbler and heard a Whitethroat.

We called at Eyebrook Reservoir on the way home but there was nothing unusual present, a Buzzard, two Common Terns and a Whitethroat being the best.

Finally we made a brief stop at Newton Harcourt church but there was no sign of a Spotted Flycatcher that had been reported earlier in the week.


It was not one of our best days at Rutland Water but this was not surprising considering the weather.

Saturday 24 May 2014

A day’s birding in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire & Rutland - May 22, 2014

Dave, Roger and I had decided to go to Frampton Marsh today in the hope of seeing Temminck’s Stint.  It had been a very wet night but the weather improved the closer we got to Frampton and on arrival it was dry, although there was a cool northerly wind, but this dropped during our first hour on site.  We drove down to the sea wall were there were a few Redshanks displaying and fourteen Black-tailed Godwits, seen in flight came down just to the southwest of the car park.  A female Ruff was also observed before we reached the sea wall as were a couple of Little Ringed Plovers and three Barnacle Geese with several Canada Geese. 


Ten of the fourteen Black-tailed Godwits

continued to scan but found nothing new until I saw a Kingfisher quite close to Dave, which flew off almost immediately.  Dave then spoke to another birder who said that two Temminck’s had been seen earlier.  We walked back along the sea wall and just before we reached the second seat I found one of the Temminck’s and then Roger found the second.  We had some rather nice views and wondered how we had missed them previously but we learnt later that those who had seen them earlier had spent forty-five minutes looking before they found them.


Two third-year Herring Gulls


Swift over the sea wall


Brent Goose on the marsh

We continued to walk around the path following the reedbed trail back to the centre.  There were plenty of Avocets and a few Common Terns on the marsh but very little else, although we did see a Whitethroat and a Sedge Warbler and heard a Corn Bunting but couldn’t find it.  Dave picked up a second-year Mediterranean Gull on one of the islands from the centre before we completed the walk back to the car, seeing a Greenshank on route.  We then went back on the sea wall to look for a Spoonbill without success, although we did have distant views of a Little Owl close to the reservoir.  We eventually returned to the main car park seeing several Reed Warblers and a couple of Yellow Wagtails.


Little Ringed Plover on the reedbed marsh




Male Reed Bunting from the path


Little Egret

During lunch Dave heard a Turtle Dove and Dave and Roger saw it but on my views I was unable to rule out Collared Dove.  Roger and I then walked along the path to the reservoir and Dave went back around the reedbed trail in the hope of seeing a Grasshopper Warbler.  On reaching the reservoir we walked a short way towards the sea wall and looked back at the hedge next to the footpath.  There are a number of dead trees in the hedge, which are apparently a favoured spot for the Turtle Dove.  The only thing we could see was a couple of Woodpigeons and nothing else but we decided to spend some time there in the hope one might appear.  Whilst we were waiting Roger noticed a bird of prey perched on the fence posts, which turned out to be a Sparrowhawk and two Curlews were observed in the meadows.  As I was about to walk a little further down the track to see if I could get a better view, Roger saw a Turtle Dove fly into one of the trees.  We were soon scoping the bird and initially the views were OK but it became very difficult to see and we then walked back to the car park.

On reaching the car park Dave hadn’t seen the Grasshopper Warbler but he had seen four Little Gulls.  Roger and I went to look for them but couldn’t find tehm and when we got back to the car Dave announced that there were three Grey Plover on lagoon four at Rutland Water.  As we were intending to go back there anywhere we set off immediately.

As we moved east there looked as though there was some pretty horrible weather ahead and sure enough we ran into some pretty heavy rain with some thunder and lightning.  Tim Appleton then began sending quite a few texts and birds appeared dropping on to lagoon four to avoid the bad weather.  There were four Knot, seven Black-tailed Godwits, Turnstone and another Grey Plover.  I called Tim and got permission to drive along the service road to the hides as the rain was absolutely torrential.

We entered the site from the Hambleton Road and went into plover hide, which was the nearest.  The Bar-tailed Godwits had departed about fifteen minutes before we arrived but the four superb summer plumage Knots were not too far away and we eventually found a Grey Plover, Sanderling, Dunlin and Turnstone and there were also circa fifteen tundra Ringed Plovers and two Redshanks on the lagoon.  The rain eased for a while before it came down rather heavily again but nothing new dropped in.  As we were leaving Erik arrived and he had walked from the Egleton car park and looked absolutely soaked and I am only too pleased that Tim allowed us access in the vehicle.

We made a brief call at Eyebrook Reservoir on route home but there was nothing unusual with eight Shelduck and a drake Wigeon being the best.

On route home we saw the Slawston Little Owl but nothing else of note.

It had been a pretty good day out with two year ticks at Frampton and two county year ticks at Rutland Water.

Wednesday 21 May 2014

A day’s birding in Leicestershire & Rutland - May 20, 2014

I was helping with a wildfowl count at Rutland Water today but decided to call at Eyebrook Reservoir before going to Rutland Water.

I had a Red Kite flying extremely low actually in the village at Blaston on route but other than two pairs of Red-legged Partridges there was nothing else of note.

On arrival at Eyebrook Reservoir it began to rain and was quite heavy for a while.  I scanned the inlet from the car and picked up a Ringed Plover but there was very little else, other than single Common, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gulls.  As the rain eased the Great Black-backed Gull flew off to the north and a few minutes later both the Common and Lesser Black-backed Gulls had departed and there was no sign of the Ringed Plover.  There were four Shelduck close to the inlet, six Common Terns over the water and a pair of Red-legged Partridge on the Rutland shore.  A Whitethroat had been singing constantly and had seen it twice at some distance but it suddenly appeared much closer and managed to get a couple of nice photos.



Whitethroat

I eventually moved off to Rutland Water and met Tim near his cottage and was assigned south arm three and lagoon four to count.  I started in the south arm but other than a number of Mute Swans there was just a few Canada Geese, Gadwall, Mallard, Great Crested Grebe and Coot.  There were numerous gulls and terns feeding over the southwest corner of the arm, mainly Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns, although I did find three Black Terns as well.

I drove round to the Egleton Reserve and walked down the service road to dunlin hide on lagoon four.  It was generally quiet with just a few Mute Swans, a single Egyptian Goose, a couple of Shelduck and a few Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck and Great Crested Grebes.  A single Little Egret was observed and there were at least eight Ringed Plovers, four Oystercatchers and a Redshank.  I walked around to plover hide, which still overlooks lagoon four and found a second Redshank and a Curlew flew over.

As I couldn’t find anything else on lagoon four I went to lapwing hide to have a closer look at the feeding gulls and terns in south arm three.  I soon located a Black Terns and eventually had four, although there was nothing else amongst the Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns.

It was now approaching lunchtime and so I started to make my way back to the centre calling at shoveler hide on lagoon three on route.  There were thirteen Shelduck present on the lagoon and I also found a couple of male Pochard and another Little Egret fed to the left of the hide.



Reed Warbler

After handing in my count figures and having my lunch I made my way back towards lapwing hide to hopefully get some shots of the Black Terns.  As I was approaching the path to lapwing hide I met Nigel who informed me that he had just had five Sanderling on lagoon four.  I went back to sandpiper hide and found the birds some distance away close to island one and there was also a Greenshank on island seven.  I then had three Osprey flying over the north arm and three Buzzards and a Red Kite over Burley Wood.  A final look at the Sanderling and there were now six.

On reaching lapwing hide whilst the light was a little better than earlier it was almost impossible to get good shots of the Black Terns.  They were tending to keep to the right of the hide, which is where the light was at its worst and it wasn’t easy getting them in focus as they were constantly moving around feeding.  Having taken numerous shots, most of which I threw out I went back to shoveler hide on lagoon three.  The four Black Terns were now hawking over the lagoon and I saw a single Buzzard over the wood on the northern edge.  A final check on lagoon four before departing produced a seventh Sanderling and another Curlew.




Long-tailed Tit from the footpath to lapwing hide






Black Terns over south arm three


Female Blackbird close to shoveler hide


Common Tern over lagoon three

An early morning moth trapping in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - May 19, 2014

It had looked another good night for moths and so I put the trap out again and caught thirty-one comprising fourteen species.  Three were new, Case-bearing Clothes Moth, Ancylis badiana and Lime Hawkmoth.

The following species were trapped: Case-bearing Clothes Moth [1]; Light Brown Apple Moth [5]; Ancylis badiana [1]; Brindled Pug [1]; Brimstone Moth [11]; Scalloped Hazel [2]; Lime Hawkmoth [2]; Poplar Hawkmoth [2]; Sallow Kitten [1]; Heart and Dart [1]; Small Square Spot [1]; Bright-line Brown-eye [1]; Rustic Shoulder Knot [1] and Spectacle [1].


Brindled Pug 


Scalloped Hazel


Lime Hawkmoth


Lime Hawkmoth


Poplar Hawkmoth

Dave had also put his trap out and called me to say he had caught a couple of new species for us.  I went to Dave’s and he had kept a few moths, two Waved Umber and Orange Footman were certainly new and two we were uncertain about.  One was a pug that was identified by Andy Mackay as an Ochreous Pug, which we had trapped before but the other Anania fuscalis turned out to be a first for the counties.


Ochreous Pug


Waved Umber


Orange Footman


Anania fuscalis

An early morning moth trapping in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - May 18, 2014

I had put the moth trap out again last night and caught and identified thirty-four moths comprising of sixteen species.  Broken-barred Carpet and Pale-shouldered Brocade were both new species for me.


The species caught were: Light Brown Apple Moth [5]; Garden Carpet [1]; Common Carpet [1]; Broken-barred Carpet [1]; Green Carpet [1]; Foxglove Pug [1]; Brindled Pug [2]; Brimstone Moth [10]; Scalloped Hazel [1]; Peppered Moth [1]; Poplar Hawkmoth [1]; Pale Tussock [1]; Shuttle-shaped Dart [1]; Small Square Spot [1]; Pale-shouldered Brocade [1] and Angle Shades [2].


Broken-barred Carpet





A day’s birding in Lincolnshire and Leicestershire & Rutland - May 17, 2014

Dave, Roger and I met at Dave’s and decided to go to Willow Tree Fen in Lincolnshire as there had been a couple of Black-winged Stilts present for a couple of days.

We called at Eyebrook Reservoir on route and found the water level down a little.  There were two Little Egrets, a Ringed Plover, a Dunlin, two Ruff and a Redshank all at the inlet.  The two Ruff were in their splendid breeding plumage and at one point they flew up high and disappeared from view.  We thought they had gone but they were suddenly back feeding in the shallows a few minutes later but apparently they did leave at 09:00 after we had departed.

Satisfied we had exhausted Eyebrook Reservoir we moved off to Willow Tree Fen but on arrival the Black-winged Stilts had not been seen and had obviously moved on.  We did eventually see the Glossy Ibis and there were also a couple of Shelduck, four Little Egrets and two Redshanks on the marshy area.  Dave was also fortunate enough to see a Turtle Dove rise from the edge of the wetland and fly some distance but Roger and I failed to get on it.

From Willow Tree Fen we went back to Ketton in the hope that the warm weather would be good for butterflies.  On arrival we walked from the car park down to the cutting and found Grizzled Skipper on the area adjacent to the car park.  We also had our first of two Brown Argus and we had several more Grizzled Skippers, a couple of Green Hairstreak and plenty of Brimstone in the cutting.  We dropped into the barbecue area on the way back where we had a second Brown Argus and several more Grizzled Skippers and a nice Broad-bodied Chaser.


Grizzled Skipper


Brown Argus


Brown Argus



Broad-bodied Chaser

After some lunch we made our way, with Andy Mackay, down into the quarry area.  We saw several Dingy Skippers and another Green Hairstreak in this area and also a couple of Common Marsh and Burnet Companions.

We finally called it a day at Ketton and went to Rutland Water.  Ken had called and said that he had seen a couple of Sanderling and a Greenshank on lagoon four and so we made our way to dunlin hide where we had good views of the Sanderling and Greenshank and there was at least fifteen Ringed Plovers and two Dunlin on the lagoon.  We also saw a Jay and heard a Cuckoo, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap’ Garden Warbler and Whitethroat as we walked to the hide.

It had been a nice day, despite missing out on the stilts, with a good selection of birds and insects.

An early morning moth trapping in Wigston Magna, Leicestershire - May 16, 2014

I put the moth trap out last night and caught forty-eight moths comprising of twenty species and three new ones.  I had put the trap out on the 13th but only caught two Brimstone Moths and a Buff Ermine, so last night was a big improvement.  The new moths were Tawny-barred Angle, Pale Tussock and Early Grey.


Notocelia trimaculana 


Red Twin-spot Carpet 


Common Carpet


Brindled Pug


Yellow-barred Brindle 


Tawny-barred Angle 


Pebble Prominent 


Pale Tussock 


Ruby Tiger


Small Square-spot


Hebrew Character


Earl Grey 


Rustic Shoulder-knot