1st - 8th June

1st-8th June


A mixed bag of weather and lots of moths in the traps including record numbers of Heart and Dart, a few common migrants, our first ever White-pinion Spotted and Poplar Kitten and a couple of oddities which need a closer look.

White pinion spotted

A trip to Hoveton Hall Gardens in warm sunshine on 4th got our first Norfolk Hawkers, 4-spot Chasers, Black-tailed Skimmers and Emperors in UK as well as stacks of Azures and Large Reds, the latter also on our pond with a couple of BBCs.

Teneral Black tailed Skimmer

Birds have been interesting – I finally twitched the Cley Trumpeter Finch on its last day, didn’t do the Black winged Stilts but did make an evening dash to Cley last night for a new for Norfolk Blue-winged Teal and a bonus Spoonbill.

The last few days

With mostly chilly temperatures and northerly winds little exciting has happened. Several commoner summer migrants have come in including a couple of early Swifts on 20th but numbers remain low locally. Moths have generally been the same but we had garden record numbers of Common Quaker (35) and Hebrew Character (15) on 20th/21st. Brindled Pug and Early Thorn have both appeared briefly but are about 2 weeks later than norm and the first white butterflies are on the wing with Holly Blues and Orange tips. More photography opportunities with bees and bugs in the garden though.

Bombus pascuorum and Brindled Pug

Bird migration picked up yesterday (23rd) with the change to SE winds, highlights being another Red Kite, several Yellow Wags and steady numbers of hirundines. The moth trap last night had our second Pale Pinion of the year, so they are obviously getting commoner up here.

6th-8th April

6th April

A frustrating morning saw me on our nearby high point, raptor watching in what should have been ideal conditions, clear, breezy, warming southerlies. Nobody told the raptors though and it was a blank apart from a couple of resident Common Buzzards and Sparrowhawks, plus a migrant Sand Martin.  Even more frustrating was a falcon seen briefly which may have been a very early Hobby.

Moths are picking up nicely with record numbers for the garden 6th/7th of Clouded Drab (8), Small Quaker (10) and Common Quaker (32) plus our latest Dotted Border and earliest (by two weeks) Nut-tree Tussock. It’s a crazy spring!

8th

Cley was better than of late with a few Swallows and Sand Martins moving west in the beautiful breezy, sunny day, three Wheatears on the Eye Field, a few Sandwich Terns along the beach and plenty of Marsh Harrier activity. Water levels are high though, which may bode well for waders late spring. Both Peacock and Small Tortoiseshells were on the wing. The highlight of the day had to wait a day or two to be confirmed when a trip round a couple of websites confirmed the small finch that flew west past the centre after lunch was a Serin.  I thought it was, having seen a yellow rump and given its size but the short trilling flight call wasn't the mass of jingling I was used to from Portugal etc.
There was plenty of wasp activity round the ivy in the garden when I got home and fair numbers of moths in the trap, with another late Dotted Border and our first Red Chestnut, Engrailed and Twenty-plume moth of the year, plus our second Diurnea fagella – thanks to Jon Clifton for the i/d. No sign of the frog spawn hatching yet.

Diurnea fagella and Common Wasp

30th March

After a pretty wet night I was surprised to find a pristine Pale Pinion in the moth trap.  This is a rare but increasing moth locally and one we've taken a couple of times previously.

Pale Pinion

A walk locally produced a few singing Chiffs but not much else in persistent drizzle.

11th/12th March

11th March


With temperatures no higher than 5.1C the previous day and down to a meagre 0.8C overnight on the patio I was surprised to find four moths in and around the trap including Pale Brindled Beauty and our first Grey Shoulder Knot of the year.

Pale Brindled Beauty on post

Off to Cley where I met Andy and wandered round the reserve. Not many birds, three or more Ruff and a Spotted Redshank were the highlights with a few Grey Seals moving off the beach. It did however turn into a glorious day after an unpromising start so I took off for Morston late on for an hour to photograph the very obliging Spotted Red there. True to its reputation it showed really well and a little manoeuvring and patience got me some reasonable shots.

Spotted Redshank, Morston

12th March

After rain overnight, four moths of three species at the trap were OK but nothing new.

A walk to Incleborough Hill in the afternoon produced very little except a flock of goldfinches. Oddities were a ringed Dunlin on a puddle by the duck pond at East Runton and a semi albino Wood Pigeon in a flock by Sandy Lane, Cromer.

9th March

With the more overcast conditions and a higher min temperature of 2C, there were a few moths last night with two each of Chestnut and March Moth, our latest ever Spring Usher plus a favourite spring moth, Oak Beauty. This time last year we were catching Quakers however, so it’s looking a late spring. Lets hope numbers pick up.

Spring Usher on house wall

21st January

Chestnut

Two more Chestnuts in the moth trap when I opened it this morning, keeping the year ticking over.

Not too much to report from Cley except a young male Peregrine in the afternoon over Simmonds, apparently targetting Avocets, numbers of which seem to be reducing!  One pale-bellied Brent still and its nice to see Bearded Tits and hear three Cettis Warblers, while Water Rails continue to show, with two in front of Daukes (no camera!) and two along the East bank.

Besides more "Birding for Beginners"walks, NWT are talking about two moth evenings this summer as well as running a trap regularly Wednesday nights for Thursday mornings.  We did a bit there last year but a more organised effort is bound to pay dividends as well as adding to what visitors get to see.

Yesterday and today 17th/18th January

With the improving weather yesterday I went to Sheringham BO for the first time this year to help reprofile the mound round the seawatching hide.  Good exercise and a bonus in the shape of a female Marsh Harrier drifting east and a femal Goosander, also going east at sea.

With milder conditions I also put out the MV moth trap last night and almost immediately got a male Winter Moth which stayed around on the house wall to be photographed, whilst round the corner a 7-spot Ladybird had roused itself and was out for a stroll!

Winter Moth and 7-spot Ladybird