Monday, 22 March 2010
21st March
Another mild, bright and breezy day so I went for a late morning walk at Trimingham. Best birds were two White Wags and a cracking Firecrest at the entrance to the caravan park. Several bees around, presumably terrestris but the only butterfly was a Small Toroiseshell at the rockpile in Overstrand.
This week
A busy week with little time to write the blog up so this is something of a catch up.
Moth numbers have increased with our first Common and Twin Spot Quakers, Hebrew Characters, Satellites and Common Plumes while we are still catching single Early Moths most nights, our latest. Quality has been delivered in the form of two Yellow horned, our 8th and 9th ever here.
Locally birds have included a female Black Redstart in the village on 16th and a male Wheatear, White Wagtail and two Tree Sparrows on the golf course 20th. Elsewhere there were a Common Redpoll and Snow Bunting at Sheringham on 14th, three Lesser Redpolls at Barton Broad 16th and 8+ Sand Martins at Cley on 18th where there were also a Buzzard through west and a female Black Redstart late on, as well as a considerable increase in visible Marsh Harriers over various parts of the marsh. One interesting bird was a neck ringed Greylag, one of a pair near Billy’s Wash, presumably part of a ringing scheme somewhere and perhaps genuinely wild.
Adder, Incleborough
With the onset of much milder weather there has been lots of activity with our first butterflies (Brimstone and Peacock, Barton Broad 16/3), bees (B.terrestris, 17th) and frogs in the pond (17th). A walk up Incleborough in the sun on 19th produced two adders but hardly any raptors. There were however stacks of 7-spot Ladybirds emerging as there have been elsewhere, so they have overwintered successfully after last autums invasion.
Moth numbers have increased with our first Common and Twin Spot Quakers, Hebrew Characters, Satellites and Common Plumes while we are still catching single Early Moths most nights, our latest. Quality has been delivered in the form of two Yellow horned, our 8th and 9th ever here.
7-spot Ladybirds and Yellow horned
Locally birds have included a female Black Redstart in the village on 16th and a male Wheatear, White Wagtail and two Tree Sparrows on the golf course 20th. Elsewhere there were a Common Redpoll and Snow Bunting at Sheringham on 14th, three Lesser Redpolls at Barton Broad 16th and 8+ Sand Martins at Cley on 18th where there were also a Buzzard through west and a female Black Redstart late on, as well as a considerable increase in visible Marsh Harriers over various parts of the marsh. One interesting bird was a neck ringed Greylag, one of a pair near Billy’s Wash, presumably part of a ringing scheme somewhere and perhaps genuinely wild.
Friday, 12 March 2010
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.
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
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
Sunday, 7 March 2010
7th March 2010
With the temperature down to –4C last night I was more than surprised this morningt o find an Early Moth and March Moth round the trap, which had only been left on by default. Hardy little b*****s, aren’t they and they did well not to be picked off by the Great Tits
Given the lovely, if chilly weather, I went for a long walk round Northrepps/Sidestrand before lunch but saw little except three Buzzards and a couple of Bullfinches.
Given the lovely, if chilly weather, I went for a long walk round Northrepps/Sidestrand before lunch but saw little except three Buzzards and a couple of Bullfinches.
Friday, 5 March 2010
3rd/4th March
Sunshine and calm winds and thoughts turn to birding, but first, there was a moth in the trap wednesday morning, just a Chestnut but welcome nonetheless.
With reasonably recent information on them I thought I'd try and get some shots of the Waxwings in N.Walsham Sainsburys car park. Three birds showed well if a bit aginst the light, but I managed a shot or two. Why I haven't done so before is beyond me as there have been a lot locally over the last 3 years including some in the garden.
The rest of the day was less successful, with no sign of the Glaugc at Sheringham and no birds at all along the entrance road to Felbrigg.
Thursday and before I went to Cley I tried again for the Glauc, which was sitting distantly on one of the red lampshades off Sheringham front.
Following on from Wednesday's theme, another bird I've not photographed before were the Snow Bunts at Salthouse. Trying to avoid the crowds there is a bit of a challenge but I mangaed some distant shots before it got too busy - for me, the birds seemed fine.
With reasonably recent information on them I thought I'd try and get some shots of the Waxwings in N.Walsham Sainsburys car park. Three birds showed well if a bit aginst the light, but I managed a shot or two. Why I haven't done so before is beyond me as there have been a lot locally over the last 3 years including some in the garden.
Waxwing, N Walsham
Thursday and before I went to Cley I tried again for the Glauc, which was sitting distantly on one of the red lampshades off Sheringham front.
Following on from Wednesday's theme, another bird I've not photographed before were the Snow Bunts at Salthouse. Trying to avoid the crowds there is a bit of a challenge but I mangaed some distant shots before it got too busy - for me, the birds seemed fine.
Snow Bunting at Salthouse
Then to Cley where a few birds have started to arrive, most notably Avocets and the first Ruff I've seen since the ground froze. Shelducks were starting to look splendid as were the Teal and Gadwall in front of the hides so it would have been rude not to photograph them. Most of the day was spent talking dragonflies however - only a month or so to go!
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Tenerife - 12th-26th Feb
Tenerife 2010 – brief notes
We visited Tenerife from 12th-26th February 2010 mostly to get some winter sun but also to try and see several birds which we had not tried for on an earlier visit and to see and photograph as many endemic butterflies and dragonflies as we could. Unfortunately, perhaps owing to the wet winter and the torrential rain on at least one day of our first week, insects were hard to find but we did manage a few.
We stayed between Costa Adeje and La Caleta which is a lot quieter area than Los Christianos/Playa de las Americas just down the road, but has the same parking problems, i.e few hotels have dedicated parking, which meant in practice once we had left the hotel we couldn’t return till at least 4.00pm when some staff left. Not a problem in good weather but difficult when it closes in.
Birds
Common birds around the resorts were Yellow-legged Gull ssp atlantis Spanish Sparrow, Collared/African Collared Dove and lots of Chiffs.
We saw both pigeons at Erjos by walking 1.4km along the track into the laurel forest to where it turns sharp left. A footpath goes straight on and after about 20m opens out to look over the trees. We visited twice and saw 2 Laurels and 3 Bolles the first time and 2 Bolles the second. Each visit was about midday and we didn’t stay for more than 3/4hr. All pigeons were very close, 50m maximum, though views were brief.
Walking the track also produced Tenerife Robin, Tenerife Goldcrest, tintillon Chaffinches, Canaries, Sardinian Warbler, Buzzard and a newly arrived flock of Plain Swifts
Nearby Erjos Ponds had several Coots and a surprise young male Wood Duck first noted in autumn 2009 apparently.
Our first visit to Las Lajas picnic site was in wet cold weather but we still managed Canaries, African Blue Tit and Great Spotted Woodpecker. We had to wait for a second visit in slightly better conditions to see Blue Chaffinch but we then saw 7 males and a female, at least two of the males sporting shiny metal rings on their right legs.
Other than the above Berthelots Pipit is still a relatively common bird in open country, we saw 2 Barbary Partridges randomly crossing the road and Canary Island Chiffs were common, calling and singing. On at least one occasion we heard what may have been Iberian Chiff singing and several birds seen and heard calling looked to be from northern European populations.
We only saw Southern Grey Shrike, Hoopoe and Spectacled Warbler on some rough hillside near Adeje, though they are likely to be easier later in the season
We also believe that both Collared and African Collared Doves are meant to occur but they take some sorting out and we wondered if they were hybridising anyway. We also saw long tailed, dark faced parrots especially at the Las Americanas Golf course (good for Moorhen and Little Egret) which may have been Monk Parakeets.
Butterflies
Generally scarce when we were there, we only saw Monarch (scarce) and African Grass Blue (common on open grassy areas) around the resorts, which was disappointing as we were expecting others including Bath White and African Migrant. We found lots of Small Whites and one Canary Speckled Wood at a small botanical garden near Adeje but the only good butterfly watching was along the Erjos track with Canarian Red Admiral and Speckled Wood, as well as Small Copper. Several Painted Ladies were seen around and about but none stopped for any length of time.
Dragonflies
Orchids
We went with little information on local orchids available unfortunately apart from knowing they are in the Sanatiago/Masca area. We did find Gennaria diphylla in full flower (such as it is) along the Erjos track perhaps 500m after the pigeon site.
Other stuff
One prominent feature of the fauna were lizards and we saw at least two species, Canary Lined Lizard and Tenerife Spotted Lizard, the latter at Erjos. We also heard Tree Frog at Erjos Ponds
Sites
Apart from those mentioned we did want to walk the Barranco del Infierno track for Barbary Falcon and Partridge plus dragonflies and butterflies. Unfortunately it was closed for track refurbishment and may not open any time soon because of the recent floods
We visited Tenerife from 12th-26th February 2010 mostly to get some winter sun but also to try and see several birds which we had not tried for on an earlier visit and to see and photograph as many endemic butterflies and dragonflies as we could. Unfortunately, perhaps owing to the wet winter and the torrential rain on at least one day of our first week, insects were hard to find but we did manage a few.
We stayed between Costa Adeje and La Caleta which is a lot quieter area than Los Christianos/Playa de las Americas just down the road, but has the same parking problems, i.e few hotels have dedicated parking, which meant in practice once we had left the hotel we couldn’t return till at least 4.00pm when some staff left. Not a problem in good weather but difficult when it closes in.
Birds
Common birds around the resorts were Yellow-legged Gull ssp atlantis Spanish Sparrow, Collared/African Collared Dove and lots of Chiffs.
We saw both pigeons at Erjos by walking 1.4km along the track into the laurel forest to where it turns sharp left. A footpath goes straight on and after about 20m opens out to look over the trees. We visited twice and saw 2 Laurels and 3 Bolles the first time and 2 Bolles the second. Each visit was about midday and we didn’t stay for more than 3/4hr. All pigeons were very close, 50m maximum, though views were brief.
Walking the track also produced Tenerife Robin, Tenerife Goldcrest, tintillon Chaffinches, Canaries, Sardinian Warbler, Buzzard and a newly arrived flock of Plain Swifts
Wood Duck with Coot
Our first visit to Las Lajas picnic site was in wet cold weather but we still managed Canaries, African Blue Tit and Great Spotted Woodpecker. We had to wait for a second visit in slightly better conditions to see Blue Chaffinch but we then saw 7 males and a female, at least two of the males sporting shiny metal rings on their right legs.
Other than the above Berthelots Pipit is still a relatively common bird in open country, we saw 2 Barbary Partridges randomly crossing the road and Canary Island Chiffs were common, calling and singing. On at least one occasion we heard what may have been Iberian Chiff singing and several birds seen and heard calling looked to be from northern European populations.
Berthelots Pipit and
Canary Island Chiff
We only saw Southern Grey Shrike, Hoopoe and Spectacled Warbler on some rough hillside near Adeje, though they are likely to be easier later in the season
We also believe that both Collared and African Collared Doves are meant to occur but they take some sorting out and we wondered if they were hybridising anyway. We also saw long tailed, dark faced parrots especially at the Las Americanas Golf course (good for Moorhen and Little Egret) which may have been Monk Parakeets.
Butterflies
Generally scarce when we were there, we only saw Monarch (scarce) and African Grass Blue (common on open grassy areas) around the resorts, which was disappointing as we were expecting others including Bath White and African Migrant. We found lots of Small Whites and one Canary Speckled Wood at a small botanical garden near Adeje but the only good butterfly watching was along the Erjos track with Canarian Red Admiral and Speckled Wood, as well as Small Copper. Several Painted Ladies were seen around and about but none stopped for any length of time.
Monarch, African Grass Blue, Canarian Red Admiral and Canarian Speckled Wood
Dragonflies
Scarlet Darter male
Scarlet Darters were found in small numbers in dry coastal habitat and there were several Emperors seen, mostly at Erjos Ponds where egg-laying was noted. The only (perhaps) endemic seen was Atlantic Darter with several along the Erjos track, mostly by the stream but also at the pigeon site.
Atlantic Darter
Orchids
We went with little information on local orchids available unfortunately apart from knowing they are in the Sanatiago/Masca area. We did find Gennaria diphylla in full flower (such as it is) along the Erjos track perhaps 500m after the pigeon site.
Gennaria diphylla
Other stuff
One prominent feature of the fauna were lizards and we saw at least two species, Canary Lined Lizard and Tenerife Spotted Lizard, the latter at Erjos. We also heard Tree Frog at Erjos Ponds
Sites
Apart from those mentioned we did want to walk the Barranco del Infierno track for Barbary Falcon and Partridge plus dragonflies and butterflies. Unfortunately it was closed for track refurbishment and may not open any time soon because of the recent floods
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