Wednesday 30 August 2017

Update

Its been a couple of weeks since my last update but then its still been fairly quiet. so heres an overview of whats been happening on the patch. Hobby has been seen almost everyday and usually 2 . The first Wheatears have started passing again and a nice Whinchat was at COSW.
Swift numbers have reduced dramatically with a flock of 40 being the highest count and now almost all gone.A Yellow Wagtail on a few days where as last year they had bred not this year. Best bird of the year a Kingfisher at the NSW pond. 1st Summer Little Gull was a great bird and showed well too. Pity i didn't have me camera and scope. Some movement in off the Sea with 3 Grey heron. Common Sandpiper have also started passing with at least one on the Sea Groyne daily.
Kingfisher was the bird of the year but now topped with a Distant Osprey (Patch Tick) heading south towards the Blyth Estuary (possibly) where its now taken up residency for a bit.
Over the Garden a little bit of Wader movement, Dunlin and Common Snipe.
Had a little time away from the patch with this nice Juvenile Dotterel at Covehithe.







So i think thats about it, i was hoping this rain today would bring in some goodies but i hardly saw a bird.

Sunday 13 August 2017

Local Terns and Cley!

Monday spent an hour after work then the Dentist down at North Denes Digiscoping the Common Terns.














A distant Juv Little Gull put in an appearance too.



Patching again was quiet and only managed Little Terns, Common Scoters, Teal, Common Whitethroat and a couple of Hobbys. A Greenshank was the best bird of the week as it flew over CNSW.

Yesterday after visiting the patch we had a trip over to Norfolk, Didnt do a lot of birding except to walk down East Bank at Cley. Just a Juvvie Spoonbill and a few Black-tailed Godwits to show for it.








It was getting late but heard about a Glossy Ibis behind Salthouse pond so had a look at that.






Finished  off at Cley reserve looking onto the scrape from the visitor center. Everything kept spooking but i did pick out an Adult Yellow Legged Gull.


On the way home double owl night with Barn Owl and then back on patch a Tawny Owl.

Today again the patch was quiet except this tennis loving Lesser Black Backed Gull. So more Digiscoping flight practice.








Sunday 6 August 2017

Patching and Baird's Sand Twitch

During the week a few a Cuckoo was a nice surprise, Hobby hunting Swifts and then Sand Martins. 5 Crossbill calling as they flew over the Garden. 3 Tree Creeper, Little Tern and Sandwich tern, Common Terns and Med Gulls on the sea Otherwise that was it. So This weekend i took to Butterflies and spotted the Purple Hairstreak in the top of one of the Oaks.


 This Painted Lady gave me a good opportunity to digiscope it.





I then spotted this Brown Argus a new species for the patch for me anyway, not sure of any other previous records by others.


 
 Finally the Common Blues were photograph-able but not the Holly Blues.



Dragonflies were numerous and these Migrant Hawkers and Common Darter showed nicely.



Finally this Xanthogramma pedissequum gave me some Digiscoping practice.




A Baird's Sandpiper turned up at Potter Heigham Marsh's so i went and had a look at that. Unfortunately i couldn't get any decent pics as i was too short to see over the reeds. 



The Cattle Egret was still about a Hobby and Sparrowhawk made a couple of appearances and a Green Sand, Black Winged Stilts Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper and Dunlin were the only other notable Waders


That was yesterday today nothing on patch of note but spend the day in the garden and noticed a cracking Red Eyed Damselfly on the pond. This evening we had a walk along the river at St Olives and saw Kingfisher and Water Rail.