Blogging

Blimey i didn't realise it had been so long since my last blog. I'm going to have to summerise as i will just bore you all with dates and the same old same old.

Staring with the Little Owl i managed to spot at the end of the road as i traveled to work, showed great but i did only have my phone to take any pictures. I have since found a 2nd bird that shows well on a daily basis but i must learn to be ready to take a pic, it fly's as soon as it see me.

On Hollesley Common Nightjar were brilliant at night, on patch and unbelievably exciting, but not as exciting as hearing them from the Garden, yes that's right i can hear Nightjar from the Garden.
Common Redstart showed nicely on the common too.

Avocets have formed a daily part of my watches at Hollesley but unfortunately the Crows, Kestrels and Gulls have had them all, including the Redshank young and Lapwings chicks. Just 1 Oystercatcher left. Boyton has fared much better and an evening down there gave me the opportunity for some atmospheric digiscoped shots.

A Badger was wandering the scrape earlier in the evening. Turtle dove still about another great species for the site.

Dragonfly's took center stage for a while when i found Large Red Eyed Damselfly, i though these were rare but i've now had them on both my new and old patch's.
Common Blue Damselfly, Four spot chasers, Hairy Dragonfly and Broad bodied chasers too. in that order on the pics.

Back on Hollesley scrape the Common Terns returned to breed and failed. Spoonbill have been daily with up to 7 Birds. Cuckoo up to 3 again daily.

Redshank posing 

Back on the Common Dartfords showed distantly and a couple of Hobby took up residence for a while

Digi-scoping the dogs took over some days as it was really quiet.

Hares have been pretty hard to capture until lately, seems more content with chasing each other around.

Wheatear in mid May was a nice surprise.

A great find in the garden was this Hydrophilus piceus Great Silver Water Beetle first in my 10km square for many many years.

Then in the moth trap this Dytiscus marginalis Great Diving Beetle, which is actually smaller

Its been the month for a good variety of Hawkmoths and a Cream Spot tiger.

Spider Pisaura mirabilis

Another Spider Salticus scenicus

Panorpa communis Scorpion Fly 

Think that is about the highlights for this month. Need to find the real goodies, theirs plenty showing up i just cant find em here yet...

28th April to 03rd May

Managed to capture 5 Different badgers to the Garden Camera Trap. Fox, Field Mouse, Hedgehog and the odd Fallow Deer Still. Pic from Hollesley Common.

April 28th
Cuckoo and a Colour Ringed Spoonbill still on Hollesley Flash.
28-11-2017 Santarem, Porto Alto, Giganta Bob Loos 38,92N  -8,93E Portugal.

April 29th
3 Spoonbills today all adults including the Coloring one as above. Now spotted a Wader with a long bill head on and sat behind a duck. It had me extremely excited, long bill dumpy had me thinking Long Billed Dowitcher or Stilt Sandpiper,  has to be hasn't it... Duck moved the bird turned side ways and it turned into a Greenshank DOH!!!!!!

April 30th
Little disappointed as the site was very quiet and the only thing to save the day was 3 Little Tern off shore. Almost drew a blank.

1st May
Great Morning out for waders making up for the disappointment of last night.  3 Wood Sandpiper 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Common Sandpiper and a Ruff were all together on Winter Flood. On the main scrape 15 Swift, Swallows and Sand martins in good numbers. 15 Commic tern out to sea probably Common Tern. A Red kite flew South. The Cuckoo was still in the area calling and made a pass over the reserve. My Highest count of 112 Avocet. with a few color ringed birds.

May 2nd
Hollesley 2 Sandwich Tern feeding in the river mouth, no heat haze so i could ID these two. 11 Common Buzzard seemed to come in off the sea, 7 together with individuals up n down the coast. The Cuckoo was the best of rest. Sky was full of Swifts. Walked to Boyton where i had my patch tick 2 Turtle Doves, Grasshopper Warbler reeling again. 

Sedge Warblers were all over with a few Reed Warblers. Yellow Wagtails and the Black tailed Godwits were looking stunning.

May 3rd
Hollesley Cuckoo still but little else so shot off to Hollelsey Common 2 Dartford Warbler, 4 Common Redstart and many Woodlarks.

God knows what the patch list is now but its well good.

22nd-27th April

22nd April

At Hollesley a good movement of Sand Martins through the site. Whimbrel, Yellow Wagtail and Bar tailed Godwit moving through also.  My First Reed Warbler of the year singing from one of the ditches and a Cuckoo distantly sat on a fence post opposite the river bank.

Back in the garden the Badger is putting in a great performance, Video taken with the phone and the torch mode on, wasn't bothered at all. 

23rd April 

Med Gull numbers are now increasing in the area with a few birds calling as they ventured over the garden for a garden tick.

Back on Hollelsey scrape a cracking Short eared owl was still around, 6 Whimbrel, a new Ruff dropped in and many many Sand Martins with a handful of Swallows had started to feed over the scrape, at least 3 yellow wagtails too.

24th April

The same 1st Summer Spoonbill was back on the scrape, the dirtiness of the bird made it easily distinguishable.

25th April

Walked the long way round to the patch today to see what was directly behind my house. 2 Lesser Whitethroats were a nice surprise along with the half dozen Common Whitethroats too.

Yellow and White Wagtails in the newly ploughed field.

On the main part of the reserve a Cuckoo showed really well as it was calling and eating Brown-tailed moths pity the heat hazed was so bad.

5 Swift were my first of the year. There must have been a fall of Yellow and White Wagtails as these were all over the place. My first Common Sandpiper of the year, a Bar tailed Godwit, 2 Ruff, and several Whimbrel were the pick of the Waders Several more Med gull flew over and seems to be a regular occurrence now. 2 Wheatear probably Greenland.  Many more Whitethroats and 2 more Lesser Whitethroats, Reed warbler again singing from the ditch and probably 3 or 4 Garden Warblers on my circular back to home.

26th April

Back in the garden Yellow, Pied and White Wagtail were seen in the field behind house, could just about make out Yellow Hammer, Lesser and Common Whitethroats singing from the hedge nearby. A few buzzards circling and a couple of Kestrel and Sparrowhawk passes. 4 Shelduck, and a Little Egret over too.

Back on the Marsh a Peregrine made a kill, poor Avocet.  Common Sandpiper was still on there and an Egyptian Goose was new in. Then i spotted a Russian White-fronted Goose either lingering or dropped in recently. 

27th April

Tonight a Dutch ringed Spoonbill dropped in with a 1st Summer bird, Seems its been a regular in the area for the last 3 years. 2 Sandwich Terns were a bonus also. A Willow Warbler was singing from the prison grounds. Little else really of note.

Thats it for now. 

Hollesley 16th-19th April

16th April

Hollesley this evening, 2 Whitethroats including one singing opposite my house on the green, must be fresh in. 2 Ruffwere still on the scrape but little else really. 2 Badgers now and Fox are still coming to the garden feeding station and the addition of some Fallow Deer was a surprise. 

18th April

Hollesley this am. Many Whimbrel over with 3 on deck. Many common migrants including a patch tick Lesser whitethroat, 1 Firecrest, 1 Green Sandpiper, 1 Wheatear. 1 Red throated diver.and  Gadwall, Mallard and Greylag with young. 5 Sand Martins passed through.

Turnstones are regular on the shore now, looking splendid in there summer dress. Swallows are now back too.

Well over 100 Linnet passed over the site in one big group.

19th April

Today a patch tick at Hollesley Upper Common with a nice singing Common Redstart. Firecrest too along side the usual Woodlarks and Dartford Warblers.