New Moth

Ran the trap last night, and along with the usual suspects including Dunbar, Ruby Tiger and Scalloped Oak was my first ever Oak Eggar, an absolute cracker of a beast! I also had time to have a look at the micro's today, which made a change! A look at the weeds around the pond found several skipper butterflies, with Essex Skippers out numbering Small Skippers.

Oak Eggar


Gypsonoma dealbana


Agriphila tristella


Essex Skipper



Skylark

Cley

Took a trip up to Cley today for a change of scenery to look at some waders. It was a bright, warm morning with a light westerly, no major rares (least of all the Great-spotted Cuckoo from Salthouse!) but it was nice to do a bit of birding. Had a bit of a scare after sitting for half an hour looking out over Arnolds Marsh, walking back to my car only to receive a message on the pager "Pec Sand....Arnolds Marsh!! No way!!! Scuttling back rather peeved at myself, all was fine as the only bird looking anything near a Pec Sand where it just been watched was a juvenile Dunlin! (Although someone did claim a distant Redshank to be the bird as well!

Curlew and Whimbrel "in-off"


Shoveler



Black-tailed Godwit


Spoonbills-up to 14 have been at Cley over the summer, which I think is the biggest flock seen in Norfolk





The ones with black primary tips are immatures.

Crossbills

The summer lull in birding, combined with some more pressing issues at the moment have resulted in very little observations. However today whilst taking a break in the garden, a flock of 7 Crossbills passed overhead, calling away. The rough grass behind the garden has been cut from its very long state and paid immediate dividens in the return of the Barn Owl.

Six-belted Clearwing

A visit to the North Norfolk coast mid week enabled me the opportunity to visit a site where a species of probably the strangest family of moths, the Clearwings, had been found in recent years. The Six-belted Clearwing hadn't been seen in Norfolk since 1823 but was refound back in the summer of 2007. These amazing creatures look like a cross between a tiny wasp and a hoverfly, and only resemble a moth when seen up close, fantastic!!

Six-belted Clearwing