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

Bit of Mothing

Along with Rob and Nigel, I took a trip out to Buxto Heath last night for a spot of mothing. Unfortunately the generator packed up at prior to the midnight hour so we had to come to a premature halt to the proceedings. We did manage a handful of species prior to this though which included some new ones for me.
Brown Silver-line 4
Bright-line Brown-eye 1
Elephant HM 1
Double-striped Pug 1
True Lovers Knot 6
Scarce Footman 1
Broom Moth 1
Striped Wainscot 4
Four-dotted Footman 1

Another new sighting for me was my first ever Glow worm-Magic!

Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet Felbrigg mid week


Four-dotted Footman


True Lovers Knot


Striped Wainscot

Some raptors, at last!

A lunch time walk up the track today proved very fruitful, compared with the rest of the spring. With the wind swinging from south through to NW, I wondered if that had any bearing on the 3 Marsh Harrier, 1 Red Kite, 1 Common Buzzard and single Hobby all moving west? As usual I was left contemplating on how, all over the rest of the country Honey Buzzards are seen with increasing regularity, but here I have yet to have a single spring record? I have a suspicion that they may not be quite so widespread, a view which was further enhanced by a photo on a well known birding website which clearly shows a Common Buzzard but has been posted as a Honey!

Thursday

Couple of good birds seen durig the course of work today, infact a couple of my all time favorites. First was a moulting Red Kite, seen from my office drifting over the east side of Aylsham at 0830, the second sighting in as many weeks. Later on I stopped at a high point looking over the Norfolk countryside for my lunch break just as a second summer Mediterranean Gull flew through. Back home, a walk up the track late afternoon produced good numbers of wheeling Swifts and hirundines (Swallows and House Martins) and continuing numbers of Painted Lady Butterflies.

House Martins

Painted Lady

Bank Holiday Weekend

Despite several hours of observation from Friday through to Sunday, I was unable to muster too much of interest here in Aylmerton. The notable sightings included up to 4 Common Buzzard throughout, 2 Hobby west on 22nd, a Yellow Wagtail holding territory to the west, and a pair of Turtle Dove south of village on two occasions. Even more notable was the sighting of a Fulmar on the 22nd heading inland and again today flying east over the ridge, not unprecedented but still a good record. Also notable today was the constant stream of Painted Lady butterflies heading west over the fields.

Ring Ouzel

A look down at West Ruton before work this morning resulted in single a Wheatear, a Hobby flying east along the cliff top, ad a fresh in Ring Ouzel that lingered briefly before moving west.

Ring Ouzel