20130630 NWT Cley Beach CP Attendant. Stonechat.

Stonechat juv in area of centre hides this morning. Resembles dull female plumage but this bird was very dark also.
No adullts in area of reserve this year?

Goldfinch on nest near centre hides. Very obvious and exposed.

Dark Arches Moth roosting in CP shed. About 3cm long. ID by warden Carl. Abundant everywhere...
Larva feeds on grasses.

20140623 NWT Cley Beach CP attendant day

Avocet pair attempt to escort chick to Eye Field Pool across the beach road but then went onto the Salt Marsh.
Prior to this other chicks have been 'helped' across the road.

Little Gull. 1st summer bird with Gull and Tern feeding flock off CP. Attracted many fisherman in the afternoon.

• Half a hood and lack of grey on nape as in 1st winter.
• Wings as 1st winter but tail band almost lost. Note black in outer tail feather but tail appeared wholly white through bins (and not diamond shaped Matt).

Little Gull 1st summer. Bird flew off East.

Common Tern. 1st or 2nd summer bird. Require more shots of this bird.

Slightly more side on than above.

• Red base to black bill and white forehead indicate immature bird.
• Also off white under-parts rather than pale grey at this time of year.
• Dark trailing edge of primaries diagnostic for Common Tern.
• Once known as portlandica as highlighted by Trevor. Ref: Rob Hume, The Common Tern, page 26.

Shot East from CP, Skelding Hill with lookout station and Beeston Bump beyond Sherringham.

• Spoonbill 14 on reserve late afternoon flew around and down on cricketfield.
• Glossy Ibis 4 seen over Weybourne going West but didn't appear over Cley...

20140620 NWT Cley Volunteer Day. Common Broomrape

Common Broomrape. 4 plants located by Carl near the centre. Parasitic on legumes by means of root tubers. Broomrape family totally lacking in chlorophyll.

Avocet chicks on Arnold's Marsh. One other larger chick seen on the pool.

Little Ringed Plover chick. At least 2 in area but realy difficult to shoot  and bad level of heat haze not helping.

 Med Gull 2ads on North Scrape through the heat haze. Cleaner and brighter Gull than BHG.

20140619 Little Owl

 Bird first located on stone wall for best pose but quickly moved off to telegraph pole and trees. Use of car as hide possible here.

Nice  320 degress head turn but bill difficult to see. 2000mm.

20140616 Spoonbill

1st summer bird landed in front of Teal Hide and actively fed.

 Mainly small fish caught by rapidly swinging bill from side to side.

Hares very close in on the hides this evening. Pip likes this very much.

 20140617 Juvenile begging for food. NWT Cley.

 20140617

20140612 Peregrines Norwich Cathedral

The nesting platform built by The Hawk and Owl Trust, owners of Sculthorpe Reserve. Note shadow of adult on stone work, early morning gets the best light for this shoot.

Adult high up on spire, the bells the bells pose.

One of the 4 juvs. Plumage tones match stone work well.

Practice flaps from one of the 4 turrets below the spire and favoured for feeding.

20140610 Green Sandpiper

20140610 Black-tailed Godwit

20140609 Dartford Warbler, Kelling Heath

20140609 Dartford Warbler

20140609 Dartford Warbler

20241121 Dartford Warbler
Pair on The Heath.
Acrylic on board.

20140609 Common Crossbill 2 juv

3 days after the possible Parrot juvenile. But they look rather sturdy also...

20140606 possible Parrot Crossbill

Possible Parrot Crossbill. Juvenile bird found by Mark Payne and myself on Kelling Heath.
Published in Birdwatch, July 2014 issue.

Image from Mark also in Photo guide to birds of Britain and Europe, Delin & Svensson.

• Note bill on this juv crosses so well advanced? From the books juv bills donot visibly cross and neither do adult Parrots but tip of lower mandible can be seen in this shot. But recent shots of adults show cross at bill tip.
• Overall size and shape is less 'parrot' than the Kelling bird.

Possible Parrot Crossbill.

Common Crossbill juv in pine by the puddle at the same time.

 

•  Evening light on bird. Drinking puddle in shade.
• Note dommmed head shape and small well crossed bill.

20140605 Marsh Harrier

Best shot so far as birds hunting near to Bishop's hide.

AP, ISO 2000, f14, 1/800, 1.4x telecon, 1400mm equiv. Shutter speed could have been a bit higher so manual mode and higer ISO would sort this.

Blondy came in to investigate the same area as above female.
She has extensive areas of creamy-white including a well definded breast band.

Creamy-white underwing coverts and breast band.

20140604 Goldfinch

Ubiquitous Goldfinch at Cley.

20140531 Spoonbill

Adult Spoonbill in full breeding plumage dropped on the Whitwell Scrape late this evening.