20140823 NWT Holme Dunes Res Guide

Seawatch from 1000 for half hour, tide about 6m ealier in morning and still well up beach. Wader movement therefore close in but thought to be local rather than passage. Gary advises 2 hours after dawn for migration observations.
Frequent visitors to North Norfolk on the walk this morning, microlite pilot and beekeeper included. Fiona came along with the scope. Light when viewing from the hides at this time of day is real bad.

Merry band of wildlife watchers outside The Firs VC. Note 3 budding naturalists with bins and bug bag.
Moth trap investigated latter in afternoon.

Injured and now resident Pink-foot. Associates with Greylag flock.

Common Darter. Female performed well in small glade at West end of the pines.
Note pale stripes down legs.
Large male blue and green hawkers flying here along with 3 species of butterfly.

Speckled Wood. Male, females have larger white patches.
Shot taken by logs in gully at East end of pines. Excellent sun trap.

Snipe atempting to be a Godwit.
Discussion of bill and leg length in waders followed.

Far hide is new and as large as the first. Photo opertunities good from here.

Red-crested Pochard. Immature bird from the Titchwell flock turned up today.

20140821 Tropicbird and Carl Ziess Compertition

Ask to submit 4 images of Red-billed Tropicbird to Peter Kennerly assistant editor of BB for this instructive shots of a rarity compertition.
Images to be published in the august issue, see below. Seems to be no prizes for second place??... Or payment for images as ever. If it wasn't for a bloody Asension Frigatebird...

2 of the 4 submitted images published in BB for this Compertition.

19820716 Bittern at Cley notes

Search back through notes for Bittern records at Cley for Carl.

20140809 NWT Holme Dunes Res Guide. Clouded Yellow.

Quick morning zoom around the reserve with advise from Garry who was his way to the tractor.
Guided walk for rest of the morning with Kate who has a static caravan in Holme-next-the-Sea and is a NWT member. We are both ex-NHS people....
As luck would have it we were able to locate all the species seen earlier in the morning, including the Clouded Yellow in the dunes.
In the afternoon Kelvin sends me round to touch base with NOA warden Sophie. Great chat about the set up of the obs and reserves and was given a 2013 NOA report to gen up with.
Late afternoon Fiona (of Scillies fame) finds the pupa of Small Tortoiseshell in the first hide.

Greenshank. Adult in summer plumage. Ideal close wader shot example from the Holme hides.

Clouded Yellow. Seen again in the dunes late morning. Note chunk missing from near hindwing.

Common Scoter. Female on beach performing wing flap and head dip even when standing.

Wall. Male as dark band of sent scales on forewing.
Wall on the wall of the bunker.

Wall. Female, lacks dark band on forewing.

Common Darter. Male on path to hides.

Common Blue. Male in dunes area of the white trail.

Samll Heath. ID from books back at base.

Small Tortoishell chrysalis (pupa) in the first hide.

20140802 NWT Holme Dunes Vol day

Female Sparrowhawk hunting around Braodwater all day making small and medium sized waders very nervous.

Female Wall butterfly. Underside of hindwing.
Female slightly larger and paler than males several of which were active along path to hides.
Species favours coastal habitats

Common Scoter. West past Gore Point.
4 birds close in far to West of Gore point, 3 Commons but one shows head shape of Velvet in shots...
Should have walked along to them rather than planned walk around to the Thornham Channel.
Very early autumn occurance if it is.

20140801 NWT Cley vol day. Banded Demoiselle.

Banded Demoiselle. Male by Catchwater Drain.

Banded Demoiselle. Female.

Lesser Whitethroat. 1 imm Walsey Hills on return from Purple Heron search overlooking Popes Marsh.

20140731 Caspian Gull & Yellow-legged Gull

Caspian Gull. Adult standing behind Yellow-legged Gull. Smaller head obvious from all angles.
Dagger shaped slender bill, compare depth  and red spot size to Yellow-legged.

Caspian Gull. Long tongues on P9 and P10.

Caspian Gull. Classic stance. Note flesh coloured long legs.
Mantle and upperparts tone is hardly a notch different.

Caspian Gull. Faint streaking on crown showing so bird in winter plumage.

Caspian Gull. Note inner primary and wing covert moult. Tongue on P10 mirror on P9.
Thin and long winged jizz in flight.

Caspian Gull. Adult in pre-roost on the evening of the 5th August.
Unlike previous adult this bird has yellow legs. The faint crown streaks can be seen in this shot.

Add caption