Semaphore

We stumbled across this Curlew the other week. Flagged and numbered I suspect he was ringed and tagged on the Wash but I’ve not yet received information back from the ringer.

 

Skitty Coot

Wherever you go in the UK you will have a high chance of seeing a Moorhen. Even on the smallest pond, the shallowest ditch or the narrowest flowerbed; the Skitty Coot will be there. This young one was strutting his stuff outside the centre hides at Cley the other day.

Flity

There have been a few sightings in coastal locations of Broad Bordered Bee Hawkmoth this year. We encountered this individual on tour the other week and although a bit ‘flity’ he did hang around long enough for us to photograph him. Wonderful little beasts.

 

Norfolk Wing

This year’s ‘Norfolk Wing’ the online magazine from Wildlife Tours & Education is now available here

Garden Tick

A glance at the wind indicator told me I should be looking out of the window as I ate my toast on Wednesday morning. The Sycamores weren’t alive with birds but there was a bird flitting among the leaves that I presumed was a Pied Fly and a Wheatear was balancing on the fence. I needed to get outside and take a closer look.

The Pied Flycatcher, or whatever it was, never did show again and the Wheatear moved quickly on. However, a Phylloscopus warbler that momentarily hovered in a little enclave among the Elms held my attention. It was bright. It was very bright. Only after another 30 minutes did it show briefly again and give its identity away. The sparkling white underparts, the lemon tart throat and that supercillium told me I had a new garden tick. Wood Warbler.

First Flight

We watched as a dragonfly lava climbed from the pond up to  the underside of a lily pad leaf. It split it’s case and a pale ghost of a dragonfly hung out … dangling down to the water. After half an hour in one swift movement it escaped its prison and hung correct way up; wings crumpled. Over the next half hour the wings expanded and dried moving from vertical to horizontal. The emerged insect now quivered in the heat of the day and suddenly took flight.

Shouting Loudly

It was hard to ignore this Cetti’s Warbler it was very shouty! Despite that it was also very stealthy as it popped up here, and then there, without even showing us how it got between the two!

Darting

Dartford Warblers appear to have had a decent winter. Good numbers on the heath. This male flitted past us the other week but was gone before I could get a decent shot.

Retreating with the tide

Red necked Grebes in Norfolk are normally seen at some range as they bob about on distant waves. This one came in close last week. It patrolled up and down in the harbour as it made shallow dives for fish. As the tide receded so did the bird; gradually making its way towards the harbour mouth.

 

Amid a cauldron of Mountains

Driving down to the south of Mull on our second tour to the western Isle this spring the mist was hanging over the peaks. The mountains surrounded us. We were driving through a cauldron of rock and scree that rose imposingly from the undulating valley bottom. It was just after the second time of asking my guests to keep an eye open for raptors that the shout went up.

I pulled in and immediately saw two large birds of prey. It didn’t take long to put a label on them as our second and third Golden Eagles of the trip. We were delighted when one bird started to sky dive and display to the other. Impressive birds these; the kings of raptors. We spent a good ten minutes watching the birds before the rosettes of Common Butterwort that surrounded us took our attention and the birds disappeared behind distant crags.