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September 2008
Sunday 21st September
Just a quick look round Sparham Pools this morning, before heading off to Malawi for 3 weeks. Not much there: 9 Siskins and a Nuthatch the best.
Saturday 20th September
Swanton Morley produced a few overhead migrants this morning including a couple of Siskins, a flock of 9 Wigeon (flying around for ages but never quite dropped in) and a few Meadow Pipits. Still at least 1 Reed Warbler singing and loads of Chiffchaffs in full voice like they thought it was spring.
Not sure if I'll have time to update this tomorrow or not - if not then this will be the last update for about 3 weeks or so.
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Wigeon (left) and Green Woodpecker (right), Swanton Morley, 20th September 2008
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Hybrid Mallard x Egyptian Goose (left) and hybrid Greylag Goose x Canada Goose, with Canada Goose (right), Swanton Morley, 20th September 2008
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Egyptian Geese, Swanton Morley, 20th September 2008
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unidentified moth, Bawdeswell, 20th September 2008 - please let me know if you know what this is. |
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Friday 10th September
Lunch at Thornham again, though a different spot. A Redstart was the highlight - well, actually I think it was the only bird I saw! Pretty sure the thing carrying a mouse or something across the road at Titchwell was a Weasel, though concentrating on the front end to see what it was carrying I failed to see the diagnostic tail pattern. I see Stoats quite often but not many Weasels.
Redstart, Thornham, 19th September 2008 |
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Thursday 18th September
Still at least 1 Pied Flycatcher at Thornham at lunchtime.
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Long-tailed Tit, Thornham, 18th September 2008 |
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Wednesday 17th September
I don't often see them away from the semi-tame herds at parks like Holkham but a Fallow Deer crossed the road in front of me at Syderstone at lunch time. A Kingfisher and at least 3 Snipe were at Coxford.
Monday 15th September
Had just a few minutes to look for migrants at lunch time today and found a Pied Flycatcher or two at Thornham. Didn't bother rushing off to Waxham after work to see the reported probable Semi-collared Flycatcher, which was probably a good decision. At least the Pied Fly I saw had pale tips to the median coverts on both wings... Still, it's a first for Britain ready for the taking if you've got enough imagination.
Some nice moths tonight including what I think is a Flounced Rustic, my first.
Sunday 14th September
Drew a complete blank at Sparham Pools this afternoon - should have gone to my coastal patch where I would have drowned in Redstarts.
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Wren, Sparham Pools, 14th September 2008 |
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Saturday 13th September
Swanton Morley produced some enjoyable birding this morning. First highlight was a juvenile Hobby providing the best and most prolonged views I've ever had of this species. For over an hour I watched it sitting in a dead tree and making regular forays over the adjacent lake, picking up dragonflies and returning to the tree to eat them. Just before I left it to the dragonflies a second Hobby joined it in the sky.
Meanwhile birders at the coast were busy logging an extraordinary influx of Honey-Buzzards and with the pager barely going a minute without bringing news of another one I started to think I was the only birder in Norfolk who hadn't seen one. At that point I looked up to see a flock of Rooks mobbing a large raptor which, sure enough, turned out to be a Honey-Buzzard. It seemed to be heading straight through but three minutes later I picked up a Honey-Buzzard once again, also seemingly heading straight through and in the same direction. Pretty sure it was a second bird, but I can't be 100% certain of that.
Other bits and pieces included a Common Sandpiper, 2 Wigeon, a Shoveler, 3 Teal and for those of you who like placcy wildfowl, the Wood Duck, Blue-winged Goose and hybrid Mallard x Egyptian Goose still present.
Fortunately I resisted the temptation to rush down to Kent to see the Fan-tailed Warbler (it disappeared before I would have got there). I may well see a few in a couple of weeks anyway, though I shall be more interested in the other 15 or so species of Cisticola if I can find (and identify) them...
Thursday 11th September
For the first time since I've been watching the gull flock at Houghton recently, there were as many adult or near-adult Herring Gulls as Yellow-legged Gulls, but there were 2 Yellow-legged Gulls still.
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Yellow-legged Gull, Houghton, 11th September 2008 |
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Tuesday 9th September
Most of the gulls at Houghton were distant so I wasn't able to positively identify any Yellow-legged Gulls, although there were up to 5 candidates. An adult Mediterranean Gull on the other hand was easy enough even at a distance.
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Square-spot Rustic, Bawdeswell, 9th September 2008 - at least I think that's what it is, but it was distinctly smaller than two others present |
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Monday 8th September
No pics worth sharing but at least 1 and probably 4 Yellow-legged Gulls at Houghton today. Moths this evening included an Engrailed.
Sunday 7th September
Highlight of a wander round Sparham Pools this morning was a Hobby perched in the open.
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Reed Bunting (left) and Hobby (right), Sparham Pools, 7th September 2008
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female Red-eyed Damsefly (?), Sparham Pools, 7th September 2008
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Lesser Yellow Underwing, Bawdeswell, 7th September 2008 |
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Saturday 6th September
A good morning's local birding. A first-winter Mediterranean Gull flew over - I nearly overlooked it as Common Gull as it wasn't a particularly well-marked one, but a clean white underwing and clear grey greater-covert panel were clearly visible. Not a species I never expected to see round here, but my first in the 5 km circle nonetheless. Another personal first for Swanton Morley was a Spotted Flycatcher. This was my first of the year, a sign of how scarce they've become now.
Most of the summering warblers have departed now - still lots of Chiffchaffs amongst the tit flocks but apart from that just 1 Blackcap. A resident Cetti's Warbler is still singing though. Other signs that winter is approaching came in the form of a Wigeon on Curly's Lake and 7 Golden Plovers flying over. In the same area as last week there were still at least 4 Buzzards.
Nearby a quick stop at Bylaugh produced Little Owl and 2 Greylag x Canada Goose hybrids. A Grey Wagtail was in the puddle in the road at Sparham Hole and then I returned to Bylaugh to check the gulls at the pig farm, producing a very satisfying 4 Yellow-legged Gulls.
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Great Crested Grebe (left) and Red Fox (right), Swanton Morley, 6th September 2008
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Mediterranean Gull, Swanton Morley, 6th September 2008 - not the most convincing photos perhaps!
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House Martins, Swanton Morley, 6th September 2008 - note the dusky breast band on the left hand one
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Yellow-legged Gull, Bylaugh, 6th September 2008
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Yellow-legged Gulls, Bylaugh, 6th September 2008 - at least I think that's what they are: let me know what you think
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Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Bylaugh, 6th September 2008
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Gulls sp. (left) and Crow sp. (right), Bylaugh, 6th September 2008 - not certain what the gull is; the crow was among Rooks so most likely to be juvenile Rook, however I'm not convinced. What do you think?
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Setaceous Hebrew Character, Bawdeswell, 6th September 2008 |
Kingfisher, Swanton Morley, 6th September 2008 - something I can identify at last! |
Friday 5th September
Hardly any gulls at Houghton at lunchtime today.
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Square-spot Rustic, Bawdeswell, 5th September 2008 |
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Thursday 4th September
Not so many gulls at Houghton again but at least a couple of Yellow-legged Gulls.
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Yellow-legged Gull (3rd winter?) (upper two & bottom left) and juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull (bottom right), Houghton, 4th September 2008 |
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Wednesday 3rd September
Lots of gulls at Houghton again today and no shortage of Yellow-legged Gulls amongst them. Difficult to be sure how many as they kept moving around but at least 5 and very likely several more. I'm getting a bit more confident with the ID now, now I realise that there really are more Yellow-legged Gulls than Herring Gulls here.
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Yellow-legged Gulls, Houghton, 3rd September 2008 |
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Tuesday 2nd September
I think this one's a Lesser Yellow Underwing but didn't see it's underwing so might be something completely different. Please get in touch if you can confirm/correct.
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Lesser Yellow Underwing, I think, Bawdeswell, 2nd September 2008 |
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Monday 1st September
A couple of nice moths in tonight: an Angle Shades and my second ever Light Emerald.
Update: the tatty thing I couldn't identify at first is a Mouse Moth, my first.
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Light Emerald (left) and Mouse Moth (right), Bawdeswell, 1st September 2008
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Next month: October 2008
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2007: Jan ; Feb ; Mar ; Apr ; May ; Jun ; Jul ; Aug ; Sep ; Oct ; Nov ; Dec ; |
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