First half of September brings new additions.

Just over half way through September and it has been very quiet around Trimingham, but not without adding a couple of new patch ticks. At the very end of August I managed to connect with a Juv' Arctic Tern, feeding along the front for some time with a Juv' Common Tern.

Sea watching was slow going but I was starting to notice Common Scoter and groups of Teal and Wigeon moving West at the start of the month. Sandwich Terns moved through in good numbers, and my first new patch bird was a Arctic Skua, there were plenty of reports of Arctic and Great Skuas along the coastline but none had been seen by myself off of Trimingham so it was good to get one of them. In the first week of Sept' I had Red Throated Diver on the sea, a sign of them returning for the not too far off winter! I also watched Harbour Porpoises feeding. There were still numerous House Martins around with numbers passing along the coast with Swallows, but a single Sand Martin had been the first in a couple of weeks, unfortunately the last Swifts seen were on the 26th Aug'. During the last week I had seen a few more birds moving through, Blackcaps were scattered along the clifftop scrub, a Med Gull was on the front, and on the 14th I had the second new patch addition...a pair of Whinchat! I knew there had been Whinchat just along the coast at Cromer but I had not been able to connect with any moving through here, so it was a great addition and a shame I didn't have the camera with me!

The next morning on our dog walk we found a Wheatear, sat up in a ploughed field and the only one seen this autumn so far. 

And over the last few days the returning sound and sight of the Pink Footed Geese, over 200 every morning and watched from the bedroom window whilst still in bed! 

 A great find by my neighbour John was this Convolvulus Hawkmoth which he found when clearing stuff in his garden, Sarah and I had seen these on quite a few evenings recently but as always when the light goes on as we step out of the house, they fly off, so to see one in the hand was a real bonus and definitely one that will be painted. 

 The Convolvulus has such large eyes, and when I first saw one in the garden it looked like a bat flying around it was so large! 

 And finally here is some of my latest artwork, I have been using wood as my medium to paint on which is really different and cool to use.

Birds on the move as August nears an end.

Mid month saw a lot of Swifts and swallows moving off, 23 were counted on the morning of the 19th as Sarah and I sat on the clifftop bench with the dogs for a spell of around 20 minutes. A few Common Terns were seen heading east, which were my first here since moving to Trimingham! Chiffchaffs were seen in a few locations as were a few Hobbies, Whimbrel were passing over in numbers, giving themselves away by their call as they approached. On the 21st I found a Pied Flycatcher (possibly 2 birds) along the stretch of trees behind our house, later adding it to the garden list also...result.

A couple of Golden Plover were seen, won't be long before they are gathering in the clifftop fields again! I was informed about a Merlin taking a Swift just along the coast off Vale Road, the next morning Sarah and I saw, probably the same small falcon, fly over the playing field whilst on our morning dog walk and head inland. Whimbrel were almost daily now and I counted a flock of 20 head out to sea. With more birds now being reported I am hoping to add a Skua to the patch list, fingers crossed, along with a scarcer passerine.

During the middle part of the month Sarah and I had a tour of June and Patrick's garden along the coast from us, the amount of Common Blue butterflies and invite to return when I wanted, was enough for me to grab the camera and pay a visit. I recorded a few species in their garden along with some other insects/bugs and I will have to return next year for the Bee Orchids for sure.

Here's a selection of some photos taken:

 Gatekeeper

 Small Copper

 Common Blues >

Insect/bug wise I found these species:

 Field Grasshoppers

 Dock Bug Adult and Nymph

 Long Winged Conehead (top & bottom)

And one of the last things to see was this Yellow Shell moth which was disturbed from a bush, which reminds me of the great success the tobacco plants have had in our garden by bringing in Convolvulus Hawkmoths on a few evenings now.

Busy Busy Painting ! With a few Moths thrown in !

Copper Underwing

 Well it's been busy busy busy!! I have been able to get the moth light out a couple of times recently, the wind seems to pick up along the coast here at night recently and so I have not put it out as much as I would of liked, still I was able to add a few new species each time, and thanks to Dave from Overstrand, on the 14th August the tobacco plants he gifted us did their job and attracted in my very first Convolvulus Hawkmoth.

 Straw Underwing

 Small Pheonix

 Magpie

 Tree-Lichen Beauty

This Tree-lichen Beauty was another great addition and lifer, a lot of these were reported around Norfolk at the same time. The birding has been quiet but there is stuff now moving around, a juv Cuckoo was a nice addition to the patch list and probably the same bird seen a few days later around the same area. A surprise sight was a Chinese water deer feeding in a Barley field whilst walking the dogs one morning, a Willow Warbler was a nice addition to the garden, it seemed to be moving with a large flock of Chaffinch that had been downed by a lot of rain. I saw my first Common Terns for the patch, a adult and juv heading east along the front, Chiffchaffs were moving through a few days ago, and 5 Reed Buntings were found when walking the dogs along the clifftop path towards Sidestrand. The Swifts had all but cleared off except for a single one a couple of days ago, but this morning (19th Aug) we counted 23 fly past us whilst sitting on the clifftop bench.

 Square-spotted Clay

The artwork has been continuous and all on wood, some pieces for Cley Spy and some for Sarah's upcoming craft fair in Mundesley. A change of subject got me started on painting moths on the wooden pieces, great fun and plenty more to follow. But my favourite piece was the one of a Bittern, painted on a lovely piece of wood with bark edging, which really set off the work. Looking forward to the next ones, especially after obtaining some very nice cherry wood and bark edged sheets.

 Swallows

 Long-tailed tits

 Lime Hawkmoth

 Elephant Hawkmoth

 Grey Dagger

Burnished Brass

Barn Owl & Sanderling

 Bittern

 Hare

Wooden Birds ! and more Moths.

These are new wooden art pieces that Sarah and I worked on for Cley Spy. It is an enjoyable change to painting on paper and I want to create some moth pieces shortly which I can't wait to start.

The Mothing has been very good lately and I am adding some lovely species to the new garden list, and a few lifers mixed in.

 Clouded Magpie

 Coronet

Rosy Footman

And one from a few nights ago, 3 Lesser Broad-bordered Yellow Underwings which one looked like a Langmaid's Yellow Underwing, but unfortunately was not convincing enough to have it accepted, the searching continues.

New Art and Moths.

It's been a quiet time around Trimingham bird wise, there are plenty of young birds around and it is nice to hear the Swifts screaming overhead again. One day when passing through Cromer we saw the Pied Crow that was present, I nearly got a nice record pic as it flew and landed near our car, I pulled focus on my zoom camera.........just as 2 blue rinse old girl birders drove straight toward it stopping just feet away before hanging out the window with a camera to get a shot of it flying away!!! many thanks for that old dears!

 The closest thing to birds at home has been helping Sarah for her craft fair (been and gone) once Sarah had prepped the wood it was down to me with the painting, and they have come out really well, there will definitely be more designs on the way.

I have been getting the moth trap out on a few occasions, adding new species to the garden list and indeed some new species for me also. 

 This Small Angle Shades (above) and Scalloped Hazel (below) were both new species for me.

 This Shears was found on our car one morning! 

Iron Prominent 

 This Lobster Moth(above) was a welcome addition to the garden list and I believe only the second one I've seen. 

 Foxglove Pug (above) another new species. The Burnished Brass is always a welcome addition in the trap. So the list is slowly increasing and with the warm weather due to stay the trap will be getting out more often.