Med Gulls get on the Garden List.

MEDITERRANEAN GULLS GATHER IN NUMBERS.

 Over the last few days there have been a few Mediterranean Gulls off the front catching flies/flying ants, and good numbers being reported further down the coast too. Yesterday, Sat 29th Sept, I was able to add them to my garden bird list as a group of them descended over the trees and scrub picking off the insects in flight. They continued to loop round and complete another run before drifting inland or along the coast, this carried on for some time and also paralleled another large movement of birds namely Common Buzzards which were being reported moving over in large numbers, I counted 11 over in just a short time with many more counted just along the coast. There have been more smaller birds passing over too, there seems to be a lot of Skylark moving around at present and more Meadow Pipits than a couple of weeks ago, there seems to be more Chiffchaff about, on a couple of days recently I have sea watched for a few hours, 3 Arctic Skuas was a nice addition as they chased a Tern, trying to get it to disgorge its food. Wildfowl numbers have been increasing in big numbers along with groups of Divers and good numbers of young Gannets moving past looks like they have had a good breeding season.

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.