The Geese Return !

 September '22

I was able to get out on the first day of the month and already it seemed as though birds were on the move, the weather was obviously favourable. There were one or two Pied Flycatchers still present, but still preferring the tree canopies to feed in and staying hidden for most of the time.

I was most pleased to see 2 or 3 Garden Warblers on the same day too, a pretty plain looking bird and one that can be quite elusive and hard to see, so imagine my delight to photograph them eating elderberries!

Garden Warbler

Notice the large eye and the greyish collar, an elegant bird though. There were a few Chiffchaffs moving along the hedgerows busily feeding. Buzzards and Red Kites were seen heading along the coast, Med Gulls were still showing in large numbers overhead and on the sea. And a Peregrine flew past the garden, it's been a while since I had seen one go over.

On the 3rd Sept, I watched 8 Bee-eaters head over Church Road heading west, despite them leaving the quarry they were still moving around not quite ready for the journey south, but some time later I heard of a report of the group over Minsmere, Suffolk so they were heading in the right direction!

Male Blackcap

A couple of male Blackcaps fed on elderberries and blackberries after I watched the Bee-eaters pass over, a single Pied Fly was still hanging around too.

Pied Fly

On the 5th the warblers kept moving through, I had a couple of Lesser Whitethroat, a Hobby passed over the garden heading south, along with 15 or so Buzzards heading in the same direction. On the 6th Golden Plover and Whimbrel were seen over the garden heading along the coast. On the 14th, after seeing a Grey Wagtail pass over the garden I decided to do the rounds. A group of mixed birds moving through the trees included Goldcrest, Blackcap, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Long tailed tit and Coal Tit.

Goldcrest

Long tailed tit

Chiffchaff

It can be tricky watching little warblers flitting among the leafy canopies, that was no exception on the 14th, there were a lot of Chiff/Willow warblers along the lanes. The chiffchaff if calling could be labelled, the Willow warblers were a lot brighter yellow in the plumage and normally paler legs than the chiffchaff darker leg colour, but some willows may show darker legs and paler feet! The bill on the chiffchaff (top image) is darker than the paler orangey bill on the willow (images below) and the supercilium (stripe over eye) is yellower and longer on the willows. 

Willow Warbler

And to add to the tally of birds a Common Redstart fed along the lane edges, when it wasn't being chased off by a Robin that is.

Common Redstart

On the 19th a familiar sound was heard and a sign of autumn's arrival.

The Pink Footed Geese had returned!

By the end of the month we were seeing hundreds pass over every day, how nice to hear them moving over us again.

On the 20th I was able to get my 190th bird species for Trimingham !

News of a Red Flanked Bluetail at the Kearns site was just too awesome a bird to not see anywhere. I had what was a brief probable sighting, but just a silhouette before having to leave the site. I then went back in the afternoon to try and see this bird, it had been seen alighting the fence on a couple of occasions but never when I was able to see it. A bird that is very similar in shape and size as a robin, being a 1st winter/female type bird it will appear as a little brown shy elusive bird, but with decent views the blue tail, white throat patch and orangey red flanks can be seen...if you're lucky that is. After around 3 hours I finally grabbed a decent close view of this beauty, the throat patch, flank colour and tail all seen perfectly, but as I was going for the camera it was chased away by a Robin out of sight. But I had been able to get a decent view so couldn't be happier, it was not seen the next day!

This was the 3rd Red Flanked Bluetail I had seen in the UK and all elusive. These images I took below are of a bird at Salthouse back in 2014. You can see the size and shape, blue tail and in the second image the white throat and orangey/red flank.

The weather started to change for the worse as the month drew on with strengthening winds and rain, but when I managed to get out I was able to see my first Brent Geese and Red throated divers of the autumn. 

Willow Emerald Damselflies were once again seen in the garden.

The 2 male Blackcaps were replaced by 2 female ones.

And a second sighting of a Peregrine Falcon as it flew southeast past the house.

What a month!

Bee-eaters continue to wow. July 2022

Bee-eaters.

It was great to hear that during July the habits of the Bee-eaters changed and there were numerous comings and goings bringing in food to the nest holes....this meant one thing and that was the chicks had hatched. Followers of the live web cam may have seen up to 3 birds entering the hole recently so there is a lot of feeding happening in both chambers which is great news. I have been volunteering a lot doing night shifts keeping an eye on the nests . On one evening after turning up myself and a RSPB staff member Josh watched a Long eared owl fly over the field and drop into the quarry. We located it in a tree being frantically harassed by a pair of Blackbirds, it didn't hang around too long especially when they started swiping at its head!

Other news in July.

This Hare cut a lovely image sat in the daisy patch.

The male Blackcap was still visiting the garden feeding on the suet blocks and on one occasion brought the female along too. Over the last week or so I haven't seen either birds so could be on another brood or moved on. 

During the month I have seen Oystercatcher pass over the garden, a couple of groups of Whimbrel over, the first group numbering 16 and then the following sighting had 12 birds in. On a warm evening Sarah and I ventured along to the end of the village near Middle Street to listen for Great Green Bush Crickets, a local friend had already heard one calling from this spot and we met him there and sure enough it was calling loudly, but too tucked into the scrub to see anything though.

This is possibly the first White Letter Hairstreak butterfly I have seen in the garden ? I know I have seen Green Hairstreaks but I'm sure this is a first. Although slightly worn you can distinguish the white letter "W" on the lower hindwing, and a lovely bright orange edging too.

 

MAY 2021

 May 2021.

The month was definitely affected by the weather which wasn't great but the birds kept moving through regardless, some of the good birds unfortunately kept inland and I failed to connect with them. The month began with a few Swifts moving west, so nice to see them again, Marsh Harrier also seemed to be coming in along the coast and I saw a female type, don't think I've seen a male bird at Trimingham yet! On the 12th I gratefully found a Lesser Redpoll singing in the tree behind my garden, a new species for the garden and for the patch no less.

Lesser Redpoll

House Martins started to pass through as the month neared halfway, a Spoonbill flew past the house, Little Egret over the fields, it almost felt like May was going to finally get going but it didn't manage to really. What I was looking out for were Golden Orioles, a super beautiful bird, and it seemed a large movement of them was taking place across europe and heading west, numerous birds were seen along the coast and as close as Sidestrand but I think they were taking a route inland and missing this corner of the coast? 

One morning whilst walking the dogs Sarah and I picked up on a Osprey flying over Woodlands which had just previously been seen flying in at Sidestrand, it wasn't long before it was being mobbed by the corvids as it headed inland. Cuckoos were being reported and heard at numerous localities but I am still waiting to hear my first one of the year. 2 Chinese Water deer hidden in a crop field was a nice sight, there seems to be good numbers of Roe deer around too.

The local Tawny Owl was again calling during the day and a Whimbrel calling at night was a lovely sound, numerous bats flew along the lanes early evening, when it wasn't bad weather that is.

Whitethroats had set up territory at numerous locations around the village and hopefully will have a good year, just one Lesser Whitethroat was seen mind you. Blackcaps sang, seemingly all the time and everywhere! Lovely to hear them singing every morning alongside the Chiffchaff.

At the end of the month I turned to photographing birds at the garden feeders, in full summer plumage some of the common garden birds looked stunning, and young birds were starting to be seen too.

The pink flush on the male Chaffinch is lovely, and the Goldfinch just looks stunning in the sun.

Blackbirds seemed to be having a good season, I had seen a couple of young birds around the garden, alongside these I noticed young Robin and Goldfinch.

The young Goldfinch have the same golden wingbars but they lack the obvious red on the head.

This young Robin kept hidden a lot of the time, very mottled on the feathering but nowhere near ready for that red breast.

This year has been great to watch a pair of House Sparrows visit the garden feeders regularly, now nesting in nearby roof eaves the adults still visited to re-energise on the feeders. The male I think has beautiful colouration, the female may be drab next to the male but still has lovely patterning. 

Talk about colour! How bright do the male Greenfinches look at the moment.

Mothing has been a wash out this spring, many inland locations have been spared the cold weather we have had on the coast here and their tallies of moth species show that, I won't be chasing the target I set last year that's for sure, but I am slowly seeing a few more species when I manage to trap.