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New Patch Tick

Red-throated Diver

With a brisk Northwesterly wind I set myself up on the front at Trimingham and crossed my fingers for something good. There were a few groups of wildfowl passing but not as many as I expected, divers, red throated, were all heading east but at some distance along with a steady stream of Gannets. I had a couple of waders, individually following behind a couple of ducks, a Sanderling and a Dunlin, the Dunlin may be a new addition to my Trimingham patch list but one bird that I knew for sure was......Bonxie - the Great Skua, there had been sightings left right and center but I had not seen one, until now that is and low and behold not long after another one! (Something about buses comes to mind).

Great Skua

Late afternoon I sat up nearer the front, there were at least 10 Med Gulls around and a few passing Red-throated Divers and Common Scoter but not much else, a good day getting the Bonxies though.

Med Gulls

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.

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