Sheringham area - orchids and bugs. 20 July 2013

A weekend of walking in the Sheringham area with a night at the North Norfolk Railway beer festival thrown in!
We were mainly intent on getting some walking miles under our belts but here are a selection of photos taken on our wanderings. The first Essex Skipper of the year and a big emergence of Gatekeepers plus 3 more bumblebee species photographed - Common Carder Bee, Red-tailed and White-tailed Bumblebees. Beeston Common also had an impressive display of Marsh Fragrant Orchids, Marsh Helleborine, Common Spotted Orchids and Heath Spotted Orchid. The only bird of note was an adult summer Mediterranean Gull west along West Runton Beach.

 Essex Skipper 

 

Gatekeeper

Ringlet

Common Carder Bee

Red-tailed Bumblebee

White-tailed Bumblebee

Marsh Helleborine

Marsh Fragrant Orchid

  

 

Weekend bits and bobs, 13-14 July 2013

With the baking hot temperatures on Saturday Belinda and I headed for the coast - Snape and Aldeburgh to be precise. An 8-mile walk taking in Snape, Iken Cliff and Tunstall Forest wasn't perhaps what the doctor ordered to cool off but it was a lovely walk and livened up with a few butterflies. The best of which was undoubtedly a lovely White Admiral in Tunstall Forest. Ringlet, Small Tortoiseshell, Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Peacock, Large Skipper and Small Skipper were also seen.

Back in Pulham we have proof of Spotted Flycatcher breeding with 2 adults feeding at least 2 newly fledged young right outside the lounge window! I've started to look at bumblebees over the last few days and have managed to see Early Bumblebee, Garden Bumblebee, Red-tailed Bumblebee, Tree Bumblebee, Honey Bee and Common Carder Bee so far. Worryingly, with several hoverfly species mimicing bumblebees I may have to invest in some more identification literature!

Garden Bumblebee

Small Skipper

Spotted Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher (young)

Early Bumblebee

Tree Bumblebee

 

The Frogs are hopping in the meadow! Suffolk 20 June 2013

A quick evening trip to one of my favourite orchid meadows and once I'd 'got my eye in' Suffolk's only Frog Orchids were soon found. It's funny how a year makes you forget how small they are! In all I counted 15 spikes, some of them absolutely miniscule. It's obviously too early for Pyramidal Orchid but there were still loads of Green-winged Orchids in evidence albeit if 99% of them were well past their best.  

Frog Orchid

Frog Orchid

Green-winged Orchid

Orchids and more. 16 June 2013

We spent today around a few sites in East Anglia which sadly have to remain secret. This is due to the fact that the main site we visited holds the UK's only remaining Early Marsh Orchids of the critically endangered subspecies 'ochroleuca'. They were out and in pristine condition and I was pleased to count 18 plants this year. Also at this site and nearby similar sites were the rather more common 'incarnata' subspecies of Early Marsh Orchid along with the numerous purple hybrid variations this species seems to produce, presumably with Southern Marsh Orchid which was also present. Common Spotted Orchids are just starting to come into flower and the nearby Yellow Flag Irises were in perfect condition too. Birdwise, a Nightingale flew across the path right in front of us, a Cuckoo was in full cry, a Common Buzzard soared overhead and 7 species of common warbler were seen and/or heard.

'ochroleuca' Early Marsh Orchid

'incarnata' Early Marsh Orchid

Southern Marsh Orchid

     

Let's go fly a kite! Brockdish, Norfolk, 14 June 2013

I've been working in Brockdish all week and today the advantage of working outside really kicked in. I was outside the house I'm painting at 11.40 talking colour schemes with my customers and lo and behold a Black Kite sails over! Although they were interested I'm not sure they realised quite how rare a sight this is - or maybe they did from my reaction! The bird was really low and flapping to gain height over the centre of the village before slowly moving off west. Presumably folllowing the line of the Waveney Valley.

Earlier this morning I opened the lounge curtains to find our pair of Spotted Flycatchers have returned at last - flycatching from the top of my bird feeder. Last year they arrved on 12 May so took their time this year! Then on the way to work a Turtle Dove was sat on the middle of the road near Rushall with another calling in Brockdish itself.

Back home this evening a Hedgehog showed photographically well on the lawn.

Not bad for a work day!

Spotted Flycatcher, Pulham Market 

Hedgehog, Pulham Market

  

Lakenheath and beyond, 26 May 2013

At this time of year Belinda indulges me for my birthday and agrees to come birding for a day with me. This year we were a day late but the destination was a bit of a no-brainer - it had to be Lakenheath Fen.

The morning didn't start too well because as we arrived we found the carpark full and had to park out on the road and walk in. Hordes of people around the reserve wasn't what we'd wanted but hey ho, that's a bank holiday Sunday for you!

Needless to say the long-staying adult male Red-footed Falcon showed impeccably over New Fen, between the woods being joined by up to 5 Hobbies. Despite the crowds it was a magic moment. We did the whole circuit of the reserve clocking up Grasshopper Warbler, Garden Warbler, 2 Cuckoos, Marsh Harriers, 2 booming Bitterns as well as numerous Sedge and Reed Warblers. Hairy Dragonflies were out in small numbers and we also managed Four-spotted Chaser and Large Red Damselfly, my 1st odonata of the year.

Red-footed Falcon

Red-footed Falcon

Hobby

Hobby

Reed Bunting

 

Hairy Dragonfly, female

Our next stop was Foulden Common, a site I've not visited for a few years but always liked. It didn't disappoint as both the butterfly specialities of the site were seen within 20 minutes - Grizzled Skipper and Dingy Skipper. We only saw 2 of each but it's pleasing to note they're still here after the demise of Narborough Railway Line. Brimstones were out in the largest numbers I've ever seen and we also saw Small Copper and 2 Common Buzzards nearby.

 

Grizzled Skippers

Grizzled Skippers

Dingy Skipper

Brimstone

 

Our last aim of the day was to see a rare sight indeed - a Norfolk pair of breeding Common Redstarts! The female was sitting on eggs out of view but the male showed very nicely after a short wait although the crappy photo I got of it really doesn't do it justice!

 

Common Redstart

 

     

  

Garden Butterflies, 25 May 2013

After a couple of hectic weeks working we had a day chilling today. Well, I am allowed to on my birthday! With the sun out at last there were a few butterflies in the garden. As well as those I photographed (all with my iPhone) there were also Small White, Green-veined White and Large White.

Holly Blue

Speckled Wood

Orange Tip female

 

Local bit and bobs, 10 May 2013

A quick check at Weybread GPs predictably added Swift to my Patchwork Challenge list with good numbers over the main pit. Less expected were a pair of Reed Warblers in rank vegetation along the path and a scan over the water revealed A pair of feral Barnacle Geese with 3 goslings! A pair of Common Terns hawked over the water whilst the 2 pairs of Oystercatcher were very active and noisy as usual. There now appears to be a Lesser Black-backed Gull nest on the island too. Along the lanes 2 pairs of Linnets were also additions to the list which now stands at 84 species.

After that I called in at my nearby orchid site and having never been quite this early in the year was pleasantly surprised to see a really good display of Green-winged Orchids.

Green-winged Orchid, undisclosed site, Suffolk

Georgia, Day 6, 6 May 2013 - Ananuri and Lake Lisi

Today was essentially a traveling day back to Tbilisi but we had negotiated a couple of stops en route.

Our surly driver turned up late but we finally got going at about 11.30. Our first stop was some woods by the reservoir at Ananuri in the hope that a Green Warbler or two might have arrived. Sadly there was nothing doing. Even in this warm spring they don’t arrive this early so I have to treat with a little scepticism some claims of birds much earlier than this. All we had was Blackcap and Willow Warbler.

Our driver then nearly killed us all by missing a cow in the road by inches (if I hadn’t looked up at just that second and shouted at him we’d all have been history!)

A stop at Lake Lisi on the western outskirts of Tbilisi wasn’t a whole lot better – the place was heaving on a sunnt bank holiday Monday which seriously curtailed birding. The only things of note here were 10+ Great Crested Grebes, 1 Little Grebe, Marsh Harrier, Corn Bunting, 3 – 4 singing Great Reed Warblers and 3 European Bee-eaters. Just as we were leaving Jus also picked up our 2^nd Red-necked Phalarope of the trip swimming in the centre of the lake.

Marsh Harrier, Lake Lisi

 

And that was just about it saving a 9 hour wait at Tbilisi airport followed by 4 more at Istanbul!

Georgia, Day 5, 5 May 2013 - Kobi Village, Krestovvy Pass, Sno Village & Kazbegi

Our last day up in the mountains. Having run out of options in Kazbegi we decided to use our taxi driver from yesterday to take us up to the Krestovvy Pass and then work our way back north to Kazbegi.

First stop was the village of Kobi again where we spent an hour checking for migrants. In one of the first gardens we looked at we found an acro which had us rather flummoxed. With the aid of my photos we eventually nailed it as a Marsh Warbler but without those we’d probably still be scratching our heads! Also around the village were Caucasian Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Red-backed Shrike, Ring Ouzel, 2 Common Crossbills and an addition to the triplist in the form of a Corn Bunting. 2 Red-billed Chough were obviously nesting in the largest abandoned building and House Martins were on the move with 40+ over.

Marsh Warbler, Kobi

Marsh Warbler, Kobi

Black Redstart, Kobi (the species is rather variable in the Caucasus, this one is approaching 'semirufus' in the extent of red on the belly)

 

 Red-backed Shrike, Kobi

 

Corn Bunting, Kobi 

 

Up at the Krestovvy Pass there was still loads of snow about and relatively few birds to boot. We couldn’t find either Snowfinch or Caucasian Black Grouse but Lammergeier, Honey Buzzard and 2 displaying Golden Eagles certainly livened proceedings. Around the small abandoned building a pair of Twite and a pair of Whinchats showed really nicely. Also seen were Raven, 2 Alpine Swifts, Red-billed Chough, numerous Water Pipits, 2 Black Redstarts, 2 Northern Wheatears and a flock of c35 European Bee-eaters high north.

Twite, Krestovvy Pass

Whinchat, Krestovvy Pass

Whinchat, Krestovvy Pass

 

Top of the Krestovvy Pass (2395m)

View from the Krestovvy Pass

To be a little bit pioneering we decided to explore the side valley and village of Sno next as it was on our route back. This nice little village with its tower perched on a rock gave us a few nice birds. Initially 3 Dippers and 3 Grey Wagtails were on the river where a single Rock Bunting also put in an appearance. A female Sparrowhawk flew through scattering Tree Pipits. A flooded pool beside the river held 2 Wood Sandpipers, Little Ringed Plover and 2 Mallard which boosted the trip list a fraction. Around the village itself Rock Buntings seemed particularly common, a Grey Wagtail sang from wires and a flock of c25 Red-fronted Serins showed well feeding in a tree. Whinchat, Red-backed Shrike, Ring Ouzel, Common Redstart, Common Whitethroat, Caucasian Chiffchaff, Black Redstart, Common Swift and c40 House Martins were also seen.

Sno Village

 

Red-fronted Serin, Sno

Red-fronted Serin, Sno

Grey Wagtail, Sno

Common Redstart, Sno

Rock Bunting, Sno 

Rock Bunting, Sno

 

On the way into the village Jus thought he’d seen a Lesser Grey Shrike from the car so we stopped at the same spot on the way out and hey presto, he’d not been going mad!

Back in Kazbegi a meandering amble back to the hotel yielded 3 Griffon Vultures, 2 Ravens, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Common Treeceeper, Caucasian Chiffchaff, Ehrenbergs Redstart, 2 Red-fronted Serins and finally a yellow/green escaped Budgerigar!