Daily Diary: June 2006
1st-7th June 2006
See Iberia Holiday
8th June 2006
Woke up in Leeds and spent a lazy morning there. A Red Kite floated over the garden mid-morning and Sparrowhawk and Large Red Damselfly were recorded over and in the garden respectively. On the way back to Norfolk, two separate Buzzards were recorded, one near the top of the Leadenham slope and another just east of Sleaford. Back home, a Tawny Owl was seen after dark floating over the playing field and landing on top of a tree.
9th June 2006
Back to work after the trip. In the evening, nearly tripped over a Hedgehog on the playing field. Ran the MV trap for the GMS and caught 213 moths of 44 species, the highlight being a Maiden's Blush.
Maiden's Blush, 9/6/06, Stoke Holy Cross.
10th June 2006
Walked down from Eaton Park to the UEA marsh. Hairy Dragonfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Banded Demoiselle and Speckled Wood but no sign of Norfolk Hawkers yet.
11th June 2006
Did the WeBS count at Whitlingham this morning. Most interest provided by broods of waterbirds, including three of Egyptian Goose, five of Mallard, three of Coot and at least 30 juvenile Greylags perhaps representing six broods. Additionally, the colour-ringed Herring Gull (HTX) was present and I finally saw my first Spotted Flycatcher of the year.
12th June 2006
Carried out a bit of my Wymondham atlas square second visit on the way to work this morning, to shorten the job when I get round to doing it properly. Nothing exciting.
13th June 2006
Up at 0330 to drive to Stansted to fly to Eindhoven at 0700. A work trip visiting SOVON in the town of Beek-Ubbergen. Not particularly bird-filled, but all 21 species noted were Dutch ticks! The total list was Grey Heron, Buzzard, Kestrel, Lapwing, Black-headed Gull, Feral Rock Dove, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Swift, Great Spotted Woodpecker, White Wagtail, Wren, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Nuthatch, Jay, Magpie, Starling and Chaffinch. In the evening, a Marbled White Spot was seen on the windows of the restaurant we visited.
14th June 2006
Woke at Beek after a good sleep, except for a noisy cockerel that woke me briefly at 0530. No Black Woodpeckers though but Grey Wagtail, Blue Tit and Great Tit for the Dutch list. Spent the morning at SOVON then drove to Wageningen, with a Hobby on the way as well as various other common species, other Dutch ticks being Great Crested Grebe, Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Egyptian Goose (c10 seen - rapidly increasing in the Netherlands), Mallard, Coot, Swallow, Sand Martin, House Martin, Meadow Pipit, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Goldfinch and Reed Bunting. After discussions at Wetlands International, we drove back to Eindhoven airport, with an interesting looking possible Honey Buzzard on the way but I was merging motorways at the time.
Back in Britain, a Red Fox at Thickthorn roundabout at dusk carrying what looked like a Rabbit in its jaws.
15th June 2006
Back home - nothing of note.
16th June 2006
Did another stretch of the Wymondham atlas square this morning, to shorten the job when I get round to doing it properly; nothing exciting. At the Nunnery Lakes at lunchtime, a Brimstone was still on the wing. In the evening, ran the trap for the GMS. Total of 262 moths of 65 species, including Pale Oak Beauty, Small Elephant Hawk, Orange Footman, five Plutella xylostella, Dark Brocade and Clouded-bordered Brindle.
17th June 2006
Short walk at Eaton Park in the morning while the kids were playing football revealed Red-eyed Damselfly and Emperor Dragonfly over the lily pond. Nothing of note at Poringland Woods in the afternoon.
18th June 2006
Up early to do the second Norfolk Atlas visit to the Hethel square. Total of 44 species plus fly-over Lesser Black-backed Gull; highlights were two Lesser Whitethroats, Marsh Tit, Garden Warbler and three Turtle Doves. Also Muntjac, Roe Deer, Mole (dead), Rabbit, Hare and Grey Squirrel, Hornet, Episyrphus balteatus (first noted this year, although haven't really been looking), Painted Lady, Speckled Wood and the first Large Skipper of the year. Later in the morning, sat by the shore of Whitlingham Great Broad where a Norfolk Hawker was showing well by the path, plus Emperor and Black-tailed Skimmer. A Little Ringed Plover flew over calling; first here for a while. Also Common Tern and the regular red-ringed Herring Gull.
Put the trap out in the evening on the offchance. Caught a total of 82 species, highlights being three White-points, Small Elephant Hawk and Miller.
Miller, 18/6/06, Stoke Holy Cross
19th June 2006
Nothing of note
20th June 2006
Bird flu meeting in London today - nothing of note. Very few birds on the head of the Stour Estuary compared to usual.
21st June 2006
Nothing of note.
22nd June 2006
Carried out the Garden Moth Survey a night early. Rather cool, with a low catch of 158 moths of 41 species. Most numerous species were Heart & Dart (25), Common Wainscot (13), Dark Arches (11) and Rustic Shoulder-knot (11). More notable species were Brown Silver-line and Small Emerald.
23rd June 2006
A lunchtime walk along the river at work produced the first Meadow Brown of the year (not been looking properly!) and Anthophila fabriciana. In the evening, we all went to Stiffkey to camp, along with the Nott family. Not a particularly wildlife-filled weekend. A dusk stroll along the coast path from the camp site produced a Little Egret and a second-summer Mediterranean Gull flew over, perhaps associated with the Black-headed Gull colony out on the saltmarsh. A Grey Partridge was seen in the corner of the campsite field. Put the 6W actinic out overnight but cool conditions and poor trap siting resulted in very little: 4 Heart and Dart, 4 Chrysoteuchia culmella, and singles of Dark Brocade, Dark Arches, Mottled Beauty, Brown Rustic, Common Wainscot and an unidentified pug. Very little around the toilet block either.
24th June 2006
After a leisurely breakfast we went to Wells, with two Grey Partridge on the playing field by the beach road. Sat in the dunes by the beach while the kids played. About 30 Common Terns were fishing in the channel, along with three Little Terns and two Sandwich Terns (more distant). Little Egret and an adult Common Gull were the only other species of note. In the late afternoon, we again wandered onto the saltmarsh at Stiffkey where a Little Tern and at least three Little Egrets. Didn't bother with the trap again.
25th June 2006
A couple more Little Egrets at Stiffkey whilst crab-fishing (we must have caught 30+). Then went along to Salthouse and managed to produce some Avocets as a tick for the Notts. Most notable bird here whilst we sat on the shingle bank was the first Green Sandpiper of the autumn over the marshes, as well as a Marsh Harrier and, offshore, two Little Terns and c20 Sandwich Terns.
26th June 2006
Rainy and cool; nothing of note.
27th June 2006
A Siskin flew over Barnhamcross Common calling at lunchtime, presumably indication of breeding nearby.
28th June 2006
Up early to do my second BBS visit at Kenninghall. Mostly quiet but the usual "best" transect had a lot of birds using stubble, including 12 Lapwing and about 200 Rooks. Other notable species were a Cuckoo and a fly-over Oystercatcher, and the first Ringlet of the year.
29th June 2006
Up early again to make a second visit to the remainder of the Wymondham Norfolk Atlas square. Not great, and hampered by traffic noise even with me doing it between 0540 and 0815. Most notable species were Lesser Whitethroat, Bullfinch and a Barn Owl hunting still at 0700 over rough grass. Also Cinnabar, Yellow Shell, Silver Y, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Hare, Rabbit and dead Hedgehog.
30th June 2006
Trapped in the garden and had a huge catch of 442 moths of 91 species. The highlight was the first Ghost Moth for the garden, a long-expected species. This brings the garden Lepidoptera total to 658 (375 macro-moths). Other good records included Orange Footman, Broom Moth, two White-point, two Small Elephant Hawks and two Peach Blossom. Most numerous species were 47 Uncertain, 46 Flame, 29 Heart & Dart, 28 Dark Arches, 26 culmella, 21 perlella, 21 Bright-line Brown-eye and 21 Common Wainscot.
Ghost Moth, 30/6/06, Stoke Holy Cross
Peach Blossom, 30/6/06, Stoke Holy Cross