Better Late Than Never!

 Last weekend was my annual Norfolk one running from Friday the 11th to Monday the 14th. This year Alan Shorrock joined me for what turned out to an OK if not quite great few days spotting. Sadly the winds were predominantly westerly which made for poor sea watching conditions and also served as a blocker for any easterly migrants. Despite this we saw some good birds and enjoyed a bit of banter with other birders.

Spotted Crake

Friday was spent wandering around Titchwell in often sunny and pleasantly warm conditions. Best birds on site were two Spotted Crakes and we were lucky enough to see both. Views were often fleeting though occasionally one would leave the cover of the reeds and go wandering on to the mud. My record shots of these and indeed anything else were pretty poor but I was glad to have any at all. My camera lost all the photos on Monday and it was only Shozzer's knowledge of the dark and arcane arts of computering that enabled me to have anything to show at all. Whether the results justified his effort is another matter entirely! Water levels were high for the most part and wader numbers were a bit low, two Little Stints were the highlight though a fly through Whimbrel was heard too. Also heard but not seen were Bearded Tits while several skeins of Pink-footed Geese confirmed the arrival of Autumn. Sea watching was a bit rubbish apart from three Eiders and close views of an Arctic Skua which was bullying Sandwich Terns just offshore.

Ruff and Blackwit

Saturday was a bit of a duffer unfortunately as we made an attempt to see the long staying Black-winged Kite at Sea Palling. During our visit the bird did not show and it could be that the stiff breeze was a bit too uncomfortable for it to sit in the bare branches of its favourite dead Hawthorn. There was nothing in the way of compensation for our troubles and news that the bird reappeared a bit later did little to lift our mood. A stop at Salthouse on the way back to our accommodation in Hunstanton only confirmed to us that sea watching was far from productive, a few Gannets and a Red-throated Diver were the only reward.

Curlew and Avocet

On a showery and grey Sunday we returned to Titchwell and like gluttons for punishment we began with a spot of sea watching, another Red-throated Diver and several Razorbills were the result. Thirty plus Spoonbills were on the fresh marsh, we had seen four do a flypast on Friday. Once again both crakes showed on and off and I think most of the people that wanted to see them did so. Best wader today was a Curlew Sandpiper though there was a good range of other species present including Grey Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit. Bearded Tits were again seen but not heard but passerine interest was limited. Potentially the best part of the day was several pints in the excellent Fox and Hounds in Heacham, an atmospheric and busy throwback to village pubs of the past.

Dodgy quality shots of Little Stints and Spoonbill

Watching on Monday was a bit limited, we popped into Eyebrook where our visit coincided with the arrival of some light but steady rain. From the inflow bunker it was a little like Noah's Ark as we saw twos of Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint and Dunlin as well as three Ruff and rather a lot of Ringed Plovers. Last bird of the birding weekend was a Greenshank at the island before the trip ended like so many others with a pint and lunch in the 'spoons.

Pink-footed Geese

Black Thursday

 It was my lieu day off work today and I decided to escape from the daily drudgery by taking a walk around some of our local sites. A bus journey took  me as far as Upper Benefield and from there I began my slow return home. I headed back towards Corby via Deene and Deenethorpe and also a small stretch of the A427.

Common Darter and Willow Emerald

The early part of my stroll was uneventful and apart from a Raven near Burnt Coppice I saw very little of note. Deene yielded a presumed migrant Reed Warbler but it wasn't long before I moved on. The main lake was pretty quiet and it was only the antics of the local Black Swans that kept me going. It looks as if two broods of cygnets are present, one with one and another with two. I could only detect three adults but there may have been another hid out of view. Generally I don't waste too much time looking at exotic wildfowl but I enjoyed watching the cob of one pair driving the other brood off. Black Swans do not raise their wings like the sails of a galleon as Mute Swans do but instead raise the feathers on their neck and intimidate others in that fashion - I took several photos. The inflow was quiet apart from a few Willow Emeralds and a Common Darter or two.

Black Swans

Deenethorpe Airfield was again rather quiet but in sheltered spots adjoining Weldon Park Wood I saw a selection of butterflies and odes. Aside from the Common Blues and Small Heaths that made up the bulk of records I also added Brown Argus, Speckled Wood and Green-veined White to my day list. Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters represented the dragons, earlier I'd already noted individuals of Common Blue and Banded Demoiselle. With nothing of additional interest to hold me I caught a bus back into town.

Speckled Wood and Banded Demoiselle.

Not So Yucky Ducky

 This morning I took a bus to Weldon from where I had a stroll along to Priors Hall. While it was a bit moist early on conditions gradually improved and by the time I left home it was warm and dry. Priors was quite busy with the usual selection of walkers, joggers and mutt marchers but I still managed to see a few bits and bobs of interest.

Shoveller

The quarry lake was a little on the quiet side, the passage of large gulls seems to have dropped off. Best bird was a Shoveller which was associating with some Mallards, I normally don't bother looking at eclipse ducks but I'm glad that I did on this occasion, Shovellers are pretty rare in the Corby area. A growing flock of Tufted Ducks are gathering and the number of Dabchicks suggests that two pairs may have bred.  A pair of low flying Ravens provided the only other bird interest. In the grassland nearby Small Heaths and Common Blues were the commonest butterflies though the most interesting was a Clouded Yellow which didn't hang around long enough for me to grab a pic. Brown Argus and Green-veined White were the other leps on view.

Small Heath and Common Blue

Around the woodland ponds Speckled Woods and Red Admirals were the commonest butterflies while there were large numbers of Common and lesser numbers of Ruddy Darters. Several Migrant and one Brown Hawker were hunting around the alders and I also noted several Willow Emeralds. The only other damsel that I managed to see was Common Blue, at least half a dozen were noted. With time pressing on and a list of stuff to do I left before noon and headed back towards Weldon and my return bus home.

Common Darter and Speckled Wood.

A Familiar Ring To It

 Shozzer and I took the very familiar journey to Eyebrook this morning hoping to catch up with some goodies. Our plan didn't quite bear fruit though it was far from bring a total duffer and if nothing else the weather was pretty good. We began at the Great Easton end of the res before moving on to take in the rest.

Willow Emerald and Comma

From Sam's Dyke we saw the long staying immature Whooper Swan, two Ruffs and also a brace of Snipe. The island bunker produced a Greenshank and another Ruff but little else. Nothing much was noted until we reached the sharp end where a now very much deja vu selection of waders were on offer. Blackwits and Greenshanks joined a cast of Ruffs, a Dunlin, Ringed  and Little Ringed Plovers but we couldn't find anything more exotic. At the bridge a Spotted Flycatcher which Al found was the highlight while interesting insects included Willow Emeralds and some pristine looking Speckled Woods. A look along the Rutland Bank was fairly unproductive and we headed to the bridleway east of the plantation.

Spotted Flycatcher and Common Blue

Highlight from the bridleway was a brief Cattle Egret which dropped in and departed within the space of about a minute. Best insect was a site first Common Blue butterfly, there were also a few of their damselfly namesake too. Another look at the reservoir added a male Stonechat to our list and further views of the Cattle Egret which had joined the herd of cattle at the inflow before it moved on once again. We had a chat with Phil, Cheryl and Ken before the lure of the 'spoons proved too strong and we moved on. Next week is the annual Norfolk weekend and hopefully the conditions and wildlife will be good to us.

Cattle Egret, Blackwit and Greenshank

That's Better

 A notable improvement from yesterday both in terms of the weather and the birding. Alan and I made the relatively short cross border hop to Eyebrook in search of waders and other passing migrants. Our first stop was at a spot overlooking Sam's Dyke before we moved on to cover the rest of the reservoir.

Ruffs and Great White Egret

Our first stop produced sightings of two juvenile male Ruffs though they didn't linger and moved on within minutes. Also present in this area were a Greenshank, a Snipe and three Common Sandpipers. There was little on view from the island bunker while in the bay north of the island the summering Whooper Swan was still present while two Ruffs were probably the birds from earlier. Next stop was overlooking the inflow where a good selection of waders were feeding.

Greenshanks and Blackwits

Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers were present on the mud with at least two Dunlins and a similar number of Snipe. Black-tailed Godwits and Greenshanks were wading in the shallows and more Ruff were also present. Alan saw a Clouded Yellow here though I didn't manage to pick it out. On the Rutland shore a Redshank added to the wader list while returning wildfowl included at least two Pintails and as many as twenty Wigeon.

Pintail and Redshank

We finished our visit by walking along the bridleway below Stoke Dry on the eastern side of the res. The plan was to look for Spotted Flycatchers but very few passerines of any sort were noted, a Raven was the highlight. Shozzer paused to eat his lunch at a spot overlooking a field of cattle which I checked several times hoping to see a Cattle Egret. I failed in my attempt but just minutes afterwards Alan saw an egret wandering around the feet of the cows. A quick check confirmed that it was a juvenile Cattle Egret which we watched on and off for about half an hour. Quite often it disappeared from sight as it wandered into dips and hollows which may explain why it took so long to find. Eventually we left both the egret and the res behind and headed to the 'spoons for a pint.

Cattle Egret

Boring, Wet And One To Forget

 Despite the moist nature of the weather I decided to put on my waterproof jacket and do a tour of some local sites. I visited the A43 pond at Weldon, Willowbrook Industrial Estate, both gullets at Priors Hall as well as the quarry lake. I'd love to say that my efforts were rewarded but it turned out to be one of the worst days that I've had for years. Apart from a site first Cormorant at the Weldon Pond and some Marsh Tits at Priors I saw nothing whatsoever of note, a mac and cheese in the George was the definite highlight.

Away from the wildlife though I was walking towards the A43 pond when my ears picked out a distant rumble. I couldn't quite determine what it was though it was clear that the sound was getting louder. The rumble soon grew into a roar and I was confronted with the sight of hundreds of bikers escorting a hearse on its sad journey. It took several minutes for the phalanx of bikers to pass and the spectacle was quite spectacular. I did a bit of googling and found out that the unfortunate occupant of the coffin was called Dukes and that he'd been a member of the HAMC Rutland chapter and that it was his fellow Hells Angels and other riders who were providing the escort. R.I.P Dukes, I didn't know you but your cortege was the only memorable event of the day and one that will live for me for the rest of my life. No pics today as the weather and a lack of suitable subjects insured that my camera stayed in the bag. 

Back At Priors

 I had stuff to do this morning so it was early afternoon before I made my now regular visit to Priors Hall. Although the heat waves have stopped for the moment it was still pretty hot and the countryside remains brown and crunchy. My time was a little limited so I concentrated on looking at the quarry lake and the first of the many ponds closer to the golf course.

Snipe. Common Sand and Common Gull

Initially there were few gulls to admire at the quarry lake but I did manage to find some waders other than the regular Lapwing. It had been joined by another although I'm not sure that it wanted company as it frequently tried to chase the interloper off. Three Snipe and a Common Sandpiper were welcome additions to the wader list, it's a shame that yesterday's phalarope didn't fancy a change of scenery from Eyebrook!

Brown Argus, Small Heath and Common Blue

Insects remain rather scarce, the sun scorched countryside does not appear to have suited them much. Common Blues and Small Heaths remain the commoner butterflies though several Brown Arguses were also noted. A few whites and some Red Admirals made up the rest of the list. Odes don't appear to have fared that much better and the four species of dragon noted today were Brown and Migrant Hawker as well as the two commoner darter species. Four damsels were also noted of which Small Red-eyed was the commonest, the others were Common Blue, Blue-tailed and Willow Emeralds. Not many birds to report other than Kingfisher and a Raven.

Migrant Hawker, Willow Emerald and Common Darters

On my return walk towards Weldon I noticed that many more gulls were present on the quarry lake and while checking some Black-headeds loafing on the shore I saw a Water Rail emerge from the reedy fringe and run along the water's edge. They're regular here and have bred at least once but to actually see one is always a rare treat, such a shame then that my record shots were so lamentable! Amongst the growing gull flock I saw both the intermedieus and graellsii subspecies of Lesser Black-backed Gulls, an increasing number of Herrings, several Commons and also at least three Yellow-legged Gulls. My gull identification skills are somewhat lacking but photos suggest that there may have been more. A pre booked Sunday dinner meant that I had to drag myself away but it had been an enjoyable few hours nonetheless.

Dodgy Water Rail pic and slightly less dodgy Y-l Gulls