Short Morning Walk

 With the sky looking a little on the grey side and sunshine seemingly at a premium I decided to stay local so that I could get home quickly if the threatened rain began to fall. I chose to head over to the area close to the sewage treatment works for a spot of Autumn birding.

Grey Wagtail

The morning seemed to feel quite birdy with a lot of activity even if there was nothing that scarce on view. Birds passing overhead included Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Starlings while a Green Sandpiper was a nice site record. Small parties of Redpolls and Siskins were also on the move with several flocks of each pausing at the ponds before continuing their journey. Amongst the resident birds the harsh shrieks of Jays and a couple of yaffling Green Woodpeckers were certainly the noisiest if not the most visible. Rather a lot of Chaffinches were on view as well as a Bullfinch while Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail were seen along the stream.

Another view of Grey Wagtail.

Not too much other wildlife to report though at one point I found myself between two barking Muntjacs which continued their loud conversation for at least five minutes.

The Lakes

 Some welcome sunshine today and I enjoyed a decent day of wildlife watching as I walked from Blatherwycke Lake and on to Deene before taking a detour to Priors Hall. A good variety of wildlife included birds, a mammal and also some insects enjoying this late spell of warmth.

Distant Mandarins and heron duo.

A small group of Manadarins were present at their favoured spot at Blatherwycke and I also saw two Egyptian Geese. Best bird was perhaps a Great White Egret which was my first sighting here though others have reported them in the past. My first Fieldfare of the Autumn was heard near the churchyard where a decent sized flock of Redwings were present as well as twenty plus Mistle Thrushes. The Red-necked Wallabies were still frequenting the large garden in the village and I also saw a Brown Hare nearby.

Gun fodder and a Mistle Thrush

Not much between here and Deene apart from three Red Admirals nectaring on Ivy flowers, three other butterflies briefly glimpsed were probably this species. Not many interesting birds at Deene though the pair of Black Swans were seen. My first dragons of the day were Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers and I spent some time looking for Willow Emeralds. My search for these attractive insects proved to be unsuccessful though I did get some brief views of an Otter which was my first in the county away from the Nene Valley.

Starlings and wallabies

At Priors Hall I added a Ruddy Darter and Willow Emeralds to my list with the latter species present in good numbers. Birdlife resembled last weeks list with Redpolls, a Raven and a squealing Water Rail among the highlights. Other wildlife included Brown Hare, Fallow Deer, Common Lizard and a Meadow Grasshopper

Willow Emeralds, Red Admiral and Meadow Grasshopper

A Bit Better

 Today's weather was a little bit better than yesterday with some blue sky and sunshine peeking through in between showers. The birds too showed a slight improvement with quite a lot of movement in progress.

Brookfield Plantation and Pheasant.

Best bird of the day was also one of the first seen with a Crossbill being noted just after I arrived at Brookfield Plantation. It called several times before disappearing into the private part of the wood. A couple of Peregrines were also seen while several Grey Wagtails flew over, the first of what turned out to be a trickle of birds passing overhead. Also moving south were Skylarks and Meadow Pipits while lingering Summer visitors included Chiffchaffs, a Blackcap and a flock of House Martins. The farmland surrounding the plantation was fairly quiet though I did see a couple of Ravens and a small party of Redpolls. Another species showing in small numbers today was Siskin with several small flocks noted during the morning.

Peregrines

Not much in the way of other wildlife was on view, a Southern Hawker was hunting along one of the rides while a Muntjac was heard bearking in the plantation.

Dreary And Drizzly Dross Has Me Seeing Red

 For the second weekend in a row the weather took a turn for the dank and dreary as drizzle dominated for much of the day. Despite the awfulness I decided to venture out, I only get two days off after all and I didn't want to waste it indoors. For most of my damp stroll however I wished that I had opted for that staying inside kind of thingy but a late rally saved the day from being a total wash out.

A damp and dreary Priors Hall.

Willowbrook Industrial Estate offered little of interest, an increase in Skylark numbers and a few Chiffchaffs were the only birds of note while a Fallow Deer was the only other wildlife on view. Continuing on to Priors Hall did not initially bring any more success until I reached the birches next to the stream, Here a large flock of Redpolls numbering forty or more were noted suggesting that this might be a decent winter for them. Also noted were a small number of Siskins, more were heard around the ponds.

Buzzard having a stretch.

By the time I'd reached the largest pond the drizzle had finally stopped and a few more birds appeared. At least twenty Redwings were my first of the Autumn as was a Water Rail calling from the depths of a reedbed. A Kingfisher made a flying visit before I decided to bale out, while leaving the site a Migrant Hawker was defying the conditions and hunting around the alders.

Afternoon Sunshine

 Conditions looked rather good when I finished work this afternoon so I opted to take a stroll around the pond at Weldon to see whether any dragons or damsels were about. Although numbers were low I did manage to find a few species active in the afternoon sunshine.

Willow Emerald and Common Darter.

My walk along the stream failed to produce any sightings of Banded Demoiselle and it seems likely that their season has finished. Not all damselflies have given up however as one or two Willow Emeralds were active around the pond. If the weather stays mild they may well continue until the the end of the month. Several Common Darters were basking in the sunnier spots and there were also two Migrant Hawkers. While scanning likely looking spots with the bins I found a nice male Southern Hawker doing a spot of basking of its own. Four species at the beginning of October is not a bad return and it may be difficult to match this again until next Spring.

Migrant and Southern Hawkers.

Not much else to report apart from a Kingfisher and a Grey Wagtail, the best thing in the air being a Spitfire.

Norfolk Interlude

 My brother and David and I had booked a three night stay at Hunstanton in Norfolk with a view to seeing some decent birds. Unfortunately our arrival on the 25th coincided with a period of stormy westerlies and often rainy periods that lasted for most of our stay. Although the going was tough for most of the visit we did manage to eke out a few interesting birds though there were also long periods of uneventful tedium.

Avocets and Yellow-legged Gull.

The 25th was dreadful and on arrival we decided to dodge any birding activities and head for the pub instead. Things improved a little on the following day and we had a spell at Titchwell where a Wheatear and a Common Sandpiper were seen near the beach. Any thoughts that we harboured about doing a spell of seawatching were abandoned as the winds were driving sand into our faces. On the marsh we found a couple of Mediterranean Gulls as well as a Little and Yellow-legged Gull. Moving on to Holme we narrowly missed seeing a Grey Phalarope which had the bad grace to fly off as we were approaching. While searching for the phalarope on a nearby pool we were treated to a flying visit by a juvenile Arctic Tern. At least the sea provided a Sooty Shearwater as some additional compensation as well as Common Scoters and Gannets. My brother had a brief view of a Yellow-browed Warbler, although I saw a hint of movement I couldn't get on the bird.

Stormy Sheringham and Red-breasted Flycatcher.

Sunday (the 27th) saw us heading along the coast to Sheringham where we did a bit of seawatching. Highlight was a trio of Sooty Shearwaters and a Velvet Scoter and there was another sighting of Little Gull. An Arctic Skua was our only skua seen during the trip and we also saw a small number of Red-throated Divers passing by. Plenty of Gannets were on the move while passing wildfowl included Brent Geese and Common Scoters. After this we visited Wells Woods where we finally managed to find some shelter from the wind. Birding was snoozeworthy to begin with and very little was seen. A few Redpolls and Siskins flew over our heads but we struggled to find anything else. Luckily on the way back towards the car we received news that the reported Red-breasted Flycatcher was still present. Minutes later and we were watching it from fairly close distance and although always obscured I did get a record shot.

Purple Sandpipers and Bearded Tit.

Our final morning at Titchwell turned out to be excellent as the wind had dropped which in turn seemed to bring out the birds. Bearded Tits were pinging and showing on either side of the path and we had good views. David picked out a Spoonbill and then a Short-eared Owl as we made our way towards the beach. Mercifully the conditions at the beach were far better than on our previous visit and we didn't take long to find a couple of Purple Sandpipers feeding with other waders on the exposed rocks. These were soon overshadowed by the discovery of a flock of seven Grey Phalaropes feeding in the surf, needless to say the dip at Holme was now forgotten! With David having to get back for an afternoon shift we couldn't hang around too long though we still managed to see a juvenile Red-backed Shrike on the way back to the car. Safe to say that this late rush of good species put an altogether better spin on the trip!

Autumn Returns

 Distinctly cooler this morning when I ventured out for a relatively short stroll around the area near to the sewage treatment works. Although there were some pleasant periods of sunshine the wind was fairly cool. Nothing too exciting to report though I did enjoy some good views of common species.

Long-tailed and Blue Tits.

Highlight was a couple of Ravens passing overhead and betrayed as usual by their distinctive calls. Several Grey Wagtails also passed over and these are likely to have been resident birds rather than migrants, a Skylark and several Meadow Pipits on the other hand were almost certainly passing through. At least two Blackcaps were noted feeding on dogwood berries and a few Chiffchaffs were also still present, while both species winter in small numbers these were probably soon to depart migrants. The passerines attracted a Sparrowhawk and there was also a Buzzard.

Male and female Blackcaps.

Cooler conditions meant fewer insects and only a couple of Small Whites and a Comma represented the butterflies. Dragonflies fared even worse as only a single Migrant hawker was noted.

Comma.