Norfolk

Myself Bradders and Jono head to Warren Wood in Cromer to hopefuly connect with yesterday's Greenish and Western Bonelli's Warblers.

Arriving at 07:30 we meet up with Shaunboy and the Monkey, we split up to increase our chances of finding the birds and wasn't long before i glimpsed the Western Bonelli's but as weather deteriorated it wasn't till another couple off hours before we were all enjoying excellent views as it fed in the canopy loosely associating with the tit flock.

bonellis warbler my first since 1990!

The Greenish wasn't playing ball though and had to settle with just a call.


We then headed off to Cley where we caught up with a cracking juv Red-Backed Shrike at walsey hills and on the Reserve enjoyed good views of 8 Spoonbill, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Knot, Dunlin, Black tailed godwit, Common Sand, Avocet, Ruff and a fine juv Red Necked Phalarope










Wharem Greens produced a single Pied Flycatcher and 20+ Lesser Whitethroat.

Guillemot on the London List !!

News of both Razorbill and Guillemot on the Thames at Rainham led me a merry dance up and down the A13 before finally nailing the latter on the patch at Barking Bay, having needed guillemot for London after seeing razorbill over twenty years ago now at fairlop waters.

Also at Barking 5 1st winter Little Gulls flew up river having past rainham ten minutes previous (thanks Jono) and having flushed a Grasshopper Warbler on the walk up which was unexpected.

Fowl weather conditions and a north easterly winds are great for watching the Thames as this Guillemot proves what great birds can be found in the London recording area.

Patch Update

No sign of yesterday's Common Redstart but a Whinchat and Wheatear were compensation, a small group of swallows flew east and two very high Peregrines were probably local birds.

A Clouded Yellow butterfly was a nice surprise and was my first this year.

whinchat

common darter

Barking Bay today

Had a good feeling this morning that the patch was gonna produce, arrived at first light and it wasn't long before things started moving with good numbers of Yellow Wagtail calling high going south in small groups (a flock of ten being the largest) a single Green Sandpiper flew from the middle ditch and two calling Turnstone flew north were new for the year.


As it warmed up Whitethroat and Blackcap were numerous as were Reed Warbler (not in reed beds!!) but star bird was a fine 1st winter Common Redstart feeding under rose hips between the mound and river path, but wasn't playing ball with the camera ! hopefully will get another crack at it tomorrow.

here's a Wasp spider tho

More Hoopoe (farthing down)

A second go at this cracking bird in more favouriable weather conditions resulted in slightly better pics than yesterdays, where the bird is favouring the path just north of the car-park.

London Hoopoe

A slight divert to work this evening led me to Farthing Down just south of Coulsden where this little beauty had now taken up residence and was surprisingly only my second ever in the London recording area following a bird a Rainham last spring, unfortunately the weather was fowl, so my excuses for this pic!!

London Hoopoe

A small divert on the way to work this evening

Mayesbrook today

A few Willow Warbler's around today and a single Swift thru, and nice to see the first little Egret of the autumn.

Subalpine Warbler - Holland Haven

Just back from filthy twitching this superb bird, and my first in Essex, having seen seven others in Kent, Norfolk, Dorset and Scilly and have all been males bar one.

The Bird is favouring the Large hedgerow in the Holland Haven CP car-park and was also quite vocal at times and showed well distantly.

some heavily cropped record shots.

Sparrowhawk's

Visited Mayesbrook Park this afternoon and a very vocal juv Sparrowhawk was seen with both parents near bye.

Also still half a dozen Swifts and now 4 Egyptian Geese.

Wind Swept Kent

A trip to Dungeness started promising with Balearic Shearwater and Pom skua early on, as well as several Arctic skua two each of Little and Black Terns along side hundreds of Common, Sandwich and a few Arctic terns all going west.

Good number of Harbour Porpoise moving through also.

A search for Lesser Emperor dragonfly along the long pits was unsuccessful probably due to high winds, and the Great white egret failed to show on the RSPB reserve.

We then headed to Elmey where an immature Purple Heron had been reported several days now but again we drew with a blank.

Moths

A selection of Moths trapped this week.

the snout

black arches

pebble hook tip

canary-shouldered thorn

poplar hawk moth