Blue Eyed Birder: Lowestoft Life - 9th - 20th August 2024

I have been trying to get the moth trap out each night since I got back from Uganda and I have had some of the best catches ever in my fledgling garden. New species came thick and fast and the numbers of different ones jumped from about 50 to over 70 from the 12^th. The learning curve is steep but repetition (and help) is getting me there.

On the 28^th June I caught my 200^th species in the garden with a wonderful Scorched Wing and 18^th August number 300 appeared with the little Crocidosema plebejana – a species that feeds on Tree Mallow of which I have a thriving plant.

Crocidosema plebejana #300

And to think that I was actually away for three weeks of that period – amazing.

Here are a few selected images…

Argyrestrha goedartella

Coloephora alcyonipennella

Gracillaria syringella

Aspilapteryx tringipennella

Canary Shouldered Thorn

Dusky Thorn

Common Emerald

Light Emerald

almost black Willow Beauty

Copper Underwing

Dog's Tooth

Grey Dagger - all the boys have been checked!

Iron Prominent

Leopard

Oak Hook Tip

Small Square Spot

Swallow Prominent

Turnip

White-line Dart

Flame Shoulder

Maple Prominent

Red Underwing

Dark Crimson Underwing in Antony's garden

Current Pug

Double Striped Pug

Narrow Winged Pug

Small Dusty Wave

Agriphila tristella

Cydia splendana

Evergestis extimalis

Pyrausta despicta

Ringed Chinamark

Rose Tabby - Endotricha flammealis

Scarce Footman

Smoky Wainscot

Webb's Wainscot

Jersey Tiger - just reaching Lowestoft

Comfry Ermine - Ethmia quadrillella - another localised Suffolk species

A potter up to Waxham with the boys on the 9^th saw me doing that ‘sitting on the beach thing’ but from my shady spot (complete with tiny little happy flies) I had a male Lesser Emperor patrolling the beach while Ruddy Darters warmed on the concrete defences. Three Red Admiral, two Large White and a Dark Green Fritillary headed north low over the sands and Sandwich Terns and Med Gulls milled around off shore.

An open day at North Cove NR on the 10^th saw Antony and I trapping there the previous evening with a follow up the following day that allowed a great show and tell session with the visitors. There were a host of new species for me including Sharp Angled Peacock. Hemp Agrimony Plumes and Small Wainscots and we had cracking Large Emeralds, Garden Tiger, five species of Prominent, Gypsy Moths. The night before was clear and dark and the Tawny Owls kept us company while over twenty juvenile Glow-worms illuminated the long meadow with pin-pricks of green light. The stars glimmered and the Milky Way began to appear, Satellites whizzed over and the ISS glowed and Perseid meteors blazed trails.

the Plough

Black Arches

Large Emerald

Sharp Angled Peacock

Coxcomb Prominent

Garden Tiger

Pale Prominent

Small Wainscot

As usual there was by catch with the big black Carrion Beetles, Craneflies and the odd Hovers which included a rather fine Sericomya silentis which was new to site.

Oak Bush Cricket

Long Legs in Love

Mother of Pearl and Dingy Footman - the two commonest species on the Hemp

The early morning moth trap decanting has even added to the bird list with Greenshank and Whimbrel on three dates and a single Redshank! There were still 38 Swifts on the 10^th August and they were hawking amongst the anting Gulls that included 14 Meds. A couple of single Swifts have been seen since.

Another evening session on the sultry night of the 13^th saw us set up on Westleton Heath. It was overcast and even rained a little and moths and other insects streamed in to the single trap. True Lovers Knot, Poplar Hawk-moth, zillions of Grass-moths and several Beautiful Yellow Underwings all appeared along with a single Caloptilia populetorum which was a new one for Antony.

Musotima nitidalis

Beautiful Yellow Underwing

Tawny Owls and Foxes were noisy and it was good to at last get some British Nightjar action this year with several calling and churring birds out on the heath. My brain kept telling me I had had them this year but I then remembered they were in Hungary and Estonia!

The garden is in late summer mode but still has blooms to attract insects with new Evening Primrose, Hollyhocks, Fennel, Buddleia, Ragwort, Tansy, Hemp Agrimony, Marsh Sow-Thistle and Campions. I have been selectively taking back some of the tall grasses but leaving enough for the Meadow and Field Grasshoppers and today I found my first garden Wasp Spider with her Orthopteran prey. Butterfly numbers have still been low with just a few Red Admirals, Whites and Gatekeepers.

The Hop is magnificent and almost fully out and although I have not found any moth mines yet we did find a spiky Comma caterpillar grazing the other day. Frogs and Toads are now in both front and back ponds and the main pond looks like it has been there for years.

Comma

There have been lots of Acorn Weevils in the moth trap

We headed to Caister Beach on the 14^th to find it almost deserted despite the fine weather. The dunes were almost too crispy for there to be much wildlife with just a few Gatekeepers and a female Common Blue, usual Grasshoppers, Bee-wolves and Dune Robberflies. Grey Seals bobbed along surf line curiously watching rubberised humans splashing around and Common, Med and Black-headed Gulls looked for scraps but it is actually a very clean and tidy beach so they lucked out! There was no opportunity to check the back garden for Hop moths again since we were so cordially invited in last year as a new wall and sign has been put up…

A short stop at Breydon Water on the way back saw a flock of at least 28 shimmering Spoonbills out on the lumps but it was too hazy to find the Ibis.

Med Gull

Devil's Bit Scabious

male Bee-wolf

Spoonbills

Welcoming...

I have not actually done any autumnal birding locally and so dragged myself down to Pakefield Beach yesterday morning in the brief drizzle. I did not last too long as the sun came back out and left me with a shimmery sea. However it was quite productive with two new species for the site for me with seven Whimbrel lazily south (after another over my house at 5.30am) and a male Peregrine that steadily headed low over the sea to land way down on Kessingland Beach. Twelve Gannets moved north a fair way out and a smaller all dark looking ‘Gannet’ with quick stiff wing beats rung alarm bells enough for me to circulate the news in case someone saw it up the coast. It was picked up not too far to the north but alas nothing else could be made out and it will have to be let go. However, we are all now checking the buoys and groyne posts offshore for anything perching on them.

I took a few moments to check out the local Hop for moth mines and was pleased to discover the two I found here last season.