Saturday 7 September 2024

Lowestoft Life - 5th- 7th September 2024

I trapped on the night of the 5th in the hope of attracting some migrant moths incoming with the host of passerines also on their way.  The trap was not heaving but there were many Large Yellow Underwings jammed in the egg boxes and I was pleased that I had paid attention to Antony the night before and picked up a Pearly Underwing amongst them with a tiny but obvious white spot either side of the head.  A Rush Veneer and Angle Shades were also new in migrants.  A single Red Admiral was also in the trap and it became apparent during the day that many people had caught them overnight as they too migrated across the North Sea in the dark.  Two Old Ladies squabbled in the bottom and it was my first night with multiple Box-tree Moths.

Pearly Underwing

 Rush Veneer


The morning of the 6th saw me getting frustrated again down at Pakefield Beach where once again I completely failed to pick up any of the Manxies and Sooties that I know flew past me going north.  I saw other birds with 93 Gannets, Arctic Skua, two Scoter, Teal and Shoveler, 12 Sandwich Terns and Guillemot but not one Shearwater did I see!

Twelve Meadow Pipits were on the beach having arrived overnight and Large Whites and Red Admirals were still arriving.

As was predicted migrants began arriving mid afternoon and much as last Saturday spots all around the East Anglian coast started picking up multiple Wheatears, Whinchats, Redstarts and both Flycatchers.  Once again I resisted driving to go and look at other locals finds and stuck to my patch and headed back again to Pakefield Beach.  It was heaving but there were still Wheatears dropping in and I had eight actively feeding towards the little boats.  Most were completely unconcerned by the beachgoers or me and I got some lovely views of them including one stunning peachy male.











 Wheatears

 Red Admiral

 Chrysoethis sexguttella on Fat Hen


With no Flycatchers in my own patch I gave up and came home and resolved that I would head out this morning to have a mooch around Kessingland.

I failed slightly on the get up early thing but was at the start of Marsh Lane at not long after 8am. I had barely started when a single not call caught my attention. I heard it again – ‘poop’.  Surely it could not be a Scops Owl?  I listened and heard it three more times before working that that it was almost certainly one of group of Starlings sat up on a roof. I almost put the news out…

It was a pleasant walk down through a big double hedge full of Red Admirals, Honey and Ivy Bees but it was quiet other than a flock of Long-tailed Tits. The local ringing group had just ringed a Redstart which we missed and I heard one called persistently on the other side of the track before realising it was a tape for one of the mist net runs.

Down near the fishing lakes Cetti’s Warblers sang and a couple of Reed Bunting were flying around while Swallows twittered high up.  Flycatchers had been seen and we were pleased to find two small groups of birds within the same stretch of hedge and ended up with four Spotted and three Pied Flycatchers, both Whitethroats, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap.  It was pleasing to at last be in on the huge migration event.


Pied Flycatcher

Spotted Flycatcher

Four silent Tree Pipits also came out of the hedge before moving north when a few weak calls were heard. Aways a tricky bird to get on migration and usually only in singles so a small group was noteworthy.

I looped inland stopping to admire countless Red Admirals on the Ivy with the drone of both Ivy and Honey Bees once again.  There were Hoverflies too with Eristalis pertinax, tenax and nemorum along with Helophilus pendulus, Chrysotoxum bicinctum and many Myathropa florea.  There were loads of Green and Bluebottles and couple of Tachina fera too.

Red Admiral


Red Admiral

Comma

Small White

Chrysotoxum bicinctum

Ivy Bee

oh and a Willow Emerald too


Two more Pied Flycatchers and a Redstart were in three Oaks in the hedge and the ploughed field alongside was full of Pied Wagtails along with 13 Wheatears and at long last my first UK Whinchat of the year.  A single Golden Plover flew south calling and a Grey Wagtail headed towards the sewage works.



Back home after a productive walk, we headed to Beccles were there Red Admirals streaming through and a curious plant that appears to be Gallant Soldier Galinsoga parviflora was growing in the cracks around Roy’s car park – always something new to see even when shopping.

Gallant Soldier – Galinsoga parviflora


The cloud had burnt off and the sun was once again beating down and forced an afternoon retreat but I did drag myself back down to the Beach later on. No Wheatears this time and my attempt to find Flycatchers again failed but the lanes were filled with the hum of Ivy Bees and hundreds of Red Admirals.  The Ivy flowers literally flickered with their exaggerated wing beats.  They were not along with a few Large Whites amongst them as well as two Peacocks and Comma although I suspect these were locals.  Holly Blues and Speckled Woods also joined in as well as many Wasps and Honey Bees.  Of migrant birds, I saw none bar a Chiffchaff but it was worth the effort for the sight of so many Butterflies.



 Red Admirals.

 Comma

 Peacock

As I walked back past the caravan park a lone, tired Redshank came up out of the cliff side herbage and flew north along the beach.  Not quite the wader you might expect or hope to put up from such a spot this time of year.

The moth trap is now on again for one last throw of the migration dice before torrential rain arrives in a few hours

Wednesday 4 September 2024

Lowestoft Life - 22nd August - 4th September 2024

Mothing in my Lowestoft garden has continued but unlike many I have been lacking too many species to suggest the pronounced continental immigration that has been witnessed elsewhere.  I have had Dark Sword Grass, Angle Shades, White Point and a heap of Large Yellow Underwings but half the fun of trapping is the unknown and I have still had a few new species including Neocochylis molliculana, Monopis laevigella and a lovely Green Carpet along with some smart beasts like Centre-barred Sallow, Cypress Pug, Common Marbled Carpet and a couple of Old Ladies. Flounced and Vine’s Rustics, Straw Underwings and Setaceous Hebrew Characters have been very common in the trap.

Centre-barred Sallow

Common Marbled Carpet 

Crocidosema plebejana - possibly now a local breeder on Tree Mallow

Cypress Pug

the first Feathered Ranunculus of the autumn

Green Carpet

Light Emerald

Old Lady

I will put it on shortly and see what happens tonight – you never know.

The Hop flowered and then fruited as if by magic and the Comma cats are still munching away but other than Light Brown Apple Moths (LBAMS) I have not found the other Hop loving moth species yet this year.



Four Wasp Spiders have territory in the ‘meadow’ and one looks plump enough to have found one of the two males that I rescued from in the moth trap.  My garden population of Field Grasshoppers has lost one or two along the way.  Araneus diadematus are growing by the day and at night Zygiella x-notata and Steatoda nobilis are setting their traps on every fence and the front of the garage where Tegenaria and Pholcus also lurk.  There will always be some mothy causalities.

Wasp Spider

Zygiella x-notata

Tegenaria


There is still flower to be seen and the Yarrow is still going and hosting Lime Speck Pug larva and the mobile cases of Coleophora argentula which backs up their presence in my trap but the adults are unfortunately unidentifiable. There are new Fennel and Evening Primrose flowers and even a few White and Red Campion.  Eristalis nemorum has been seen dancing over females and Myathropa florea, Meliscaeva auricollis, Syritta pipiens, and Episyrphus balteatus have been in attendance and Lucilia numbers are up but I have only seen one Tachina fera and none of the big Volucellas in the garden this summer.

Coleophora argentula case on Yarrow


Migrant Hawkers patrol daily and a Southern Hawker popped in but there have only been a couple of Common Darters around. Butterflies are still low with just a few Red Admirals, Commas, Holly Blues and Whites.

My trees out back are doing well and the Willow is already just visible over the garage and while out there I found a couple of Bee-wolf and quite a few Harlequins and Seven Spots.  The young lads next door had also found another big female Wasp Spider out there!

I took myself for a walk around my Pakefield Beach circuit on the 28th but there was not one passerine migrant.  I did find two Muntjac back up near the main road one of which barked energetically at me and poked his tongue out and three Whimbrel headed south as I got back to the church.  Back at home five Grey Herons lumbered slowly over my house having undoubtedly just arrived like several others seen along our coast that morning.

Muntjac

Muntjac

Whimbrel

I popped out on my newly refurbished bike t the rather wondrous little Frondere plant centre down off Victoria Road.  A lovely lady runs the place and I can even get better views over Lake Lothing from there for the upcoming winter - oh and have a cup of coffee! Do go and visit!


In the afternoon I ambled around the block taking in Tom Crisp Way.  There were a few Wasp Spiders here too but it was the Small Copper that took the prize.

Field Grasshopper

Small Copper 

Small Copper 

Myathropa florea

Etainia louisella moth mine in a Field Maple samara

My first garden Grey Squirrel -  it soon moved on after a hard stare from Peanut

Necrophorus interruptus - my second Carrion Beetle species in the moth trap


I spent some time at Pakefield Beach in the morning of the 31st where I managed to miss two Cory’s Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters and multiple Long-tailed, Arctic and Great Skuas that al got past me undetected!  I was having a bird blindness morning and all I got for my trouble was six Gannet, 12 Scoter and three Kittiwakes.  Never mind.

I have to admit to not even bothering the next morning and missed more Shearwater and Skuas action and by late afternoon it was becoming apparent that a fall of passerines was underway despite the clear blue skies and no wind whatsoever.  Wheatears were all over Ness Point and other coastal sites right up and along the Suffolk and Norfolk coast and with them were Redstarts and Pied Flycatchers and a few other goodies.  My own goals were slightly more prosaic with Wheatear being a missing bird from my Pakefield Beach list so despite they potential throngs of people I headed down there and much to my delight there were two moving steadily south amongst the ever present dog walkers and runners.  A Willow Warbler popped up in the Lupins and was my second addition but try as I might I could not find and Flycatcher or Shimmertail.

Antony and I took the trap down to The Hollies that evening and set it up on the cliff top.  He collected it the next morning and amongst the Chinese Characters, Square Spot Rustics and Setaceaous Hebrew Characters were a host of micros and some other good species including Anania crocealis, Citron Plumes, Mullein Waves and a glorious Beautiful Marbled decked out in cream, buff and raspberry pink.  I was amazed how small it was.

Fleabane Pearl - Anania crocealis

Beautiful Marbled 

Citron Plume

Mullein Wave


I was determined the next morning to try and find a local Pied Fly and thankfully did just that in Kirkley Cemetery although it kept hidden in the Limes but was very vocal.  Three Coal Tits and a Willow Warbler were the only other birds of note.  There were hundreds of Gracillaria syringella mines on the Privet and a few other familiar species but I will wait till later in the month to have a proper look.




I followed this up with a walk around the Pakefield patch once again but it was very quiet despite another fall of birds around Ness Point.  A Wheatear on a rooftop was my sole small migrant and three juvenile Common Terns circled off shore and three Teal, two Knot and an Oystercatcher headed south.

Wheatear

Starling

Starlings


The weather yesterday (3rd) was warm but persistently drizzly and occasionally very wet indeed but we had agreed to meet M&D at the Old Reading Rooms in Kelling for lunch.  There was a big heap of Spoonbills once again at the Lumps at Breydon on the way through.  A quick look at Gramborough Hill gave me a Woodpigeon and a Dunnock in the bushes and trees and two Stonechat on the fence line and the Quags were almost fully dry but did have Redshank and Greenshank disturbed by a flighty Little Egret.

A weird call drew me to a juvenile Spoonbill following its flying parent and making begging calls; not something I had heard before and behind me three obviously tired Grey Herons arrived in off and tried to land but the Rooks and Herring Gulls did not like the incoming foreigners and soon sent them on their way and westwards.




The sea was calm and quiet with just some circling Gannets and a few Sandwich Terns along the beach. The scaly youngsters were making that squeaky bicycle sound as they too followed around their parents.  Lunch was splendid but the rain returned and we headed for home straight afterwards.

This morning  I dragged myself down to the Net Posts at Ness Point and walked down to Links Road and back.  Gulliver was in the process of very slowly having his huge blades removed and lowered to the ground.  New ones are needed apparently.  The mega crane appeared to be holding the whole head with what looked like a giant bulldog clip!





It was warm and still and unsurprisingly quiet once again but it was pleasant enough and I did dig out a couple of Willow Warblers, a Chiffchaff and a Wheatear while offshore three Spoonbills headed north about half a mile out with a Fulmar lazily following shortly afterwards.


Wheezing, whining young Herring Gulls


Red Admirals and Large Whites were arriving throughout the morning; powerfully heading across the seawall after an epic voyage and across the North Denes there were flickering Whites of all three species although I suspect that some may have been local butterflies.

Green-veined White

Green-veined White

I checked the Groyne Gulls but could not find any Caspians and just one adult Med Gull patrolling the beach before I started to walk back.

Testing his hose!



I popped into Chez Wren on the way home to have a look at the Pale Shoulder that Peter Follett had caught the previous night.  I have seen the species this year in Lesvos and Hungary but it is still a very rare migrant to the UK.  The first Ivy Bees were with the countless Honey Bees and a couple of Red Admirals on the already flowering and pungent Ivy.

Pale Shoulder - Antony Wren


Back at home I spent the afternoon tinkering around the garden seeing Frogs and Toads and some huge Slugs before spending an engrossing couple hours sorting through the huge tin of old and useless screws that I have had for 25 years…  A Golden Plover calling overhead was a welcome garden addition.