A beautiful autumnal sunrise greeted the day with the lack
of wind allowing the calls of Pinkfeet to drift across the landscape. I could hear Red Kites whinnying and two headed
off inland on the same line as several Marsh Harriers and a few Meadow Pipits
seeped overhead.
After breakfast we headed all the way down to Breydon Water
to try and catch the tide before it came full in but although we were an hour
early, all the mud was already covered and the waders were up roosting.
However we had a good little session down there and found several
Knot, Greenshank and two Spotted Redshanks amongst the hordes of Redshanks and
Black-tailed Godwits and several; other wader species. A female Sparrowhawk shuffled things up a bit
but the three Spoonbills barely twitched but somehow all moved with the
incoming waters without us noticing!
Little Egrets were actively feeding on the saltmarsh and
Redshank and a few Curlew came to join them and Meadow Pipits and Reed Buntings
were disturbed. Three Bearded Tits noisily called as they bounded over our heads! Small White and Red
Admiral fluttered by and a Wall Brown was a great find as it nectared on the
Sea Aster. I looked for Colletes but
could not see any.
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| Curlew |
Onwards to Hickling where lunch was taken to the sound of
our first Cranes and many Pinkfeet and a Tawny Owl gave a long tremulous hoot
from somewhere towards the Broad. I
spent some time checking for moth leaf mines around the car park and also fund
some funky Sawfly larva on some of the Sallows.
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| Sawfly larva |
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| Guelder Rose |
Our walk down to Stubb Mill was delightful in warm sunshine. Migrant Hawkers and Common Darters were present
in still very large numbers and I was pleased to find a single Willow Emerald
too. There were a few Hoverflies and
Hornets and a good spread of Butterflies with all three Whites, Peacock, Red
Admiral, Wall Brown, Small Tortoiseshell and Speckled Wood while a large pale
Caddisfly species was emerging in some numbers and fluttering over the reed beds. Long-winged Coneheads were still singing and
I found one female in the grass which was alive with tiny Wolf Spiders, many of
which were starting to climb up stems in preparation of a mass ballooning session.
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| Common Darter |
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| Common Darter |
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| Migrant Hawker |
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| Migrant Hawker |
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| Willow Emerald |
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| Helophilus pendulus |
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| The gall on Creeping Thistle of the fly Urophora cardui |
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| Dock Bug |
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| A small bee - possibly a Lasioglossum |
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| Wall Brown |
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| Wall Brown |
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| A small Oak Eggar cat |
The Common Cranes put on a grand show with two groups of four and
one of three before we even got to the mill and eclipsed once at the platform
with 19 in a snaky line that circled the marsh a couple of times before
landing. Who knows if this was a different
group or not? All the while the magical bugling drifted across the marshes with
the underlying susurration of the light breeze through the reeds and as usual
was the highlight of my day.
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| Common Cranes |
Great White Egrets were lumbering around and I reckon six
were seen and a vast flock of about 1000 Pink-feet were disturbed from way off
near Martham Broad before passing overhead and the air was so still at that
time that their wings thrummed and hummed and could be aurally felt through the
cacophony of yipping. It was an
afternoon of special moments.
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| Great White Egret |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Pink-feet |
Sound up - Simon Millin
Also down at the Mill we found two very smart but tardy Whinchats
flycatching from the same bramble and two male Yellowhammers calling jauntily
from one of the Hawthorns. We walked
back to the sound of more Geese and Cranes and the three Koniks making the most
of the sunshine while a Hobby became our surprise third this week. Marsh Harriers and Buzzards were omnipresent
and I counted 13 Med Gulls up hawking with kettling Black-headeds.
A final coffee back at the centre and then the journey back
across the county for one last slap up meal at Briarfields.
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