Blue Eyed Birder: Lowestoft Life - 7th -12th October 2025

7^th October:

I got home from Estonia at 1.30 that morning which felt like 3.30 for me and was soon up and about as Antony and Nathan were continuing with the loft work but after they were done we popped down to Dunwich Heath to have a look at the stunning male Turkestan Shrike that had taken up cliff top residence during the week.

Unlike some other days he was visible immediately as Antony and I approached and we ended up on the good side and were able to watch him hunting and impaling Wasps and Dor Beetles. He was very accommodating and sometimes even flew towards us to grab a snack before returning to his favoured impaling area. The small white covert patch expanded in flight and was very obvious from above or below.

Turkestan Shrike

Turkestan Shrike - Ian Plume

My head was still in Estonia mode and every time I heard a Blue or Great Tit I subconsciously counted. I was still hearing Long-tailed Tits although at this point there were none around.

After a good session with the Shrike we cut up to the heath which was jumping with Stonechats and Dartford Warblers and little flocks of Meadow Pipits were bimbling around. The slow walk back to the car gave some time for some quality leaf mining and a good selection of species were found in the usual host trees.

Gorse

Field Grasshopper

Tipula paludosa

Speckled Bush-Cricket

Jet Ant - Lasius fuliginosus

Robin's Pin Cushion

Nephrotoma sp

Cydia ulicitana

Rush Veneer & Aphodius contaminatus

Chromatomyia aprilina fly mine on Honeysuckle

Phytomyza ilicis fly mine on Holly

Tischeria ekebladella on Sweet Chestnut

Stigmella oxyacanthella on Hawthorn

Acrocercops brongniardella on Holm Oak

Stigmella tityrella on Beech

This time there were real Long-tailed Tits along with Goldcrests and Treecreepers while Robins ticked from the hedges. Some impressive Fly Agarics were already passed their best in the verge.

Fly Agaric

Powdery Brittlegill

Back at home I picked Andrea up and headed to Gapton for some supplies but a well timed message about a Red-footed Falcon just across the river at Bure Park (where I saw a Ring-billed Gull thirty-odd years ago) sent us there afterwards. A very kind local couple walked back and showed me this 1cy female in their scope sat out in a ploughed field. She was staying low with little flights between clods seemingly in an effort to avoid the attention of the local Kestrels.

I watched her for a while and then headed off and into the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft rush hour which of course does not really exist.

8^th October:

A short hour at Dip Farm under grey clouds and a light drizzle gave me a roving Tit flock to go through which gave me my Long-tailed Tit fix along with six each of Goldcrest and Chiffchaff and two elusive Firecrest. With no recent easterlies my hopes of a vagrant warbler were slim.

Long-tailed Tit

Goldcrest

Twin Spot Centurion - Sargus bipunctatus

I did some leafmining before retreating.

Phyllonorycter joannisi on Norway Maple

Phyllocnistis xenia on Poplar

Holm Oak acorns

10^th October:

Another morning amble – this time around the Net Posts, Ness Point and the trees behind the Lighthouse café. It was similar to Dip Farm but with extra Squirrels! I sat down overlooking the sea for half an hour. It was a glorious morning and the sea was still calm but quiet and I counted 12 Brent Geese and nine Med Gull heading north offshore. Rock Pipit and Skylark headed south and two Small Whites came in off before I had to head off.

Volucella zonaria sunbathing high in the Sycamore company

Squirrel

Robin

Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls

Small White

Back at home I headed out into the garden which needed my attention having been completely neglected by me since August. Eristalis tenax and Honey Bees were still on the go and Common Darter whizzed around. A couple of Siskins went over along with several Meadow Pipits, a Skylark and a low calling Water Pipit (nice and shiny white underneath).

I trapped that evening and had quite a good catch including a Barred Sallow and an Oak Rustic which was new for me and the garden.

Barred Sallow

A late Mottled Rustic

Oak Rustic

Cypress Carpet

Double Striped Pug

Psychoides filicivora on Hart's Tongue

Caloptilia fidella - an autumn brood adult reared out by Antony.

11^th October:

As I emptied the trap it was still before dawn and I heard a single Redpoll go over and then a flock of eight gipping Crossbills which went low and north. Duck had obviously been disturbed from Leathes’s Ham and some Mallard and Gadwall flew over.

With finches on the moves I went straight down to Pakefield Beach but it was disappointing with no movement off shore and although I saw Common Scoter, Red-throated Diver, Gannets and two Med Gull, nothing was actually doing anything but loafing around!

As for passerines; there were a few Meadow Pipit on the beach and 32 Greenfinch went vaguely south although these may have been my local beach birds.

The moth trap was less productive over night with 19 species but they did include a lovely Sallow, a Grey Pine Carpet, a selection of Rustics and a rather plain Bloxworth Snout which I showed to the Pelitory out the front!

Bloxworth Snout

Common Marbled Carpet

Grey Pine Carpet - AW

Sallow

Unsure - could be a dark Diamondback

12th October:

My moth trap birds this morning were single Song Thrush and Brambling over before a brief post breakfast jaunt down to the traps at Benace only gave us 12 species but there were some crackers in there. A brace of Chestnuts unfortunately meant that Antony was not required to eat his hat.

Brown Spot Pinion - AW

Chestnut - AW

Four Spotted Footman - AW

Green Brindled Crescent - AW

Merveille du Jour - AW

November Moth agg - AW

Pink-barred Sallow - AW

Satellite - AW

Scrobipalpa costella - AW

A noisy Tit flock moved through and Green Woodpecker was added to my recent haul of the family and Treecreepers and Nuthatches were heard. The Sweet Chestnuts seem to have had a good year with a fairly plump crop some of which I collected. One of the disadvantages of now not having an open fire is the ability to roast your own Chestnuts!

Phyllonorycter coryli

Sweet Chestnuts

A few fungi were found and Seven Spot Ladybirds and Birch and Green Shieldbugs were found in the Birches and two Minotaur Beetles were extracted from the moth traps before we headed for home.