Moths
15 Jun 2023
An over night moth-trapping produced some 40 species, with large numbers of small elephants, cream-spot tigers and marbled minors and an interesting 'bird wing' moth. Amazing how much activity there is in one's garden overnight!
Jeremy
Marsh harrier
16 Jun 2023
A male marsh harrier was quartering the reed beds between the Twin Banks this afternoon. I've seen him around here a few times so I think there must be a breeding pair in the area.
Jeremy
Painted lady
12 Jun 2023
First painted lady of the summer. They migrate here from southern Europe and in some years come in the hundreds later in the summer (in the famous 'painted lady summer' of 2009 it was in their thousands).
Jeremy
Breeding waders
10 Jun 2023
Walking to East Lane from SS I saw three successful breeding waders in the pools: 2 pairs of lapwing, 3 of ringed plover and an oystercatcher with four fledged young in train. Also a redshank present but probably non-breeding.
Jeremy
Small Heath
04 Jun 2023
Along the sea-wall leading to East Lane I put up several Small Heath butterflies. A tiny, grass-loving species you often wouldn't spot until you had disturbed it. Looks rather orangey in flight and has a distinctive eye-spot on the wing when at rest on a stem.
Jeremy
Cetti’s warbler
01 Jun 2023
Cetti's warbler are more often heard than seen (so no pic provided!), but the song is unmistakeable. It's a very loud
'QUICK quickety-quick quickety-quick', usually delivered from a reedbed. There are several singing at present along the Twin Banks. If you ever glimpse them they are large chestnut-brown warblers with long rounded tails but they are very hard to spot even when singing very close to you.
Jeremy
Bird song
02 Jun 2023
Reed buntings are singing along the Twin Banks. The males are very smart birds with glossy black heads and a striking white collar and moustache, but they must have the worst song of any British bird – a sort of tuneless jangle.
Jeremy Mynott
Nightingales
31 May 2023
Two nightingales duetting in their usual spot in Bromeswell this evening. Better be quick if you want to hear them – they stop singing in mid-June.
Jeremy Mynott
Stonechats
29 May 2023
A small family of stonechats in their usual area behind the Martello.
Jeremy Mynott
Swifts
30 May 2023
Two swifts in off the sea, and to my surprise they headed south. It's been a chill N wind but surely they don't think summer's over yet!
Jeremy Mynott
