A really muggy day at the Observatory today and too windy for ringing. There was a few Swift filtering through on the Broad Water first thing this morning. The Spoonbill was still on the pools in front of the car park hides – though fast asleep today on one of the islands. There were a few Med Gull about today passing over. There were a few juvenile Lesser Whitethroat on East Bank this morning, which is the first I’ve seen this year. There were 400 Knot at Gore Point in the afternoon. Quite a few Red Kite about today, some flying very low over the dunes.

Red Kite – photo by Seamus Griffin

The moth traps had picked up from yesterday with 46 individuals of 23 species, with 2 Bordered White, 17 Cinnabar, 2 Large Pale Masoner, 2 Straw Dot, 1 Small Elephant Hawk, 1 Purple Bar, 1 Barred Fruit-tree Tortrix, 1 Small Umber, 1 Fern, 1 V-Pug, 1 Common Pug, 1 Meadow Grass-moth, 1 Dwarf Cream Wave, 1 Common Marble, 1 Small China Mark, 1 Middle Barred Minor, 5 White Ermine, 1 Burnished Brass, 1 Buff Tip, 1 Heart and Club, 1 Swallow Prominent, 1 Pallid Grey and 1 Beautiful Hook Tip. The Beautiful Hook Tip is a lovely moth – it is a locally distributed moth in Norfolk and it’s foodplant is Lichens.

Speckled Wood, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Small Heath and Meadow Brown were on the wing today.

Shannon Clifford – Assistant Warden

NORFOLK BIRD NEWS FROM RARE BIRD ALERT

Norfolk Pec Sand Hickling Broad NWT still 12.07pm 1/3ml ESE of visitor centre at Brendan’s Marsh from 1st viewing platform c52.7395,1.6016 Park at c52.7422,1.5949

Norfolk Marsh Warbler singing 1ml east of Cley still 11.17am west of Walsey Hills +just west of North Foreland Wood north of Skirts Path c52.9551,1.0617

Norfolk Pec Sand Hickling Broad NWT still 10.10am 1/3ml ESE of visitor centre at Brendan’s Marsh from 1st viewing platform tho elusive c52.7395,1.6016 Park at c52.7422,1.5949

Norfolk Pec Sand Hickling Broad NWT still 1/3ml ESE of visitor centre at Brendan’s Marsh from 1st viewing platform c52.7395,1.6016 Park at c52.7422,1.5949

Norfolk Marsh Warbler singing 1ml east of Cley still west of Walsey Hills +just west of North Foreland Wood north of Skirts Path at 7.50am +showing well c52.9551,1.0617