No sign of the Curlew Sandpiper first thing this morning unfortunately, and the 9 Dunlin that it was with yesterday were also gone, though two turned up in the afternoon, with still a good number of Redshank around with 40+ from the car park hide. Nine Black-tailed Godwit flew over the grazing marsh in the afternoon. Three Spoonbill were fast asleep on the side of the Broad Water. The large group of Avocet were still around, with 59 recorded today, with many feeding up in the eastern end of the Broad Water.

The Viper’s Bugloss around the reserve is well worth checking and keeping an eye on at the moment as we have been getting a Hummingbird Hawk-moth feeding here!

Viper’s Bugloss

Similar numbers in the moth traps this morning, however, with some really good Footman numbers, including 25 Scarce Footman, 10 Common Footman, 3 Buff Footman, 1 Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing, 13 Uncertain/Rustic agg., 2 Ruby Tiger, 1 Beatiful Hook Tip, 1 Large Yellow Underwing, 1 Haworth’s Pug, 1 V-Pug, 1 Eucosma cana, 1 Common Zebra Moth, 1 Double-striped Pug, 1 Kent Black Arches, 1 Pine Marble, 2 Cnephasia agg., 1 Sharp Angled Peacock, 1 Willow Ermine, 1 Sand Dart, 1 Poplar Hawk, 2 Brown Tail, 1 Smoky Wainscot, 1 Reed Dagger, 1 Garden Grass-moth, 1 Donacaula forficella and 1 Mouse Moth! The Mouse Moth is so named because If disturbed, it will scuttle away like a mouse rather than fly! I always think they should’ve been named The Spider Moth as they look (and act) a bit Arachnidy…

Mouse Moth!

Shannon Clifford – Assistant Warden

NORFOLK BIRD NEWS FROM RARE BIRD ALERT

Norfolk White Stork (metal-ringed) Welney still viewable from A1101/ Station Road junction 52.514,0.2606. Viewed from 52.5117,0.261

Norfolk Leach’s Petrel flew east past Cromer at 6.12am c52.9339,1.3014