A good morning for ringing so with sunrise being so early now, the alarm clock was also set very early, at 0330am! We got to the Obs around 0415am to open the nets and were treated to a Cuckoo sitting close off the track in some scrub.

We had a really good morning ringing from 0420am-1030am (just as it started to get too hot) and one of the busiest sessions of the year with juvenile birds on the go now to boost numbers with little migrants around. We caught a family of Long-tailed Tit, both the babies and parents which was really lovely as it’s a pair I have been following for the whole spring, from the female getting her first signs of a brood patch and starting nesting to now finally having 11 babies. For totals we caught 33 new birds: 11 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Sedge Warbler, 1 Goldfinch, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Reed Warbler, 6 Blue Tit, 1 Blackcap, 1 Whitethroat and 8 Dunnock. For retraps we had 9 birds including 2 Sedge Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Long-tailed Tit, 2 Cetti’s Warbler and 2 Blue Tit, so a total of 42 birds!

Whilst ringing this morning we had 4 Crossbill over the pines. There were three Spoonbill on the Broadwater, two of which were feeding very close to the car park hide.

It was another busy night in the moth traps and nice to get some migrants with the highlight being a Small Mottled Willow. We also had 3 species of hawk moth and the first Pine Hawk of the year! We caught 4 Common Pug, 8 Willow Beauty, 4 Cinnabar, 2 Cnephasia agg., 6 Pine Nut Moth, 1 Sharp-angled Peacock, 5 White Ermine, 3 Fern, 2 Large Yellow Underwing, 1 Pebble Prominent, 1 Garden Mompha, 1 Common Marble, 1 Grey Pug, 1 Middle-barred Minor, 2 Dark Fruit-tree Tortrix, 4 Common Wainscot, 5 Marbled Minor agg., 1 Blushed Knot-horn, 1 Single-dotted Wave, 1 Marbeld Orchard Tortrix, 1 Buff Tip, 1 Silver Y, 4 Treble Lines, 3 Meadow Grass Moth, 3 Vines Rustic, 3 Bryotropha terrella, 1 Light Brown Apple Moth, 16 Mottled Rustic, 1 Small Mottled Willow, 3 Setaceous Hebrew Character, 2 Pallid Grey, 3 Common Swift, 1 Black-headed Conch, 2 Pine Hawk, 3 Heart and Dart, 1 Silky Wainscot, 5 Sand Dart, 2 Small Elephant Hawk, 1 Haworth’s Pug, 2 Marsh Pearl, 1 Privet Hawk, 1 Giant Water Veneer and 2 Turnip.

Small Elephant, Privet and Pine Hawks!

Shannon

NORFOLK BIRD NEWS FROM RAREBIRD ALERT

Norfolk probable Montagu’s Harrier ringtail flew over Winterton North Dunes towards East Somerton this morning (probably not Pallid Harrier) c52.7420,1.6737

Norfolk possible Honey Buzzard Felbrigg Hall NT at 11.53am 52.9022,1.2566: Viewed from 52.9018,1.2566

Norfolk PALLID HARRIER ad.fem 1ml east of Cley flew east past Walsey Hills NOA at 7.55am c52.9541,1.0676

Norfolk Curlew Sand ad Titchwell RSPB on Freshmarsh at 11.04am +2.Little Stints 52.9688,0.6053: Viewed from 52.9685,0.6047

Norfolk Garganey drk Welney WWT still c52.5338,0.2823

Norfolk possible Pallid Harrier ringtail flew over Winterton North Dunes towards East Somerton c52.7420,1.6737

Norfolk Golden Oriole male singing Repps in poplars along Low Road at 7.30am 52.7018,1.5848

Norfolk probable Pallid Harrier ringtail 1ml east of Cley flew east past Walsey Hills NOA at 7.55am c52.9541,1.0676

Norfolk BLACK-WINGED KITE ad east of Lessingham still at Hempstead Marshes north of junction of Hickling Lane +Stalham Road at 7.07am 52.7854,1.5838 Viewed from c52.7845,1.5848

Norfolk Golden Oriole singing Breydon Water south of South Wall west of rugby club in trees by Herbert Barnes car park 52.6064,1.7065

Norfolk no sign of ad.Gull-billed Tern Cley NWT on North Scrape by 6.16am but Glossy Ibis still (+Little Stint) c52.9603,1.0573 Park at c52.9653,1.0479

Norfolk Golden Oriole fem/1s.male Titchwell RSPB by visitor centre briefly 6.10am c52.9628,0.6039