No birds!
11 Jan 2023
Walked to East Lane from SS and was shocked to see how few birds there were on the fields and the marsh. No lapwings or golden plover at all and very few wildfowl or waders, apart from a goldeneye on one of the pools. Not sure if Avian flu is a factor, or maybe they just haven't migrated here for the winter from Northern Europe because of climate change? Dire, anyway.
Jeremy Mynott
Winter birds
09 Jan 2023
Sometimes absences are more striking than presences. Very few winter visitors here, possibly because climate change makes it unnecessary. At any rate no redwings or fieldfares on the hawthorns, still berried, on the Twin Banks. No lapwing and just one curlew. There was one winner from climate change, though, a Cetti's warbler calling, which stays here all the years now.
Jeremy Mynott
Crimson Speckled
23 Oct 2022
Nick Mason was the finder of a spectacular moth in Shingle St, a Crimson Speckled, a very rare immigrant from the Mediterranean with the most beautiful markings.
I encouraged him to run a moth trap in my garden while I was away but had no idea he'd come up with something like this! Well, if freudenfreude is the opposite of schadenfreude, good on you, mate.
Jeremy
snout
31 Aug 2022
Last moth trapping of August was a bit meagre after a blustery night with showers, but we did catch a lot of Snouts, an ugly name for another subtly marked moth (and you can see why it is called that from its elongated palps).
Jeremy
golden plover
01 Sep 2022
First golden plover of the autumn on one of the pools. It's scientific name is Pluvialis, which means 'rain bird', so let's hope it's an omen for a much-needed downpour.
I'm signing off for a while now, so please keep the observations coming.
Jeremy
Hummingbird hawk moth
29 Aug 2022
This lovely moth is a regular visitor to the red valerian in our garden.
Catherine
short-eared owl
26 Aug 2022
Flushed a short-eared owl from the foreshore between SS and East Lane at about 1600hrs. First of the autumn, but from where?
Jeremy
linnets
25 Aug 2022
The linnet flock on the grassland past the Beacons is now 100 strong. Joined today by a wheatear passing through and perching occasionally on the memorial bench.
Jeremy
Chinese water deer
23 Aug 2022
We get Chinese water deer around the dykes in SS, usually shy and well-concealed, but I had a great view of one in the open on Orford Ness, galloping across the stone desert.
Jeremy
pied flycatcher
20 Aug 2022
A pied flycatcher in the trees round the allotment patch. Probably a migrant from Scandinavia. Can be hard to spot because they move restlessly in the upper branches, but often call – a high pic-pik followed by some ticking notes (OK, not very helpful, sorry, but once you've learned it you can locate them much more easily).
Jeremy
