Friday 17 March 2017

Big Weekend - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Part II)

Problem with Catching Up is, the more you do
the more you fall behind with other things!
On the strength of that, before continuing the Norfolk Gig,
we will report the finding from the 'single' Moth Trap from yesterday.
All First For the Year (FFY)
 EARLY GREY
CHESTNUT
 HERALD
 DOUBLE-STRIPED PUG
Day II and having had my short moment of glory Dave took over once again as Senior Observer, which was just as well as today's targets were going to take some spotting. Starting at
HOLKHAM
where it was noted that even here, in the sleepy part of Norfolk, some Oaf had
found it necessary to vandailse the Information Board but not, as yet, the fine
Elizabethan Gate House Buildings 
at the entrance to 
Holkham Hall.
As ever, at this time of year, there were a number of

PINK-FOOTED GEESE
awaiting our attention on
Lady Anne's Drive
but even more desireable were just c3 of the hoped for 100

EURASIAN WHITE-FRONTED GEESE
the 'fronted' refering to the white patch just above the bill.
Additionally, there were also lots of
 BRENT GEESE
 outnumbering all others by 100/200 to 1, who knows, but among the gaggle
it was once again Dead-Eyed Dick who picked out the only
BLACK BRANT
among them but, as a Sub-Species not usually counted on any list.
Skein of Brent Geese
and a rather strange looking
 GREYLAG GOOSE
 with 'pink' rather than 'orange' bill?
It was now time to commence the first
Needle in a Hatstack
search for Shore Lark across a vast area of
Sandy Foreshore, Marine Vegetation and Sand Dunes
(unfortunately without success).
However, along the tide-line we did find remnants of
 what was surely 'millions' of
RAZOR CLAM SHELLS
 the egg case of a likely
'COMMON' SKATE
(Mermaid's Purse)
and a
SEA URCHIN
 Additionally, the Sea Buckthorn Bushes were strewn with redundant
CATERPILLAR TENTS
of the
Brown-tailed Moth
Back at the car park there was one last chance to cast a gaze
across the Geese, but luck found this
MARSH HARRIER
patrolling there at the same time but even luckier when again Dave

picked up on at first c2
 and then c5
SPOONBILL
which unfortunately remained on the wing.
Despite a long enough search 'inland' for the object of our desire we found no signs of the
Pallid Harrier
again today save for similarly frustrated observers such as ourselves,
but there was to be another day.
 Along the way there was still plenty to entertain us such as a host of
BROWN HARE
 just starting
on their courtship displays, also lots of

 
 RED KITE
 (which have never featured on any of my previous trips over 40+ years)
GREY PARTRIDGE
 in decent numbers and even a fly-over

 LAPLAND BUNTING

 which wasn't seen to land.
Through the last vestiges of daylight we decided to return from whence we came
and visit the Thornham Nature Reserve in the hope of Twite.
Unfortunately that too was not to be but again a small bonus by way of a couple of

 SUN DOGS
PLEASE TUNE IN AGAIN
for Part III
EntryPageviews
United States
1550
United Kingdom
318
France
86
Germany
63
Venezuela
56
South Korea
12
China
11
Estonia
11
Saudi Arabia
11
New Zealand
9