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

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