Little Gull at Links Road car park

On Monday 31st July, after work at 6.30pm, I drove down to the Link's road car park, initially no sign of the Little Gull, although there wwere 2 adult W Mediterranean Gulls, a juvenile Black- headed Gull and out to sea a group of 7 fishing Sandwich Terns. Also 15 Common terns seen some on groynes and some fishing. Finally, at 7.10pm the fine Little Gull flew in from across the North denes and settled on the car park and using the car as a mobile hide, I waited until the sun came out and managed a few pics before the sun went in again! The bird was still there when I left at 7.40pm.

Painted Lady again

On Sunday 30th July, the Painted Lady was still around in the back garden.

First 2023 Painted Lady

On Saturday 29th July, delighted to see my first Painted Lady of 2023 in the garden, mostly seen on the flowers of the Buddlea bush, there were also 4 Peacocks, 4 Red Admirals, a Gatekeeper and a Large White.

Common Scoter at Ness Point

On Friday 28th July a tweet about a close male Common Scoter at Ness Point, had me driving down just after 6.15pm, Andrew E drew up to and I hadn't spotted the bird but then saw it around a quarter of the way out, a fine male Common Scoter, black with distinctive black knob near the base of its bill and orange on the top middle of the upper mandible, I pointed it out to Andrew. It was initially overcast and the Roger drew up and now there were 3 cameras trained on the bird. The bird lifted itself up and flapped its wings and eventually the sun came out beneath the cloud and its was begiing its descent and the bird swam a little closer. I managed to get a few pics but it would have been really nice for it to have been really closer but very greatful for the illuminating sunlight. Before swimming back again. A flock of of its bretheren, 17 Common Scoter flew north (9 females and 8 females) and a succession of Kittiwakes flew south including several immature birds too.

Green- flowered Helleborine & Broad- leaved Helleborines

On Tuesday 25th of July at a North Suffolk location, I found the fine Green- flowered helleborine, with the help of the fergusons, the flower was growing on an upturned root of a tree with the stump of a second plant next to it. At another locality I saw around 12 Broad-leaved Helleborines.

Butterflies at East Bergholt

Travelling down to East Bergolt, after hearing of 10-20 Queen of Spain Fritillaries, in a wildflower meadow. I drove down only trouble was each road to the site hadf signs saying road closed! East Bergholt Lane was closed so I drove back along the A12 then exited there and again the road to East End Lane was closed, I carried on saw a public footpath sign and walked round there, didn't look quite right so I looked back at the message and the pin on the map suddenly gave me directions to the site less than a mile away. I carried on around to a road where the houses finished and parking opposite 2 Ivy Cottages. I walked out past a Children's Playground through a field and then into a dip by a line of trees then suddenly there were people a young lady from Norfolk and another older chap. I was in the right area and the butterflies had been seen! Suddenly a Fritillary flew and settled on the ground just a few feet from the path through the field. This was a fairly dull indvidual with a "bite" out of its lower left forewing. This was repeated and up to 10 Queen of Spain Fritillaries seen flying around, sometimes 2 seen together. They would fly a little way and then settle. It was difficult to see the white bubbl under forewing but I did see this feature several times. The right side of the field a pale and very tatty Clouded Yellow flew and settled and I maaged a few pics. Alkso I saw on the left side of the field I spotted a second brighter Clouded Yellow.

Black- winged Kite at Braydon Marsh Hickling/ Horsey

On Thursday 20th July, I drove up really early to Horsey hoping to catch the BW Kite before work 5pm there was thick mist but it slowly started to clear and by 6pm I drew up into a crowded Horsey Mill car park paid the £4 parking fee and slowly made my way along the path by 6.30pm I met a birder who said the Kite was showing and still there!!! It was about 3/4 mile and I literally ran as fast as I could (I didn't take my big lens, so no pics) and met several other birders who confirmed it was still there at the time of leaving. I was advised to go to the second group for views but the first group, they confirmed the bird was till there and it was sitting on top a group of 3 bushes. The left hand one had the absolutely magnificent Black- winged Kite perched on the left hand site of the bush. It was no bigger than a Wood Pigeon being about Hobby- sized and slimmer than the Wood Pigeon perched beneath it, useful for comparison. A real stunner of a bird and it was giving good scope views being closer than I expected. It had a white head, face and breast/ underparts, the striking red eye, had a black- brow above it with pale grey upperparts with dark slate/grey/ black forewing and black wing-tips. It perced on a branch stem showings its bright yellow legs it was constantly looking about and one stage popped down to another stem where it flapped its wings showing the dark slate/grey black wedge on the primaries and secondaries. I looked at the bird for around 10 minutes then walked to the second group where I joined Rob h and could slightly clearer set up my scope and wathced it for a further 50 m inutes. I thought it would be distant but it was closer than expected although it would have only have been poor record shots if I had had my camera with me. This is the first bird of this specis seen since 1999 in China and I have also seen them in the Algarve in Portugal too, a real stunner of a bird! By 7.30pm I had to leave to get back to work.

Dipped the Kite

On Wednesday 19th July, by 3pm, I drove up to Horsey but the time I had there was marred by steady rain and despite the Horsey strait being lined with birders no sign of the BW Kite.

Green Woodpecker over the garden

On Wednesday 18th July at 5.40am, whilst taking a stroll at the front, i saw and heard a fine Green Woodpecker that flew south- east and over the back garden towards the new accursed Fallowfields development, a first seen in the garden for many years!

Local helleborines

On Monday 17th July in the evening i wandered over to the local woods and found up to 28 Broad- leaved Helleborines, one was in flower the others were mostly budding up, save for the 8 plants that were very unfortunately strimmed.

Hobby across the A47

On Friday 14th July, a fine Hobby flew across the A47 at 8.15am as I was travelling to work flew south- east towrads Stirrups Lane direction.

Caspian & Spoonbills on Breydon

After work on Tuesday 11th July, I saw Steve S. who said the Caspian was still there and really nice to see Peter A. in the hide. The fine adult Caspian Tern was along the edge of the estuary stood in some short grass to the far right. I scoped it for a while before it flew a short way into a pool by some Black- headed Gulls, it was obscured by long grass but the head and the orange bill. Meanwhile on the bumps, a Whimbrel flew in and was chased by a Curlew. Further back, a large group of Black- tailed Godwits c60 and c100 Curlew and c80 Avocets seen too. Suddenly the Caspian Tern flew north but soon reappeared flying back amsettling again amongst the Black- headed Gulls, 2 Spoonbills, an adult and black wing-tipped immature flew down and walked around the mud.

Juvenile Long- eared Owl and Leverett Hare at Strumpshaw

On Sunday 9th July, a trip to Strumpshaw RSPB was in order after it was reported that LEOs had bred and a juvenile Long- eared Owl was being seen regularly around the reception area. I arrived at 6.30pm and saw Rob H, David H., Justin L. and & David R. & his wife. Looking very near reception, a young Leverett Hare leaped out from the verge and started eating grass half way back and continued this for next 30 minutes or so. Still no sign of the Owl and by 8.30pm it was looking if we might miss out on seeing it. Until Justin L. who had been by the hide was walking very purposely away, I followed and we crossed the road and into the overflow park where the fine juvenile Long- eared Owl was seen along the far north end on a post. Walking carefully up to the car and I managed to get a few shots until it flew to a closer post flushed itself up then looked around and then at us and then it flew to a post further along before finally flying back north and then out of sight.

Elusive Ring- neck but nevertheless a good Carlton Marshes visit

On Saturday 8th July, looked from the Spider bridge, aagin no Spiders. I walked down to Peto's as I approached the first gate along the bund, incredibly I could see a juvenile Cuckoo perched on it, it was looking into the light and I wanted to carefully manoeuvre round by going down the bank in order not to disturb it. I looked around and as is always the case, someone was coming down close behind me, this time an an elderly jogger and he did stop but was reluctant to wait, he flushed it but fortunately it flew down the bank to posts just along the southern edge and I managed a couple of shots before it carried on towards Whitecast marsh. Further along the bund, a Hare ran out from the side and ran down the path away from me! From the part of the marsh looking along from the western bund, I saw 3 Black- tailed Godwits feeding on a watery scrape and walking down to North Hide I met a birder who had just seen it saying it was in eclipse and it had been in the dyke before North Hide but was swimming towards it. When I arrived, I saw a Pochard and a striking beetroot brown coloured female Wigeon but the male eclipse Ring- necked Duck was very elusive mainly hiding behind islands and was distant but I did see it on 3 occasions as it swam between the islands. 3 Common Terns seen on an island also plus 2 Swift overhead, I walked back along the Whitecast Marsh in the hope of seeing the juv Cuckoo again, I didn't but an adult Cuckoo did fly out and away from me. Plus a Barn Owl was hunting over the marsh too.

Triple Emperors!

On Saturday, in mid Suffolk it was good to meet up with Sam & Tim and the Purple Emperors put on a good show, with at least 4 seen, flying around the tops of trees and then settling on the ground initially on a piece of dog's dirt but lack further down the track. They had a pot full of Emperor Moth larvae, with at least 5 caterpillars, quite big and green with the males showing black ring bands and the females didn't. A walk down the ride just before the High seat, where a Bees nest was seen, revealed an Emperor Dragonfly going up and down the ride. By the pond, Sam Tim & saw a Silver- washed Fritillary too. and what looked like a Migrant Hawker back where the Purple Emperors were. A Purple Hairstreak flew past us and settled over to the tops of trees, a Ringlet seen, plus Essex Skipper and Small Skipper and a Red Admiral on the track too.

The next generation

On Friday 7th July, the 2 young Herring Gulls seen on the roof of the Buttage Centre and a look at a local wood revealed the Broad leaved helleborine plants were in bud but unfortunately 6 had been strimmed, particulalry disappointing as this was in the area which had been caged in the previous year.

Return of the Bee-eaters at Trimingham

On Tuesday 4th July, I took my cousins Mel & Hilly to see the 3 Bee-eaters at Trimingham Norfolk returning to the quarry where they had previously nested the year before. We have to wait around 20 minutes before I heard the 3 chortling Bee-eaters and they were seen in the quarry returning to the nest hole. Then 1 & then 2 Bee-eaters seen perched on wires behind the old building. The birds were seen for around 20 minutes on 5 occasions. Also seen was a juvenile Cuckoo flying left over the top of the quarry and a Fox that wandered up the quarry too.

Lesser Scaup at Colney Pits

On Wednesday 27th June, after work, I travelled to Colney Pits travelling just off Chapel Break road. I parked at Hempsted Mews and walked over to a gap in the hedge where 2 birders were talking. On Saturday, 1st July, I went back and the moulting male Lesser Scaup was swimming over the Pit and then swam right. It had a bobble shaped head with pinched in part in the middle which was a Lesser Scaup feature and the head looked a deep purple colour.

First Hummer

In the back garden, on Sunday 24th June, a Hummingbird Hawk Moth was briefly on the Red Valerian before flying south 8.42pm.

Silver-washed!

On Sunday 26th June, I drove down to Westleton and on the Minsmere approach road parked at the side of the road and in the usual spot saw several Silver- studded Blues as well as a male Common Blue. They were very active so I carried on and looked by the quarry a Cuckoo flew over to a bush and several more Silver- Studded Blues seen.