Ladybird invasion

There must have been hundreds of 7 Spot Ladybirds on the North Denes and seawall this evening. First seen around Links road car park, I walked along the beach and saw the Yellow- legged Herring Gull, sitting on one of the groyne posts it then stood up shook its wings and flew north eventually settling on Links road car park. Lots of Terns were on the groynes mostly Common, around 100 seen plus 4 Sandwich Terns too.

Covehithe & Benacre

Yesterday evening , Tuesday 9th August, I visited first Covehithe and then Benacre Broads. At Covehithe Broad, I spied 2 Grey Heron, 2 Little Egret several 6 Sandwich Tern and 10 Black- tailed Godwit, 2 Green Sandpiper but sadly the long staying Spoonbill wasn't seen at all.

Walking back along the cliff, a camera shy Painted Lady butterfly (my first of the year!) posed well until I retrieved the camera when it promptly flew, it then posed again until I tried to photograph it and it flew again! Quite a few 100+ 7 spot Ladybird were seen along the walk to Covehithe Broad. A family of 6 Greylag Geese seen in an arable field.

Benacre Broad was disappointing with the highlights being 3 Green Sandpiper flying around the far side and 1 of these birds flying closer in.

walking back a big flock of 300 Canada, 300 Greylag and 100 barnacle Geese seen in the fields.

Old faithful

The adult Yellow- legged Gull was again on Links road car park this evening and flew over to the tide edge on the North beach, sitting down before flying and sitting on the nearest groyne. Again about 25 Common Tern seen on the groynes plus 6 Sandwich Tern (2 adults and 4 immatures) with around 40 Common Terns flying mostly south.

4 Turnstone and an immature Pied Wagtail seen on the beach plus the Yellow- leg back on Links road car park as we walked back.

Red- backed Shrike still there!

The adult male Red- backed Shrike is still showing at Carlton Marshes this evening, following yesterday's almost non- show (I saw it very briefly on the Thurs 4th August morning in the western most bushes), it had been thought it might have moved off; perhaps moved on by the extremely wet day we had had on Thursday. But the bird was still there tonight perched on the bushes viewable from the main west path running through and dividing up the north and southern sections of the reserve.

Rob Wils, Ian S and Jon E were seen, a veritable photographers convention and Rob Wils & I were able to get a few reasonable shots this evening.

Red- backed Shrike again and Blackout!

Just after 7am this morning, I saw the Red- backed Shrike again, a fine male in full summer plumage with grey crown, black facial mask, reddish- brown back and pinkish flush to the chest.

A magnificent bird!

It spent time by the end bushes near its roost site and then hunted for insects and was seen to catch and promptly devour a beetle from a bush just north of the aforementioned bushes.

Also a Barn Owl flew across the field too.

This evening in the company of Jon E and Chris M we saw the Shrike again hunting from bushes a little further north from here, it caught several winged insects during the period of observation.

There was also a full power blackout in North Lowestoft at least including our house this evening between 9.20 - 10.20pm.

Elephant in the Library, Shrike on the Marsh

At noon today, a member of the Gorleston Nature Club brought in a Hawk Moth caterpillar which he wanted identified, he had very perceptively put in a piece of Fuschia plant and flower with it. Having seen one in the garden before, I knew it was an Elephant Hawk Moth larvae.

It was feeding on the Fuschia leaf, the main food plant for this species is Fuschia and Honeysuckle.

I managed to get a few shots.

A BINS message at lunchtime about a Red- backed Shrike on Carlton Marshes saw me down there at 6.30pm in the evening and just past the first field on the left from the car park, we looked out west over the meadow towards 3 bramble bushes. Danny P, Justin L, and Chris M were amongst the birders looking over the area. It hadn't been seen since 4.40pm, we were joined by Clive N & Dick W. After an hour Dick & I decided to check the area out from the western side (the sunny side). We had no luck but we had good views of a Barn Owl patrolling the area. Clive then rang to say he had the Shrike and as we walked briskly back, 4 Jay flew away along the path. Reaching the spot by the gate we walked west along the edge of a field and looking back along the bushes, Dick did well to pick out the excellent male Red- backed Shrike, a fine summer- plumaged adult male with grey head, black mask and reddish- brown mantle perched slightly within the bush. We enjoyed the views for a few minutes before leaving the bird go into roost within the scrub.

Yellow- leg again!

The Yellow- legged Gull was seen again along the shoreline of the North Beach again this evening with around 60 Common Terns seen along on the groynes and several flying south c100 with afew also flying north this evening.