Storkless in Norfolk & camera shy Firebug on my hand

On Wed Aug 5th I drove straight over to Horsey in the afternoon in the hope of catching up with the Black Stork (would have ebeen a Norfolk tick!), but the near record dipping sequence continues all I saw was a House Martin at West Somerton, when I arrived at Horsey the Stork had been sighted flying over Carlton Marshes, plus another look at the Nao Victoria at Great Yarmouth. As I got out of my car on out front drive, a Firebug alighted on my hand but sadly it flew off as I was about to retrive my Macro lens camera.

Lean patch continues

On Saturday 1st August, I went to get some shots of the Nao Victoria ship along the South Quay and afterwards I looked from the South Wall at Breydon and didn't see a lot. A tweet to say the Pec Sand was shwing well from the hide & I went straight over there and was walking down to the hide when all the waders flew, 2 minutes before reaching the hide. Most had gone into the long grass so all I saw was some c15 Dunlin & 30 Black- tailed Godwits and 15 Curlew. No sign of the Pec, or Marsh Sand, or Spoonbills or osprey. A really lean patch at present.

Tribute to Bill Oddie

Very, very sad to hear this moring of the passing of Bill Oddie. Bill Oddie was a colossus on the birding scene almost single handedly promoting the hooby of birding and widlife watching from the 1970s onwards. I was a big fan of the series the Goodies that ran for 10 years on the BBC and he would often bring his love of birds into that series. Together with the late Tim Brooke Taylor and Graeme Garden this trio were a mad cap comedy genius's in my mind as funny as Monty Python with their slapstick comedy often comapred to an update of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. After the Goodies had finished, Bill diversified into wildlife documentaries with one of the first being about 'Bird about Town' on the life of the urban Black redstart, other series followed such Bird in the Nest which morphed into Springwatch which became phenomally successful. I particularly liked his teaming up with producer Stephen Moss and they produced some wonderful series such as 'Birding with Bill Oddie', 'Bill Oddie Goes Wild' and 'Bill Oddie Back in the USA.' Bill became Britain's favourite birdwatcher or birder. He wrote a series of best selling books including the all time classic 'Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book', 'Bill Oddie's Gone Birding', 'Follow that Bird!', "Bill Oddie Unplucked and 'Tales of Ludicrous Gardener', all all time classics. Bill didn't court fame and was often perceived as grumpy but that masked his bi-polar disorder which he suffered from. I met Bill Oddie 4X, firstly at the "Stop the Massacre' campaign in the Sparrow's Nest Theatre in 1980, where he gave a brilliant and impassionbed talk about the whole liming and netting of birds in Cyprus. In the break, I tracked him down to the very back kitchen of the Theatre band he kindly signed my book with the words "Cheers Bill Oddie." I next met him at Minsmere when I was walking with Ricky between the West Hide and South Hide and Bill Oddie rushed by saying 'I've just found a Blue-winged Teal at the South Hide', we ran to the hide and saw the bird a female Blue- winged Teal, a lifer for us both, thanks Bill! Next time was in London at the Natural History Museum in London when there was a Birder's Quiz and the audeience wrote questions on a card, I asked a question famously putting my name as Peter J. Ransome and Bill hilariously riffed on my name before asking the question I had written! I finally saw him give a talk at St. Felix School at Southwold, where his description of the mating habits of a species of Bower bird was so hilarious I fell off my chair laughing! Bill Oddie then went onto front Springwatch but it was the series he made with the producer Stephen Moss, 'Birding with Bill Oddie' and 'Bill Oddie Goes Wild' which proved so iconic and wonderful programmes that I was enjoy seeing.

Painted Lady in the garden

On Sunday 27th July, a Painted Lady was in the garden, plus an unidentified female Damselfly, very briefly alighted on vegetation. On Monday 28th July in the early evening about 6pm, a Hummingbird Hawk Moth flew around the Buddlea at the back of the garden and then to the Red Valerian neat the back door.

Limosa's at Carlton Marshes

Rob H had seen a Limosa at Carlton, early evening Sun 19 July, I drove over and took the long walk up to Peto's, I met Rob H. half way who had found another Limosa on the Old scrape. I scanned initially I couldn't see it, jkust 2 Canadas. But standing on the bench, it had walked right and it walked left and I saw a large Godwit generally subdued with a flush on the chest but uniform buff colouring above and below with an eye stripe slightly longer bill, slightly bigger size and some dark feathers on the mantle. My first limosa and first Lowestoft Limsoa too. It was unringed. I then walked up to Peto's and by the Pool were around 40 Greylags with summer plumaged Black- tailed Godwit, 1 winter plumage and as Rob H had found a larger immature Limosa Godwit, with eye stripe slight flush on the breast and unform buff above and below, with rings on its upper leg but these were mostly not seen as it was in deep water.

Roesel's Bush Cricket

Early evening Nick B. contacted me, he had caught a Roesel's Bush cricket in hius garden and he wanted to release it at Dip farm, so I drove him over, took a pic of the Cricket in the container then it crawled to the edge then suddenly it was gone!

Jersey Tiger Moth at Cattawade Picnic car park

On Sunday 19th July, after seeing the Godwit, I walked back to the car, I saw a big Moth fly out from a tree and settle on a white van parked right next to me, it was a striking and quite excellent Jersey Tiger Moth.