Finally, a Clifden Nonpareil!

On Monday 7th September, a tweet from Howard V. who runs the excellent Blue-eyed birder blog, he and Anthony W. had captured a fine Clifden Nonpareil Moth ( moth I had long wanted to see ever since one had been captured in North Walsham in the early 2000's) and Howard had kindly offered people on our local Whats App group the chance to view and photograph it. So just after 6pm, I arrived at Howard's house and he took me through to an area at the back where he released the Moth, a real beast of a Moth being about the length of the palm of my hand, It's mottled plumage was quite subtle until the distinctive blue showed and when it flopped over as a defensive mechanism it showed alternate creamy buff and dark baring as striking as the underwing of a zoothera Thrush and equally as stunning!

Sunday seawatch

Sunday 6 September, late afternoon/ early evening 2 distant Gannet S, 9 Teal on sea then south, wp Knot- S, c15 Sandwich Terns south, 1 pale phase Artic Skua flying high then zoomed down falcon-like onto the sea, a Dunlin south then 3 small waders, 2 Dunlin with the middle bird being a Sanderling, a Whimbrel flew north and a Spitfire flew north.

Last time with the Red- foot

On my visit to see the Red- footed Falcon on Saturday 5th September, this time people were gathered the other side of the road and I saw the fine juvenile Red- footed Falcon perched on a small wooden fence bordering a grassy area and pool, it then flew low over the road and periously close to traffic before settling on the roof of the house with the Norfolk Hawker logo on it. I then flew down to the fence line and memorably flew down to the grassy area at times 2 feet away looking for natural insects and invertebrates, giving some superb pics. A chap asked if he could put crickets out and I asked him not to. He didn't. After a while the Falcon flew north and disappeared, my cue to leave.

Red- foot 3

On

Back at the Red-foot

On Wednesday 2nd September, in the early afternoonn, I went back to see the fine juvenile Red- footed Falcon that was now being tempted down from the fence with birders buying crickets from Pets at Home, releasing them in the grass and the Falcon frequently flew down to feast on them. We were warned when it was about to fly down as this bird would bob its head up and down, then shuffle about ansd then launch itself into the grass to catch the crickets and then eat them before returning to the fence perch. It was flying to within 2 feet of us. Clearly there are ethical issues for supplementary feeding of birds, an argument may be made if the bird is exhausted and under weight but ultimately the welfare of the bird must always come first and being this tame can cause obvious issues.

Incredibly confiding Red- foot at Lowestoft

On Tuesday 1st September, incredibly on social media a bird resembling a RF Falcon had been photographed perched on the roof of Lake Lothing pub, we were alerted by Jake G. and Rob Wil went down and confirmed it was still there. I left work very promptly at 5pm, ran to get my gear which Jenny had kindly pout in the hall for me and running back to Fallowfields where I had parked the car I drove down to the area just north of the Gull- wing bridge and parked in Rotterdam Road. I then walked back to the pub and joined the throng of birders looking at the fine juvenile Red- footed Falcon perched on the right hand ledge of the Lake Lothing pub's roof. It then flew flew down to a fence just south of the pub, where it then promptly flew back to the roof. Later on, it flew back to the fence and from here it made several hunting sorties down to the ground to catch grasshoppers and devour them. Periodically it would fly back up to the roof. We were literally watching this incredible Falcon down to just a few feet away, it was incredibly confiding! (even more confiding than the ones at Carlton Marshes last year! Walking back past the garden of no. 81, Rotterdam road, where I had parked, I saw a Hummingbird Hawk Moth fly in and nectar from the Fuchsia flowers! I later heard that Rene's daugher had photographed the bird, a few days earlier over the BH, so it had been present here for at least a few days! People seen included Paul and Jane F, Jake G, Rob Hol, John W, Chris D & Chris A, Howard V, Phil D, Derek M & his wife etc. Parking up, at home incredibly I heard the call of a Tree Pipit flying over! (a new record for the garden)!

Wangford and Westleton

On Monday 31st August, a look around Wangford Quarry and I saw the Hornets again in the dead tree at the extreme NE corner of the quarry. At Westleton Heath, signs were up prohibiting acess to any paths south of the road, a firebreak of 15 metres seen the other side of the road and when i took some heathland shots, I walked past the closed car park and saw an immature Cuckoo flying east. Over the otherside a male Stonechat perched on top a bush.