I started out from Reculver this morning to the unusual sight of a cyclist on a modern day Penny Farthing bicycle. I hadn't realised that they were still made.
It proved to be a quiet walk up to Coldharbour with just the usual birds seen and only a couple of Great Crested Grebe on an otherwise very quiet sea. A couple of Great Black-backed Gulls flew east and a Lesser Black-backed Gull flew west. A Meadow Pipit at Coldharbour had a bill full of food and a youngster was busily calling for it from a bush at the side of the sea wall as I passed by. Young Meadow Pipit are beautifully marked birds.
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| Meadow Pipit |
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| young Meadow Pipit |
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| young Meadow Pipit |
Two Oystercatchers and a Little Egret were on Coldharbour as I carried on and headed towards Plumpudding. A Coot with 3 youngsters was on the River Wansum. A single Common Tern flew east and a little while later 5 Great Crested Grebe flew west.
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| Great Crested Grebes |
Four Mallard were resting up on Plumpudding and four Pied Wagtail were at the back, as were two Oystercatchers and a couple of Redshank. A pair of Ringed Plover were active on one of the islands.
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| Ringed Plover |
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| Ringed Plover |
After a while the male started displaying and with the female responding to him positively he was able to mate.
It continued to be quiet as I headed on towards the stables turn off. A Blackbirds plumage showed well in the flat light.
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| Blackbird |
At the stables a Song Thrush was using a stone in one of the paddocks as its anvil. It took multiple strikes, with the Song Thrush swinging from the position of its head right back, to get enough force before it was able to successfully start to separate the snail from its shell.
Near the railway crossing there was a small moth that I think is a Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana.
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| Plum Tortrix Hedya pruniana |
With it still very cloudy, and no sign of the sun yet breaking through, several Azure and Variable Damselflies were resting up amongst the grasses.
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| Azure Damselfly |
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| Variable Damselfly |
I came across a Speckled Bush-cricket and also a Drinker Moth Caterpillar that was still sparkling with dew. While watching those a Goldfinch flew into the bush above me giving an unusually close view.
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| Speckled Bush-cricket |
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| Drinker Moth Caterpillar |
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| Goldfinch |
As I started towards Shuart a small moth fluttered up from the grasses before settling again and I think that it is a Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella.
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| Diamond-back Moth Plutella xylostella |
I could hear a Mediterranean Gull calling, with the call gradually getting closer, and shortly 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls flew overhead.
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| adult Mediterranean Gulls |
An Ichneumon Wasp was very active amongst the grasses and its white rear feet were particularly noticeable as it flew.
A pretty Alabonia geoffrella Moth was resting up and I saw another couple as I made my way along. They are amazing looking moths from the side.
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| Alabonia geofrella Moth |
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| Alabonia geofrella Moth |
I came across a couple of Nomad Bees and the first one I think one is a Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada Flava.
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| ?Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada flava |
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| ?Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada flava |
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| ?Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada flava |
The other, I think, is a Marsham's Nomad Bee Nomada marshamella. I am not, though, finding them an easy group to separate but hopefully as I get more experience with them that will improve. In the meantime no doubt I will look back on some of these and realise that I got it wrong. Still, it is fun to try and learn to be able to separate them.
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| ?Marsham's Nomad Bee Nomada marshamella |
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| ?Marsham's Nomad Bee Nomada marshamella |
I could hear a Common Buzzard calling and a Marsh Harrier was quartering a far field edge. Variable and Azure Damselflies were plentiful and one of the Variable had almost non-existant antehumeal stripes and no post-ocular bar.
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| Variable Damselfly |
I finished the visit with both Rambur's Pied Shieldbug Tritomegas sexmaculatus and a Red-headed Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis catching my eye.
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| Rambur's Pied Shieldbug Tritomegas sexmaculatus |
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| Red-headed Cardinal Beetle Pyrochroa serraticornis |
Birds seen this visit included: 8 Blackbird, Starlings, House Sparrows, 9 Linnet, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gulls, 2 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Sandwich Tern west, 2 Kestrel, 7 Swallow, 3 Sand Martin, 8 Mallard, 5 Whitethroat, 7 Meadow Pipits, 3 Carrion Crows, 3 Stonechat, 6 Reed Bunting, 2 Reed Warbler, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 7 Great Crested Grebe, 6 Wren, 4 Oystercatcher, 1 Little Egret, 3 Turnstone, 5 Swift, 2 Mute Swan, 4 Coot including 3 youngsters, 1 Common Tern, 2 Ringed Plover, 2 Redshank, 4 Pied Wagtail, Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, 2 Mediterranean Gull, 1 Marsh Harrier, 1 Common Buzzard, 2 Dunnock, 3 Robin, 4 Chaffinch,
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