Hawkers, Bees and a Juvenile Shelduck - Shuart to Reculver 22/08/20

I had a fairly quiet walk through Shuart and managed to miss most of the rain showers apart from one and that soon went over. The sky looked quite spectacular at one point with a diagonal split between the rain clouds and the clear blue sky revealed as they moved off.

Rain showers moving through

A female Tufted Duck (135) was on one of the far dykes as I neared the end of the track and as a Mute Swan came into land it threw a perfect shadow of its head and neck onto its back lit wings.

Mute Swan

As the sea wall already looked very busy I decided to have a wander along the embankment instead and see what birds and insects were about there. A pair of mating Migrant Hawkers were resting up and allowed a photo before moving on.

Mating Migrant Hawkers

It had clouded over again and in the breezy and cool conditions all was fairly quiet along the embankment. I came across a couple of bees that gave me pause. The first I think is a sun-bleached Red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidarius with a very bleached tail and the thorax hairs almost bleached to brown. When I first saw it I did wonder about a Red-shanked Carder Bee as I have not seen such a pale tailed Red-tailed before but there are no orange hairs on hind tibiae.

The second I did wonder about Brown-banded Carder Bee or Moss Carder Bee when I first saw it but I cannot be completely sure from the photos and it may just be a Common Carder Bee. I enjoy trying to work it out but I am continuing to find bees's very challenging and I am sure I will make lots of mistakes in the meantime but that is how you learn most. Both were interesting bee's to watch, photograph and then try and learn from. Hopefully as I learn more I will be able to correctly identify with more certainty this bee.

A late instar nymph of the Dock Bug Coreus marginatus was trying to soak up any warmth that it could get as was a Sphaeraphoria scripta.

late instar nymph Dock Bug Coreus marginatus

Sphaeraphoria scripta

I had a wander down to Coldharbour which was very quiet apart from some Black-headed Gulls and a Common Sandpiper. The walk to Reculver remained pretty quiet as well but it was nice to see a juvenile Shelduck on the beach. They are attractive birds. and it made a nice end to the visit.

juvenile Shelduck

Birds seen this visit included: Blue Tits, Great Tits, 5 Wren, 3 Robin, 2 Chaffinch, 3 Reed Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 1 Jay, Black-headed Gulls, Herring Gulls, Wood Pigeons, 2 Stock Dove, 5 Whitethroat, 5 Green Woodpecker, 1 Chiffchaff, 2 Kestrel, 2 Magpie, Crows, Rooks, Jackdaws, 37 Linnet, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Tufted Duck, 1 Mute Swan, 4 Swift, 1 Marsh Harrier, 12 Goldfinch, 22 Swallow, 2 Common Sandpiper, 12 Turnstone, 8 Ringed Plover, 4 Sanderling, 1 juvenile Shelduck, 3 Stonechat, 28 Oystercatcher, 

Hovering Kestrel, Dragonflies and Insects - Highstead to Marshside 31/05/20

I made a return visit to Highstead today to see if I could manage to catch up with the Norfolk Hawker I saw the other day. While I was scanning the bushes near the old stables a Kestrel was hovering nearby and then moved much closer and gave some fantastic views as it hung in the wind, adjusting its wing strokes to keep itself completely steady.

Kestrel

Kestrel

Once the Kestrel moved on I started out along the track and came across a Large Skipper butterfly resting up. I had not realised just how long its probiscus was until it unravelled it. I am always amazed at the level of control and accuracy that butterflies have over it.

Large Skipper

Large Skipper

Large Skipper

I caught sight of blue and could see a Broad-bodied Chaser resting up before recommencing hunting sorties. I am presuming that the markings are down to age but it was very striking all the same.

mature Broad-bodied Chaser

mature Broad-bodied Chaser

A beautifully fresh Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly looked great in a patch of sunlight and I saw a moth that I think may be a Common Carpet Moth although some aspects don't look quite right for it so I will need to look into it further.

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

It was nice to catch up with some Azure damselflies but I did not have any luck with the Norfolk Hawker. One of the Azure's had a marked kink in its abdomen.

Azure Damselfly

Azure Damselfly with kinked abdomen

A Yellow Shell Moth was tucked down amongst the vegetation and a Dock Bug was making the most of the sunshine.

Yellow Shell Moth

Dock Bug

I had a wander down to Marshside to reach the pick up point and a Kestrel was tucked into the hedge shining pale against the dark leaves.

Kestrel

I caught sight of a Norfolk Hawker flying along the dyke but unfortunately it kept going and I wasn't able to get a photograph. It is the first time I have seen one at Marshside and I suppose that it is not inconceivable that it could be the nearby Highstead one. A couple of unusual colouration Ladybirds were climbing stems. I am not sure if they are in fact Harlequin Ladybirds which could explain the colour forms. I couldn't see an 'M' on them but it may have been down to the angle I was viewing them from.

I finished the visit with good views of a Broad-bodied Chaser and it made a nice way to finish, they are beautiful dragonflies.

Broad-bodied Chaser