Mating Ringed Plovers and a Thrush with an Anvil - Reculver to Shuart 05/06/21

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.

Meadow Pipit

young Meadow Pipit

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.

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. 

Ringed Plover

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.

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.

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.

Azure Damselfly

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.

Speckled Bush-cricket

Drinker Moth Caterpillar

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.

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.

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.

Alabonia geofrella Moth

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. 

?Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada flava

?Flavous Nomad Bee Nomada flava

?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.

?Marsham's Nomad Bee Nomada marshamella

?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.

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.

Rambur's Pied Shieldbug Tritomegas sexmaculatus

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, 

Birds and Insects and a Passing Train - Shuart to Reculver 05/04/19

I took a slow wander today from Shuart to Reculver. It is the last chance I have for any bird watching for probably at least a week so I wanted to make the most of it. There was a cool north easterly wind and it was mainly overcast. I saw two male Blackcap from the car park, both singing away in competition with each other. Lots of the usual jobs were batting around or singing with gusto.

The walk up to the railway line was pretty quiet for birds but very busy for dog walkers. It seems to have become a very popular spot for them. Near the stables a small flock of 12 Linnet gave some nice views. They are lovely little birds and beautifully marked with the males breeding plumage being  particularly handsome.

Linnet

Linnet

Linnet

When I reached the sea wall the tide was on the turn and had started to go out. A small flock of 9 Common Scoter were flying east before settling down onto the sea. Apart from a few Herring Gulls the sea itself was very quiet. One of the Ringed Plover on the shore had a ring on its right leg but I could not read what was on it.

Ringed Plover

There was a single Brent Goose in one of the fields on the way to Plumpudding but otherwise it seemed pretty quiet. Plumpudding Island carried on the trend with only 14 roosting Redshank and a Mute Swan. The immature male Eider was asleep offshore. Walking was proving to be a little problematic today but it had the advantage of enabling me to see some insects, when I was sitting on the sea wall, that I might have missed otherwise.There was what I think is a Notostira elongata climbing up the sea wall.

Notostira elongata

Notostira elongata

I also saw a beetle, working its way along the base of the sea wall. I am not sure what it is but I think it is one of the burying beetles, possibly Silpha laevigata.

? Silpha laevigata

? Silpha laevigata

? Silpha laevigata

A pair of Shelduck were on Coldharbour as usual, together with 8 Black-headed Gulls, 6 Redshank and 3 Little Egret.

Shelduck

A breeding plumage Cormorant gave a nice fly past on the walk to Reculver.

Cormorant

The train with the 1920's carriages, that I have seen before, was going through again, this time drawn by 67020 EWS with I think the Belmond Pullman, or similar, at the back. The trips must be pretty popular as I see it fairly regularly. It makes a pretty impressive length train with the two engines and 12 carriages.

3 Little Egret were on the oyster farm and a Carrion Crow appeared to be carrying a piece of plastic or something similar. It hopefully is taking it back to a nest rather than being unable to let it go.

Little Egrets

Carrion Crow

The Black Redstart was on the rocks near the towers briefly before being disturbed by dog walkers. I had a walk, for a short way, along the path at the back of the oyster farm. A Little Egret and a couple of Redshank were on the first patch of water but otherwise it was fairly quiet. 3 Mallard flew up, 2 males and a female, and gave some good views as they flew past. One of the males has moulted several of his primary feathers leaving large gaps.

Mallards

I watched a spider spinning its web. It was amazing watching the way it built it up and I was surprised at the speed it could spin. I only saw it from underneath so I am not sure what type of spider it was, but from the web presumably it was an orb web spider. It had a couple of distinctive white commas on the underneath of its abdomen and noticeably large pedipalps, so hopefully I will be able to find out what it was at some point.

Spider

Spider

On the walk back to the car park I saw a smart, what I think is a Colletes succinctus. It is a little different to the one I saw the other day but I think it still is one.

Colletes succinctus

As some Starlings took off from the telegraph wires the sun behind them shone through their flight feathers beautifully.

Starling

Starlings

I also came across what I think, is a Mining Bee.

? Mining Bee

A worn Peacock butterfly with quite a chunk out of its lower wing was sunning itself on the roman wall. It was the third Peacock butterfly I had seen today.

Peacock Butterfly

I also had a striking, what I think is a Nomad Bee possibly Nomada leucophthalma.

? Nomada leucophthalma

? Nomada leucophthalma

? Nomada leucophthalma

I finished off with a Pisaura mirabilis. It wasn't sitting with its front legs out in front of it, which I normally see them doing so I may have the identification wrong.

Pisaura mirabilis

Birds seen this visit include: 8 Chiffchaff, 4 Robin, 6 Wren, 5 Dunnock, 2 Magpie, Carrion Crow, 18 Chaffinch, 2 Mistle Thrush, 6 Blackbird, 2 Blackcap, 2 Greenfinch, 1 Jay, 2 Common Buzzard, 2 Green Woodpecker, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, Blue Tits, Great Tits, 1 Sparrowhawk, 5 Meadow Pipit, 4 Goldfinch, Skylarks, 1 Song Thrush, 3 Pheasant, 8 Mute Swan, 1 Sedge Warbler, 6 Reed Bunting, 12 Linnet, 9 House Sparrow, 1 Collared Dove, 9 Common Scoter, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, 2 Common Gull, 2 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 8 Great Black-backed Gull, 1 Pied Wagtail, 40 Oystercatcher, 8 Mallard, 5 Curlew, 36 Sanderling, 18 Redshank, 1 Brent Goose, 8 Ringed Plover, 12 Turnstone, 1 immature male Eider, 5 Stonechat, 12 Corn Bunting, 2 Marsh Harrier, 6 Little Egret, 1 Black Redstart,