Norfolk Archives -

Lockdown Moth-trapping

By the time the UK lockdown started on 23rd March I was already working from home. University teaching had gone on-line and my last physical seminar was on the afternoon of Friday 13th March. During an extended period of home working during the lockdown moth-trapping would be an important part of my routine.

A slow start…

That night I ran my actinic Heath Trap and caught just five moths of three species (5/3). However on the wall behind the trap was a tiny pale grey micro-moth. It reminded me of the Lichen Button (Acleris literana)that I had seen on Wiveton church in late January. Not surprising as it was another species of Acleris; either logiana (Grey Birch Button) or kochiella (Elm Button). Based on the images both Keith Kerr and Dave Appleton favoured logiana an identifcation later confirmed under Keith’s microscope. A new species for me, TG20D and only the sixth to be recorded in the TG20 hectad.

**Lichen Button** (Acleris. literana) – 26th January 2020

**Acleris logiana** (Grey Birch Button) – 14th March 2020

Before the restrictions tightened I took a short trip down the A11 to Roudham Services. The layby is surrounded by woodland and the walls of the well lit toilet block are attractive to moths. In past years this has been a reliable site for two early spring species; Small Brindled Beauty and Yellow Horned. The first is quite scarce, but Yellow Horned is quite common in suitable habitat (birch). I quickly found one and relocated it to Eaton for 24 hours for a photoshoot.

**Yellow Horned** (*Achlya flavicornis*)- March 13th 2020

The next two and a half weeks were very cool and trapping was hard going. I was catching 3/4 of the common Hebrew Character, Common and Small Quakers and Clouded Drab most nights. Occasional relief came in the form of the odd Twin-spotted Quaker and Early Grey.

**Twin-spotted Quaker** (Anorthoa munda) – 17th March 2020

**Early Grey** (Xylocampa areola) – 4th April 2020

A change in the weather

The weekend of 4th/5th of April was much warmer. Multiple reports of male Emperor Moths coming to pheromone lures on Saturday made sure I gave it a go on Sunday. Twenty minutes after deployment an Emperor buzzed my lure, but some inept netcraft saw him disappear over the back fence. Never mind! A few minutes later he returned and I didn’t mess up my second chance. Whilst he cooled off in the fridge a second individual briefly inspected the lure. My first multiple siting after singles in 2017 and 2019.

**Emperor Moth** (Saturnia pavonia) – 5th April 2020

The warmer weather encouraged me to switch to the bigger and more poweful MV trap. I was not disappointed with 17/10 including four new species for the year (nfy): Nut-tree Tussock, Herald, Double-striped Pug and Oak Nycteoline. Three of these species would have recently emerged

**Nut-tree Tussock** (Colocasia coryli) – 5th April 2020

**Herald** (Scoliopteryx libatrix) – 5th April 2020

The next couple of nights were quieter with only Early Thorn the only nfy. However as it warmed up ahead of the Easter weekend numbers picked with 23/13 overnight on 8th April. Engrailed plus Brindled Pug and Beauty were all expected nfy.

Brindled Beauty (Lycia hirtaria) – 8th April 2020

**Brindled Pug** (*Eupithecia abbreviata*)

Not expected was another pale grey moth on the wall behind the trap. This was a new species for me; Early Tooth-striped. The first record for TG20D tetrad and just the third ever recorded in TG20.

**Early Tooth-striped** (*Trichopteryx carpinata*) – 8th April 2020

Who needs Easter eggs?

The catch on Easter Saturday morning was small although there were three noteworthy moths. None of this trio were in the trap, but were on the house wall and other nearby surfaces. A crisp olive and lemon Frosted Green was just the second for the garden. It was certainly much better looking than last year’s rather worn individual. In comparison Streamer is a regular garden moth in mid-April, but definitely one of my favourites. The extensive mauve suffusion is shown off to good effect on this lovely fresh individual.

**Frosted Green** (Polyploca ridens) – 10th April 2020

**Streamer** (Anticlea derivata) – 10th April 2020

However pride of place went to another new species for me; Lunar Marbled Brown. This species is bigger than I had expected with a series of wavy crossbands in muted cream and brown tones. The black “lunar” mark is towards the top edge of the broad cream band.

**Lunar Marbled Brown** (Drymonia ruficornis) – 10th April 2020

After dark on the evening of 11th April there was a lot of activity in the mild still conditions. The next morning did not disappoint and there was a fine array of moths spread across the house wall and in the trap. There were high counts of Brindled Beauty and Streamer (4 each) and 7 nfy including, Least Black Arches, Muslin Moth. Scorched Carpet Swallow Prominent and my second garden Mullein.

**Least Black Arches** (Nola confusalis) -11th April 2020

**Mull**ein (Cucullia verbasci) – 11th April 2020

The two nfy micro-moths were Many-plume and Bee Moth. A couple of tiny black and white micro-moths looked more interesting. I identifed them with the aid of my photographs as Mompha subbistrigella (Garden Mompha). Although this species is new to me it is not uncommon and quite well recorded around Norwich.

***Mompha subbistrigella*** (Garden Mompha) – April 11th 2020

Unfortunately wind and rain on the night of 12th April brought this enjoyable period of lockdown moth-trapping to an end. That said although the current restrictions are set to continue this cool spell will soon pass. And as we appraoch May there will be be many more good nights as numbers and diversity increase.

Managing the Light

My grandmother referred to the days around the winter solstice as “the dark days before Christmas”. I sometimes think this phrase speaks to her understanding of the powerful impact that limited hours of daylight and grey skies can have on our wellbeing. Circumstances that combined with the demands of the holiday season make it imperative to make best use of the few sunny days that come along; especially for birder/photographers.

The first of these was Sunday 15th December and my orginal intention was to head over to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo where an adult male Black-throated Thrush found earlier in the week was holding court. However mindful of the need to drive to Maidenhead the following weekend, and the fact that I had seen half a dozen Black-throated Thrushes in the UK it seem best to but that one on the back-burner. Instead I headed South to the RSPB’s Hollesley Marshes reserve in Suffolk where I was able to watch the long-staying Siberian Stonechat happily feeding out of the wind some 200 m away

After an hour or so it was clear that the Stonechat was not coming closer so I made the short journey around the Deben estuary to Felixstowe Ferry where a Black-necked Grebe had taken up residence on a small beach side pool.

From a photographic perspective this was much more satisfactory. Lying on the flat rocks with the setting sun behind me the grebe would pop up just 5 metres away. Unfortuntely for most of my visit it seemed encumbered by some green nylon fishing line that had got wrapped around its lower neck. Fortunately this did no seem to impair feeding and about half way through my visit the bird appeared to be disentangling itself (upper image). The lower image shows it to be free of the twine and I know for certain it remained on that pool for a further three days hopefully safe from dog walkers and stone throwers before it made its way back out to sea.

**Black-necked Grebe** (Podiceps nigricollis), Felixstowe Ferry, Suffolk, 15th December 2019

As it turned out that a combination of work, assorted Christmas preparations and multiple trips to the dentist meant that it was not possible to make the Maidenhead trip until Sunday 22nd. Fortunately an early start was not needed as Whipsnade does not open to the public until 10.00 hrs and the forecast was that the ealy rain would not clear until 11.00 hrs. It is always good when a plan comes together and as I was parking just after 11 the first visiting birders were leaving and the day was brightening. To cap it all a very kind lady walked up to me and gave me a voucher for half price entry. Over the next hour the bird did not disappoint showing well in and around its favoured cotoneaster bush before moving into a nearby animal pen all in very good light that showed off the nucanced charcoal tones that offset it’s bright yellow bill base.

**Black-throated Thrush** (Turdus atrogularis) ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire, 22nd Dec 2019

More than happy with my views and photo opportunities completed a leisurely journey across the Chilterns to Maidenhead and spent a pleasent afternoon with my Mother and Sister before an early evening return to Norwich.

In many ways seemed an excellent way to end the birding year. However as so often is the case, there was a late surprise in the form of another Eastern Yellow Wagtail found frequenting a West Norfolk dung heap during the afternoon of 23rd December. And this individual was not an esoteric study in greyscale with a funny call, but a handsome first winter male of the nominate subspecies Motacilla tschutschensis tschutschensis aka Alaskan (Yellow) Wagtail or Blue-headed Eastern Yellow Wagtail. For a quick refresher on Yellow Wagtail taxonomy see my recent post; On the Beach. As for English names of recent splits please! Just don’t get me started!

The more immediate problem was that I was finishing at work, Christmas Eve was going to be spent shopping and making preparations for Christmas Day and Boxing Day guests and the only sunny day in the forseeable future was Christmas Day. And although I have long since stopped caring about county lists this appeared to be a very pretty bird and worth the effort.

In the event the family kindly made sure this was not a problem – with presents exchanged by 11.30hrs and Christmas Dinner preparations in Hugh’s capable hands I was given an unexpected bonus present in the for of an exeat. Unsurprisingly there were just a couple of observers present and as I unpacked my gear and the wagtail moved from a large roadside muck heap to a stubble field where it fed distantly for about ten minutes before flying off South-East. Others decided to await its return but I walked down a farm track to the a second pile of sludge and manure where it had fed the previous day.

Creeping around the back of the site to get the low sun behind me I surprised the EYW which flew calling into a nearby copse before returning to feed on the piles of manure and in the slurry pools which appeared full of insects. For the next 45 minutes myself and one other photographer had this confiding beauty to ourselves whilst skeins of Pink-footed Geese called over head and flocks of Fieldfare bounced along the hedgerows. What was there not to like?

Eastern Yellow Wagtail of the nominate subspecies (*Motacilla tschutschensis* *tschutschensis*), near Sedgeford, Norfolk, 25th December 2019

I eventually tore myself away so that I could drive home on the near empty roads in the light and was back home by 15.30hrs to enjoy the rest of our family Christmas Day including the fine meal served up by Hugh.

The outstanding spread that awaited me later that evening….

Some final thoughts on the EYW. If we accept the identification of this bird as an EYW on the basis of it’s flight call then maybe it can be ascribed as a candidate ssp tschutschensis on the basis of the blue-grey crown and nape (appears slate grey in some lights), white supercillium that stops short of the bill base and dark grey lores. As for it’s origins despite the “Alaskan” moniker tschutschensis breeds as close as NE Kazhakstan; nearer than many far-eastern species that reach our shores. Conceivably analysis of DNA extracted from a stray feather or faeces may reveal more. But for now that can wait as I savour a memorable encounter on a sunny Christmas Day.

The Biggest Week for Moths

The Biggest Week in American Birding is a festival organised each May by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory in Ohio to celebrate peak warbler migration. For Norwich garden moth-trappers the first week of July is the “Biggest Week” for moths. Who could forget the stunning Orache Moth that arrived in James Lowen’s trap in July 2018. I was excited to know what 2019 might bring? But I was not ready for the outstanding week of midsummer week garden moth-trapping that transpired.

It begins

I managed only a modest catch on 28th June with six species that were new for the year (NFY). There were also three species of micro-moth that were new to the garden. The adventive Box-tree Moth was long overdue and did not hang around, but was acompanied by two pretty tortix moths. Lozotaeniodes formosana (Orange Pine Tortrix) is a big tent shaped micro with characteristic orange and fawn blotches. In contrast Archips xylosteana (Variegated Golden Tortrix) rests with flat wings that showcase its symetrical golden-brown patterns.

The Biggest Week for Moths, Lozotaeniodes formosana , Orange Pine Tortrix, June 28th 2019, Norfolk — ***Lozotaeniodes formosana*** (Orange Pine Tortrix) – June 28th 2019

The Biggest Week for Moths, Archips xylosteana, Variegated Golden Tortrix, June 28th 2019, Norfolk — **Archips xylosteana** (Variegated Golden Tortrix) *– June 29th 2019*

The next day a mid-morning post from Will Soar alerted us to multiple Red-belted Clearwings attending a lure in his garden. Since Will lives just 1.5 miles down the road I put out a lure. Within 10 minutes five Red-belted Clearwings were buzzing around it. It felt like that I was on a roll.

The Biggest Week for Moths, Red-belted Clearwing, Synanthedon myopaeformis, June 29th 2019, Norfolk — **Red-belted Clearwing** (Synanthedon myopaeformis) – June 29th 2019

The dam breaks open..

The night of 29th June was very warm and still; just perfect for moths. The flood gates opened and the following morning I found a dazzling array of moths in both traps. Several of these were new to the garden for example an absolutely pristine Alder Kitten.

The Biggest Week for Moths, Alder Kitten, Furcula bicuspis, June 29th 2019 — **Alder Kitten** (Furcula bicuspis) – June 29th 2019

Also new was a trio of green moths. Both species of Silver-lines (Green and Scarce) along with a slightly faded, but still stunning Green Arches.

The Biggest Week for Moths, Green Arches, Anaplectoides prasina, June 29th 2019, Norfolk — **Green Arches** (Anaplectoides prasina) – June 29th 2019

Other quality moths included two new for the year; a smart Blue-bordered Carpet and a cryptic Dusky Brocade.

The Biggest Week for Moths, Blue-bordered Carpet, Plemyria rubiginata, June 29th 2019, Norfolk — **Blue-bordered Carpet** (Plemyria rubiginata) – June 29th 2019

Dusky Brocade (Apamea remissa) -June 29th 2019

There were a lot of unfamilar micro-moths to sort through. The most glamorous of these was a chocolate and gold Pammene regiana (Regal Piercer). Least common and new to TG20D was the strikingly black and white Parachronistis albiceps (Wood Groundling) with just 75 previous Norfolk records. Othe NFG micros included; Calamoptropha paludella (Bulrush Veneer), Ancylis achatana (Triangle-marked Roller) and Phycitodes binaevella (Ermine Knothorn).

*Pammene regiana* (Regal Piercer) – *June 29th 2019*

**Parachronistis albiceps** (Wood Groundling) – *June 29th 2019*

To ensure a manageable catch before work I only ran the small actinic trap on the night of 2nd July. This kept the numbers down, but there was a new micro-moth in the trap; Dichomeris marginella (Juniper Webber). This species is quite localized in Norfolk and uses suburban garden junipers as a foodplant. However it must have been established in Eaton for some time as Dave Hipperson recorded it in the 1980s and 90s.

**Dichomeris marginella** (Juniper Webber) – *July 2nd 2019*

Tyger Tyger Burning Bright

**Scarlet Tiger** (Callimorpha dominula) – July 4th 2019

The final garden trap of the week was on the night of 4th July. The week’s activities curtailed by a weekend away in NW Norfolk to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary. When I opened the trap the following morning I could not believe my eyes. Sitting on top of the first egg box was a pristine Scarlet Tiger. Just the sixth Norfolk record following three in the West of the County the previous weekend!

**Blackneck** (Lygephila pastimum) – July 4th 2019

With the Tiger safely potted I started to sort the rest of the catch when my eye was drawn the wall. A Blackneck. Scarce rather than rare, but another teriffic addition to the TG20D list and just the fourth for TG20. The macro haul was completed with four NFY species that included Tawny Barred Angle.

**Argyresthia albistria** (Purple Argent) – July 4th 2019

Apart from the expected seasonal spike in Chrysoteuchia culmella (Garden Grass Veneer) threre were fewer micro-moths than recent nights. These did include Ostrinia nubialis (European Corn Borer) and Argyresthia albistria (Purple Argent) both new for the garden and TG20.

It had been an outstanding few days of moth-trapping. Once all the star turns were photographed and released I was happy to leave for our weekend away. Even so as we drove to North-west Norfolk I could not help but wonder what the Biggest Week for moths in 2020 will bring.

Sprucing Up May Moths

After I returned from Kuwait the garden moth-trap was hard work due to a series of cool nights in the last third of April. But it was not without rewards. The night of 22nd April brought half a dozen species that were new for the year. This included a first garden Lesser Swallow Prominent which I didn’t find time to photograph. A mistake that I didn’t repeat the following weekend when I finally recorded Frosted Green. It was one of just four moths in the trap on a very cold night.

Garden moth-trap, Frosted Green, Polyploca ridens, 22nd April 2019, Norfolk — **Frosted Green** (**Polyploca ridens**) – 22nd April 2019

A slow start

A warmer night on 1st May brought an improved catch (23 moths of 13 species). This included seven species that were new for the year (NFY) and a well marked, but unfamiliar pug. With help from the friendly folk on the Norfolk Moths Facebook page I was able to identify this as a Dwarf Pug. This species is usually associated with spruce plantations and most Norfolk records are from the Brecks. But it does seem prone to wander

Garden moth-trap, Dwarf Pug, Eupithecia tantillaria,1stMay 2019, Norfolk — **Dwarf Pug** (Eupithecia tantillaria) – May 1st 2019

Numbers were low for the next ten days with catches never reaching double figures. But I did record no less than three species of Hawk-moth; Lime, Poplar and Eyed.

Garden moth-trap, Lime Hawk-moth, Mimas tiliae, 5th May 2019, Norfolk — **Lime Hawk-moth** (Mimas tiliae) – 5th May 2019

More micro-moths appeared from the middle of the month. The common Cochylis atricapitana (Black-headed Conch) was an expected addition on 18th May. It was accompanied by the new for year Notocelia cynobatella (Yellow-faced Bell).

Garden moth-trap, Cochylis atricapitana, Black-headed Conch, May 18th 2019, Norfolk — ***Cochylis atricapitana*** (Black-headed Conch) – May 18th 2019

Garden moth-trap, Notocelia cynobatella, Yellow-faced Bell, May 18th 2019, Norfolk — **Notocelia cynobatella** (Yellow-faced Bell) – May 18th 2019

A brace of Seraphims

One feature of my my garden moth-trap is the number of Light Brocades that I catch each spring. This species is widespread across southern and eastern England, but in Norfolk most records come from around Norwich. This year it appeared on the 22nd May.

Garden moth-trap, Light Brocade, Lacanobia w-latinum, May 22nd 2019, Norfolk — **Light Brocade** (Lacanobia w-latinum) – May 22nd 2019

Also on the night of the 22nd came the first of two Seraphims. This is a species with a patchy distribution in Norfolk, but again with many records around Norwich. The second individual darker turned up two days.

Garden moth-trap, Seraphim, Lobophora halterata, May 22nd 2019, Norfolk — **Seraphim** *(Lobophora halterata) – May 24th 2019*

Garden moth-trap, Seraphim, Lobophora halterata, May 24th 2019, Norfolk — **Seraphim** (Lobophora halterata) – May 24th 2019

The 24th May also brought a very fidgety Pale Oak Beauty which didn’t stay for a photograph. Much better behaved was the garden’s first Clouded-bordered Brindle.

Garden moth-trap, Clouded-bordered Brindle, Apamea crenata, May 24th 2019, Norfolk — **Clouded-bordered Brindle** (Apamea crenata) – May 24th 2019

The final flourish!

My catches over the last two nights of May were not huge, but the diversity was good. Many more species were appearing for the first time this year. These included two of my favourite macro-moths; Elephant Hawk-moth and Puss Moth.

Garden moth-trap, Elephant Hawk-moth, Deilephila elpenor, May 24th 2019, Norfolk — **Elephant Hawk-moth** (Deilephila elpenor) -31st May 2019

Garden Moth Trap, Puss Moth, Cerura vinula, 31st May 2019, Norwich — **Puss Moth** (Cerura vinula) – 31st May 2019

There was also an increase in the number of micro-moth species including three species that were new to me. The first two species Plutella porrectella (Grey-streaked Diamond-back) and Rhyacionia pinivorana (Spotted Shoot) were expected.

Garden Moth-trap, Plutella porrectella, Grey-streaked Diamond-back, 30th May 2019, Norfolk — **Plutella porrectella** (Grey-streaked Diamond-back) – 30th May 2019

Garden Moth-trap, Rhyacionia pinivorana, Spotted Shoot, 30th May 2019, Norfolk — **Rhyacionia pinivorana** (Spotted Shoot) – 30th May 2019

The third Assara terebrella (Dark Spruce Knot-horn) was a surprise and represented the 43rd Norfolk record. Like Dwarf Pug this species is usually associated with spruce plantations and rarely recorded away from Breckland. It is also considered “Nationally Notable”meaning that it has been recorded in 16-100 10 km squares! It was nice to add TG20 to that list.

Garden Moth-trap, Assara terebrella, Dark Spruce Knot-horn, 31st May 2019, Norfolk — ***Assara terebrella*** (Dark Spruce Knot-horn) – 31st May 2019

Despite these successes my garden moth-trap still managed to serve up one mystery. A tortix (a kind of micro-moth) that I caught on the last night of the month. It appears to be a weakly marked example of Hedya pruniana or Hedya nubiferana two closely species I record regularly. Impossible to tell apart without dissection I let it go. It is the kind of mystery that keeps us keen!

Garden Moth-trap, Hedya sp, 31st May 2019, Norfolk — Hedya sp – 31st May 2019.

Early Season Norfolk Moths

The warmer weather of the past few days really kick-started activity amongst our group of Norwich based moth enthusiasts. On Tuesday (19/3) I joined a field trip to a private site in South-west Norfolk to search for some late March Breckland specialities. As the sun went down we set up a handful of battery powered actinic traps. Hopes were high that we could repeat the success of a similar trip a few days previously. In the end a full moon and a sharp drop in temperature around 21.00hrs meant that numbers and diversity were not as high as we had anticipated. Nevertheless by the time we packed up at 22.30hrs we had managed to record at least 67 individuals of 17 species. This included five species which were new for me:

The birch specialist Yellow-horned showing how it got its name!

The understated Mottled Grey was new for many of the participants.

Broom-tip – quite an early date for this heathland species.

For me the moth of the night was this majestic and subtly toned Scarce Tissue

I was too busy at work for the next couple of days to even contemplate running a trap. That did not deter others. On Thursday (21/3) news filtered through of no less than five Small Eggars caught across the county. One at Cley and two each at Lyng and Litcham. This beautiful little chocolate coloured moth is declining in the UK. Many moth-ers are more likely to have seen evidence of its larval webs in hedgerows than an adult.

Fortunately the pair of females at Litcham arrived at the light-trap set in the garden of Keith Kerr. Keith is a top entomologist and a leading light of the Norwich moth-ers WhatsApp group. And with typical generosity he invited visitors. I couldn’t make it, but I was based at home the following day to receive a delivery. Consequently I asked if Ian Robinson could bring at one of the Small Eggars back to Norwich along with a Lead-coloured Drab. I collected the three visitors from Ian on Thursday evening. As a result Friday morning saw a near constant ringing of the doorbell. A steady procession of visitors from Norwich and further afield turned up at my front door. Not only to admire the Eggars but also discover how to tell Lead-coloured Drab from its more abundant and infinitely variable Clouded relative.

Female Lead-coloured Drab – males have nice feathery antennae which makes them easier to tell apart from grey forms of the closely related and much commoner Clouded Drab

So far so good! All I had to worry about was when my package would arrive, scheduling a work meeting and returning the moths to Litcham. Except every other visitor told me about a Barred Tooth-striped caught in the Brecks the previous night. It was now on display at the NWT’s Weeting Heath visitor centre.

Luck was on my side; the package arrived on time and my colleague plumped for an early afternoon meeting. This gave me enough time to take the scenic route to Litcham, via Weeting! When I arrived at the VC I found the warden James with two pots on the counter! One contained the BT-s and the other a couple of Dotted Chestnut. This is a species that is expanding its range in Norfolk, although it has not yet reached me. James was happy to see the Small Eggars, which by now were sadly moribund. This was almost certainly due to the exertion of them having fulfilled their biological role of egg-laying prior to capture rather than their excursion to Norwich. James very kindly helped me photograph the moths, both of which were new to me, before I left to meet Keith and return home.

Barred Tooth-striped: The Breckland population discovered in 1980 is completely isolated from others in the UK.

James Lowen has already blogged about the Kindness of Moth-ers a sentiment that I can only reiterate here. None of the above would have been possible without the collaboration of fellow enthusiasts. Organising the field trip, lending portable traps, transporting moths around the county and sharing their finds.

And amongst all this excitement what about my own backyard? I ran my home made MV trap a couple of times over the weekend (21-24/3) and recorded good numbers (44 and 64). The catches were dominated, as expected in late March, by Common Quakers. Quality was offered by a pair of beauties. Brindled Beauty which was new for the year and a couple of latish Oak Beauty. But in truth it feels like the season is just getting started.

Getting better every day

On Friday a female Snowy Owl was found on Scolt Head Island where it could be viewed at considerable distance from the coastal footpath near Burnham Deepdale. Since this represented only the second record of a Snowy Owl in Norfolk in the past 100 years the news caused quite a stir among county listers few of whom had seen the male that wandered North Norfolk for a few days in late March 1991. Try as I might I simply can’t get too worked up about Norfolk listing. Moreover since I was working the next day I had already made plans to leave work early to see Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri at Norwich’s excellent Cinema City. I enjoyed the movie which lived up to its excellent reviews, and although incredibly funny in places it is a tough watch. Had I made he right decision? I think so! Not only had I seen the 1991 bird in Lincolnshire but also birds on Fetlar, Shetland in the mid eighties. And judging by the pixilated white blobs appearing on social media this bird could only be seen at great distance before it flew off West at dusk.

By Saturday morning, and in keeping with its direction of travel, the owl had relocated to Thornham Point where it could be viewed from Titchwell RSPB reserve. Possibly a second bite of the cherry? A distinct maybe as I was committed all morning. First of all to my daughter Kat who along with her colleagues on the City College Foundation Year was exhibiting her art in Norwich and secondly to helping with an applicant visit day at work.

However by early afternoon I was free and a quick phone call to Kat confirmed her interest in seeing the owl. After collecting Kat from town and a quick stop at home to pick up our wellies and to jump online to order some flowers that might reach my mother in Maidenhead by the following day.

Parking at Titchwell was straight forward and we immediately set off for the beach and soon encountered many very happy friends making the return trip. On reaching the beach we discovered that the tide was out and as we headed west towards the bird we found the tide line littered with the debris of the previous week’s storms including many dead starfish. As we approached the crowd of admirers at the edge of the dunes we found that the owl was close to the shoreline ca 400m distant. Given the reports of some less than ideal behaviour by 2-3 rogue photographers earlier in the day and with the bird’s welfare paramount, everybody was keeping a very respectful distance. Nevertheless views through the telescope of this iconic arctic predator were very good indeed and having missed one on Scilly by just one day a few years back Kat, who is a bit of an owl fan, was delighted to to catch up with one so close to home. Equally delighted was my mother who phoned me while we were watching the owl to say how pleased she was with her flowers – result x2!

The best that I could manage with a DLSR given the distance

More than content we headed back to the car park and drove home arriving in time for me to set the moth trap before making Ingrid dinner.

The following morning there were only a couple of Chestnuts in the trap with a Hebrew Character (NFY – new for the year) resting on a nearby wall. Interestingly there was also a single brightly coloured tortrix moth, that with the help of the Norwich moth-ers WhatsApp group, I identified as Aclaris cristana which turns out to be quite scarce in TG20 with just 15 previous records and a new species for the garden and for me.

*Acleris cristana* – the English name is Tufted Button which refers to the two raised matches of scales half way down the inner edge of the wing which give the impression of fins.

Whilst I was sorting this out news emerged that the owl had moved again this time to an area of rough grassland behind one of the hides on Snettisham RSPB reserve and, according to the news services was “showing well“. Since Kat and Ingrid had gone out for Mother’s Day brunch and a movie temptation was too much. After a brief exchange of messages Graham picked me up half an hour later and we set off for Snettisham. When we arrived in the car park early in the afternoon we still had a 30 minute walk to the bird but to our delight she was still there, hunkered down in a grassy hollow a mere 80 m distant and appeared to be unfazed by the crowd of admirers that had assembled behind the fence on the adjacent boardwalk. After about twenty minutes she coughed up some pellets of undigested prey and shortly after flew to a slightly more distant fence post affording us the most wonderful views and providing good photographic opportunities.

We could have stayed all afternoon, but time was moving on and Graham needed to be back in Norwich. Again I was back in before it got dark and with the promise of another mildish night set the moth trap again. Late evening I was rewarded with my third Pale Brindled Beauty of the winter a very fresh individual and almost three months after the first on 21st December suggesting an extended flight period.

Pale Brindled Beauty – click on an image to view the gallery.

The following morning there were again just two moths in the trap; Chestnut and Common Quaker (NFY) but on the wall was a Dotted Border which was a welcome, if not unexpected addition to the garden list and a fine end to a weekend that just got better and better.

Beauty and the Ibis

I had arranged a day off on Monday and used it to drive Ingrid, my wife, to a work appointment in Great Yarmouth. After leaving her for a couple of hours I went to look for the Glossy Ibis that has been frequenting the flooded grass in Bure Park. It turned out to be quite confiding and with a bit of patience posed nicely for the camera when the winter sun finally broke through.

Glossy Ibis, Bure Park Great Yarmouth Feb 5th 2018

Meanwhile at home in Eaton the extended run of cold nights have not been conducive to moth trapping. However, 28th Jan was an exception and I managed to attract a single male Pale Brindled Beauty (females are wingless) which I then needed to keep in the fridge for a couple days until a day with good enough light for photography.

Pale Brindled Beauty, West Norwich, 1st Feb 2018

There are a number of late winter/early spring moths currently being caught in small numbers by Norfolk recorders that I have yet to see – hopefully there will be a few warmer nights before their flight season is over.

Sheringham

After a difficult couple of weeks it was nice to have a morning out with Graham. Given our time constraints and Graham’s love of chats there was only ever going to be one destination; Sheringham where a lovely confiding male Black Redstart has been frequenting the seafront RNLI carpark. We arrived at the car park, a bit of waste ground next to the a block of flat prophetically named Upcher Court where the gaggle of birders/toggers suggested the was not that far away In order to photograph it at eye level against a clean background we cut the height of the tripods and lay on the floor – for as long as we could stay in contact with the bitterly cold ground before having to get up and walk around.

Graham demonstrating exemplary technique

The approach worked well as the bird dropped to a favoured area of grass no doubt encouraged by the meal worms scattered by a benevolent local photographer.

Black Redstart, Sheringham, Norfolk, January 2018

Ironically whilst we were there a bit of furore broke out on Twitter in response to news that the long staying Desert Wheatear near Whitby had been predated with some posters quick to blame supplementary feeding by photographers for its untimely demise. So should we resort to supplementary feeding in order to get good images? Many must think it is OK as since I first encountered this practice at another Desert Wheatear , at Horsey in November 2008, and it is something that has become increasingly commonplace in the UK.

Eastern Black Redstart, Skinningrove, Cleveland, December 2016

I must admit to not being entirely convinced. Given enough time, space and cautious movements by their observers small chats quickly get used to humans and are also quite adept at finding their own food sources. For example the long-staying Eastern Black Redstart in Cleveland last winter found plenty of insects in its favourite patch of wrack strewn boulders and was very tolerant of a steady stream of admirers during its four month stay. And another Desert Wheatear, this time at Lowestoft in November 2014 would with patience walk up to you!

Desert Wheatear, Lowestoft, Suffolk, November 2014

On the other hand supplementary feeding raises awareness of birds and their conservation as well as supporting vulnerable populations during hard weather. Where such activities exist photographers are more than happy to take advantage. For instance how many world birders would have Antpittas on their lists and good photos if it was not for the ground breaking efforts of Angel Paz in Ecuador? And we all love feeding stations whether it is for Willow Tits in Northern England, Hummingbirds in the Neotropics or Rosy Finches in Colorado we are all more than happy to turn up with our cameras and click away. Speaking of Rosy Finches – one appeared at a feeder in front of a hide on the Nosappu Penninsular on Hokkaido last winter even before my Japanese companions had emptied a tub if sunflower seeds on the feeding station!

Asian Rosy Finch, Hokkaido, December 2016

Like many aspects of birding it comes down to common sense and above everything else the welfare of the bird. If it is possible to supplement a bird’s normal food supply in a way that does not make it dependent and susceptible to predation fair enough. However that is no reason to suspend the principles of good field craft and behave in a way that prevents the bird from attending the food supply and deprives others the opportunity to observe/photograph/enjoy it in their own way.

Meanwhile back in Sheringham after an hour or so of enjoying the Black Redstart Graham and I were frozen to the bone and went in search of a cafe. Failing miserably in Sheringham we drove along the coast to Cromer and eventually found refuge and a warm welcome in the excellent Crab Pot Cafe where we enjoyed some supplementary feeding of the Full English variety.