Finally, a few months ago I was commissioned an essay about bird-ringing for a photographic-art book about birds by Todd Forsgren, entitled Ornithological Photographs. This has now been published, and I am eagerly awaiting my copy! A nice gig.

Wildlife

James Lowen 

One random birder we came across had clearly decided that enough was enough, and that he ought to cease bush-bashing in favour of scanning marshes in the hope of a Spoonbill. (He was successful.)

Wildlife

However, what few clouds there were in the sky had distinctly silvery linings. Bad weather for finding migrant birds is good weather for watching insects. So I had great fun hanging around ivy, watching various nectaring butterflies. And fun seeing Migrant and Southern Hawkers at point blank range. And particular fun messing around with Orthopterans, notably Roesel's Bush-cricket. Here are some images.

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19 Sep 2015   Six legs, not two

I love autumn. I love bird migration in autumn. I love going to the east coast to find bird migrants in autumn. I love weather conditions (north-easterly wind, rain) that imply there will be lots of bird migrants to find on the east coast in autumn. I do not love misinterpreting weather conditions, and spending a day failing to find any bird migrants on the east coast in autumn. Here is a picture of such conditions; these skies are not exactly bird-filled.

An enjoyable day out then, even if I am still craving for some east coast autumn migrant bird action... On the home front, moths have been very quiet. I trapped each of the three National Moth Nights, producing lots of Large Yellow Underwing and very little else. The only vaguely notable moths have been Yellow-barred Brindle (still), Hedge Rustic (which I failed to photograph), Yellow Shell and Sallow.

Yoav Perlman and I birded the coast between Stiffkey campsite wood and Warham Greens pretty thoroughly. Aside from a score of flyover Siskins (tiny numbers relative to east Norfolk and Kent, where there were thousands), migrants barely scraped into double figures. A handful of Lesser Whitethroat, two Reed Warbler, a Garden Warbler, three Common Whitethroat, three Blackcap and five Chiffchaff. One of the Lesser Whitethroats did a little rattle for Yoav, which is indicative either of something Eastern or the incompleteness of our knowledge of Sylvia vocalisations.