Wildlife

James Lowen

The day was made, however, by Keith Kerr. Keith kindly brought with him a perfect blue - a Clifdon Nonpareil aka Blue Underwing - which a friend of his had trapped in Surrey a couple of nights earlier. Only my second of this amazing moth - the first being last month in Dorset - and a complete cracker.

Yoav and I were on site for dawn Monday, but there was no sign. I was called back home due to an ill child, but Yoav returned and got brief views. I headed back on Tuesday after the school run. I eventually saw the bird when it showed around midday, flying out into the middle of the field, waiting there, then returning. A large Locustella warbler with a conspicuously dark tail. Hardly the views that we all got of the Blakeney Point bird 16 years ago! This is the best photo I got of it.

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4 Oct 2017 Perfect blue

I'm writing this blog just after giggling mischievously at the metaphor-rich misfortune suffered by PM Teresa May on the podium at the end of the Tory conference. Strong and stable, my arse. True blue imperfection.

I had a better cyan experience - perfect blue, no less - at Burnham Overy Dunes late last month. I was midway through dipping - for these second time - the Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler found by friend and fellow pub-drinker Stuart White. I was stuck at a children's party or would otherwise have been with Stu at the time. (Now that would have been a decent self-find!) He alerted our pub-drinker Whatsapp group to his discovery of an interesting Locustella warbler, and messaged updates every few minutes until he nailed it. Top effort.