Holiday Lifers.

 The past two weeks we have been away on holiday. The first week was to a nice house beside Salthouse Church in Norfolk, then the second week was to a small 400 yr old house in Westleton, Suffolk. When I am away I am always on the look out for new species, no matter what they are, be it birds, butterflies, moths or anything really. Unlike these expert 'Pan species' Listers who can identify 400 species of invertebrate in an afternoon, I am much slower and tend to focus on things that are at least a bit distinctive, that give me a chance of an id without a microscope.

So when going to East Anglia, the moth trap is a must have, especially in summer where there are loads of species we dont get up here. Over the fortnight new things arrived almost daily so I will list them witha photo in chronological order....

#1. 9th June - Alder Kitten Furcula bicuspis.

This moth has never occurred in Northumberland. Even the two species of kitten that have occurred are rare in my garden, so rare that Ive never seen Poplar Kitten either, but I do get an occasional Sallow Kitten. Alder is the easiest to identify being darker that the other two. Well pleased to get this.

 #2 10th June. Crested Cow Wheat Melampyrum cristatum

 

 Luck helps. I saw a post by Rob Yaxley on Bluesky saying he had shown this rare and declining plant to some friends recently, so I asked him for the location and he kindly obliged. Nice one.

#3 10th June Satin Wave Idaea subsericeata

Not recorded in Northumberland since 1920 and there are only 2 records, the other being 1908. Chances of getting this at home are slim.

#4 11th June a Planthopper Issus coleoptratus  

No idea. Out with Peggy and it was on a leaf so I took its photo to id later. A new species!

#5 11th June Hoverfly Xanthogramma pedissequum.

Sorry about the photo, I couldn't get close enough. A black and yellow hoverfly that does occur in Northum,berland, just that I've never seen it.

#6 Wasp Beetle Clytus arietis

My mate John gets these in his garden about 5 miles from me, but they are still scarce in the county. Pleased to finally catch up with one.

#7 12th June Alabonia geoffrella 'Geoff'!

Been hoping to meet 'Geoff' for ever but only recently discovered it can be found in Norfolk. I was right at the end of its flight season so only found the one, a bit worn with age, but very acceptable. Not found in Northumberland.

#8 12th June Scarlet Tiger Callimorpha dominula

Not on the radar. Only when Mark Golley was showing me a site for Geoff did he mention that Scarlet Tiger was just emerging in Cley. We found half a dozen of these stunners. Only found in the south of England.

#9 12th June Maple Prominent Ptilodon cucullina 

Hoped to see one of these, this one was sat on top of the trap. It doesnt occur in Northumberland.

#10 12th June Small China Mark Cataclysta lemnata

I wasnt sure if this was new or not at the time, on checking these were my first. Two caught.

#11 12th June Rosy Wave Scopula emutaria

The day before catching this I had been thumbing the guide and looked at Rosy Wave and thought it looked quite distinctive. Never expected to see one as soon. 

#12 12th June Aethes beatricella 

Its surprising this was new as I caught loads of them on this trip. Maybe they have increased recently?

#13 12th June Flecked General Soldier Fly  Stratiomys singularia

Landed beside me as I sat in the Salthouse garden. 

#14 14th June Orange Moth Agerona prunaria

Our first night in Suffolk. Certainly didn't expect to see Orange Moth. I always thought of it as a species of mature woodland in Kent! It wouldnt sit for a photo hence the pot shot.

#15 14th June Pine Hawk-moth Sphinx pinastri 

At last, one of my targets for this holiday. We caught 3 or 4 over the week. A nice big moth...

#16 14th June The Lackey Malacosoma neustria

Unexpected but quite common most nights in Suffolk. This one is a male.

#17 14th June Dicrorampha petiverella 

I hope this one is right? 

#18 14th June Valerian Pug Eupithecia valerianata

Had two of these. Didn't realise how scarce they were, but apparently this is the moth of the trip!

#19 15th June Yellow Oak Tortrix Aleimma loeflingiana 

This moth occurs scarcely in the south of Northumberland but is much rarer where I live with only 3 records in VC68 North Northumberland, so it was good to get a few of these in East Anglia.

#20 15th June Dwarf Cream Wave Idaea fuscovenosa 

Only 9 Northumberland records of this diminutive wave, the last being 18 years ago. Nice to get a fresh one here 

#21 16th June Four Spotted Footman Lithosia quadra 

Only 3 of these in Northumberland where it is a very rare migrant. Down south this has been a good year for them, also probably migrants.

#22 17th June Hedya salicella 

Another rare one at home with only 10 county records.

#23 17th June Monochroa palustrellus

Not recorded in Northumberland, this Nationally scarce moth favours sandy areas of SE England.

#24 18th June Firebug Pyrrhocoris apterus

 This bright bug is at the northern most edge of its European range in the south of England. This particular one was running fast along a grass verge so I was lucky to get any photos at all!

#25 18th June Spotted Medick Medicago aribica 

If a species ever shows the need to be alert at all times this one is it for me. We were having lunch at the Eels Foot Inn, Eastbridge when I looked at the ground where we sat. In a scuffed up path area, this was crushed below... rare in Northumberland.

#26 19th June Large Marsh Horsefly Tabanus autumnalis

This large bitey Cleg was on our garden furniture at the Suffolk House. About an inch long it was a stunner. I like these dangerous critters same was as deadly plants and fungi in that we are just a meal to them... hard as nails.

So 26 new species without too much difficulty. We are off to Deeside in the autumn so you never know there might be something to find up there too...

I see a Rainbow Rising....

 Whats going on? My local patch is getting some good birds. After last weeks post anyone would think I had peaked for the year but no, that was just an apperitif. Things were going to take an upward turn...

Saturday 31st May. 

Jane is off to Newcastle with friends, so me and Peggy are left at a loose end back at home. I could have gone birding, but no, I am out on Sunday so I thought I might use my free time productively for the good of the village.

Our Village Hall has a small wildlife pond less than 100 mtrs from our house and it needed a bit more of a tidy up after starting it last month. Then, with the help of a few Coast Care Volunteers, we removed some choking vegetation to create more open water for amphibians. This was done successfully and in no time we had Toads, Smooth and Palmate Newts back where they belong.

We stacked a large mound of chopped soft vegetation on the decking where it was up to me to mulch around shrubs with it at a later date. Today was the day.

Armed with a wheelbarrow of tools I pottered off down to the pond. While I am here, it looked like it could do with a top up so the hose was deployed and left to run into the shallows as I worked. After a few barrow loads of rotten rushes and iris leaves had been removed a movement over the water caught my attention. It was a female Broad bodied Chaser and she was egg laying. She delicately dipped up and down to the surface, touching the water with her abdomen each time. She is the first Broad bodied Chaser I have seen on the patch so I was very pleased.

An old shot of a female Broad bodied Chaser. I didnt have my camera with me for the sighting above.

At 4pm I had finished the donkey work and was now using the hose to wash off the decking to tidy the site.

As I did this, in a trance really, a quiet soft call made me pause. Now it couldnt be. Surely not? Could it?.

Not really expecting anything at all, I stopped hosing and glanced beyond the pond to the Old Rectory paddock opposite to see a BEE-EATER gliding around! ( In the top image the bird was half way out to that Shepherds hut.) The funny thing is I was quite relaxed about it. I stood and watched it flap and glide when it called again , then moved off behind some tall sycamore trees and off south.

It was time to put the word out incase it might be picked up by birders south of me, so I walked back home collected my Bins, Camera and the dog and headed back out, hoping the bird might be sitting on some wires for me to get a photograph.

We walked back through the village where there was no sight or sound  (de-ja-vu Rosefinch) and out along the lane. Three quarters of the way along I stopped to scan east with the bins. It was now 4.15 and I expected the bird to be away south by now when all of a sudden, there it was. It was distant as it arced up over the rise in the fields. It was feeding beside Seahouses Farm where cattle would attract some flies. This is two fields from my current position so off we strode with purpose.

Arriving at the spot there was no sign of the Bee-eater. only a few Swifts were hawking around. I gave it 10 minutes then left to knock up some notes while the sighting was fresh in my mind.

I see today that it was seen yesterday at Spurn and this morning along the Lincs coast.

What a bird for my village. I have hoped for one for years and each summer on a daily basis day dream as I scan the phone wires across the fields. Despite not seeing it perched up, my sighting was good enough for me, and it wont be beaten this year thats for sure...