Up to two Queen of Spain Fritillaries Ringstead Down today, together with Clouded Yellow, Painted Lady and Hummingbird Hawk Moth @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Lucerne fields at Sparham held 9 Clouded Yellows today along with a Hummingbird Hawk Moth @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Monitoring Ingoldisthorpe last night produced 38 birds Blackcap 2 Cetti's Warbler 1 Chiffchaff 1 Pied Wagtail 7 (roost) Reed Warbler 1(4) Sedge Warbler 9 Swallow 11 (roost) Whitethroat 2 @norfolknats.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social #BirdRinging

After a stay over in Reading, on Friday our way back a quick visit to Stafford Road open space Ruislip Gardens, an area that has gained a decent Brown Hairstreak population, but it was rather hotter than Cumbria, very dry and most flowers had gone over, but we managed to find at least one specimen.

1/3 A visit up to Cumbria on Tuesday to see Scotch Argus, a species I haven't seen for a few years and to escape the 35 temp at home. First visit was Arnside Knott, where a few where to be found around the high point area, along with a few Grayling.

Friday at Dersingham Bog, we added three Stonechat to the colour ringing project and monitoring Nightjar at dusk added an un-ringed adult Nightjar. We were joined by Frank Street a reserve warden from the Fens, who ringed his first Nightjar. @btobirds.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Dersingham Bog yesterday, Black Darter, Emerald & Willow Damselflies and Keeled Skimmer

Monitoring last night at Sculthorpe Moor did not produce the hoped for Swallow roost, maybe the Sparrowhawk present played a role, but 21(4) birds Cetti's Warbler - 1 Chiffchaff - 1 Grasshopper Warbler - 1 Reed Bunting - 3 Reed Warbler - 13 (4, 2 from 2024) Sedge Warbler - 2 @hawkandowl.bsky.social

Monitoring last night Ingoldisthorpe lagoons resulted in 72 (5) Blackcap - 6 Blue Tit - 1 Chiffchaff - 1 Greenfinch - 8 Pied Wagtail - 12 Reed Bunting - 3 Reed Warbler - 9 (3) Sedge Warbler - 9 (2) Song Thrush - 1 Swallow - 17 Whitethroat - 4 Wren - 1 @norfolknats.bsky.social @btobirds.bsky.social

Monitoring at Sculthorpe Moor yesterday produced a total: 41 (10) Blackcap - 5 Blue Tit - 9 (2) Chiffchaff - 3(1) Dunnock - 2 Great Tit - 1 (1) Marsh Tit - 1 Reed Warbler - 2 (1) Robin - 2 (2) Sedge Warbler - 6 (2) Whitethroat - 2 (1) Wren - 8 @hawkandowl.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Due to a visit to the Gloucs/Oxon border a bit of Damselfly watching was worth a visit to Parsonage Moor, and produced just 5 Southern Damselflies and 18 Keeled Skimmers. @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

Warham Camp 17th 105 Chalkhill Blues, c140 Common Blues, 25 Painted Lady and a fly through Clouded Yellow @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Sparham Pools on 16th - still 8 Lesser Emperors present, most back over water, 4 Brown Hawkers and serval other common species @britishdragonflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Monitoring last night at Deepdale Farm produced 12 birds Blackcap - 3 Chiffchaff - 1 Great Tit - 1 Lesser Whitethroat - 1 Whitethroat -4 Wren - 2 Adults after a busy breeding season of some species are now having to manage moulting into new feathers @deepdalecamping.co.uk @norfolknats.bsky.social

Dragonfly walk today with 6 participants, a little quite with the exception of Ruddy Darters, lots! But, still a good mix of species seen, even if numbers were low. @hawkandowl.bsky.social @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

Despite being overcast today up to 11 Chalkhill Blues at Warham Camp, single Brown Argus and a couple of Painted Lady, and three Hummingbird Hawkmoths @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

2/2 Two Oystercatchers received codes with a third only large enough to take a metal ring. Three well grown Ringed Plover chicks became the first colour marked birds that Blakeney Point staff have been able to add to a joint project with the RSPB/NOA. @norfolknats.bsky.social #BirdRinging

1/2. Yesterday we joined the warden and staff at Blakeney Point hoping to find Little Terns, Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover chicks suitable as part of three separate projects. We only got a single Little Tern as the the chicks that we were targeting had actually fledged just before our efforts.

Sparham Pools today, Brown Argus, lots of Common Blues, 2nd gen Holly Blue, Painted Lady and a whiz by Clouded Yellow @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social

Sparham Pools today, up 10 Lesser Emperor, several along the farm tracks as well over the lakes. Several Brown Hawkers, along with several more common lakeside species @norfolknats.bsky.social @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

Foxley Wood today limited Butterfly numbers but a few Silver-washed Fritillaries including a Valezina form, a couple of Purple Emperors on the usual oak sap run, two Migrant Hawkers and up to 8 Brown Hawkers @norfolknats.bsky.social @britishdragonflies.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Today was habitat maintenance day at Deepdale farm, so while we did this we managed 23 (3 retraps ) Blackcap 7(1) Blue Tit 2 Chiffchaff 3 Goldcrest 2 Great Tit 2 Lesser Whitethroat 1 Whitethroat 4(2) Wren 2 @btobirds.bsky.social @deepdalecamping.co.uk #BirdRinging @norfolknats.bsky.social

2/2 Total: 47 (6 retraps) Blackbird - 1 Blackcap - 7 Cetti's Warbler - 1 Dunnock - 1 Greenfinch - 2 Pied Wagtail - 2 Reed Warbler - 4 (6 2 from 23 and 3 from 24) Sedge Warbler - 4 Sand Martin - 1 Swallow - 22 Whitethroat - 2 @btobirds.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social #BirdRinging

1/2. Evening on 8th saw us at the River Trust lagoons at Ingoldisthorpe which turned out to be a productive evening as the site had a few Swallows roosting and quite a few Pied Wagtails. Several fledged Marsh harriers were hunting nearby and a Quail flushed from the grass.

2/2 This area on Scolt Head shows the tell tale patches of feathers where avian predators pluck prey before returning to the nest. @btobirds.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social #BirdRinging

1/2. 8th saw us back on Scolt Head to finish off training of one of the NE staff to ring Oystercatchers as part of a study looking at low survival rates starting next year. Also to ring Little Terns, but the few surviving pairs had all fledged.

1/2 Been a busy few days checking out Dragonflies, but on the evening 7th we needed to put time into the NE tracking Dersingham Nightjar foraging area study. We were unsuccessful with the female that had been located, and this year is proving hard to find breeding birds that the study focuses on.

2/2 We did put a net up at dusk and caught a male, which was unfortunately un-ringed as we had hoped to find birds previously ringed on site or elsewhere, as we had the previous year, a bird that had been ringed on the Bog 9 years previous, which was brilliant. @norfolknats.bsky.social #BirdRinging

Brett Wood 7/7/26 White Admiral and Painted Lady @norfolkbutterflies.bsky.social @norfolknats.bsky.social