'Tuf' Love . . .

News of a 'Tufted Puffin' in Kent this morning was bitter sweet for the birding community as a whole but euphoria no doubt for the lucky 7. Feelings swayed from total excitement and desperation to see such a dream seabird, to total disappointment as the realization that the bird had gone and was unlikely to be found again (today anyway . .). What a bird ! I decided to console myself with some afternoon birding at Bawdsey - East Lane. The winds were strong, coming right in off the churning sea. I spent a few lame minutes striving to find my own Tufted Puffin, well a Sab's Gull or Leach's Petrel or something . . . but soon gave up after the first few Black-headed Gulls shot by.

A walk along the sheltered lane opposite the first pool saw a smart and very vocal Pied Flycatcher & a good number of Migrant Hawkers hunting in the sheltered sunny rides. The sea wall produced 1 Black Redstart & 3 very approachable young Swallows who sat up on fencing near the car park.

A number of my images appeared in today's Telegraph Magazine (pg 64-71). The images, of various birds and landscapes from Fair Isle were to accompany an article by Tim Dee called Rites of Passage. Every Autumn millions of birds, some only a few weeks out of the egg, travel impossible distances to their wintering grounds. One of their favoured stopping-off points is Fair Isle, where Tim Dee, too, was irresistibly drawn. Photographs by Rebecca Nason. This article has been extracted from a new book entitled 'The Running Sky: A Birdwatching Life' by Tim Dee. (This book is available from Telegraph Books for £14.99 plus £1.25 p&p 0844-871 1515). . . .

August Moths Revisited

Just downloading a few moth images from the garden August moth sessions - here are some of my favourites. The best & possibly the rarest micro moth was this beautifully patterned Ethmia bipunctella, a Red Data Book Species restricted to coastal shingle habitats in the south-eastern counties. The Bullrush Wainscot was a 'large' & impressive Wainscot. We have had 2 tiny migrant 'Rush Veneers' and a good few Small Dusty Waves. The Striped Hawkmoth was taken a Portland Bird Observatory (they have since had Silver-striped & Convolvulus Hawkmoth). The Star-wort was another striking moth, similar to a 'Shark' moth in shape & found locally in the south-east of England on coastal saltmarsh habitats.

Evening on the Coast

Following a good few days at the computer sorting images I was relieved to get out to the coast this evening for a walk around East Lane at Bawdsey. Although the winds were fresh, I really enjoyed being there as the sun began to set & an autumnal gold filtered over the adjacent fields & pools. There were numerous Migrant Hawkers sat up in vegetation getting the last of the days warmth & a few waders on the pools, including Dunlin & Common Sandpiper. Swallows, Sand Martins & House Martins fed over the pools and drifted through in small numbers. A walk along a lane near the pools saw many tame Rats(!) as well as my first 'Pied flycatcher' of the Autumn . . .

Invasion of the True Bug
Last week we had a very unexpected species in the moth trap in our Woodbridge garden -with 2 Western Conifer Seed Bugs - quite a sizeable and attractively marked insect. Western Conifer Seed Bugs are species of 'True Bug' from the family Coreidae and were originally native to western USA. More recently they have expanded their range (on timber imports) and become an invasive species in part of Europe. They were first noted in Northern Italy in 1999. In the UK they was first recorded in 2007 but autumn 2008 saw a large influx along the British south coast, a result of natural immigration from continental Europe. We are unsure of the current status in the UK and if this species has been recorded previously in Suffolk . . .

New 'Scottish Birds' Journal

I am delighted to have the front cover image (a Long-eared Owl taken on Fair Isle) for the 1st issue of the superb new-look 'Scottish Birds' journal recently published by the Scottish Ornithologist's Club. Please click here for more information on the SOC & how to become a member. Packed with invaluable information & the latest Scottish bird news and images, the SOC website & new journal offers essential reading for anybody interested in Scottish birds from amateur birder to serious listers and researchers . . . .

Bank Holiday Birding - August 2009

Just back from a really enjoyable long weekend at Portland Bird Observatory with Phil Harris and Alan Bull. The weather conditions were not perfect and it was very quiet bird and moth wise over the weekend but what a great place to spend the bank holiday! The arrival of a Melodious Warbler early on Monday morning however, really made the weekend! Melodious Warbler was exactly what we had been hoping for at Portland & was a welcome ringing tick for Alan after a 15 year wait! Other highlights over the weekend were a smart Striped Hawkmoth at the Obs, an Elephant Hawkmoth Caterpillar at Radipole (& a dodgy looking Hooded Merganser still present), Hobby, Peregrine, numerous Belearic Sheatwaters & the odd Sooty & Manx. Yesterday lunchtime we left Portland & twitched our way through the traffic back to Suffolk, stopping off at the Blue-winged Teal in Hampshire & the Black Tern, American Black Tern & White-winged Black Tern in Oxfordshire. Quite a weekend!