Heading back

On Friday August 1st I headed back to Flagstaff having seen 121 species of bird in Europe - 120 in England and Rose-ringed Parakeets in Belgium.Of these 107 were new for the year and I ended July on 389 species for the year.

I added three life birds on my trip - Short-toed Eagle, Wood Sandpiper and Little Gull - and twitched and dipped on some others. The Black-winged Pratincole left the north Norfolk coast the evening before we tried for it (relocating to Ouse Washes in Cambridgeshire where it was still being seen two weeks later); the Collared Pratincole was seen just minutes before our arrival at the Minsmere scrape but d was not visible while we were there. This bird was also around for at least another week. I am pretty sure I saw Wood Lark in the Ashdown Forest, but not certain enough for a lifer. I heard Cetti's Warbler and Stock Dove but did not see these birds.

I saw Common Frog, Red Fox, European Rabbit, Eastern Gray Squirrel, Field Vole, Muntjac, Harbour Seal and Grey Seal on the trip, but despite looking for Adders in the Ashdown Forest, Suffolk heaths and then at two sites in Havering with David on July 29th this reptile continues to elude me.  

Six-spot Burnet Moth

Carrion Crow