Gardens become Woodlands

New results from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) reveal.

Woodland birds are pouring into gardens amidst reports of patchy seed and nut availability in the countryside. Eye-catching Siskin, Brambling, Nuthatch, Jay and Great Spotted Woodpecker are leading the way.

This winter is shaping up to be one of the most exciting ever for garden bird enthusiasts. Latest findings from BTO Garden BirdWatch, a year-round survey of garden wildlife, show that over 80% of our frequently spotted garden bird species have been more abundant over recent weeks compared with 2009–2011.

Most striking has been the increase of birds that we normally associate with woodland. Siskin and Brambling, both colourful and sociable members of the finch family, have been four times more numerous in gardens this autumn compared with recent years. Patchy seed availability in the countryside appears to be forcing these birds out of woodland, while bird foods such as sunflower hearts and nyjer seed are drawing them into gardens.

 

The One Stop Nature Shop has a wide range of feeders and food to help the birds this winter and help you enjoy your garden birds - never seen a Siskin ? then now's the time to get a Nyjer feeder and see if they are visiting your garden.

Migrant fall on the coast

25 Septmebre 2012

The last few days have seen huge numbers of migrants passing along the Norfolk coast. Redstarts and Whinchats have accompanied some rarer birds such as Yellow-browed and Barred Warblers, a Booted Warbler at Burnham Overy Dunes and a fine male Red-breasted Flycatcher (pictured below) at     Warham Greens.

 And below one of many Redstarts to have moved through Norfolk in the last few days

We keep a Blackboard of recent Norfolk bird sightings outside the shop (information provided by Rare Bird Alert Pagers) and will be able to give everyone advice on where to go for the best Birdwatching on the Norfolk coast. Why not drop in and have a chat with us - don't forget the Deepdale Cafe when you need to warm up !

Look up !

Saturday 15 September
On the way to the shop yesterday afternoon ( I had the morning off ), I stopped off at Heacham and heard a trumpeting call overhead and was both surprised and delighted to be looking at two Cranes circling overhead. They called and circled for about five minutes before flying off north-east.

Dotterel find

Monday 10 September
One of our regular customers, Tom Bedford, sent in this fantastic photograph of a Dotterel, that he found and photographed on Holme beach.

Stick Insect or Moth ?

Last week saw The One Stop Nature Shop's blackboard, which normally gives details of local birds (thanks to rare Bird Alert Pagers) the temporary home to some Saltmarsh Plume Moths. These extraordinary little animals had been attracted by the outside lights and up to one hundred of them were resting all along the Deepdale Market shop walls.

Here are a couple of Saltmarsh Plume Moths on the top of our blackboard.

Birdfair

It now seems a long time ago, but just three week's ago The One Stop Nature Shop were at The Birdfair. Our stall was very busy during the three day event and more than 15,000 visitors passed through the Fair and it felt like most visited our microscope demonstrations !

The USB digital microscopes were the "new piece of kit" that many wished to see, and with up to 200x magnification, simple plug in to computer, they proved very popular.

Thanks to the many wildlife programmes we were also very successfuil with the Bushnell Trophy Cameras, used to record stills and video of animals in gardens at night.

If you missed The fair, pop in to see us at Burnham Deepdale on the Norfolk coast, and our thanks to everyone who came to see us at The Birdfair.

The weekend was a trap !

15 July 2012
The weather forecast was not good for the weekend, but it turned out to be somewhat pessimistic and while much of the rest of Britain suffered heaps of rain the North Norfolk Coast was spared. Given the rain free conditions The One Stop Nature Shop set up a Skinner Moth Trap in a small garden in Shouldham.

Here are a few of the moths that were caught, and released the following evening:

 This Buff Tip moth is camouflaged to look like a broken stick and it aligns itself along a branch to best effect. This is a common moth but an absolutely fantastic example of evolution and when you view the head front on, below, it looks amazing.

 The trap had lots of different species and identifying them was a challenge for a beginner, though some did live up to their name, below this is "The Spectacle" for obvious reasons. Quite a small moth and for a while I didn't see it head on, but with a magnifier the head pattern was revealed.

And then there were the Hawk Moths, three species, a beautiful Elephant Hawk Moth, above and a Lime Hawk Moth below.

 But most cryptic of all was the Poplar Hawk Moth, a big moth which mimic dead Poplar leaves. It has a red spot on the hind wing and when disturbed flashes this to startle any attacker. Unfortunately I was unable to get a picture as it closed it's wing too quickly.

It's quite incredible how many moths are around that we would never get to see unless using a trap like the Skinner Trap. Mains run and safe to the moths, which are released the following evening, just £149 can get you into this fascinating hobby. Available of course from The One Stop Nature Shop along with a wide range of moth books and charts.