Notes from the valley

Almost forgot- gave the Bat detector a run out at Strumpshaw Fen on Thursday night. Recorded (I think) 5 species of Bat. The 2 Pipistrelles were common throughout the reserve, Brown Long-eared was recorded near the meadow trail (classic woodland edge habo) and Daubenten's were seen over the pool from reception hide. The frequencies were not as strong here, but the behaviour and habitat moreorless confirms this species as present. For those counting, the 5th species goes down as a possible Serotine, hunting near the pines at reception. Lots to learn here, but Bats are a genuine passion I am finally getting the chance to indulge in. Today, I went to Cantley Beet Factory. First visit of many this Summer. Always a lot to see here, so a list will have to suffice: Dunlin 1 Ruff 5 Redshank 1 Green Sandpiper 3 Common Sandpiper 2 Avocet 3 Yellow Wagtail 1- surely a local breeder? Bearded Tit 2 Lapwing- many! I checked the back pools too, only one Green Sand here but plenty of (...

Birding the fringe- my personal challenge for this Summer. However, there is a reason no-one birds woodland on a cloudy day in July. Directions- Ashwellthorpe is just south of Wymondham. We parked in the village on the Wymondham road just before the White Horse pub (shut during our visit); a public footpath from here leads to the wood. As we approached the site, the sun was blazing and so we latched onto a few Butterflies. All 3 (possible) species of Skipper were the best bit. Bird-wise, Green Woodpecker (2, maybe 3) Nuthatch, Coal Tit and Whitethroat. On arrival at the entrance, you are greeted by the following sign: A wood recorded in the Doomsday book (nice little History nugget there) and is full of Hornbeam: Hawfinch anyone? The walk through the wood lasts around 30 minutes, and whilst this would no doubt be a cracking dawn chorus venue or a decent winter visit, today was pretty dead. I don't blame the wood, just our timing. Nice to see some ancient woodland being preser...

Spent the last couple of days exploring sites old and new, the focus being Butterflies but at Strumpshaw yesterday I managed to get myself involved in adding a few birds to the BioBlitz list for the week! Ben had emailed me to let me know the Moth trap would be emptied for the public in the morning, so along with a small group I watched in eager anticipation. Many new Moths for me, including Eyed Hawkmoth, Early Thorn, Rosy Footman, Fen Wainscott, Rufous Minor and a Double Kidney; this one had the enthusiasts excited. After the 2 traps were emptied, I stuck around to join in a bird race for an hour. Two fly-by species from earlier (Siskin and Green Sandpiper) could not go on our list, but we did happen across a family of Spotted Flycatcher! New for the week, not seen since Spring. We also managed Hobby, Common Tern, Stock Dove and a juvenile Water Rail. 51 species in total, thanks in no small part to 3 young budding ornithologists who were on the team. As luck would have it, ...

The day began splendidly, whilst enjoying lunch at the King's Head in Letheringsett a family of Kestrels busied themselves behind us. Our real reason for heading in this direction was of course the Butterfly fest ongoing at Holt Country Park. Arriving at the pond, one chap picked out a White Admiral- our first target of the day. We were lucky enough to see more of these as the day progressed, and I would imagine they go under-recorded in many of our woods in Norfolk. The pond itself was brimming with life, Broad-bodied Chasers manning their perches and chasing off the likes of Common Darter and Four-spotted Chaser. We also saw Banded Demoiselle, Large Red, Emerald, Azure, Common Blue and Hairy Dragonfly. An incredible range, especially for someone relatively new to Dragonflies. Heading out onto the Lowes, it was difficult to avoid the heat but our efforts were rewarded with some male Keeled Skimmers- our second target of the day. I was surprised at how small they actually ar...

Super weekend in Hertfordshire at a friend's wedding, which began with 3 Red Kites cavorting overhead as we enjoyed champagne and canopes on the lawn, and ended with crippling views of a near-mythical Butterfly species. I had read somewhere (probably Birdforum) that there was a site in Northamptonshire were Purple Emperors were clinging on, but upon looking this up it turns out the wood in question was not really on the way home. However, my search turned up another site that was certainly within reach and so at 11am this morning I arrived at Broxbourne Woods to blow the cobwebs away after a night of dancing, eating and drinking with great company.  There were certainly Butterflies on the wing, in numbers not seen so far this year. Small Copper, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Red Admiral and Ringlet were all nice to see. A possible Silver-washed Frit powered through, lost to view. Despite the heat, there were some birds for company too. Crossbills called overhead, Nuthatch, Coal Tit...

Not the easiest place to find this, and not even a reserve welcome board to greet me! Still, it seemed only right that my first Big Butterfly Count should be at a reserve funded by the Butterfly Conservation Trust. Although breezy, the sun did break through from time to time. My 15 minute count included a Swallowtail and 3 Ringlet. Great to see a Swallowtail this year, but had hoped for a little more variety. Further round the reserve trail which led to nowhere, I managed another Swallowtail, 2 Red Admiral and 5 Small Tort. My first Brown Hawkers of the year were on the wing, as was a Norfolk Hawker. Black-Tailed Skimmers aplenty, and singles of Blue-tailed and Azure Damselfly. Being so out of the way, I would imagine so super stuff gets missed here in this sprawling and remote area of fen. 3 Marsh Harriers played together in the sky, a female Sparrowhawk patrolled the reed bed and a single Lapwing was on a muddy scrape which looked newly 'scraped'. With only a week until my...

Some great birds around on the patch, Sunday evening. Good to have a second pair of eyes, and it was those belonging to Ricky that picked up the Kingfisher chicks (2, maybe 3) who were awkwardly perched atop the roof of the small pumping station across river. Both adults were in the area, presumably attending to these  newly fledged young. Fantastic stuff. Whilst watching the family, a Common Tern breezed upriver, in doing so smashing my record for number of Terns in a year (one, to two!). Further breeding species included a Chifchaff with brood, Gadwall and Magpie. I did not hold out much hope on a walk to the Little Owl tree, which I had assumed was still being used by Egyptian Geese. Wrong. That folks is an action shot of one of two Little Owls seeing off a marauding Magpie family! A closer approach and we were met with some hissing from one adult, we retreated hopeful that there are indeed young inside the gnarled tree. Brilliant! I wonder where the Owls have been all year?...

An excellent visit to the patch on Friday night. 3 Green Sandpiper flew over the lagoon calling, one belted off towards Wheatfen and the other 2 settled out of sight, so I was unable to age any individuals but these are my first returning birds of the year and a welcome sight on the patch once again. Another welcome return of sorts was a singing Grasshopper Warbler at the foot of the ruins. This bird has probably been present since May (when I last saw/heard it) but perhaps now is looking to breed again, after the wet weather put pay to an initial attempt? Who knows. There are two male Marsh Harriers around now, one is a washed out individual and a little smaller than the smarter, older bird. The former was seen disturbing a nest, possibly of a Great-crested Grebe, bursting out of a small reed bed on the other side of the river. Thankfully for the Grebes, no chick in talons. Still struggling for Butterflies, but a Comma was seen twice this week and a new for the year here was a Ringl...

Courtesy of Debs!

...but not much to report! First off, some breeding records at Surlingham Church Marsh. A female Tufted Duck appeared on the lagoon last weekend, accompanied by 7 Ducklings. Not sure where she has come from, but more than welcome! Also here was a Chinese Water Deer with Fawn at the water's edge, I have never seen a youngster before so a bit of a treat. Further round amongst the scrub, a calling Marsh Tit was a nice suprise, and even better were 1/2 fledged young. I had assumed this would be a bird I encountered only during Winter, so to record breeding has given me hope of more regular sightings. A new bird for the year list (finally) was a Common Tern hunting over the Yare on the 24th of June. Whilst I watched him fish, I scanned the lily pads and sure enough, just as 'the' book suggests, there were some Red-eyed Damselflies zipping around before resting. A couple of even visits involved some midge/mossie bites to savour, reeling Groppers at Strumpshaw and a good few 55...