Keep Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'!

Saw an awesome bird today! Having been unable to connect with the Roller at Edgefield on Sunday due to family commitments, my personal day out from school could not have been better placed. I arrived at the clearing near Holt Lowes this morning and the Roller was on show, atop a tall tree stump. The bird continued to show albeit distantly, and was observed in flight and feeding. I left when the bird seemed settled on the ground. I remember as a child leafing through my Reader's Digest Birds of Britain, and thinking "What on earth is that doing in here?"whilst looking at the Roller image. Now, I have seen one for myself. Many thanks to the finder. Also at Edgefield, 2 Crossbill (!m) and a singing Woodlark.

Working backwards, I opted for a quiet potter around Wheatfen on Sunday, and arrived to find their busiest day of the year in full flow, Swallowtail Day. I tagged on the end of a guided walk and got to see 3 or 4 Swallowtail Butterflies, my first this year. Someone had also spotted a freshly emerged Elephant Hawkmoth, a cracker as always. The reserve was buzzing, Gropper reeling and 2 Cuckoo calling whilst at the Swallowtail site. I had a quick chat to the warden David Nobbs before leaving, lovely chap, he told me that Red Kites are being seen every week and a Spotted Flycatcher has been in the cottage garden. Wheatfen is such a special place, I look forward to whiling away a few Summer's days here again this year.

Last week, Thursday night, I joined Norwich Bat Group for the annual UEA Bat Hunt. The weather was a little breezy, but not too cold and thankfully for the first time this year, the Bats delivered. A full set of results can be viewed here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/147767281/Norwich-Bat-Group-Walk-UEA-Broad-13th-June-2013. Thanks to Stuart for taking the time to analyse the recordings.

A quick plug for the Norfolk Bat Survey: If you haven't already done so, it is not too late to sign up and help ascertain just what species are in 'your' 1km square. Details here: http://www.batsurvey.org/.

Digging further back into the archives, on Monday the 10th Debs and I shared in a proper wildlife experience at Church Marsh when 2 Fox cubs emerged from an earth. The light was fading and despite revisiting we have not yet encountered the cubs again. Still, magical stuff.

To finish, a few recent highlights that we did manage to photograph!

Surlingham Fox Cubs

Surlingham evening sky

Common Spotted Orchid

Elephant Hawkmoth

Swallowtail Butterfly

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Grey Phalarope- a new patch bird

The 7th of April was another bitterly cold Spring day, hats and gloves in prime position on pegs and in bags ready to be deployed. A few brave Garganey have been reported north of the river, but it was a bird from the north itself that had me rushing for the thermals and the telescope late in the day. I was thankful for the local Whatsapp group who were quick to report that a Grey Phalarope had been seen on Rockland Broad. This tiny Wader would have come in on the northerlies over the last few days, although to grace one of the broads is a real surprise, since most stick pretty close to the coast before moving on. Indeed, my experience of the birds has usually been on a sea watch in the Autumn, waves crashing and foam flying, my eyes straining to pick them out as they fly low just above the surf. They are fantastic birds, and now one was here on the patch. I had a brief panic when I realised my scope was in my car at the garage (thankfully I do have a much older spare) but once the ho

A change is as good as a rest

Casting my mind back to February 14th, survival rather than love was in the air for the birds of the Yare Valley. Tramping across the Surlingham corner of the patch, I recorded 8 Woodcock within 2 hours. These Cryptic Waders had been forced out of hiding, and even amongst the woodland floor they were easier than usual to spot against a backdrop of snow. The small pine wood opposite the church and adjacent to the parking area held at least 2 birds, creeping around and huddled up low to the ground. A further investigation of likely habitat around Church Marsh and I was presented with 6 more, a record count for me in a single day. I hope they made it through the trial sent from the north in the form of ice and snow. A Great Egret exploring a dyke at Postwick must've been thinking twice about the whole range expansion thing. However, a small Squadron of Bewick's Swan and a single Goosander over Claxton fitted the mise en scene nicely during this period. That image and that day fee

Claxton-on-sea!

Although it was not quite the Christmas we wanted here in the valley, the rain has bought its own gift. A grim vision of the future, perhaps. But right now, the patch is peaking and is alive with birds, and for that I am thankful. On Christmas eve, it was a job to navigate away from the village due to standing water that had left abandoned cars and undelivered presents in its wake. The rain had been persistent and unforgiving, the ground, saturated. Over on the marsh, where there had once been a muddy puddle amongst the pasture, a city had sprung from the leak, with a plethora of new occupants noisily laying claim to a patch of sodden marsh. Wigeon and Black-headed Gulls in their thousands now wheeled and whistled over and amongst the newly formed pools, accompanied by smaller numbers of Teal and Shoveler. A flock of two hundred-strong Lapwing enjoyed feeding on the less damp spots where green grass was still exposed, and thrown in for good measure have been a couple of Ruff, the firs

Notes from the valley

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