Notes from the valley

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...

Every time I come here, I tell myself I must come more often! Despite the breezy conditions, plenty of Odonata were on the wing. Lots of Black-tailed Skimmers were basking on the boardwalk. A couple of Hairy patrolled their territory, but best of all were a handful of Norfolk Hawker. These Dragonfly rarely land, but hover briefly, allowing for good views and a terrible in-flight shot posted below! I watched one individual for a while, a proper 'Norfolk' wildlife experience. Damsels were less obvious in the wind, but I did manage to track down Common Blue, Azure and Variable amongst the sheltered vegetation. Butterflies were harder to come by, although I did manage my first Meadow Brown of the year. Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood and Red Admiral were the other species I saw; one chap showed me his picture of a Ringlet, and another walker reported a single Swallowtail. 2 Marsh Harrier were hunting over the reedbed, although surprisingly I could not find the Hobby. Both R...