Anne's Journal

 Sunday August 2  Concerned about the effect of the long drought on my small potted alpines, with Pam's help, I planted up the two sinks I prepared last week.  Previously emptied of spent soil and plants, I patched the top edges of both sinks where the hypertufa had been knocked off. It's over 30 years since I first covered them, the first ones I ever did.They've lasted well.     Garrulous Gary, number two gardener, was fascinated. He hadn't realised that there was a Butler sink underneath it all. This is where we are at. Not completed with a top dressing of alpine grit, as I still have some bulbs and a few more plants to add. The new stuff will weather to a better colour match - I hope. The original had peat in the mixture, I used potting compost this time.      

  Monday July 27 It was overcast for much of the day, which suited me fine. Less hot, and less glare. A 'might as well' decision to turn off for Valley Farm, didn't add any birds, but it did give us our first meeting this year with our gamekeeper friend Barry. He and his wife were looking at the pile of parcels in the barn. A new neighbour has got work as a deliverer. He was tickled by the fact that it included a bundle of hay for a rabbit.  He likes a chat.  The old lady at the farmhouse has died and the three tenants of the farm cottages have been given 6 months to leave. Barry fell down the stairs at the end of 2025, breaking ribs and fracturing three vertebra. The doctors told him that he was lucky to be able to walk again. Indeed he is. Still working, up at dawn to deal with the irrigation system. We got away. We haven't seen him for at least a year. Since the Tree Sparrows left, we rarely visit the area. These Egyptian Geese sum up Snettisham.   Apart from Grey...

 July 18 We haven't seen our regular visiting Sparrowhawk for several weeks, that was a young female. Yesterday, a male visited, sitting on top of a feeder post. Pam used my bridge camera to take this photo through the kitchen window.    Although moth-ing at home has been disappointing in both number and species, we do occasionally turn up some goodies. Yesterday we had a Marbled Clover which was new for our garden.   Norfolk status Locally common. A Nationally Scarce species. Resident in Norfolk, mainly in the Brecks and along the north Norfolk coast. It was considered scarce in the county until around 2001, after which records increased noticeably. It continues to be well recorded, though numbers vary considerably from year to year, with totals ranging from around 10 to almost 400 in the best seasons. Occasional records may also represent immigrants.   Norfolk Moths And  a second Fen Dagger. 

 Saturday July 18 My alpine sinks have been neglected over the last few years. They should be re-planted or replenished every  two or three years. The first two sinks I covered in hypertufa have lost much of their top edging - vulnerable to wheelbarrow wheels etc.  I started with the three sinks I made last of all. They just needed emptying and re-planting.   It's very tempting to over fill with plants, these will soon grow to fill the space - or leave room for some bulbs later. The next job will be to make some hypertufa, a mixture of cement, sand and coir dolloped onto a surface covered with PVC glue. Sometime soon.    

 Wednesday July 8 Having a car with efficient aircon made a day out feasible.  With the sun roof and windows closed, and the temperature set to 20C, we were comfortable. With a single stop at Sculthorpe Mill in the vain hope that a Spotted Flycatcher had turned up, and another to check on the non-appearance of the Abbey Farm Little Owl, we arrived at Snettisham an hour before a not very high tide. It was good to see some water within sight, several groups of white birds scattered along the incoming shoreline. Closer inspection through my scope found many terns amongst the mainly Black-headed Gulls. Most of the terns were Common, but there were a few punk-headed Sandwich Terns to give us a year tick. Best were two summer plumaged Spotted Redshank. There were probably more, a group of waders flew just as I got to them. Two Redshank were the only other waders apart from the ubiquitous Oystercatchers.   Mediterranean Gulls are becoming more frequent here too, their jet b...

 Wednesday July 1 Our usual north coast run - with even fewer than usual birds. The first highlight was Selbrigg pond.  The surface was alive with shimmering, darting, very active odonata. As usual too, they were concentrated on the back half of the water. I find this species in flight difficult  enough  to identify. Distance makes it impossible.I still enjoy the spectacle.  The bracken beside the Selbrigg forest gate was also very active. Very small dark butterflies were zooming about, seldom landing. Probably Ringlets. Why bracken? We saw many Large White butterflies on our journey west, the number diminishing as we drove. There had been reports of hundreds coming in off the sea in the Cley area in the last few days. Only two caged off nests on the beach at Snettisham this year. One of them was occupied by a Ringed Plover, still very well camouflaged.   More Shelduck families on the pits. Baby ducks are quite delightful in the fluffy feather stage, most o...