Anne's Journal

 Saturday June 29 The Norfolk branch of the Butterfly Association holds an open day moth session annually at Catfield Fen. Catfield Fen reserve is part of the Ant Broads and Marshes National Nature Reserve (NNR), which covers much of the floodplain of the middle Ant Valley. The NNR is one of the best and largest remaining areas of fen habitat in Western Europe. The area is a stronghold for the Swallowtail butterfly. The Fen has been cut for reed and sedge for thatching for many years.  BC Norfolk Branch (BCNB) purchased the reserve in 1992 and has managed it ever since.The Reserve manager is Mick A'Court who lives at the far end of our village. He both set out the seven traps, collected them in and opened the traps during the morning.  This had involved him sleeping in his car on site. He was very disappointed with the catch, his worst of the last week when the weather warmed up. I don't think that the micro species got into double figures. The macros caught did inc...

 Wednesday June 26 We've had a couple of birding sessions during the last week, with little success. An hour looking over Brendan's Marsh at Hickling produced a poor view of a moulting drake Garganey, asleep on an island.  On Sunday, we spent a very enjoyable couple of hours at Buckenham Marshes. Just sitting, looking up a wide dyke and across at the main hide pool, hoping for a view of one of the two Caspian Terns in the area. The other is keeping to the historic Breydon/Hickling/ Potter feeding places. We didn't see the tern but enjoyed the warm sunshine and searching for it. The moth excitement started last Thursday with a Marbled Coronet , trapped by Giles and brought to Cley for the group by Greg. Thank you Giles.   Saturday, we were at Cley again. This time for a Red-belted Clearwing trapped in their garden and attracted to a lure by Sue and Ian. Brilliant, I love this species. Not my photo.     Titchwell have regular moth-ing sessions on Wednesday mornin...

 Monday June 18 Neither of us were feeling good this morning, it was well after lunch before we went out. Hickling is our nearest reserve and, although we cannot do true justice to its extensive walks and habitat, the drive to Whiteslea Lodge via Brendan's Marsh is often worthwhile. Permission to drive obtained, plus a Ronaldo's icecream ( the shop shuts at 4), we drove to the pull-in opposite the short uphill walk to view Brendan's Marsh. By now the morning's sun had disappeared, the sky completely clouding over, putting paid to the hoped for dragonflies and Swallowtail butterflies. A Chiffchaff was singing in the car park and we saw one dragonfly in the woodland area of the drive but it didn't stop. The marsh still has plenty of water, the vegetation taller and lusher than ever. I probably did see a Garganey swim swiftly cross an opening betwen the islands - but I'm not counting it. Dozens of Mallard, Canada and Greylag Geese, Teal, Shelduck and Black-headed G...

 Saturday June 15 We'd intended going to Mannington Hall  Open day this morning, where one of our moth group is opening moth traps on behalf of the Butterfly and Moths Association. The forecast rain duly arrived, which made me feel a little better about aborting our visit. If the stalls were on the sloping field used for the Norfolk Bird Fair about ten years ago, my Rollator would have found it very heavy going, if not impossible. During our time on North Uist, a Puss moth laid a single egg in a pot. This meant that we could definitely ascribe the egg to a species, and therefore its food source. It waited until we were home to hatch out - into a tiny 2cms long from nose to forked tail , caterpillar. 2 Days old 1 week old, second Instar plus shed tail The Outer Isles are a stronghold for Puss Moth. The only bird with a strong enough beak to break open the chrysalis is a Great Spotted Woodpecker which is not present on the Isles. The favoured food plant is Sallow, very prevalent...

Wednesday June 12 We always make at least one visit to the Brecks every Spring. It's now Summer. Today was the day. Until we got up to steady rain. Opening the moth traps didn't take long, catches are very poor during these unseasonally cold nights. A record low, three moths of three species - in two traps. Common White Wave and Cinnabar new for the year. The rain eased, we drove to Selbrigg near Holt, evidence of recent heavy showers in the large puddles on the roads - but not everywhere. No-one seems to be feeding the birds regularly any more, Pam scattered some seed and it wasn't long before Robins, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Coal and Blue Tits turned up. Mallard left the pond to investigate the food and soon left in disgust.  The sun was shining intermittently when we reached Sculthorpe Mill, parking so that we could see the the gardens of the two nearby houses. Within a couple of minutes, Pam had the first glimpse, and shortly so did I, of two Spotted Flycatchers . Not togeth...

 Sunday June 9 It started with a planned visit to Cley Centre. Andrew Kershaw trapped a Larch Pug in his garden on Friday night. None of our group had seen one before, so he kindly brought it to Cley this morning for 10.30.   Having duly admired this large pug with its unique white thoracic crest, we left for some birding. Glandford Lane first, where Cetti's Warbler, Chiffchaffs and Common Whitethroat were singing during a fairly gloomy spell. I managed a photo of the Whitethroat only fit for the folder. I pointed at where I thought the bird was and got lucky. On to the ford where Pam spotted an insect on top of the foaming white cow parsley head. It turned out to be a Bumblebee Plumehorn , not a Bumblebee at all, but a Hoverfly mimic.     The bumblebee mimic hoverfly, sometimes known as the bumblebee plumehorn, is a common sight across the UK in late spring and summer. As its name suggests, it does an impressive job of mimicking a bumblebee, complete with a furry...

 Sunday June 2 Our first day out birding since returning from Scotland. It should have been last Friday but the strength of the wind and the frequent showers put a  stop to that.  Harpley Cottages have always had a good colony of House Martins and at least one pair of Swallows. This year too. A Swallow was perched on the wires and a good number of Martins whizzing about the chimney tops and eaves, impossible to count. It's worrying how few Hirundine we see around the County. Not a hirundine but often associated, Pam saw one Swift high above the village of West Rudham but nowhere else. We didn't stop anywhere until  we reached Sculthorpe Mill, where we knew that the Spotted Flycatchers had returned but, were apparently nesting in someone's garden. Our best bet was to linger in he car park and hope for a glimpse. No luck today but a handy few June additions to the list. We regularly see Song Thrush here, another sadly depleted in numbers bird. More in hope than expecta...