Home and Away

 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 Gulls either asleep or standing on the islands. A Crane rose from the far marsh, disappearing over the woods. Pam heard a Bittern boom, I'm not hearing certain levels of noise at all well at the moment. The old dichotomy posed by a birding friend before I'd started to lose my hearing. If you are with someone who hears a bird - and so would you if you were not handicapped - do you count it? The answer for me, however tempting otherwise, is no.

I was getting cold, and an ominous grey cloud was fast approaching, we packed up and drove as far as the lodge, so that we could find some sallow for our Puss moth caterpillar, Kwrkyn (welsh for tomcat).

Kwrkyn at 3 weeks old

 


 Moth-ing is still slow but we continue to add species. Very slowly.


Marbled White-spot, the size of a Micro but it's a Macro.

Dark Spectacle

 



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