Catfield Fen

Took a trip down to Catfield Fen today in the hope of seeing some Hairy Dragonflies and Variable Damselflies and I wasn't disappointed with good numbers of both present, with the former being particularly photogenic with this pair in tandem, and close-ups of female (middle) and male (bottom).

A few Four-spotted Chasers were also present.

As well as the Variables (pictured below), damselflies were in good numbers with Large Reds, Blue-tailed and Red-eyed also being seen.

On the butterfly front 3 separate sightings of Swallowtails were had, but none posed for a photo unlike the Brimstone below.

Spotted Flycatcher

A walk round Felbrigg today produced the first Spotted Flycatcher for the year with one singing away from the trees at the back of the lake, virtually a year to the day that one arrived there last year.

A Reed Warbler was singing away from the ditch that runs to the south of the lake, the first time I have recorded one there, two drake Mandarins flew over, and 1+Cuckoos were still calling from the trees. Also despite the cool and showery weather a few Broad-bodied Chasers were still patrolling the stream through the meadow to the north of the lake.

A very cute Fox cub!

A walk round Sidestrand produced a nice male Whinchat up by the reedbed although it was quickly chased off by the Reed Warbler that has obviously now set up territory there, and 3 Common Sandpipers were on the reservoir. Nearby up to 3 Wall butterflies were seen along the clifftop, which were nice to see on the patch.

However the undoubted highlight of the day was when I was out walking later and I quite by chance stumbled upon a Foxes den and even better a very cute cub was peering out of it and allowed me to get a few pics before disappearing back inside.

A few more migrants and the first Common Blues

A walk round East Runton produced another Whinchat, a female this time, and surprisingly the Sedge Warbler was still present happily singing away from its clump of brambles. Nearby two separate Reed Warblers were singing from similar dry scrubby areas on the outskirts of Cromer.

A walk along the cliff top towards Beeston Bump produced the surprise of a Broad-bodied Chaser and around the bump 2 further Whinchats and a Ring Ouzel were found.

A visit to Felbrigg revealed that there had been a mass emergence of Broad-bodied Chasers with at least 30 present, many of which were mature males so they had obviously been around for a few days. Also present were a few Four-spotted Chasers, the first of the year, and a Common Blue butterfly in the meadow to the south of the lake which finally allowed a close enough approach to get some photos.

Birdwise there were two Common Sandpipers on the lake edge, the Cuckoo was still calling from the woods and both Sedge and Reed Warblers were in the reedbed.

Eagle Owl

The offer of a lift along the coast today saw us start at Hunstanton to look for the Eagle Owl that was currently at large there, and apparently had been so for the last few weeks. Checking out where it had been seen last night drew a blank, but upon seeing us walking round the streets with bins and scope one of the local residents came out to tell us that it was currently sitting on a roof top a few streets away.

We made our way there and indeed it was exactly where he had said it was and we proceeded to watch it as it devoured one of the local feral pigeons that it had caught. Then after a little rest it flew across the road over our heads to another roof where it started to get a lot of attention from the local gulls before flying again and tucking itself up against a chimney. Regardless that it was obviously an escape, it was still an excellent bird to see, especially watching it feeding on the pigeon, with a series of shots of it doing so included below.

Although there was no reported sign of yesterdays Collared Fly at Holme, we still called in to have a look just in case and whilst there recorded Nightingale and Whimbrel for the year, plus on the butterfly front the first Wall of the year along with a Green Hairstreak. On the way back we stopped off near North Creake where a Quail was heard briefly singing from the cereal field.

First Swifts and Whinchat

Arriving back on the patch the first Swifts of the year were immediately evident with a few screaming across the sky above West Runton.

An evening walk round East Runton produced the hoped for Whinchat with one in the cattle field along with a few Wheatears, and nearby a Sedge Warbler was happily singing away from a patch of scrub and brambles.

Rain stops play

With overnight rain lasting well in to the morning, and more forecast later, a more relaxing day was spent today, although a bit of birding was had in the afternoon, with some nesting Tree Sparrows the highlight.

A very sucessful trip was had with all the target butterflies seen, and all told 22 species were recorded:

Dingy Skipper
Grizzled Skipper
Wood White
Brimstone
Large White
Small White
Green-veined White
Orange-Tip
Green Hairstreak
Small Copper
Small Blue
Brown Argus
Common Blue
Holly Blue
Duke of Burgundy
Red Admiral
Small Tortoiseshell
Peacock
Comma
Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Speckled Wood
Small Heath

More Butterflying

First site of the day was Haugh Woods with Pearl-bordered Fritillary the target species, and after finding their favourite haunt in the forest we were duely rewarded despite only the very occasional sunny spell which undoubtedly accounted for numbers being significantly down on those previously reported, but I was more than happy with my second new species of the trip.

A few Wood Whites were also noted during the walk through the wood with the cloudy weather making them less active and allowing a close approach.

Next stop was Prestbury Hill with Duke of Burgundy being the star attraction of the site, and once down the leeward side of the hill good numbers were located.

A short walk to another part of the reserve quickly produced the other new species hoped for at the site, Small Blue, with up to half a dozen seen. However due to the wind they were very mobile and elusive, and the lack of flowers in the area meant they were keeping low down amongst the grass making them extremely difficult to photograph especially given their small size. I therefore had to settle for the photo below as my best effort, but it was still very nice just to see them.

With the three target species safely in the bag, a late afternoon visit was then made to the River Severn to check for Dragonflies, and although the hoped for Common Clubtail wasn't seen in the time available, I did find this spendid Scarce Chaser which was the first time I've seen one of this age, along with a Beautiful Demoiselle which were ample compensation.

A few days Butterflying

With my recently acquired interest in Butterflies growing, the next few days were to be spent seeing some new species and also improving on previous poor photographic efforts.

First stop was Twywell Hills and Dales with Dingy and Grizzled Skippers the target species as I had only briefly seen one of the former, and had only previously managed a few poor pics of the latter during a couple of visits to Foulden last year.

With cloudy and windy conditions and even a brief shower, things weren't initially looking promising but having found a nice sheltered gulley, eventually the sun came out and so did the Dingy Skippers with good numbers being present and allowing great photo opportunities.

After one brief Grizzled, eventually another was located amongst all the Dingies, and which posed nicely for photos too.

A number of other species were seen including Green Hairstreaks with the one photo'd below having damaged wings and was found crawling around in the grass. A good number of other observers throughout the country have been reporting other species, notably some of the Blues, with deformed wings, and it is believed that the very dry conditions we are experiencing at the moment is having an effect during their emergence.

A few Small Heaths, Common Blues and this Brown Argus were amongst the other species seen.

This Hairy Dragonfly was also found resting on vegetation, and as I'd never seen one perched before or got a photo of one, it was a very welcome bonus. A quick check after at the pond on site revealed a few more Hairies patrolling the pool along with a male Broad-bodied Chaser.

The other port of call today was Sywell Wood for my first new species, Wood White, with a couple quickly located along the main the path and a further half dozen or so present along a sheltered sunny ride off to the left.

They were a very distinctive White, with their small size and feeble flight, and characteristically always keeping their wings closed when landing. Although they always seemed to be on the move, with a lot of patient stalking one finally gave itself up for a decent photo.

Early May

The first few days of the month have seen a few more summer migrants around the patch with the first few Common and Little Terns passing by, and a number of Lesser Whitethroats now back on territory. Also a few Bar-tailed Godwits have also been noted passing through with these being part of the large numbers that are currently passing through the country at the moment.

A walk down to the lake at Felbrigg today produced the first Common Sandpiper of the year, a Marsh Harrier over heading south, and a couple of Reed Warblers were singing in the reedbed along with the Sedge Warbler.

A few more Common Blue Damselflies have emerged, one pictured below having lunch, and on the butterfly front the first few Green-veined Whites of the spring were noted too.