Good morning, although I said that yesterday’s blog post would be my last recent sightings blog before I went on holiday, but I have a first record for the reserve to report, which is very exciting indeed!
I was checking the RSPB Suffolk Facebook page this morning and noticed that regular visitor Bob Greef, who is also a volunteer at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen had posted a picture of a male willow emerald damselfly that his partner Rachel had taken at the north east corner of East Wood, the first poplar wood on Saturday:
Image credit: Rachel Greef
Thank you very much to Bob and Rachel for sharing this great picture with us.
The key identification features were confirmed by my colleague Ian Barthorpe at RSPB Minsmere and Adrian Parr from the Suffolk Naturalists Society confirmed that it was a first record for both the reserve and the surrounding area. How exciting!
This species was first discovered as a larval exuvia in 1992 in the North Kent Marshes. The first record of an adult damselfly in this country didn’t come until 2003. This species is now spreading slowly across southern Britain.
Hopefully there will be more sightings of this rare species on the reserve so watch this space.
In other news, I had the good fortune of finding an osprey circling over the Washland viewpoint yesterday afternoon just before we closed. Although it disappeared shortly after, it was still present this morning. It was perched up at the eastern edge of the Brandon Fen family trail before circling over Wilton Bridge, immediately north of the reserve. Hopefully it will stick around for a while!
There were also two juvenile hobbys hunting over Brandon Fen and a late sedge warbler was skulking in the reedbeds near the Washland viewpoint.
We hope to see you soon!