Species of the week: yellow flag

It's that time of year when our reedbeds suddenly acquire colours other than green or golden-brown as a host of wetland plants burst into bloom, their vivid colours designed to attract pollinating insects. One of the brightest, showiest of these flowers is the yellow flag, which is this week's species to look for from our ongoing "70 species to spot at Minsmere" challenge.

Yellow flag, or yellow iris, is a distinctive plant, with long bright green leaves emerging from the margins of reedbed pools and damp meadows throughout the spring. By late May, these leaves are topped with the large yellow flowers, looking like flags marking out the wetlands. As is typical of a large iris, there are three large yellow petals that droop downwards, forming a large area to attract insects to the pollen-bearing stamens in the centre.

The yellow flags are blooming in many parts of the reserve, with the North Hide, North Wall and Island Mere areas being particularly good places to see these vibrant flowers. They're not the only attractive wetland flowers in bloom either, as the first southern marsh orchids are now flowering, with tall purple spikes appearing along the edges of the paths, and delicate pink ragged-robin can be seen in the fen areas of the reserve.

Ragged-robin in flower

Of course, whilst looking across the reedbeds and admiring these flowers, there's also a good chance to see and hear our smaller reedbed birds, such as bearded tits, reed buntings, or reed and sedge warblers, while sand martins zip about in pursuit of tiny insects. An increasing number and variety of dragonflies and damselflies are also hunting smaller insects, with lots of Norfolk hawkers now on the wing, joined by the first black-tailed skimmers and both broad-bodied and four-spotted chasers. Around the sluice it's also worth looking for one of my favourite insects, the jewel-like banded demoiselle.

Male banded demoiselle by Pete Etheridge

Above the reeds, marsh harriers can be seen quartering as they hunt small mammals to feed to hungry chicks. Bitterns, too, are feeding chicks, and the regular foraging flights of the females makes late May and June a good time of year to see these often elusive birds.

There was even more exciting news from the reedbed yesterday when a purple heron was spotted flying in to land between Bittern Hide and the sluice. It was only seen in flight a couple of times yesterday, and has been reported again this morning, but as usual it is likely to give birdwatchers the runaround as it remains hidden from view for most of the time. Purple herons are scarce summer visitors to the UK, but are expected to colonise these shores soon, following the recent arrival of great white and cattle egrets as breeding birds in the UK.

Equally exciting, and almost as elusive, there were also three common cranes present yesterday. At one point they could be seen feeding on the South Levels, and they made a couple of brief circular flights, before they departed to the north mid afternoon - even having the courtesy to fly over the office!

Other sightings around the reedbed this week have included the long-staying Savi's warbler that sang and put in a brief appearance at Island Mere this morning, a slightly unseasonal kingfisher at Bittern Hide yesterday, and regular sightings of water rail, little grebe and otter.

Little grebe by Jon Evans

Not to be outdone, there are, of course, lots of birds to see on the Scrape too. There are black-headed gull chicks everywhere, and lots of nesting pairs of Mediterranean gulls, common terns and avocets. Oystercatchers have chicks on West Scrape, and broods of greylag, Canada and barnacle geese, shelduck, mallard and moorhen are widespread. Migrant waders seen this week have included spotted redshank, ruff, grey and ringed plovers, black-tailed godwits, knot, dunlin and turnstone. At least a couple of little gulls and little terns are usually present on South Scrape too.

Black-tailed godwit by Jon Evans

Finally, there are many singing blackcaps, chiffchaffs and garden warblers in the woods, as well as treecreepers, green and great spotted woodpeckers and marsh tits. The woods are also good places to look for dragonflies, especially if it's a bit breezy, and for butterflies. The bluebells have, however, just about finished flowering for another year.