While Europe was on fire and the rest of the world experienced high temperatures on record, here in Norfolk, It has been pleasantly cooler with plenty of rain and a few thunderstorms. A complete contrast to last month. However, there were some nicer days between the showers and we did manage to get plenty of exciting species turn up at Strumpshaw throughout July (even if it is getting noticeably quiet on the wildlife front recently). Some of which made me feel very jealous indeed. So let's look back at this July's highlights.
The crowds gathered during the first half of July as news of long-eared owls at Strumpshaw was announced on social media. At least one owl was showing itself by the reception area during early mornings and dusk. We believe this is one of two youngsters and was still in a phase of braveness as it explored the world around it for the first time. Normally, these owls are extremely secretive and difficult to find, but this one (with one of its head tufts missing) was seen sitting out in the open on the reserve's signs and benches. It has since disappeared by the third weekend of July (15th-16th).
Long eared owl (Photo credit Drew Lyness)
On July 10th, a Caspian tern was spotted at Buckenham. At least two had been seen over at Potter Heigham this month, so it could have come from there. This is a large tern, the size of a gull, but with a giant carrot for a bill. The last time one was seen around the Mid Yare was in 2012 when one was flying back and forth between Strumpshaw and Buckenham.
At least two glossy ibises have been seen at Cantley and Buckenham. The ibises even visited Strumpshaw on July 15th and was seen from the Fen and Tower hides. A couple of spoonbills were also seen from Buckenham and Cantley throughout July as well as a wood sandpiper feeding on the marshes and the cranes have been reported on occasion, minus the chick.
On the 4th of July, an osprey made a very early morning visit (around 5 AM) to hunt over Strumpshaw. There's also been a few garganey sightings on the reserve here and there.
Bittern and otter sightings continue to be reported most days, while kingfisher sightings are still on occasion and were mostly from the Tower Hide and over the river. Bearded tit activity are on the rise, though still very secretive and can be seen from reception and Fen Hide. Marsh harrier chicks have fledged and can be seen around the reserve begging for food. The grasshopper warbler is still reeling from his favourite spot along the Sandy Wall, though not as often as last month.
In butterfly news, swallowtail season is pretty much over now. We have had no new sightings reported, though a second wave is always a possibility. Their caterpillars, on the other hand, are out on the milk parsley right now. The boardwalk along the Lackford Run is the best place to look. If you want to see something equally as beautiful as a swallowtail, then go check out our silver-washed fritillaries and white admirals, which are showing well in the woods. Wait by bramble flowers or buddleia and these butterflies may show themselves.
Silver washed fritillary
The usual suspects of dragonflies and damselflies continue to impress. However, a lesser emperor is the one to look out for. A handful of sightings at Strumpshaw so far, but keep your eyes peeled. You may confuse them with emperor dragonflies, which are big, bulky and bright blue (for the male) or green (for the female). Lesser emperors, meanwhile, are slightly smaller with greener eyes and a brownish thorax. They were first recorded in the UK in 1996 and they still visit this country in small numbers.
We've had a couple of successful moth trap sessions over the penultimate weekend (July 22nd-23rd) with plenty of species to excite young potential lepidopterists. Meanwhile, on the buddleia bushes (especially by Tower Hide), a hummingbird hawkmoth had been seen during sunny spells.
One evening, I made a late night visit to Strumpshaw to look for glow-worms. I succeeded, but were well hidden within the vegetation. Though it took a bit of searching along the Sandy Wall, I managed to locate at least two females, which make it easy to spot with their green glowing abdomens. They are flightless and use their light to attract males which are smaller and can fly. Apparently some of these males were caught in our moth traps.
Gloworm
As we move into August and the schools are out for the summer, we will have plenty to keep the little ones occupied. On the wildlife side, we hope to see passing ospreys as they begin their migration back to Africa, maybe the odd swallowtail from the second wave (though after July being so wet, it might be unlikely) or even the odd rare migrant making a surprising visit. Keep your eyes peeled!
For all our upcoming events keep an eye on this page https://events.rspb.org.uk/strumpshawfen