This week started off overcast and drizzly and ended up hot and windy, so once again we have seen a range in weathers bringing a range of sightings.
Now is the traditional quiet time for birds at the fen. The birds have had a very busy time for the past 3 months singing, feeding young and in some species case having three broods, so they can be forgiven for being quiet and not particularly energetic in the mid summer heat. The duck species do this in a special way by going into eclipse plumage and all looking like females, this means they can loaf on the banks without standing out to predators, it makes identificaltion a challenge for us too! Although the bird song and activity has decreased, it certainly has not stopped all together; the avian highlights this week include a red kite over on Thursday, regular kingfisher sightings and Hobbys catching dragonflies from all hides. Bitterns are still being seen from the hides and I’m pleased to report that our active bittern nest has been successful and the female has ceased her regular feeding flights. Marsh harriers are still very much in evidence at the fen with juveniles perching upon bushes not far from their nests waiting patiently for food to come in from the ever bedraggled hard working parents. It will not be long before they get impatient with the rate of food being brought by adults and go in search of their own food and finally properly fledge. Look out for the very dark marsh harriers with ginger crowns.
Buckenham is beginning to attract the migrating waders on their journeys, a quick look at Buckenham at lunchtime today produced avocet, black tailed godwit, greenshank, ruff, curlew and lapwing. Hopefully the water will stay high enough to attract a few more migrants of the next month.
The real stars of this time of the year are the invertebrates; dragonflies, damselflies, beetles, hoverflies and grasshoppers are all over the place if you pick the conditions carefully. White admirals have replaced the swallowtails for the most sought butterfly species, brown hawkers are replacing the Norfolk hawkers and small red eyed damselflies have emerged on the reception pool. There was an early report of willow emerald from the usual area near to the fen boardwalk, but subsequent searches have only revealed common emerald. The abundance of species present is clear, especially when looking at the moth trap catches over the past few weeks, with 100+ species being regularly seen. The highlight of the week for me was finding the reserves first small dotted footman, this is a very rare moth that is only found in the Norfolk Broads and even then only at a very small number of sites, so this first for the Yare valley was a real surprise.
Swallowtails look like they are now over, the last sighting being on Saturday, with none seen despite good conditions in recent days. There is possibly going to be a partial second brood, which will hopefully appear during the first half of August, but it is always difficult to predict. The swallowtail caterpillars are growing well now though, these can be seen by carefully checking milk parsley plants in the boardwalk area as well as a couple of spots not far from reception. The photo above shows a swallowtail going from its first to second instar, from a small black caterpillar into a much finer critter, third instar is even more attractive, I was lucky to find the caterpillar just after the transformation
Summer holidays are with us once again so we have a quiz trail for families as well as a Strumpshaw wild challenge. A moth morning still has places next Saturday (25th) so if you fancy joining me for moths a plenty ring the office to book your place.