This week has seen some warm sunny weather and some cold windy weather, so the sightings for the week have been up and down with the weather conditions playing a large part in what is seen each day.
Swallowtail butterflies are past their peak now, so the chances of connecting with this magnificent butterfly are dropping by the day. However, if the weather is warm, calm and there is a good amount of sun there will still be a chance for the next week or so. They have been seen this week in the right conditions with three individuals seen yesterday around reception at least.
Bitterns are certainly performing well on occasion from all of the hides at the fen. We have a nesting female who is flying around the fen in order to feed her young, while we also have another two females also flying back and forth, we hope these birds are also nesting, but as yet have not confirmed them, please let reception know of any flights you have seen.
Marsh harriers are still busy nesting, some of the nests will have quite large young by now which means that at times both parents are having to hunt to keep up with their insatiable appetite. It will not be too long now before we start to see the dark bodied, ginger headed youngsters perching on bushes near the nests, they are always comical to watch as they try to fly or even just sit still in the bushes bickering with each other.
Otters have been seen fairly regularly this week, I saw a male swim past fen hide yesterday morning.
Bearded tits have been noisy in the reedbed on the calmer days this week, fen hide and sandy wall being the main areas for observing them.
Norfolk Hawkers are on the wing in numbers in sheltered sunny areas, as well as scarce chasers and the other more commonly encountered species. Brown hawkers are going to be emerging in the next few weeks so check the wing and eye colour to be sure of the species.
The Bee Orchids are now emerging near to the reception, each day that passes more of these beautiful flowers open up, in the meadow there are a large number of southern marsh orchids, these are always a joy to see with their various hues from deep purple to pale pink.
Moth numbers are picking up now, with a peak of 38 species in a trap on Tuesday night (including three species of hawkmoth), with the warmer nights these magnificent creatures should increase to 80 species for next Saturdays moth morning. If you wish to join me opening the traps from the fen and woodland on Saturday morning please ring the office to book your place.