Yet another mixed week of weather, with below average temperatures, cool nights, showers, wind, as well as warm sunny spells to remind us of the season. Despite the weather we have had some good sightings over the week.
We are pleased to see that the second bittern nest is still active from Fen Hide, this bird is almost certainly a re-lay nest after an earlier nest failure. This is most probably one of the few remaining active bird nests in the reedbed, you may spot the bird around the fen, it is very distinctive as its a warm chestnut brown colour all over.
Birds of prey have been frequently seen over the fen this week; the usual marsh harriers and their young now beginning to disperse so sightings are becoming less frequent, although almost guaranteed still. The best raptor of the week was a fine red kite which was seen on Wednesday over the fen and wet grassland. A pair of hobby are still being seen frequently from Reception Hide, they are mainly seen perched up on the scrub in the middle of the fen.
Kingfishers have been seen from Fen and Reception hides frequently during the week. Unfortunately the strong winds have blown algae over their favoured perches from reception so for the time being Fen Hide may yield better results.
Bearded tits are gathering in number and can certainly be heard from Fen Hide, Sandy Wall and Reception Hide. They are still feeding on the small invertebrates at the bottom of the reed stems so are difficult to see, but they will soon climb up the stems and feed on the reed seed heads, where they will be much more visible and photogenic.
Waders are beginning to trickle through now, the exposed mud at Tower Hide has seen 10 to 15 ruff, 58 lapwing a brief dunlin and even two curlew this week. The sandpipers will hopefully find the mud soon as they are on the move too.
Buckenham has seen some small wader migration with curlew, ruff, dunlin, avocet, snipe, green sandpiper and black-tailed godwit and greenshank all seen this week on the main pool.
Insects have struggled with the cool, wet and windy weather, however in the brief periods of warm sunshine they have been very obviously feeding up while they have the chance. Dragonflies and damselflies have been particularly quiet, but southern hawkers have been seen patrolling the riverbank and woodland, brown hawkers are on all the ditches, emerald damselflies have been on the meadows and both darters are on the wing. With the weather due to improve from today I would expect another explosion of emergence with the later season species. Any day now I would hope to see the willow emeralds back near the boardwalk, small red eyed damselflies should increase from reception too.
Butterflies have struggled with the weather, but there have been sightings of up to five white admirals along the woodland sandy path, a brown argus was also seen in the woodland, which is quite an odd habitat for this species! Painted lady has been seen on a number of occasions, but it does nit look like we will get the invasion that was talked up earlier in the year. If there is going to be a second brood of swallowtails this year I would think it will become evident this week, however there is always uncertainty over the second brood and with a slightly late and drawn out first season who knows what will happen in August? The caterpillars can be seen in front of reception, at the pond dipping platform and on the fen boardwalk.
With sunny spells and most importantly a bit of warmth predicted over the next week I am hopeful that summer species will once again return. I would hope that the fen explodes into life once again with insects everywhere, the possibility of second brood swallowtails and dragonflies zipping around the waterways with a hobby or two not far behind them. Waders should be increasing this week with green sandpiper and wood sandpiper the main targets, but there is always the chance of something uncommon like spotted redshank dropping into the pools.
Our OS grid square TG3306, has been named Norfolk Biodiversity (NBIS) grid square of August, so all records can be logged at www.nbis.org.uk/TG3306 They would like records of all living creatures from plants to birds to insects and mammals no matter how common they are.