Long Eared Owl
Another year gone, and what a year. The weather flip-flopped from a cold winter that extended into March after a warm February, a summer that was a bit of a washout after a hot June and an autumn that became the scorching summer we didn't get before becoming stormy with the reserve being hit by a series of bad floods from October until the year's end. A complete contrast to 2022's dry and drought-like conditions. Strumpshaw's sightings board became full most days with many unexpected highlights. We even had a visit from the Flying Scotsman steaming by at one point.
As we leave 2023 behind, it is that time again to look back at all the big sightings and all the survey results for the Mid Yare Valley made by our staff, our volunteers and by you, our visitors.
Bird Flu
In 2022, avian influenza hit the headlines as it ravaged the bird population across the UK. In 2023, this disease disappeared from the news. However, it was still causing havoc and our staff have encountered many sad cases of dead or sick birds presumed to be caused by the deadly disease. Black-headed gulls were the most effected around the Mid Yare and our wildfowl also suffered.
So, a reminder. If you find a dead or sick bird, please do not approach or touch it. If you do find one, report back and we will do the rest.
Winter (Jan - March)
The first couple of months produced plenty of highlights. Top of last winter's highlights just happened to be one of the largest birds to ever visit Strumpshaw. On Feb 19th, everyone who was at reception at the time were probably pinching themselves as a white-tailed eagle (a bird from the Isle of Wight reintroduction project) appeared from nowhere! A first for Strumpshaw and a 3rd for the Mid-Yare Valley. It was seen again on March 29th.
In the woods, an enormous flock of siskins dominated the canopy with a cacophony of twittering. Amongst them were at least 60+ redpoll and a small number of brambling as well as redwings and fieldfare being seen well into spring. Small numbers of woodcock had been occasionally reported throughout these early months too, though only a lucky few were able to spot them in the dark.
It was a quiet winter for our Taiga bean geese. Though there were a couple of sightings of a group of four in late January, our experts could not verify these sightings. They were apparently spending the winter over at Ludham instead. However, we weren't completely empty handed with bean geese as a lone Tundra bean goose decided to join a gaggle of white-fronted geese from January up until late March.
Our peak winter counts at Buckenham and Cantley during Jan - March were: 4,025 pink-footed geese, 5,407 wigeon, 369 white-fronted geese, 5 barnacle geese, 1 Tundra bean goose, 1,363 teal, 251 shovelers, 11 pintail, 810 golden plover, 3,568 lapwing, 114 black-tailed godwits, 3 water pipits, 5 woodcocks, 58 snipe, 2 little stints, 22 ruff, 1 red kite and 1 peregrine.
In early January, we also counted 14 marsh harriers coming into roost. At least 22 of them were counted throughout the Mid Yare Valley between January and March 2023.
A female hen harrier had been seen across the 3 reserves and was very active well into mid-March. Meanwhile, a short-eared owl had been a regular sight over at Rockland over the winter and was seen up until May, though it also made the odd visit to Buckenham and even at Strumpshaw on one occasion.
Spring
Spring was a little delayed due to the cold snap in March and even in early April there was the odd frost. But despite this sudden chill, the signs of spring's return were emerging as far back as February. There were a few unexpected migrants arriving earlier than usual, such as the first green sandpiper on Feb 15th at Buckenham and the first yellow wagtail at Cantley on March 12th (this we believe was the first recorded yellow wagtail for the UK in 2023).
The Mid-Yare Valley recorded its first ever dotterel on March 7th on the marshes of Buckenham for one day only. These plovers of the mountains normally pass through Norfolk on migration to head north to their breeding grounds up in the Scottish Highlands, but they had never been reported in this part of Norfolk before.
At Cantley on May 14th, a great reed warbler was reported. This is a reed warbler but super-sized and with a loud song that goes on and on. On May 25th, it reappeared again, this time outside reception at Strumpshaw in full view. There was even common reed warblers there to compare it with.
Here are the notable 'firsts' of 2023...
Chiffchaff (singing - March 18th), blackcap (singing - March 20th), sand martin (March 24th), garganey (March 23rd), house martin (March 26th), swallow (March 30th), willow warbler (March 30th), sedge warbler (March 31st), little ringed plover (April 1st at Buckenham), grasshopper warbler (April 7th), reed warbler (April 8th), garden warbler (April 10th), whitethroat (April 17th) whimbrel (April 17th), lesser whitethroat (April 15th), hobby (April 14th), duckling (April 8th), cuckoo (April 22nd), wheatear (April 25th), common tern (April 25th), swift (April 27th), common sandpiper (April 29th) & spotted flycatcher (May 3rd).
Strumpshaw Nests & Territories
Crane - for the first time ever for the Mid Yare Valley, cranes have nested at Strumpshaw! It was an exciting time for the reserve. On May 17th, we were very delighted to announce the news that a single chick had hatched. The parents then led the chick just over a mile from the reed beds of Strumpshaw to the marshes of Buckenham by June 10th. Sadly, since then, it went missing and presumed to have perished. At Sutton Fen, another pair attempted to nest, but sadly failed to materialise into anything.
Long-eared Owl - another surprise this year was the discovery of at least two fledgling long-eared owls in late June - early July. One was seen around the reception area up until the third weekend of July, perching on the signs and benches and providing great views.
Marsh Harrier - 11 nests in total across the Mid Yare Valley including 4 at Strumpshaw, 2 short of 2022's total of 6 but a long way from the 16 nests recorded in 2016.
Bittern - 2 males were booming since March 24th with one at Cantley. At least three nests at Strumpshaw with one notable successful nest able to be viewed out in the open from outside Tower Hide with three chicks actively being feed.
Bearded Tit - Very low count and slightly concerning. We counted 9 nests at Strumpshaw and 7 at Cantley. That's 16 in total, 8 less from last year's total of 24.
Great Crested Grebe - One nest with 3-4 eggs in front of Tower Hide, sadly failed.
Reed Bunting - About 60 pairs across the Mid Yare with 11 at Strumpshaw.
Cetti's Warbler - About 31 singing males across the Mid Yare Valley including 7 at Strumpshaw.
Sedge Warbler - About 121 pairs across the Mid Yare with 37 at Strumpshaw.
Reed Warbler - Roughly 130 across Mid Yare with 42 at Strumpshaw.
Grasshopper Warbler - About 10 singing males across the Mid Yare with 6 at Strumpshaw.
Lesser Whitethroat - at least two individuals were heard singing. One near pumphouse and another near Tower Hide.
Grey Wagtail - a pair had been seen catching flies throughout May in front of the reception, which indicates that a nest was near by.
Cuckoo - Only 1 singing male.
Buckenham & Cantley Nesting Waders
Lapwing - 33 pairs at Buckenham 23 pairs at Cantley
Avocet - 1 at Buckenham
Snipe - 4 drumming males at Buckenham, 2 at Cantley
Redshanks - 31 pairs at Buckenham, 23 at Cantley
A very poor year for our waders. The cold snap in March and the wet weather throughout spring and summer (as well as predation) has led to many of these pairs to fail. With each species declining on the reserves as it is, it is very concerning indeed.
Raven
Throughout 2023, we had many reports of a raven at Buckenham and Cantley. One was seen last year, but this time it has stuck around for much longer. This is just a lone individual, possibly a maturing youngster exploring. A nesting pair would definitely be a first for the Yare Valley if we ever find one.
Egrets, Ibises & Spoonbills
Great white egrets continue to establish themselves across the region and were seen throughout the year. At least one or two have been recorded almost every month. They were especially more of a daily occurrence outside reception from August onwards.
A cattle egret was reported from May 1st until May 3rd at Cantley and another at Buckenham in early November and briefly visited Strumpshaw on Nov 8th, then 3 were seen at Buckenham on Nov 30th. Still only brief stays, but it is still expected that this species will colonise the Mid Yare Valley like the great white and little egrets before them.
In early May, during a couple of late evening surveys, at least 3 night herons were discovered emerging from their roost spot near the pumphouse. We also had the odd count from Cantley in the summer.
2023 was a good year for spoonbills and glossy ibises. At first, it was just brief fly overs. A spoonbill was seen flying over Buckenham in February, but have been seen a lot more regularly throughout May and continued into late summer, and were seen feeding in the pools with their unique shaped bills. It was a similar story with the ibises as 14 of them were passing by on May 23rd and since then up to 3 of them were staying at Cantley well into June (with even a brief flyover at Strumpshaw at one point). Could these 2 species be the next to call the marshes home in the near future?
Summer
Not only did we get spoonbills and ibises, a pair of black-winged stilts were discovered at Buckenham on June 20th and was there for a couple of days. These red gangly-legged waders have been on the rise across the UK in recent years and even bred. However, this is the first time they've visited any of our reserves on the Mid-Yare Valley. Exciting, but concerning as they are just another indicator that our climate is warming. The Mid-Yare is slowly becoming like southern France. Also from Buckenham was a Caspian tern that was briefly seen flying over on July 10th.
On June 2nd, a firecrest was heard and then seen on the yew tree by the feeders briefly. A second sighting was reported on Aug 16th.
From late July and throughout August, honey buzzards had been seen reasonably frequently with reports of one at least once a day. At least three individuals had been identified, including one paler than the others.
Autumn
Despite a scorching September, migratory birds from the north were already starting to head south. Redwings, fieldfares, siskins and redpolls were already here, even during the 30°C heatwave at the start of the month. Pink-footed geese were also arriving and by the end of September, there was at least up to 100 of them gathering at Buckenham.
Besides the more commoner autumn migrants, there was only one unusual highlight in the form of a lesser yellowlegs on Sep 24th. This American equivalent to our redshank stayed briefly for one day at Buckenham.
Osprey sightings were few and fleeting with at least two confirmed sightings in September. One at Buckenham on Sep 15th and another at Strumpshaw on Sep 23rd. We also had one other sighting at Strumpshaw on July 4th.
Bird of the year, a true Mid-Yare MEGA turned up on the 17 October, when a Shorelark was seen going west upriver calling at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen.
Winter (Nov - Dec)
In November, an unusual bird showed up on the River Yare as a red-throated diver was seen moving between Cantley, Buckenham and Strumpshaw. The high tides and autumn storms are likely the reason in why it got lost in the river as these birds normally spend winter along the Norfolk coastline and rarely get far inland as this.
On Nov 20th, a family of four whooper swans spent a few hours outside Tower Hide. A rare visit on the reserve itself as they normally just fly over. The day after, a possible snow bunting was believed to have been heard by one of our wardens, which is even more surprising if confirmed true.
Around 6,000 - 7,000 starlings were roosting in front of reception again for the second year in a row after a 3-4 year hiatus prier to 2022. We've also counted at least 38 marsh harriers and one female hen harrier coming into roost this winter so far.
At Buckenham and Cantley, the latest highest wildfowl counts (and some other highlights) are at least 185 white-fronted geese, around three thousand plus pink-footed geese, 2210 wigeon, 464 teal, 1560 lapwing, 27 Bewick's swans (flying over only), 2-3 goosanders, 1 ruddy shelduck (Nov 24th & 25th) and a juvenile goshawk (Dec 1st). We were also pleased that a pair of Taiga bean geese spent a few short days from Nov 25th to Dec 1st after their no show the winter before. They have seemed to have disappeared from our sights since then, though they could still be out there going by the nature of how elusive they are.
On Dec 1st and 10th, a juvenile goshawk was seen flying over Buckenham. A bird that's rarely seen from the Mid Yare Valley. Apparently, we also have had reports from a Strumpshaw regular of waxwings feeding on the berries at Buckenham around late Nov - early Dec. However, I didn't get a date or number or any other detail.
Little Terns
The little tern colony that we normally monitor at Winterton decided to change scenery for 2023. They decided to move further north up the Norfolk coastline to Eccles where a total of 199 pairs were counted and 148 chicks fledged. As there was plenty of predation and bad weather, the numbers just couldn't match the amazing record of around 700 fledglings from 2022.
Swallowtails & Other Butterflies
The swallowtails were a little late this year by 9 days as the first one was seen on May 21st (they were out by May 12th in 2022). They've been a little elusive than in previous summers and the results show as only a combined total of just 4 were recorded in both our swallowtail and butterfly transects. At least the larvae count was slightly more promising with 104 caterpillars, though this is still the second lowest since records began in 2011.
The first butterfly of 2023 was seen on Feb 20th (3 days early than in 2022), in fact, it was two species on the same day with a brimstone and a small tortoiseshell (which I had to rescue from within the reception building).
Our butterfly transect volunteers have been out from April to September, counting the butterflies around Strumpshaw and recorded a grand total of 655 of these wonderful insects. The top 5 in which were gatekeeper (116), red admiral (112), peacock (100), meadow brown (73) and brimstone (69). The big shock was the small tortoiseshell. We counted 93 of them in 2022, but in 2023, only two! Worst yet is that for the second year since I took over these end of year reports, common blues have remained absent from these transect results.
Moths
Our moth trap events have been very productive and full with a variety of many species. On a more regular basis, we've also had our wardens and resident volunteers catching a few extras to monitor Strumpshaw's moth species. Here are some of the more outstanding highlights 2023 had to offer...
Clifden nonpareil (aka blue underwing) x2 - first ever record on Sep 9th. This is a beautiful moth with striking blue underwings. Considered extinct in the UK, but this year, the country has seen an influx of these moths during late August and early September.
Scarce bordered straw - Oct 11th. This brown moth is an immigrant species that is more common along the southern English coastline.
Sprawler x2 - Nov 19th. A late flyer that emerges from late October to December.
There was also a hummingbird hawkmoth on the buddliea bushes near Tower Hide in July.
Other Insects
Despite the cold snap in March, the colony of Clarke's mining bees emerged during a very stormy day on March 13th and avoided being swept away in the strong winds. On Sep 5th, we had the first ever record of four-banded weevil wasp at the boardwalk along the Lackford Run.
The first damselfly was a large red on April 29th and the first dragonfly was May 2nd in the form of a hairy dragonfly. The usual cast were all out including Norfolk hawkers and scarce chasers. Over at Sutton Fen, a downy emerald was recorded during a butterfly transect on May 20th.
In July, a few lesser emperors were reported in front of reception and by the entrance area. This is another species that has been on an increase in recent years since their discovery in the UK in 1996.
Other notable insects reported at Strumpshaw this year include; glow-worms and larvae, lesser stag beetles and wasp beetles.
Fen Raft Spiders
Back in 2012, we released nationally endangered fen raft spiders at a secret location as part of a reintroduction project. Eleven years later, we can now say that we are reaping the rewards as, on June 21st, the first ever fen raft spider was discovered in the ditches of the meadow trail at Strumpshaw! They are the UK's largest aquatic spiders that can hunt things as big as sticklebacks. We then discovered a female carrying an egg sac at the sluice gates along Fen Trail in early August, which is very promising indeed. We look forward to their continuing success in 2024.
Plants
Plants never seem to make these end of year reports, so this year, I've decided to include them for the first time.
The first flower of 2023 was, of course, a snowdrop. They emerged on Jan 7th (along with the first hazel catkins) and formed a decent display around Basecamp.
There were an impressive number of lords and ladies arums in the wood in April. However, the big shock was that our bluebell display was a bit disappointing this year. Potentially impacted by the drought conditions of 2022 or nibbled by the growing number of hungry muntjac deer. It is the first time we've had no carpet of blue in the woods in all the years I've been volunteering at the reserve. Common twayblades also fell victim to the deer, as we discovered some leaves but were gone days later. It is the 2nd year in a row that these green orchids failed to flower.
The meadow trail was open during the latter half of May and took until June 5th until I discovered the first southern marsh orchids of the year. Sadly, just like in 2022, the marsh helleborines were nowhere to be found.
There was a good selection of fungi this autumn, which include earthstars, upright coral, shaggy inkcaps, scarlet elfcaps, yellow brain (or witch's butter), deathcap and many, many others.
Other Highlights
Otters were very active during the first few months of 2023 with one regularly seen in front of reception on a nearly daily basis. Sightings soon dwindled by May but picked up again by August onwards.
Kingfisher sightings have declined this year. Though sightings did bounce back from August onwards, there had been fewer sightings than in previous years.
There have been many records of water voles this spring and summer across Strumpshaw. Hares have also been seen, especially along the Sandy Wall track and a leveret was discovered under one of our trailers on May 29th. And, in August, red deer tracks were found near Tower Hide.
And that is 2023 over and done with. Phew! It was definitely a productive year for rare and scarce sightings along with several firsts for our reserves. There was just so much to go through! I would like to thank everyone who has helped put this report together. From the data gathered by our team or from the sightings you, our visitors, have added to the sightings board. Keep it up for 2024!
I will be back at the end of the month with January's report. Thank you all!