By guest blogger Melanie Beck - Norwich Nuthatches Assistant Leader

April’s Norwich Nuthatches meeting began with a quiz on Earth Day which had taken place a few days before. Earth Day aims to show people ways to help protect the planet we live on. Our first challenge was to answer ten multiple choice questions to see how much we knew about the environment and conservation. The children were really knowledgeable and able…

Everyone has their own favourite milestone that marks the arrival of spring, and for me it’s the arrival of willow warblers from their African winter quarters. And here they are - in the last week, the soft lilting warble of the first few willow warblers has joined the chorus of blackcaps, chiffchaffs and resident Cetti’s warblers around the fen trail at Strumpshaw Fen.

With mostly dry and often sunny weather…

The Norwich Nuthatches’ March meeting was all about the RSPB’s projects in other countries. Could you name a bird just by its silhouette? This was the first challenge of the morning. Some were quite easy such as the wren, nuthatch and starling. Others we could only narrow down to the group of birds they belonged to like the hawk, woodpecker and owl. Then there were those that were really hard – until John told us there…

GUEST BLOGGER: Rodger Goodrick (Education Volunteer at Strumpshaw Fen) 

I wear many different hats whilst volunteering for the RSPB. One of my favourites is trying to inspire and pass on my enthusiasm for the natural world to the next generation by talking to them and showing them what they can do to help the environment.

On 24 February I went to Old Buckenham Primary School to talk to a Year 2 class (6 to 7 year olds…

I was working in the Strumpshaw office, when Ben the warden wandered in.  "I've got some photos for you," he said, waving his camera. I peered at the camera screen - a tiny image of a distant marsh harrier swooping over the reedbeds. To be frank, it was a rubbish photograph. But Ben is a brilliant photographer, so why was he showing me this blurred speck of a marsh harrier?

 "Look closely," he said. "Can you…

GUEST BLOGGER:  Melanie Beck, Assistant Leader of the Norwich Nuthatches (the RSPB's local Wildlife Explorers club for children)

For February’s Norwich Nuthatches meeting we were going to turn detective. You can’t always see the wildlife around you but if you know what to look for there are clues that show it is there. We began with a little test to see if we could match the footprints to the animals and birds…

Volunteer Dirk, warden Ben and I spent most of yesterday giving the Strumpshaw Fen nectar garden a much-needed makeover. We created this little garden six years ago and it has been a great success, providing visitors with great views of swallowtails and showing what can be done in a small space to attract butterflies, bees and other insects. Over the years, some of the big perennials and certain wild plants that had moved…

Spring is stirring at Strumpshaw Fen - the sun is shining (for the moment!), snowdrops are peeping up through the woodland floor, and woodpeckers are drumming to proclaim their territories.  But winter's not quite over yet - there are still large winter flocks of wigeon, teal, and golden plover at Buckenham and Cantley Marshes.  Peregrines and buzzards have also been spotted there.

At Strumpshaw, bitterns and otters have…

A dainty little lady has appeared outside Reception Hide at Strumpshaw Fen.  She really brightened up a damp afternoon for us.  

She's the first one of her kind to visit Strumpshaw for several years.  Can you guess what she is?

A few clues: she's a rare winter visitor (probably from Scandinavia or Russia); about 180 of these birds visit Britain every year; the males have striking black and white plumage.

Photo…

GUEST BLOGGER: Melanie Beck, Assistant Leader of the RSPB Norwich Nuthatches children's club

That’s a very good question and one the Norwich Nuthatches hoped would be answered at the January 2014 meeting! Group leader John gave us a picture of a crowd of penguins and asked us to count how many there were. Everyone began counting. There were penguins of all sizes some large ones and some you could hardly see so it…

A blog about little terns? In January?

Yes, because while the little terns are feasting and frolicking under African skies, we've had some interesting news from the BTO.  Back in June, the body of a dead little tern was found washed up at Benacre Broad in Suffolk.  The bird had a ring on its leg – number NV82475.

The BTO have now traced that number back to June 1995, when a one-day old little tern was ringed…

If you go creeping through the woods at Strumpshaw Fen, there's a good chance you'll come across a few other creepers along the way. 

Now's a great time of year to look out for treecreepers - today I stood in one spot and spotted four treecreepers sneaking up the trees nearest to me.  They had joined a merry flock of long-tailed tits that darted among the treetops making soft contact calls and flicking their…

GUEST BLOGGER: Melanie Beck, Strumpshaw Fen Volunteer

As a volunteer on reception you always seem to miss the best wildlife moments as you are talking to visitors, telling them all about the fantastic things you might be lucky enough to see and the wonderful place Strumpshaw Fen is (not that I’m biased you understand!).  For my colleagues Tessa, Caroline and I, it’s nice to be able to take a walk to see if we can…

It's been a rather gloomy day at Strumpshaw, but sometimes the bleakest days conjure up the most magical wildlife encounters. For my lunchtime stroll I decided to venture into the woodlands to enjoy their dark, mysterious atmosphere and search for hidden surprises among the tangled ivy vines and rotting tree stumps.

When I emerged from the dark woods into the light of the open meadow, a pale shape caught my eye as…

Okay, it's blowing a gale today, so not the best day to visit.  But when it all calms down you'll be wanting to blow off those xmas cobwebs with some good old fresh air and exercise. 

So here's an idea of what might be in store if you visit Strumpshaw Fen for your post-xmas walkabout:

Bitterns and otters have been appearing regularly at reception and fen hide, including a female otter and her cub.  Chinese water…

Buckenham and Cantley Marshes are fantastic at the moment. The marshes are a real hive of activity, with thousands of wintering ducks, geese and wading birds swirling in great flocks above the open expanse of marshes. The wardens and volunteers have quite a challenge to count the birds, but here’s a taste of what’s out there:

• Wigeon – 2500
• Lapwings – 2000
• Pink-footed geese – 2500
• Golden…

GUEST BLOGGER:  Melanie Beck (Assistant Leader of the Norwich Nuthatches, RSPB children's wildlife club)

A December Norwich Nuthatches meeting could mean only one thing – time for some festive fun!  We began with a Christmas word search to get us feeling Christmassy – I even wore my Santa hat!

First was a scavenger hunt, Christmas themed of course!  We had many things to find including something soft…

With the water levels back to normal, today we have been assessing the damage from last week’s surge tide. Compared with some coastal sites we have got off pretty lightly and our visitor facilities are pretty unscathed but we are very concerned about the ecological damage. Saltwater can have a devastating impact on freshwater wildlife – not just fish but the water beetles, snails, dragonflies and other insect larvae that…

Paddling around the flooded paths at Strumpshaw Fen this morning, assessing the impact of salt water flooding in the aftermath of the surge tide, I noticed a a large brown bird skulking in the nettles at the edge of the path just 2 or 3 meters ahead. A pheasant (the usual suspect)? No, its stubby tail and long dark streaks down its back shouted "bittern"! In the blink of an eye it had vanished into the strip of reed…

Most of the paths at Strumpshaw Fen are closed today (Thurs 5 Dec) due to high winds and flooding.  If you're planning to visit, we'd highly recommend waiting until the weekend.  Some paths may still be closed tomorrow.

It's been another typically autumnal week on the wildlife front at Strumpshaw Fen, possibly with a hint of winter. Bitterns have been showing daily around the reserve, with an impressive 3 together at the fen hide today. Otters and kingfishers have also put in daily appearances. The biggest surprise of the week was a rare great white egret on monday - seen by a lucky few. The harrier roost has built up to 19 marsh harriers…

GUEST BLOGGER: Melanie Beck, Assistant Leader of the Norwich Nutchatches RSPB children's club

 Autumn had definitely arrived as we gathered for Novembers chilly Norwich Nuthatches meeting. As they arrived, the children tried an autumn themed word search before we began our main project.

 Once a year the Norwich Nuthatches get to do some conservation work at Strumpshaw Fen. Each project helps us to take part in the…

GUEST BLOGGER: Rodger Goodrick (Volunteer)

As a volunteer at Strumpshaw Fen I have experienced a wide variety of different roles, from helping at work days to outside events and field teaching. My latest experience has been going out with the Thursday work party.  Not that I am new to the world of hands-on conservation work, as I have been doing it for over 20 years for another charity not far from Strumpshaw, where I…

That's the answer I have had to give to a number of telephone enquiries this week. The autumn starling roost at Strumpshaw Fen can be an amazing experience but is very unpredictable with fantastic displays in 2010 and 2011 but nothing last year. Why is a complete mystery, but this year we are still waiting to see if they will appear, The roost can develop anytime between mid October and christmas, so watch this space!

Come along to our family day tomorrow!  (Sunday 11am-3pm).

You can make minibeast homes, nestboxes and pine cone birdfeeders to help your garden wildlife.  Take part in a quiz trail around the woods and try your luck at the tombola or lucky dip.  Plus pick up tips to make your garden a hedgehog-friendly zone.

We'll also have delicious home-made cakes for sale (made by our wonderful volunteers!) - how can you resist…