Red-legged partridge doing a spot of human-watching at Strumpshaw Fen's reception hide.

Thanks to volunteer Ron McIntyre for this great shot!

 

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

The Norwich Nuthatches’ October meeting was all about leaves and the different colours that they turn now autumn has arrived. We began with a quiz showing pictures of leaves. We had to see how many of the trees they belonged to we could name and fit them into a grid. If we got them all right then another tree would appear…

Path conditions: We’re expecting high tides over the next week, so flooding is very likely on the Lackford Run – please turn back if you encounter flooding! The path to tower hide might get quite muddy, so worth being prepared with wellies or stout walking boots.

Reception hide: Ducks, ducks , ducks... If you want to practice your duck identification, reception hide is a great place to start. Along with the…

If you're thinking of visiting in the next few days, please be aware that we've had some flooding from high tides.  The riverbank walk to Tower Hide and the Lackford Run is currently inaccessible.  The path to Fen Hide is also very muddy.  The woodland trail is still open, and is well worth a visit for a peaceful autumn walk. 

It has been another dry and mainly sunny week at Strumpshaw Fen, but there is a distinct feeling of autumn with the first pink-footed geese overhead and air filled with the aroma of sugarbeet cooking at the nearby factory. With the michaelmas daisies in the nectar garden and ivy flowers by the entrance gate buzzing with life in the sunshine, it seems that the insects still think it is summer.

Butterflies have been enjoying…

It’s not a dead man’s finger, but you wouldn’t want to bump into it at Halloween...

When you’re walking in the woods, look out for the aptly-named Stinkhorn (even more apt Latin name Phallus impudicus – those Linnaean taxonomists!). This marvel of evolution exudes a sticky green gunge on its cap (called a ‘gleba’). The gleba’s pungent aroma is simply irresistible, if you’re a fly.…

Path conditions: There’s been some flooding along the Lackford Run trail, so best to avoid this section of path at the moment (unless you love mud!).

Reception hide: I’ve just spent a lovely morning in reception hide, with fantastic views of a big dog otter twisting and tumbling in the water (doing mini-Loch Ness monster impressions). A kingfisher was perched on a nearby stick, its orange breast glowing in the…

...on behalf of one of the most beautiful birds on Earth?

Bearded tits live in reedbeds – they have no other home.

Bearded tits are declining nationally – they’re on the ‘amber list’ of birds of conservation concern.

Bearded tits are shy and secretive. It’s not easy to spot them flitting among the reed stems at Strumpshaw Fen, but doesn’t it warm your heart just to know they are there…

Fantastic photo of a willow emerald damselfly by volunteer Melanie Beck...

Willow emeralds have been out in force near the Lackford Run boardwalk - with 24 counted on just one bush.  It's a real treat to see these delicate beauties shimmering in the sunlight.  Look out for them resting or mating on bushes near the water.  

Blog by Danny Hercock, Lead Little Tern Warden

Looking back over the recent history of little terns in east Norfolk we have to go all the way back to the mid 80’s, and the very start of the Great Yarmouth Little Tern Project, to find two consecutive years of high productivity. The pattern since then has been boom and bust, with good years in 1998, 2003 and 2006 and poor to average years in between.

We can now…

All three trails are open and in good condition.

A couple of rare visitors last week- a very obliging wryneck took up residence near the pumphouse on August 27^th, where it was regularly seen hoovering up ants on the riverbank over the next few days. These stunning photographs were taken by Tim James, one of our visitors.

Wryneck by Tim James

Wryneck by Tim James

We also had several sightings of an osprey passing…

If you're visiting soon, I'd recommend bringing a butterfly ID book to see how many different ones you can spot. There's a butterfly bonanza when the sun comes out. Look out for: holly blue, common blue, peacock, purple hairstreak, comma, gatekeeper, meadow brown, clouded yellow, red admiral, small tortoiseshell, speckled wood and small-, large-, and green-veined whites. Swallowtails are still being spotted…

On my recent lunchtime walks around Strumpshaw Fen, I've found myself being drawn again and again to a particular spot in the woods.  It's a patch of brambles next to the trail, which is bathed in sunlight (on good days) and heaving with all manner of butterflies and insects.  Most of the butterflies are ones I recognise from my garden - comma, small tortoiseshell, peacock - but if I wait just a minute or two I can…

Blogger: Melanie Beck, Assistant Leader of Norwich Nuthatches, the local RSPB Wildlife Explorers children's club.

It may have been grey and drizzly July day for the Norwich Nuthatches’ Summer Survey but we had a challenge to complete. We could not let a little rain stop us from trying to beat last year’s total of 64 different species! It would also be a great test to find out just how many we could name.…

Insect life at the fen is reaching peak activity, with soldier beetles covering almost every piece of hogweed, bright yellow longhorn beetles patrolling the thistle flowers and bush crickets lining the wooden edge of sandy wall. This is a good time to keep an eye out for one of Strumpshaw’s best mini-spectacles. Huge numbers small tortoiseshell and peacock caterpillars are currently erupting all over their larval foodplants…

GUEST BLOGGER: Aggie Rothon, RSPB Communications Officer

Phew, it’s hot today! So hot that at eight o’ clock this morning my little dog Lily had already decided she wasn’t going to move an inch. She plonked herself under the garden table, tongue lolling and stayed there until I waved her goodbye half an hour later. But unlike Lily I haven’t been in the mood for staying still today because I’ve been working at Strumpshaw…

Meadow trail is currently closed due to hay making.

We’ve been getting some excellent close sightings of a kingfisher family at reception, who have taken to fishing right in front of the hide. Male and female kingfishers are fairly easy to tell apart; females have a red base to the bill, while the male’s is pure black. Good things to look out for when you’re trying to spot them is their distinctive flight low over…

The Strumpshaw meadow trail is absolutely brimming with dragonflies and damselflies right now. 

Norfolk hawkers are patrolling the ditches - look out for the chestnut-brown body and distinctive green eyes.

These rare dragonflies are normally confined to parts of Norfolk and Suffolk, but they're making something of a come-back this year as a new breeding colony was recently discovered in Cambridgeshire.  They need very…

Bee orchids are notoriously unpredictable creatures, appearing for some years in good numbers then completely vanishing. This year has been one of the good ones at Strumpshaw, and we currently have a group of plants flowering under the fence by the nectar garden.

Bee orchids at Strumpshaw. Photo by Ciara Stafford.

The highly distinctive ‘bee’ part of the flower is actually a modified petal, which has grown fat and…

All three trails are open and in good condition.

Swallowtail butterflies have been out since the start of June, with abundant sightings on warm sunny days. As well as the area around the boardwalk, the nectar garden and overflow car park have been hot spots of activity. On the grass adjacent to the nectar garden we also have a group of bee orchids in flower. 

Dragonfly and damselfly numbers are drastically up since my…

Guest blogger: Melanie Beck, Assistant Leader of the Norwich Nuthatches RSPB children's club. 

As we arrived for the Norwich Nuthatches’ June meeting at Strumpshaw Fen we saw dark grey clouds heading our way. Hopefully the rain would stay away as we learned about how important plants are for wildlife, particularly bees and butterflies.

To start the morning we were given a quiz to find out how much we really…

Yes, they're here!  Swallowtails have been appearing in small numbers since last week.  Now is the time to come and look for them, while the sun is shining!

They have been spotted in the garden outside reception hide, at the Lackford Run boardwalk, Tinker's Lane, and even in the car park - so keep your eyes peeled from the moment you step out of your car or off your bike.  Do let us know in reception if you spot…

Meadow trail is now open. All paths are in good condition, but the meadows can be quite soggy so wellies are recommended.

There have been several sightings of a ringtail Montagu’s harrier at Buckenham and Strumpshaw, the most recent of which was on Monday the 13th. We have also continued to have excellent views of our marsh harriers from all three hides.

Sightings of hobbies and cuckoos have come in from all over…

Today is the launch of the Broads Outdoor Festival 2013.  The Festival runs until 19th May and involves lots of outdoor events exploring wild places and historic sites all over the Broads.

The RSPB is running quite a selection of events as part of the festival, including a whole weekend of wildlife activities at Strumpshaw Fen on the 18th and 19th May.  We're also joining with the CanoeMan to run an exclusive canoe trip…

Blog by Melanie Beck, Strumpshaw Fen Volunteer

The Norwich Nuthatches’ April meeting was on a beautiful warm, sunny, spring morning and it was all about nests! John started the meeting by showing us some pictures of the unusual places that birds have made their nests. It was hard to believe that a bird would choose to make its nest in a traffic cone, in a post box or on the wheel of a police car. But there were pictures…