SKYLARK SUE’S REFLECTIONS OF
NATURE
May 2014
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| Sedge Warbler at Cley Marshes |
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| Avocet |
May started on a damp, overcast note,
though it was very mild. There was heavy rain in the evening of May 1st. The
damp, overcast and slightly chilly weather continued for the next few days, but
a trip to Norfolk on the 4th coincided with warmer, sunnier weather. My first
trip to Cley Marshes was very enjoyable, there is a good visitor’s centre
there, overlooking the vast area of marshland. Cley Marshes is Norfolk Wildlife
Trust’s oldest reserve, and was purchased in 1926. Water levels in both pools
and reedbeds are regulated to ensure the conditions are ideal for the birds,
and the reed is harvested each year. By doing this, the reedbeds are kept in
good condition. There are saline lagoons, grazing marsh and a shingle beach
which attracts wildfowl, waders and other birds. Cley Marshes was hit by the
December flooding last year; one hide was completely destroyed, and the sea
water infiltrated the fresh water dykes and pools.
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Shoveller
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| Female Gadwall |
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| Oyster Catcher |
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| Wall Butterfly |
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| Heron |
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| Marsh Harrier |
We spent a long time watching a marsh
harrier skimming and swooping across the marsh, and saw a skylark pouring out
its unique trilling song as it rose high into the sky before spiralling back down
to earth. There was plenty to be seen from the hide – we only had time to visit
one, as we didn’t get to Cley till mid-afternoon. However, the avocets were
beautiful and elegant, using their curved beaks to preen their plumage. Amongst
the other birds that we sighted were shelduck, shoveller, greylag goose, black
headed gull, pied wagtail, lapwing with chicks, mute swan and oyster catcher. A
heron lumbered overhead. Glorious singing from the reed bed revealed a sedge
warbler. It sung for a long time, posing between the reeds, which made it easy
to get some photos – soften you hear the birds in the reeds but just can’t see
them. We also saw a Wall butterfly
sunning itself on the grass.
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| Smew |
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| Golden Eyes |
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| Red Crested Pochard |
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| Mandarin |
As we drove into Pensthorpe reserve the
following day we were welcomed by the call of a cuckoo, the first I had heard
this year. Throughout the day the cuckoo called, often tantalisingly close but
we just couldn’t glimpse him. It was a hot, sunny day and as usual there was
plenty to see, including a smew that was carrying a large pebble in its beak. On and around the lakes near the visitor
centre were dozens of ducks including red crested pochards, mandarins, grebes,
tufted ducks, golden eyes, pintails, Egyptian goose, coots and of course, the
smews. There were also Canada and greylag geese.
Wherever we looked as we walked around
the reserve there was something to see – a male chaffinch in brilliant plumage
singing from a tree top, a group of young long-tailed tits, their tails not yet
grown, a large cluster of young greylag goslings
by the lake edge together with several adult birds, ladybirds, peacock and
green-veined white butterflies. There were greenfinches, chaffinches and house
sparrows by the feeders. From the hide by the scrape we spotted cormorants,
lapwings and avocets. The wild flowers were stunning – in places the grass was
just a mass of daisies, and there were speedwells, cowslips, stitchwort, red
campion and many more.
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| Lapwing |
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| Greylag Goslings |
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| Young Long-Tailed Tits |
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| Chaffinch |
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| Ruffs |
In the large, walk-in wader aviary,
there were ruffs in full breeding plumage. These spectacular, showy birds had
long fluffy feathers adorning their heads and necks, and were bowing to each
other in what seemed to be a territorial display. Interestingly, the colour of
the ruff’s plumage varied, and one was black, tinged with white, the other a
bright chestnut. Both birds had beautiful markings on their plumage. Other
birds in the aviary included black-winged stilts, black tailed godwits, bearded
tits and turtle doves – the gentle cooing of the doves was soothing, and much
more pleasurable to listed to than that of the collared doves, which are so
common now.
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| Black-Winged Stilt |
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| Black Tailed Godwit |
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| Bearded Tit |
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| Turtle Dove |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Trout |
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| Young Starling |
On the following day, May 6th, we called
in to the Norfolk Lavender Farm to sit in the attractive gardens there.
Chaffinches and goldfinches were calling, and in the river were trout. The
weather was still warm and sunny, but it changed and became colder over the
next few days. There was a young starling in the garden on the 7th; I always
think that the youngsters are particularly handsome; very sleek, with a darker
brown mark around the eye which seems to accentuate the elegance of the head,
as opposed to the adults which always seem scruffy with their medley of pale
dots, especially in their winter plumage.
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| Herring Gull |
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| Greter Black-Backed Gull |
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| Pied Wagtail |
The 11th -14th were spent in Devon,
though sadly, there wasn’t much time for bird watching or seeing much of the
countryside, except through the windows of a train. Bird-sightings were limited
to herring gulls, black-backed gulls, pied wagtails and a large group of feral
pigeons! The pigeons and wagtails were at Dartmouth, and the gulls at Paignton
and Torquay.
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| Feral Pigeons |
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| A Handful of Snails! |
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| Robin Bathing in the Ball Fountain |
May 17th, a warm day, brought plenty to
see in the garden, such as a brood of young great tits, venturing onto the
feeders. There were also starlings, robins, blackbirds and collared doves. One
robin was bathing in the ball fountain. We had noticed that the plants are
becoming severely attacked by slugs and snails. Feeling around the rim of just
one large pot revealed a handful of snails which were carefully placed under a
hedge some distance away, but no doubt they will soon be back. We have noticed
that the slugs and snails are particularly prevalent this year, presumably due
to last year’s wet weather which encouraged them to lay thousands upon
thousands of eggs.
The 18th was another warm day. As well
as the vast quantities of snails and slugs, there are also masses of cuckoo
spit. It seems to be on every shrub. Cuckoo spit is produced by the larvae of
the froghopper beetle; it produces the frothy bubbles from its rear end, and
these give it protection until they turn into adults. The following day we were
pleased to note a wren in the apple tree. We do get them in the garden from
time to time, but they are so secretive, moving about under the plants, that
often we just don’t notice them.
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| Buttercups at Hatfield Forest |
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| Female Mallard |
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| Mute Swan |
On May 20th, we visited Hatfield Forest,
not too far from us in Essex, and where we go regularly as readers of this blog
will know. As we entered, driving past the meadows, we saw that they were a
mass of buttercups – just golden yellow in all directions. They seem to be in flower
slightly earlier this year, presumably due to the mild winter and spring.
Sightings on the lake included a mallard and her brood of ducklings, Canada
geese and goslings, mute swan, coots and moorhens. Chiff-chaffs and a cuckoo
called, and there were masses of ladybirds – unfortunately, many were the
harlequin type with their pink legs and larger size.
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| Mallard Ducklings |
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| Canada Geese Goslings |
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| Caterpillar to id |
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| Dog Rose |
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| Harlequin Ladybirds and Cardinal Beetle |
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| Harlequin Beetles |
Red Admirals and brimstone
butterflies were around, as were damselflies. Amongst the other species seen
were jackdaws, pheasants, scorpion fly, cardinal beetle, blue tit and
squirrels. We found a hairy caterpillar near the path by the lake, which needs to be identified. In the barn near the café, swallow were nesting. Dog
roses were coming into bloom. Back home, amongst the garden birds was a handsome
great tit on the nut feeder and a robin by the ball fountain.
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Plantain
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| Great Tit |
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| Slugs Climbing Up the Window |
On the 24th, we noticed that several slugs were climbing up on the outside of the dining room widow, They were the thin, white kind of slugs, as opposed to the large brown, black and leopard slugs we normally see in the garden
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| Red Admiral |
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| Bumble Bee on the Coreopsis |
On the 25th of May, a trip to
the garden centre provided a couple of good sightings. The first was a handsome
red admiral butterfly investigating a bright orange coreopsis plant. I think
that red admirals are one of my favourite butterflies. I love the contrast
between the velvety black and the scarlet and white trim. We decided to buy the
plant, seeing it was so attractive to
insects. As soon as we put it in the garden, a bumble bee, quite literally,
made a beeline for it!
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| With an Asian Brown Wood Owl |
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| Tawny Owl |
The other sighting was not just one, but
a batch of owls, there to raise funds for a local owl rescue centre. I was
allowed to hold an owl, and chose Gizmo, a magnificent Asian brown wood owl.
His marking were beautiful, and the cream ‘eye-brows’ highlighted his face.
Other owls there included a barn, a tawny, an eagle owl, white-faced scops and
a little owl. Back home, there was a young wren in the garden.
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| Robin |
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| Sawfly Caterpillars |
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| Young Blue Tit |
Young blue tits were about on the
following day, hanging from the feeders, and they continued to come to the
garden for the rest of the month as did young great tits. There was a robin, too, and
a clutch of sawfly caterpillars on the red currant bush. On the 29th, as well
as the tits, garden sightings included dunnock, robin, blackbirds and collared
doves, and, along with woodpigeons, were the main species spotted on the
following two days.
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| Young Great Tits |
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| Dunnock |
On the whole May proved a mild month, though
there were some wet and chilly days. June is forecast to be warm. We shall see!
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| A Tranquil Stretch of Water at Hatfield Forest |
