Swallowtails and Hawkers: Summer comes to Strumpshaw!

I finished unloading the van after the weekends excursion south (Kempton Park Rock & Gem Show) and decided I had a window of opportunity for a walk around the Fen in the delightful sunshine!

Along the Sandy Path a few newly-emerged Black-tailed Skimmers warmed themselves, while the Meadow Trail produced Hairy Hawkers, Norfolk Hawkers and a Four-spotted Chaser. Along the riverside I added Scarce and Broad-bodied Chaser, while Lackford Run held a number of Banded Demoiselles. A Cetti's Warbler or two peeped from the increasingly dense foliage...

The Doctor's Garden gave me my first Painted Lady of the year (added to by one on my roof when I arrived home!) while the flower garden by Reception contained a very obliging Swallowtail, enjoyed by many - not the least a delightful lady of 101years of age (Born the year the First World War broke out!)

Other highlights included Bee Orchid and Twayblade, as well as a few Buzzards.

Oooops! Get out the spray gun!

It happens that my elder brother, Dr Rob, is one of the world's foremost biochemists, and runs an agricultural chemical concern (among others!) Having read my, perhaps over-enthusiastic blog, he writes today:

Noticed your posting on diamond back moths. I am not sure whether you are aware, but these are the most damaging of all Asian insects, being a major brassica pest.

Almost every Japanese agrochemical company has a programme in place to develop new treatments, since this moth seems to develop resistance to pesticides very quickly (partly due, no doubt, to S E Asian famers' enthusiastic application rates).

 

You may want to check your vegetable patch for infestations.

Of course, the brassica family includes many of the cash crops grown in East Anglia, including Sugar Beet and Oilseed Rape.

Diamondbacks!

Back home on the Heath, I had to catch up on a weekend's-worth of e-mails: I receive around 300 a day! Occasionally I glanced out to watch the local Buzzards / Kestrels / Sprawks etc, but didn't stop for photos. Just before dusk I noticed the window of my office had a fair sprinkling of micro-moths: looking closely, I realised these were the much-vaunted continental Diamondback Moths.

Naturally I thought I'd grab a couple of images, but was surprised to discover how timid and flighty they were! Still: I captured a few dodgy pics in the gloaming of some examples on the Buddleia and stock: during a quick stroll around the garden I counted well over 150!

Good to hear a male Tawny Owl hooting away in our big oak tree.

 

 

Back in the Land of Kites!

Another couple of days with Mum-in-Law, and the Red Kites and Parakeets are still as beautiful!
I never grow tired of these majestic raptors, although the weather is not great for decent photography...
I spent a pleasant half-hour in M-I-L's garden, enjoying the interactions of Buzzards, Crows, Kites and Sparrowhawks: up to fifteen Kites and four Buzzards at one point! 

 

 

 

 

Osprey at Strumpshaw Fen

Having a couple of hours free, and knowing that this long-staying visitor had finally settled into a routine of sorts, I found a space in Tower Hide at around 1.00pm and waited!

Plenty of visitors to chat with, including a couple of really pleasant birders from North Essex: it was one of these that first picked up the Osprey flying in from the east. It decided to fish over 'Accidental Broad' and I decided to risk running a couple of hundred yards to obtain a closer view: this I nearly achieved, stopping to grab photos on the way before the bird caught a fish and flew off south to eat it!

 

 

Wild weather on the North Coast: Spoonbills, Bittern and a Manx Shearwater...

Since Brian & Norman would be away for a while, we decided (despite the appalling weather!) to spend at least part of the day on the North Coast, accompanied by Brendon, the teenage son of ace photographer Mark Ollett.

First stop was Cley, where the reserve was pretty barren apart from Avocets and Marshies, so - after coffee at the Centre - we moved along to Holkham. On the way, though, I suggested a stop at the Coastguards, where a distant Manxie, a few Kittiwakes and a couple of Gannets were the best we saw.

Along Lady Anne's Drive, lots of cars were parked, but the owners must all have been on the beach: we had the woods more or less to ourselves.

From the Jordan Hide we peered through the mist and struggled to take photos of the to-ing and fro-ing of at least three pairs of Spoonbills. The Grey Partridges were still happy to pose at reasonable range, but I only managed a very poor record shot of a Bittern that flew high east. Is this Orchid an Early Purple?

We were back in the Yare Valley by 2.00pm and decided on a bash at the Osprey: we missed it by ten minutes! The only activity worth noting was a pair of displaying Marsh Harriers and a distant Hobby.