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| Blackbird |
It was tipping it down all night and when I woke up, all dressed and ready for my usual weekly commute to Strumpshaw, it was still raining. I ended up skipping the train and getting a lift to the reserve instead. By that point, it had stopped raining. Typical! I didn't have enough time for my pre-shift walk, so I had to make it a very short one around the woods. The chiffchaffs were now singing their species' name over and over once again, marking their return from migration, while bullfinches and song thrushes were also adding their voices to the dawn chorus that was nearing its end for the day.
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| Pheasant |
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| Blue Tits |
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| Great Tit |
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| Daffodil |
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| Greylags |
It wasn't a very exciting morning at Reception Hide. It was another week in which the hide's view was dominated by a load of greylags. Like an unlikeable neighbour hosting a party next door, they were noisy, starting fights with one another and were destructive when feeding as they yanked chunks of mud and grass out of the ground. There were also the odd gadwall, coot, teal, shoveler, marsh harriers and a flock of Canada geese flying by, but nothing that really made my last shift before my birthday that much special.
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| Teal |
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| Coots fighting |
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| Coot with nesting material |
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| Marsh Harrier |
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| Bee Orchid leaves |
At least my orchid-enthused juices were beginning to flow this morning as I saw the first sign that they are around. Pairs of leaves (or rosettes) belonging to bee orchids were now sprouting out of the ground near the public toilet block. I'm hoping they will survive and successfully flower this year for me to tick off during my summer of Norfolk orchid hunting. The fence that they are growing beside is about to be replaced, so I am praying double that they make it without any trouble.
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