Calms Between Storms

Aug 13th, 15th & 26th  Norwich

This month had started in extreme heat and was unbearable for me t want to go outside. But, after the first week, all this changed and the plants had a bit of life back into them as the rain arrived. August was to become a very stormy month with thunderstorms, torrential rain and strong winds plaguing the remaining few weeks. With the weather being unpredictable, I haven't been going out much apart from work and family outings.

New plant species have also been few and far between. My list has suddenly come to a crawl. However, I did manage to find the odd new addition to my list on my walks around the city. Along the edge of Anglia Square's car parks were sun spurge, a green flowering plant that everyone seems to take no notice. Growing from a few bollards by another car park next to the A147 bridge were some gallant soldiers, which look like tiny daisies clumped together. I've also found soapwort, perennial wall rocket and corn marigold on walks to work and to my parent's house, not to mention that ivy is now in flower.

Gallant Soldier (left) and Perennial Wall Rocket

Away from plants, I've also enjoyed a night listening to several tawny owls calling from outside my flat. Though it was really dark to see, I believed I heard at least 2 males hooting and a female 'kewicking'. I attempted to call one over and it seemed to have worked as one appeared to be calling much closer than before.

Aug 22nd  Titchwell



Birdwatching with a mask

On Saturday, Mum and I went to visit Titchwell. The reserve was almost back to normal to the way it was before lockdown, but with a few difference. You can no longer leave your membership card on the dashboard like you did before, so if you are thinking of visiting, remember to take it with you. Another change is that only two hides are open again and you need to wear a mask whenever you enter them. Birdwatching with a mask is a bit annoying as it causes your breath to constantly fog up the binoculars. I found a better alternative is to use the benches outside along the main path as you not only don't need to wear a mask, but also have good views of the birds on the pools whilst sitting down. The perfect makeshift hides, that is as long as no one else is sitting on them.

The main highlight of the visit was seeing about 9-10 spoonbills mostly sleeping out on the freshwater pool. We also saw curlews, ruffs, oystercatchers, redshanks, dunlin, common terns, lapwing, godwits, shelducks, hundreds of gulls, a kestrel, a lizard darting in front of us and a few blood-nosed beetles crawling across the path.

Spoonbills and Bloody-nosed Beetle

Aug 1st Cley & Aug 8th Catton Park

Aug 1st  Cley

This was my first visit to the coast since lockdown began. It was kind of a strange feeling to see the sea and walk along shingled beaches once again after many months stuck further inland. Cley was open again and as popular as ever. Just like Hickling and Strumpshaw, there were some restrictions at this reserve that followed Covid-19 guidelines. The hides were closed off, but you could still walk the main looping route of the main reserve (in either direction). The visitor centre was only open for the café for takeaway only, while volunteers were outside greeting people at a makeshift reception area complete with a sightings board and nearby was a mobile toilet block for those who really need to go while the centre's toilets are out of bounds.

Chicory

Mum and I only had time to walk from the main car park to the beach and back via the East Bank this time around. However, this was just enough to satisfy what we've missed about this place. The East Bank and the shingle dunes were covered in plants I couldn't add to my lockdown list as this wasn't Norwich. Chicory, yellow-horned poppies and sticky groundsel were all tempting for me to break my own list rules, but no, I resisted! Other than plants, I saw the usual coastal birds such as avocets, curlews, and other waders, including a common sandpiper. Out over the waves were mainly sandwich terns, but not much else. I had a brief sighting of a bearded tit, but was disappointed to not see a single marsh harrier. I was also unfortunate to not find any grayling butterflies on the dunes despite being told that they were around there.

Aug 8th  Catton Park

It has been an extremely hot week this week. It was so overwhelmingly hot that I didn't really had the energy to want to go anywhere other than to work. But yesterday (Aug 8th) was a lot cooler, so I went for a walk around my local park to see if there was anything to add to my plant list. However, it was rather slim pickings. As there hasn't been much rain in the last couple of weeks, the plants looked dried out and dead. The fields were no longer yellow but purple as knapweed dominated the uncut areas of the park. Wild carrot were the most visible umbellifer poking out amongst all this purple. Some of them have their heads clenched up like a weaver's basket.

Green-veined White on Knapweed

August is often known as the quiet month. The sound of bird song of spring is now replaced by the chirping of grasshoppers and crickets. Common blue butterflies and other butterfly species were still on the wing but were changing their nectar pallets from bird's-foot trefoil to the abundant knapweeds. While most of the other birds have now fall silent, I still managed to hear the yaffle of the green woodpecker before catching a glimpse of it flying into the woods. I also saw its smaller cousin, the great spotted woodpecker searching the bark of a dead ancient oak.


I have a feeling that I might struggle to find new additions to my plant list this month. In July, I was given a list of plant species to look for and where to find them. I had a bit of mixed fortune with that particular list, but now I would like to know if there is anything else I should look out for during August. It can be anything from broad-leaved or green flowered helleborines to autumn hawksbeard, hop or common toadflax, for example. I'll even include invasive species such as knotweed and orange balsam, etc. Don't forget, they must be within Norwich.