May 6th Strumpshaw Fen

Dawn Chorus Day at Strumpshaw Fen 2018

Today is once again International Dawn Chorus Day and as we had a very memorable one at Strumpshaw in 2016, Dad and I have decided to experience it again this year. Arriving at the reserve just after 4am, everything felt rather similar to that day two years ago. It was still dark and half a moon was shining brightly, while a layer of fog formed over the reserve. Deja vu?



Moonlight and fog

Foggy scenes

However, there were subtle differences between this year's dawn chorus and the one from 2 years ago. While the cuckoos were calling throughout our visit just as they were doing back in 2016, the bitterns on the other hand didn't really start booming until about 5am. Before then, they were only producing the odd faint 'bump' sound, like a bittern with a case of the hiccups. Supporting these two stars of the chorus were robins, blackbirds, hooting tawny owls, wrens, blackcaps, sedge, reed, willow and Cetti's warblers.

Fog over the River Yare

Wren

As the dark of night faded by the early rays of daylight, the chorus grew with calling greylags making a noise as they streamed over the gloom of the mist, while loud barks of Chinese water deer penetrated through the reed beds to my eardrums. There was also a solitary cry from a water rail, a snort from a mute swan, high-pitched peeping from kingfishers along the river and the first whitethroats have announced their arrival with their scratchy warbled songs.

Chinese Water Deer

Two Chinese Water Deer amongst the foggy meadow trail

Pheasant

Highland Cow

Sunrise

Between 5:30 and 6am, we watched the sun rise over the meadows as it climbed up behind the treeline. However, the sight was suddenly distorted by the fog that, from nowhere, grew in density and covered the sunlight. The moon, on the other hand, reflected over the surface of the river and was more enchanting to look, providing the foggy landscape with a sense of mystery and magic.

Spider web

The Pump House

As we neared the pump house from along the dewy wet grass of the riverside trail, a ghostly shape of a hunting barn owl loomed out from the gloom, stopping us in our tracks to admire it's beauty. It danced around the building for a bit before flying across the path leading to the woodland trail. Heading the same way, we ended up following it in the woods. We kept seeing it fly by with it's pale white wings glowing through the grey murk as if leading us through the bluebells bathed in the warm early rays of sunshine that was beginning to make a foothold through the fog. Every now and then it would perch from a tree, watching us with it's big, round eyes as if to make sure we were still following it. Mistle thrushes were not pleased in seeing the owl and were producing rattling alarm calls as they began to mob it. Eventually, we lost sight of the owl as it vanished back into the mystery of the fog from which it came from.

Bluebells

Jackdaw

The sun was now in full control of the fog and a brand new day. The chorus was nearing a conclusion, but it was still time for a few new voices to add to it. Bullfinches, chiffchaffs, goldcrests, treecreepers, blue and great tits, stock doves, collard doves and the drumming of great spotted woodpeckers made sure that I wasn't to leave without hearing them first. And so, 2018's Dawn Chorus Day ended, starting the day with another memorable experience to remember. Though the fog dominated the sun this time round, it was that owl encounter that really made the event magical.

Canada Goose

May 2nd Strumpshaw Fen

Mute Swan

The rain has returned yet again! Though, for most of the morning it wasn't too bad, just a little patchy, but by the afternoon, it was pretty miserable. The birds weren't as lively as last week. I only heard a solitary burst from a cuckoo today, while the sedge and reed warblers were not put off by the weather and were the liveliest songsters on the reserve this morning. From Fen Hide, I was busy scanning the reed beds for them, though the sedge warblers did make things easier by jumping into the air every now and then to perform a parachute display, but they were moving around so much that I wasn't quick enough to photograph them. At least the Chinese water deer were more obliging.

Cobber the Black Swan

Chinese Water Deer

Jays

Swallow

From Reception Hide, I was busy kicking off this month's bird tick sheet, which monitor the number of bird (and now other vertebrates - mammals, reptiles and fish) that we see and hear from this hide each month. I did reasonably well despite the rubbish weather conditions, the highlights being the swarm of swallows swooping over the broad, which were joined by house and sand martins, the odd swift and my first hobby of the year that made a brief attempt at catching one of the swallows for it's dinner. Also about today was a pair of coot were busy looking after their 6 tiny chicks in front of the hide, a few common terns, marsh harriers, another Chinese water deer, reed buntings, an oystercatcher and 2 lapwing flying by.

Coot with chick

Common Tern

Carrion Crow

Canada Goose

Greylag

Pochard

Paul's bench

Finally, away from birds, before my shift and the worst of the rain, I went for a walk up to a particular bench along the river trail. Just after the sluices as you make your way towards the Tower Hide, there is a bench overlooking the Accidental Broad and sheltered behind some trees. There is a small plaque on it in the memory of a man called Paul Fowler (or 'Yorkie' Paul as he was known to his friends). Today marks the 10th anniversary of his death and I have come to pay my respects for him. Paul was a friend and colleague of my dad and for several months back in 2007 until March 2008, I was living under his roof as his tenant. He was a postman who really loved bats (as well as real ale) and I remember going out with him and his bat detector in search of them. He was an extremely passionate guy and was rarely doing nothing. He was a great guy to be around with.

His death was sudden and was a complete shock. I had only recently moved out to my flat a couple of months before he passed away. I remember that he had an accident involving his bike and was taken to hospital just days after I had moved from his place. However, it was not the accident that killed him. It was cancer. I had no idea that he was suffering until  a few days before he died. After his death, this bench was placed here in his memory as well as a set of bat boxes that were put up at Mousehold Heath. Paul would have loved the view that this bench provides and, from what I've heard, bats have been using his boxes. Rest in peace my friend. You are still in our thoughts.

May 1st Mousehold Heath

Small Tortoiseshell

It is finally sunny again after 4 days of non-stop rain and this afternoon, I have been doing a butterfly survey with Will at Mousehold. We were doing a transect on the east side of the site (where the golf course is) and, though it started slow, eventually we managed a reasonable total of 24 individuals. This included 7 green-veined whites, 6 small tortoiseshells, 2 orange-tips, 3 large whites, 2 commas, 2 peacocks, 1 holly blue and 1 small white. We also came across 2 kestrels (with one that dived down into the long grass and caught something, possibly a lizard), green tiger beetles and a rabbit.

Green Tiger Beetle

Ground Beetle

Chicken-of-the-woods?

White Forget-me-nots



Germander Speedwell

Jay