August 3rd Roydon Common, Dersingham Bog and Titchwell

Black Darter searching at a pool near Roydon Common

Last year, as part of my East Anglian bug hunt (in which I set myself a challenge in finding a selection of invertebrates across Norfolk and Suffolk), my friend David and I went to some pools that I was given directions to behind Roydon Common to find black darter dragonflies. It was a bit of a failure in the end as there were no sign of them. Today, we decided to try again. Thanks to this heatwave, the pools have almost dried up completely. The heavy rains and thunder storms of last weekend have obviously made very little impact in refilling them. However, for black darters, these pools are still suitable to their needs. That was what I expected anyway. For some unexplained reason, they were just not showing here today.

Keeled Skimmer

Though we were unlucky in not seeing black darters, there was a consolation prize here for me. These boggy pools of water dried to mere puddles were still a haven for other species of dragonfly. Most of them were keeled skimmers, which I believe is a new one for me on British soil. Keeled skimmers are small bright blue dragonflies that live in boggy heathland. When they land, they tend to point their wings downwards and pointing forward. Their population is very scattered across the UK and in Norfolk, this north-west region is the only place to see them. Not a black darter, but still a good find.

Emerald Damselfly

Common Darter

Ruddy Darter

Field Grasshopper

Small Copper

More searching at Dersingham Bog

After a black darter-less hour or two at these pools, we moved our search to Dersingham Bog. We had lunch under the shade of a pine tree before making our way down the steep steps to the boardwalk that brought you closer to the acidic bog without getting your feet wet and smelling like the bog itself. Yet again the black darters were nowhere to be seen. In fact, after one loop of the boardwalk, we didn't see any dragonflies at all, only sundews and wild cranberries. Then on the second attempt at the circuit, we came across some more keeled skimmers.

Sundew

Eventually, we gave up our search for this clearly elusive black darters and we decided to drive to Titchwell to look for birds instead. On our arrival, we noticed a crowd of people scanning the canopy by the reserve's entrance. They were looking at two juvenile pied flycatchers with a spotted flycatcher joining them. They were constantly flitting about within the dense cover of leaves and I only managed to get a few glimpses of them before they disappeared again. Believe it or not, I have never seen a pied flycatcher before. These birds only pass through Norfolk during their migration to and fro from Africa and Western England and Wales. At this time of year, many of them are juveniles and though these were great to see, I would have loved to see one of them as an adult male in his eye-catching black and white plumage.


Along the way to the Island Hide, we came across another crowd staring at one of the pools beside the path. It wasn't a bird they were looking at this time, though, but a rare dragonfly. Southern migrant hawkers are normally found throughout the Mediterranean, so this hot summer that we are having must make them feel more at home. It is another small blue dragonfly, but this one appeared bigger to me due its fierce territorial loops around the algae covered pool with such speed that it was almost a bluish blur in my vision. Just like the keeled skimmer, this species also have a notable quirk in its body parts. Studying this individual as much as I could through my binoculars, I could just make out the slight downward curve in the abdomen. Not the easiest thing to make out while it was flying around like this, but it was certainly there.

Birds galore!

The freshwater pool outside the Island Hide was like a mosaic of feathered bodies as hundreds of birds of many species covered the pool from one end to the other. They mainly consisted of avocets, godwits, dunlin, ruff, oystercatchers, shelduck and a variety of gulls, including a yellow-legged gull, but there were so many other 'goodies' amongst them too.

Lesser Yellowlegs

Along the reedy edges, bearded tits were showing really well out in the open, but everyone's attention seemed to be on the lesser yellowlegs that was still here, though a bit distant than it has been and it was often hiding amongst the masses of the other waders, adding a bit of confusion now and then. A whimbrel was doing the same, but even further to the back of the pool, while curlew sandpipers were the worst culprits in this ornithological game of hide and seek. At least the group of spoonbills didn't cause any headaches when it came to locating them. When we returned to the car to drive home, we had one last look at the pied flycatchers, not that I would call it much of a look as they were still extremely flighty. So though I failed to see a black darter yet again, it was still a very successful day full of unexpected new things that I've never seen before.

Bearded Tit

Avocet

Ruff

Black-tailed Godwits

Whimbrel (the bird with the curved bill)

Spoonbill

Reed Warbler

Aug 1st Strumpshaw Fen

Red Admiral

After the walk to Strumpshaw from the train station in Brundall early this morning, I decided to keep walking, this time via the Lackford Run entrance. The main reason why was that there had been a couple of great white egrets been reported at Tower Hide since last week, but I also wanted to check on the latest batch of swallowtail caterpillars at the boardwalk area. It was rather wet from the morning's dew that covered every inch of every plant and it appears that if there were any caterpillars they were more than likely hiding away deep within the densest part of the reed bed further down until the dew had evaporated. I felt like I had wasted my time and wished I had went the normal route to the Tower Hide instead.

The Mute Swan family that was in the way!

With failure in finding any caterpillars, I did not turn back the way I came for the drier alternative route, instead I kept on moving through the dew soaked grassed pathway of the long winded Lackford Run. My boots were getting damp and my feet were feeling the moisture seep into my socks, but it was the least of my concern as I encountered a greater obstacle just a few metres around the corner of the boardwalk. A family of mute swans was blocking my path. The two adults raised their heads aloft from their wings as I slowly approached them and their cygnets sleeping behind them. The female was in full hissing mode as I attempted to shimmy along the edge of the right side of the path to get passed her. I really thought she was going to attack me, but I stood my ground and made myself look big. I'm not sure if it really did anything, but somehow I managed to inch passed them without too much trouble. Phew!

I almost stepped in this!!

My feet were now pretty wet by the time I reached the end of the Lackford Run. I sighed in relief to get that part out of the way. However, as I turned the corner to follow the river trail to the Tower Hide, I pulled my foot away from its next step. I almost stepped in something foul without realising it. It was a half eaten corpse of a large fish partly hidden in the grass, most likely left by an otter. If I had stepped in it, I would probably had screamed loudly in horror. A few steps later, I almost did it again. This time it was a decapitated head of a pike! This walk was starting to feel like the stuff of nightmares. There better be great white egrets after all this, I wondered.

A decapitated head of Pike!

View from Tower Hide

Finally, after all the obstacles and wet feet, I was at Tower Hide. Was there an egret? Only little egrets! I waited a bit. Sweat seeped into my eyes stinging them temporally. The heat from my face fogged up the lens of my binoculars, forcing me to wipe them clean continuously. Between wipes, I managed to see that this dried up scene had some good birds on it. Three common sandpipers, a ruff, lapwings, a cormorant, a couple of herons and a snipe made things interesting for a while, but then my prayers were answered. It was brief and I only managed a single bad photo of it, but there it was flying over the horizon of reed beds, a great white egret! Annoyingly though, it vanished, plunged into a section of the reedy sea. But at least I can say that I saw it and the eventful walk was worth it in the end after all.

Little Egret

Great White Egret (honest!)

Cormorant

Lapwing

Gadwall and Ruff

Mute Swan

Grey Heron

Common Sandpiper

Snipe

Stock Dave

Great Crested Grebe

Female Southern Hawker

The Tri-hammock

Thankfully, the walk along the river trail and to Reception Hide was much drier and feet were feeling slightly drier, too. Visitors were already arriving when I entered the hide. As it is now the summer break, the staff here at Strumpshaw has now set up and opened activities in an area of the woodland trail. Though the yurt has been at the reserve for families to use for the last few years, the newest addition, that my colleagues seemed most excited about, was the tri-hammock. This large triangular hammock can hold two adults or one adult and two children or four children at a time. I had a go and as I am a big guy, I felt myself drop alarmingly close to the ground. The worst part was trying to get myself out of it. As well as the hammock and the yurt, families are also encouraged to build nests, shelters or whatever out of logs and to roll logs as well as other activities.

The yurt

Someone made this nest at the family area

One of the other activities that families can do

Silver-washed Fritillary

Just before returning to the Reception Hide from my sneak peek of the family area, I noticed an orange butterfly fluttering around a buddleia bush. It was a silver-washed fritillary! This species are nearing the end of their season and it shows with this individual as it is looking worn and tatty around the edges. Despite this, I'm still happy to see it and so close to the entrance of the reserve, too.

Peacock

Common Darter

Cobber the Black Swan and Little Egrets

Throughout the remainder of my shift, I spent it inside the Reception Hide spilling facts about wildlife out of my brain to families who were interested, including a discussion about exuviae (the discarded skin of a dragonfly as it transforms into a winged adult) to a young girl who brought one in to show us. Outside the hide, three little egrets (not great whites sadly) lounged together by the reedy islands, a kingfisher sat on a reed by the front of the hide but was too quick to leave before I could take a photo of it, swallows and house martins swooped over the broad as they have been for weeks, and there was a last minute appearance of a male Chinese water deer. It has been quite an eventful day!

Chinese Water Deer