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18/20C Thursday/Friday 20/21 June 2019 ~A short break in Norfolk for me Thursday and Friday while Dazza is in France having a girlie few days with her mum. Plus a stop on route at Glapthorn Cow Pastures for
Black Hairstreak.
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| One of (14) Black Hairstreaks during my short stay at Glapthorn |
I've been planning to catch up with my mate Theo de Clermont at Holme Dunes Nature Reserve where he's spending the summer as a Warden for a while now and this was a perfect opportunity.
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| Ringed Plover at Holme, Norfolk |
We met in the late afternoon on Thursday after I'd spent a short time at RSPB Titchwell Marsh mid-morning and I was treated to a wonderful tour of the reserve. One of Theo's main duties is overseeing the
Little Tern colony at Holme and I spent a fantastic 90 minutes being driven around the perimeter.
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| Another Ringed Plover at Holme |
Among the nesting Terns which I'm not posting pictures of were
Ringed Plovers and
Oystercatchers and I was lucky enough to get some close-up views, particularly the plovers, which didn't seem at all phased by our presence. Theo tells me that there are currently (30)
Little Terns on site after recent storm disruptions but (84) have been recorded this year on a single day.
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| Spotted Redshank along the access road |
Along the access road to the reserve, the pools had a couple of
Spotted Redshank, almost complete in their dark summer plumage and the meadows held many wildflowers including
Pyramidal,
Early Marsh and
Common Spotted Orchids. I also came across a few species new to me which I'll post photos of at the bottom of the report.
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| Pyramidal Orchid at Holme |
It was a real treat to see
Natterjack Toad tadpoles too which I haven't seen for many years and although the adults may have been around I sadly didn't manage to connect. Also of note at least (10)
Painted Lady Butterflies, which along with the (22) I'd noted at Titchwell earlier another influx year appears to be materialising.
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| View from Snettisham Coastal Park beach |
After dinner, we planned to head off to Dersingham Bog at dusk for
Nightjars but dropped in for a short time while the light faded at Snettisham Coastal Park. The treat here was a couple of
Turtle Doves we came across, which appeared to be displaying, plus the makings of an excellent sunset shouldn't go unnoticed.
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| Nightjars at Dersingham courtesy of Theo |
Dersingham turned out to be an immense treat with at least (6)
Nightjars not ten feet above us churring and wing flapping. I'm not even sure how Theo managed to get a single image of the occasion in the fading light but to achieve what he did was amazing. While here at least (6) roding
Woodcock,
Stonechat, Tawny Owl, and a reeling
Grasshopper Warbler only added to the twilight experience, only tainted by the many annoying midgies!
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| Closer views of the Green-winged Teal at Cley Marshes |
The highlights Friday before heading back late afternoon included my first visit to the impressive North Point Pools at Wells, where (12)
Spoonbills were present. The day ended at Cley with decent views of the
Green-winged Teal on Pat's Pool, where a single
Little Gull was also present.
More Images of an Enjoyable Few Days...
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| One of (12) Spoonbills at North Point Pools, Wells |
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| Bloody-nosed Beetle at RSPB Titchwell boardwalk |
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| Black-tailed Godwit from RSPB Titchwell |
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| Red-crested Pochard at RSPB Titchwell |
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| Early Marsh Orchid Holme Dunes |
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| Black Henbane at Holme |
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| Painted Lady ~ Looks like being another influx year |
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| One of two Spotted Redshank at Holme Dunes |
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| Viper's-Bugloss ~ Seems quite common around the Norfolk reserves |
