Minsmere and our first Cuckoo of the season

We spent Bank Holiday Monday afternoon at RSPB Minsmere, under brooding skies. The photo above shows the scene looking up to the coastguard cottages on Dunwich Heath.

All of a sudden we heard the unmistakable call of the Cuckoo, our first Cuckoo of 2019. What a thrill!

Strangely, it was also the day on which I found my first Cuckoo Flower.



It was lovely to find some sand on the beach...

 

... and I was surprised that there were so few other people about.

There were still Bluebells in the woods.

This plump Chaffinch eyed us up as we sat out, drinking cups of tea. 

All of a sudden he flew off in a flutter of feathers. It was time to see what was about on Island Mere.

There were some large does skirting the woodland path...

... and a small Muntjac, munching away, seemingly unperturbed by our presence. 

We passed small clumps of this tiny pink flower. Is it a kind of Cranesbill, I wonder? (Update... no, it is a Common Storksbill: please see Comments). I have a hunch it likes sandy soils as we have also seen it as NT Sutton Hoo.

This beautiful iridescent Long-horn (moth) was making its way along a stinging nettle, which it shared...

...with this weevil.

There were 'chittering' sounds as we walked up the ramp to the Island Mere hide, but I didn't see any Bearded tits or Reed buntings. We did, however, spot two Marsh Harriers in the distance.



The mere was a swarm of activity: the Cormorant seemed to be watching very hungry migrants (?Swifts) who had recently arrived in vast numbers.

We retraced our steps along the Adder Trail...

...where there were quite a few rabbits (and no snakes in sight - probably too cold for them!).

I don't suppose the Bluebells will still be there on our next visit, but they have been a joy to see.

NT Wicken Fen - Butterflies

Speckled Wood, Wicken Fen Butterfly Trail, 21 April 2018

Well, here at long last is a photo from me!

I have been away on my travels to the Isle of Wight (of which more in a future post), and have been catching up with deadlines since my return. But on Saturday the sun shone and we were lured over to a favourite haunt, NT Wicken Fen near Ely.

I only wish I had been able to take more butterfly photos as, to our delight, we saw the following species:

1] Peacock
2] Orange Tip
3] Brimstone
4] Comma
5] Small Tortoiseshell
6] (Almost certainly a) Holly Blue

The Comma rested with closed wings for a while, but nearly all the butterflies were on the move and very tricky to photograph. I shall post some old photos of these species at the end for those of you who live in places where the species are different.

But first, here is the Comma in a picture taken yesterday (and you can see the white comma):

The biggest surprise was the number of Brimstones on the wing, probably more at one time and in one place than I have seen in my whole life before. It was thrilling to rest on a bench in the Butterfly Trail and just enjoy the flutter of bright yellow and deep cream wings as the insects moved around the foliage.

Butterflies were the predominant creatures on our walk, but they were not the only kind of wildlife by any means. We saw a Muntjac deer, a couple of newts, a Seven-spot Ladybird and lots of water snails. There were two of these ?worms (or worm casts) in the water: I have not been able to ID them yet. And we heard our first 2018 Cuckoo.

I imagine this is a fungus, perhaps of the puffball variety.

I have posted pictures of this ruin before, assuming it was a pumping station or building linked to drainage and water levels: this time there was a sign, proving that my hunch had been entirely incorrect...

The photo below reminds me that after such a long harsh winter, it will soon be dragonfly season ...

The photo below shows a section of my favourite boardwalk, 

with the windpump to the left ...

... and the visitors' centre to the right.

The views of flat fenland seemed wider than ever 

because the reeds were still fairly short, 

so we could see for miles. 

Live and let live? Or is the spider sizing up the ladybird?

Burgeoning spring ... at long last.

It took us a bit of time to get our eye in, but we eventually noticed some movement and linked it to  what I take to be a Caddisfly larva. The peaty water was dark, and seemed especially so in the bright sunshine, so I have ringed the creature in yellow.

There was some movement and this photo was taken a minute or so later.

------------

The butterfly photos below

are OLD PHOTOS,

but they show the butterflies I failed to catch on camera on Saturday.

1] Peacock

2] Orange Tip

3] Brimstone

5] Small Tortoiseshell

6] (Almost certainly a) Holly Blue

And, as mentioned, we also saw the Speckled Wood (picture at top of this post) and the Comma (also pictured earlier in this post, with closed wings; and shown below with open wings in an old photo). 

How lovely to feel that we have well and truly entered the butterfly season. 

Can you help Butterfly Conservation with their first sightings list for 2018?

Autumn at NT Wicken Fen

The promise of late autumn sunshine lured us out
with a picnic lunch to NT Wicken Fen

 for some fresh air, bright colours and wide skies. 

There are two windpumps in the village: 

you can read about the other one here. 

The colour red was represented by berries (above) and leaves (below)...

not forgetting...

rosehips.

The photo above was taken as the light began to fade, but I am posting it because it represents a term, the Duffey heap, that is new to me. A Duffey heap comprises grasses which are known in this fenland area as 'litter'. The grasses are cut in a three year rotation in late summer once they have gone to seed. The harvested litter is then moved from an area of tall herb fen to the corner of the reserve you see in the picture above. These heaps are named after Eric Duffey, who was a regular visitor to the site. You can read a sample of his work here, including his thoughts on the value of these heaps.

Duffey was President of the British Arachnological Society (BAS) from 1969-73. He discovered the magnificent Fen Raft Spider in Suffolk, a species that suffered decline, and is only now coming back a little, thanks to massive conservation initiatives. You can read more about the Fen Raft Spider here, and this linked Dolomedes page, which has a link to my Fen Raft Spider poem.

Back to Wicken Fen, and here we are by the entrance to the reserve. You can take a delightful boat trip along the lode on the Mayfly during summer months, with commentary about the fenland life of eel-catchers and others.

The molehill below may not represent the brightest of autumn shades, 

but just look at the colour of the dark peat soil.

Despite beautiful birdsong, we saw very few birds: 

the sparrows below were hiding in the branches...

This is the fenman's cottage, showing the drooping heads of two sunflowers. 

There were still a few bright orange bursts of marigold in the garden.

The sheds and outhouses hold an array of fenland bits and pieces...

We are still adjusting to the hour change: this was probably only about 4pm...

...but we do love the drama of the wide fenland skies.

More berries...

... and this is one of the few insects we saw today. 

I wonder if it is a species of Longhorn: I shall try to find out.

There were tranquil reflection...

along the lode...

and a beautiful light at times.

I am more of spring-to-summer person,

but I find autumn colours hard to resist...

... and, of course, each season

has its own abundance

of treasure.

Sails and shadows

We saw a couple of Muntjac deer in the distance. 

Here is one of them...

Due to damp ground, some parts of the reserve were fenced off, 

but there was a new section to explore, a woodland walk...

The sign led us past...

...what I imagine may be an old pumping station.

These arches above were presumably for drainage. 

And finally, corvids began to gather as the light faded. 

We enjoyed cups of tea in the gloaming before heading home.

Postscript

In my previous post I mentioned not only the #LostWords from the Oxford Junior Dictionary but also the chance, as part of the Land Lines project, to vote for your #favnaturebook ... There are so many excellent nature books being produced at the moment. In connection with my visit to Wicken Fen, I wanted to mention Cuckoo by Cambridge scientist, Professor Nick Davies. This beautiful and fascinating book is published by Bloomsbury; and many, possibly even most, of the cuckoos between the covers spend part of the year at Wicken Fen.