Blackbirds

The one young Blackbird in the garden I know about still doing fine when I looked in the morning. Couldn't find it or the female when I came home later.

Blackbirds

Seemed to spend half the day looking after the two young Blackbirds that were nesting above the conservatory door, one of whom had come out of the nest way too early and the other being somewhat neglected by the lone female who was mainly concentrating on the one on the ground in the garden. In that there was a danger of losing both (one to the cat and the other to starvation), I made the decision to try to put the one on the ground back in the nest. Possibly not the best plan as when putting the one in, the other came out. After several goes, and with the birds becoming distressed, I thought it best to leave them, with just one in the nest (which later came out).

At the end of the day I was fairly sure she still had two, as the one I could see seemed to be attended to only about half her time. At dusk, the bird was safely roosting quite high in a tree and well hidden. I let the cat out for an hour after dark.

Blackbirds

The two Blackbirds nesting above the conservatory doing fine at the moment, thanks to the lone female.



Fowlmere first thing was fairly dull.

Fowlmere
29 July 2016 07:15 - 08:53
Patchy cloud 21C 11SW
Greylag Goose, Tufted Duck, Pheasant (heard), Little Grebe, Sparrowhawk, Water Rail (heard), Moorhen, Lapwing, Stock Dove, Woodpigeon, Turtle Dove, Barn Owl, Swift, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, House Martin, Long-tailed Tit, Blackcap, Treecreeper (heard), Wren, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Dunnock, Chaffinch, Linnet, Bullfinch (heard), Reed Bunting, Corn Bunting, Peacock, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Black-tailed Skimmer

Home

Found a Ruby Tiger in the bathroom. This was the very first moth I caught when I began trapping. A long time since I've seen one.



Swifts are still around but begining to reduce in number I think. House Sparrows have taken over the Swifts nest hole. Single-mum Blackbird has two chicks which seem to be doing fine at the moment.

Orchids in Norfolk

Went with Michelle  to Norfolk on a gloriously sunny day to look for Orchids. First stop was just just Santon Downham just on the Norfolk side of the border in Thetford Forest for Broad-leaved Helleborine. Just here by the railway underpass...





Then on to Holkham for Creeping Lady's Tresses. Managed to find it this year, thanks to a six figure grid reference and the plants being roped off!



Near by were Southern Marsh-orchids and (going over) Marsh Helleborines...



Then a quick look in at Titchwell where two Spotted Redshanks, a summer-plumaged Little Stint and five summer-plumaged Curlew Sandpipers were the  highlights among the numerous summer-plumaged Black-tailed Godwits and other waders. Five Bearded Tits and a Peregrine were also seen.

Santon Downham
24 July 2016 09:53 - 12:09
Sunny 27C 4S
Green Woodpecker, Blue Tit (heard), Great Tit (heard), Chiffchaff (heard), Blackcap (heard), Treecreeper, Chaffinch (heard), Greenfinch (heard), Linnet, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Peacock, Comma, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Broad-leaved Helleborine

Holkham
24 July 2016 14:20 - 17:16
Sunny 27 4S
Cormorant, Little Egret, Sparrowhawk, Black-headed Gull, Woodpigeon, Coal Tit (heard), Swallow, House Martin, Large White, Meadow Brown, Marsh Helleborine, Creeping Lady's-tresses, Southern Marsh-orchid

Titchwell
24 July 2016 17:52 - 19:15
Overcast 19C 4S
Greylag Goose, Shelduck, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Cormorant, Great Crested Grebe, Marsh Harrier, Peregrine, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Ringed Plover, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Little Stint, Spotted Redshank, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Bearded Tit, Skylark, Swallow, Long-tailed Tit (heard), Starling, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit (heard), Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Reed Bunting, Red Admiral, Canada Goose

Edit (25/07/2016): I think the Marsh Orchids (at least the one I photographed) is Early Marsh, not Southern.

Home

The single-mum Blackbird was busy feeding her young all day just above the conservatory door. Poor girl must be quite exhausted.



A Red Kite flew over and this Parhelophilus versicolor was seen...

Hot hot hot

To hot even for the cows at Fowlmere...



Birds very quiet as would be expected, but a disapointingly small number of dragonflies despite the sun (33C!) either at Fowlmere or in the Botanic Gardens earlier. Anecdotal, but I think they're really struggling this year.

Cambridge Botanic Gardens
19 July 2016 12:34 - 13:31
Sunny 33C 8S
Woodpigeon, Swift, Coal Tit (heard), Blackbird (heard), Robin (heard), Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Meadow Brown, Azure Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Brown Hawker, Emperor Dragonfly

Fowlmere
19 July 2016 17:05 - 18:40
Sunny 30C 8SSW
Greylag Goose, Canada Goose, Tufted Duck, Grey Heron, Hobby, Moorhen, Lapwing, Woodpigeon, Turtle Dove (heard), Swift, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit (heard), Great Tit (heard), Swallow, Long-tailed Tit (heard), Chiffchaff (heard), Blackcap, Sedge Warbler (heard), Reed Warbler, Wren, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin (heard), Dunnock (heard), Pied Wagtail (heard), Chaffinch (heard), Linnet, Reed Bunting, Corn Bunting, Rabbit, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Banded Demoiselle, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Emperor Dragonfly, Black-tailed Skimmer