Wet, wet, wet!

After what seems like weeks of rain, lately very heavy and prolonged, the common is very wet again - which is actually as it should be. The reedbed has standing water, and so does the alder carr around Scouts' Pond. It's been so cold however that not much of any note is around. The first swallow was sighted on 26th April, five days after I had seen them at Ranworth. Today has been much better, and more swallows are in evidence. I also saw a couple of swifts in Norwich today, so let's hope they arrive here soon. Then all we'll need for the birds on the wildlife survey are house martins.

Butterflies have so far also been very few and far between, with only one brimstone qualifying for the survey. So keep your eyes peeled for speckled wood and peacocks.

We now have an email address for anyone to use to submit photographs taken on the common for possible publication on the website: it is sctimages@gmail.com. Please note that Photos will be credited, and will not be sold to third parties, but no payment will be made for any current or future use by Southrepps Commons Trust of images submitted to us. Please restrict the file size of any images you send to a maximum of 4 MB.

Blackcaps singing

It only matches my previous record, rather than beating it, but I heard my first blackcap of the year this morning, on Bramble Lane. At least six chiffchaffs, and the inevitable great tits, wrens, robins, chaffinches, etc., but no more migrants here yet.