Damsels, not dragons

On a quick spin across the common this afternoon I wondered if there might be any dragonflies about, especially at Scouts' Pond. The answer was a resounding NO, although there were large numbers of those common blue damselflies you find everywhere. There was a dragonfly in the garden later on though, so they must be about.

The birdsong is starting to fade away now; a few desultory chiffchaffs and a couple of half-hearted blackcaps, and one reed warbler still going strong, was about the extent of it.

Mole, out of hole

I found this quite sizeable, but dead, mole on the way into the recently cut School Meadow. Apart from a slight mark on its back there was no obvious sign of why it died, but I assume an owl or fox are the prime suspects.

A bit further on, at Scouts' Pond the flag irises are now in flower, and I'm quite pleased with this picture of a bee just leaving one of them. Nothing much else to report there at the moment; certainly no dragonflies yet.

On the common itself there were at least two reed buntings singing, and still one reed warbler. Took loads of pictures of a bunting near Warren Road, but none of them turned out particularly well.

I am however not too displeased with this whitethroat, which was in the field above Pit Common.

Three juvenile moorhens on the Pit, expressing some alarm about a cat that was prowling around. Let's hope the moggy went hungry!

Flowers etc

Good to see in this morning's sunshine that the ragged robin, orchids and cotton grass is coming into flower.

Still very few butterflies - there were a couple of white ones about, and some speckled woods in Warren Woods, but otherwise not much else.

On the birds front, good to hear the reed warbler still going strong, and I heard a whitethroat for the first time this year (on the common, that is). Lots of blackcaps (I counted 6) and several chiffchaffs, but sadly still no willow warbler. This species has gone into a steep decline, and I fear we won't be hearing its lazy summer song on the common this year. And no cuckoos either.

At least there are still at least two young moorhens on the Pit. And I'm seeing more house martins than I have done for a couple of years (one of the wildlife survey species don't forget).

Deer seem to be proliferating; I had a good view of a muntjac on School Common this morning, and took this

last week at Scouts' Pond. Other people are reporting more frequent sightings of Chinese water deer and Roe deer.

Moorhens up trees and on the water

Last Saturday was a day for moorhens. The first one I found was at Scouts' Pond: nothing very remarkable in that, except I only found it because I heard a lot of crashing around about 10 feet up a spindly alder tree. The crashing was caused by a moorhen climbing where I didn't realise moorhens climb. I got the impression it was feeding, rather than just hiding unsuccessfully. It was hiding enough however to prevent its picture from being taken.

No such shyness on the Pit, where one adult was looking after 5 young chicks. I suppose some at least will be flattened by passing traffic as happens every year, but let's hope some survive.

At last there are some more records coming in of swifts and swallows. No house martins on the common yet, but I did have one fly over my house today. No cuckoo for the common, but one was heard behind Warren Woods the other day. We're getting a smattering of butterfly records, including our first peacock of the year. If only it would warm up, we might get some more!

Reedbed birds at last, and some butterflies

I took advantage of the long weekend to get up early today and take in the dawn chorus. It was not bad (how could it be?), but it was cold, and the sky was overcast so light remained poor for photography. School Common was loud with wren, chiffchaff, blackcap, blackbird and of course, wood pigeons. Nonetheless I confess to feeling a little let down. However, on reaching the reedbed I realised that I could at last hear a reed warbler, and more faintly, a reed bunting.

Carrying on toward the Pit, I discovered a swallow sitting on the cables above Pit Street. In view of the light, this is hardly the best shot ever published of a swallow, but it's just nice to see them back in such a cold, wet spring.

Yesterday I took my usual tour of the common, taking my monthly record shots at 16 locations. It was fund to find the School's deer made from willow. Apparently it's still a work in progress, which the children are loving doing. I was very taken with it, and it made up for a) losing my pencil and b) being menaced by a Weimeraner, who seemed to be all bluster, thankfully.

I wasn't impressed to discover a pile of grass clippings that some kind soul had dumped in School Common. Let's hope it's a one-off.

The other good thing about Saturday was finding my first speckled wood butterfly of the year (one for the survey), and also at least one orange tip. No sign of any peacocks though, and only one report of a brimstone.

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.