BRECKLAND: Mezereon and a Rookery

2nd April 2023

One of my target species for the spring was to see a pink-flowered plant called Mezereon, so we headed down to the Brecks and Weeting Heath, where thanks to some good directions we found quite a bit of it. The unexpected highlight was the rookery, which is stretched out either side of one of the paths. Rooks are one of our favourite birds (there is a picture of one up in the house!) and it was great to look up and see them wheeling overhead as they swooped down onto their nests. We also found several eggshells on the path, allowing us to get a close up view of an egg you would normally only see if you were in the treetops.

YARE VALLEY: Buckenham Carr March fungus foray

18th March 2023

My first Norfolk Fungus Study Group foray of the year saw the group return to Buckenham Carrs, a recent NNNS research project site. Whilst walking around the site multiple Chiffchaffs were singing, a Barn Owl flew silently over Buckenham Broad and in the distance Cranes were calling. I saw quite a few new species of fungi, but annoyingly I only got a poor record shot of the most pleasing one, Ruby Elf Cup (Sarcoscypha coccinea). In Norfolk we have two species of red elf cup, both almost identical to the eye but separable with care under the microscope. All of the ones I have checked, and most in the county in general are Sarcoscypha austriaca, so when we saw some I assumed that is what they would be. Fortunately Steve took one away to check and discovered that it was S. coccinea. Other highlights included Poplar Bell (Schizophyllum amplum), the second Norfolk record of Moss Ear (Chromocyphella muscicola), Thyronectria sinoptica on Ivy and Mollisia amenticola on Alder cones.

Ruby Elf Cup

Moss Ear

Mollisia amenticola

Poplar Bell

Thyronectria synoptica

WHITLINGHAM: March WeBS count

12th March 2023

The avian highlight of the March WeBS count was probably displaying Great Crested Grebes, although given the low numbers of Pochard in recent winters 8 of them wasn't to be snuffed at either. Whilst scanning trees on the meadows in the vain hope of seeing an owl perched up I noticed some Mistletoe in the Lime trees, the first time I'd seen it hear (although some is visible north of the river at Thorpe St Andrew). The Coltsfoot was in flower and I also noticed an as yet unidentified fungus on willow buds.

BROADLAND: Hickling pony checks

11th March 2023

I took my eldest daughter to Hickling for a Wildlife Watch event to see the ponies. As well as tracking down and visiting the Koniks, the group looked for tracks and signs, such as the poo of Red Deer and Chinese Water Deer. We heard and saw several Cranes, heard Bearded Tits and on the way back got excellent views of an Adder basking by the path.

NORWICH: Wensum Park clearance

Early March 2023

Random observations from the start of the month included a Muntjac Deer in Train Wood (I've seen them in Earlham and Rosary Cemeteries but not in Train Wood before) and a Mistle Thrush in Wensum Park one morning. The woodland area at Wensum Park underwent some quite drastic clearance, but all as part of a plan with the Norwich Fringe Project, which includes a new path and planting of a mixture of native trees. On the 3rd a brood of Egyptian Geese were watched walking in front of the diggers. fortunately they had fledged in time (this species nests in trees early in the year). Unfortunately a few days later they were down to two goslings, and the week after there were none.

NORWICH: Sweetbriar Marsh northern edge

25th February 2023

A rainy weekend, but to get out of the house for an hour or so I popped down to Sweetbriar Marshes. As the NWT land hasn't been opened to the public yet I made do with walking along the Marriott's Way edge, hearing a drone overhead presumably taking some pictures or doing some mapping. One patch of the bank up to the new land looked quite interesting, with a big patch of Bank Haircap moss and Bifid Crestwort. I also saw some Broom on sandy ground next to a path leading north away from the site. I had a look at it hoping for some psyllids, which I am now more actively searching for, not finding any but seeing the weevil Andrion regenstienense and the spider Mangora acalypha. I think the latter is a new 10km square record.

WHITLINGHAM: Lots of Little Egrets and a new psyllid

19th February 2023

Highlight of the February WeBS count was seeing 9 Little Egrets, a new record count for me. There were three roosting on the Little Broad plus one active bird, then another four roosting on the Great Broad with another one further along. A redhead Goosander was also of note, and a Coal Tit was singing alongside the path. I also got amazingly close up views of an Otter, having noticed it a few feet away before it saw me, and managed to find my first Spanioneura fonscolombii, a psyllid associated with Box.

SUFFOLK: Minsmere lichenicolous fungi

Mid-February 2023

We went on a family visit to Minsmere, the highlight of which was a new micro-moth for me - Heath Button (Acleris hyemana). Other than that I also noted a few lichenicolous fungi, Erythricium aurantiacum, Laetisaria lichenicola and Xanthoriicola physciae.

FENLAND: Welney swan feed

Mid February 2023

We headed out to the edge of the fens for a family trip to Welney, timed to see the midday swan feed. If you've never been there is a large, heated hide set up to provide views out over the flooded fenland, providing close-up views of Whooper Swans (the shyer Bewick's Swans are often visible in fields on the approach road but seldom come in for the feed) and large numbers of Pochard. Some species new for the year included Pintail, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit and Cattle Egret, although the Tree Sparrows weren't on the feeders when we were looking.

After lunch we went for a brief walk along to some of the other hides. We had a look at some Xanthoria/Caloplaca lichens, searched unsuccessfully for Mousetail and saw a few invertebrates. These included Water Ladybird, the larva of Endothenia gentianeana/marginata in an old Teasel seedhead (you have to examine them closely to see if they have a feature called an anal comb - I didn't) and cases of a snail - Bithynia tentaculata I think.

NORTH NORFOLK: Cley Spy Long-eared Owl

Mid February 2023

A Long-eared Owl had been roosting out in the open at Glandford for well over a month, but it's appearances were unpredictable and other commitments meant I'd not manged to see it until February. We all went and it was great to be able to show my daughter such a stunning bird. Thanks of course to the staff at Cley Spy for providing updates on when the bird was present and allowing access to their garden so that it could be viewed from a safe distance without disturbing it. Sadly at the time of writing (early March) a dead Long-eared Owl was found along a nearby road, which seems likely to have been the same bird. This was my fourth owl species seen in the 'Cley square' - the missing one being Little Owl.

NORWICH: February lichen, moss and aphids

Early February 2023

A few random sightings whilst walking around Norwich. In Wensum Park I had a closer look at some pale 'splats' on the concrete step handrails and think that the lichen involved is Aspicilia calcarea, which would be a new one for me. I hunted around for two of Leif Bersweden's 'Couch to 10 mosses' species - Common Tamarisk Moss (Thuidium tamariscinum) and Springy Turf Moss (Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus). I couldn't find the former, which is more associated with woodland, but did manage to find the latter in St Augustine's Churchyard. Whilst looking for the tamarisk moss I did find lots of Common Feather-moss (Kindbergia praelongia). Back at home some aphids had started to appear on the outside of the house. The small ones were Cinara tujafilina (this is a species associated with cypresses - I mistakenly thought these were Cinara cupressi nymphs when I first saw them last year) and some very large (for aphids) Cinara confinis.