And the Sun Shone

Finally, after days of incessant wind and rain, a decent day came along today. Warm and bright, a completely different feel from the last week or two. Not that there hadn't been anything to see. Friday 27th  brought a nightingale singing at Boughton Fen - hurrah! - back in the traditional site of the blackthorn on the corner. Also a grasshopper warb reeling away there, Cetti's on the other side of the Cut... Plus otter spraint (located by faithful hound Roger, who rolled in it) and two common terns. Cuckoo also - again, showing well. Back at Boughton again on Sun 29th, nightingale again singing and three grasshopper warbs no less. Plus a fantastic male redstart! Nice male bullfinch too. Sun - butterflies, so off this afternoon with Sue P to Cranwich for some survey work. Plenty of butts, including speckled wood, holly blue and comma, lots of orange tips and brimstones too, and a great fox. On arrival had tumbled across Breckland special moth, the oblique striped, and towards the end had a fabulous sighting of a spider wasp (Anolius viaticus) carrying its anaesthetised spider across a sandy bank!! Amazing. A balmy (ish) evening, so back to Boughton Fen for a brief blast of nightingale (same place) and two cute wheatears on the field across the lane. Then down to Stoke Ferry and the Cut-off Channel in search of more nightingales - nothing at first, although saw first whitethroat and swift of the year, and plenty of song thrushes in fine voice. Prowled around towards what's known as Stoke Ferry Common, where the habitat didn't look quite right and we were right next to a rubbish dump, when.... Off one went! A very good songster, lots of nice lead-in whistling and machine gun effects. Then suddenly a nightingale shot across in front of us into the hedge opposite. Imagined it to be a female, attracted by the singing. Oh no - it then started singing and suddenly all hell broke out, as the two males chased each other around. Great stuff, and so good to know that we have nightingales again within 15mins of the house, after last year's blank.

Pics of the day, as below: ladybirds gettin' it on; section of Methwold Warren bank; Field mouse-ear (and NOT stitchwort); speckled wood.