DAVID'S NATURE BLOG

31 JULY 2024 – MINSMERE

This was my first outing with John and Mike since out trip to Cambridgeshire on 21 May, and although I hadn’t fully recovered from a heavy cough, I was determined not to miss out on whatever goodies were on the cards for us; and with Minsmere being what it is, I was as certain as I could be that we were going to have a really good day. Pick-up was to be 0745 hrs from my house. The only possible downside was going to be the predicted hot weather. But we would just have to manage that as best we could.

We were lucky with the traffic and got to our first port of call - Westleton Heath - at around 9.45 hrs where we saw quite a few Grayling butterflies along one of the sandy trails. Small Skipper; Meadow Browns; Gatekeepers; Small Heath and Small Copper Butterflies soon followed, together with a juvenile Northern Wheatear, which Mike spotted flying overhead, and encountered again on the ground, in a deep depression, amassed with colourful heather and Ling. Several family parties of Stonechats were also seen, with a lone Marsh Harrier and a Common Buzzard being the only raptor species. Finally, John found a singleton Common Blue Butterfly – the first any of us had seen this year. Regrettably, we missed out on seeing Stone Curlews; Woodlark, and Dartford Warblers that we saw here in September 2023, and this time there was no juvenile Honey Buzzard to wow us!

Then, on to Minsmere. On the way to the reserve, we stopped off at a protected site where Stone Curlews had bred successfully I recent years, and sure enough a pair were soon discovered giving good binocular and scope views, in the excellent morning light. Where we parked the car somehow seemed to attract dragonflies, including a couple of Brown Hawkers; a single Black-tailed Skimmer; two or three Common Darters; as well as several colourful Hornets.

Through the Tourist Centre (where we showed our RSPB membership cards) we made our way to the Dragonfly Ponds. Immediately on the way there was considerable dragonfly activity in sharp contrast to the almost wholesale lack of butterflies, where flowering Buddleia held just one or two Peacocks and Red Admirals. At least one (green-eyed) Norfolk Hawker was seen, along with several Migrant Hawkers; Southern Hawkers and Common Darters - but once at the ponds the dragonfly activity soared to new heights and was simply wonderful to observe.

There were more Emerald Damselflies here that we’d ever experienced; together with Blue-tailed Damselflies; both Large Red-eyed and Small Red-eyed Damselflies (although in very small numbers); both Azure and Common Damselflies. More Southern Hawkers, with a female Emperor Dragonfly ovipositing, and the male in close attendance, protecting her. One or two female Brown Hawkers were ovipositing too. I missed a Grass Snake seen to swim across the main pond but was right on hand when a Water Vole ( as always, a real cutey) was discovered munching on reed stalks; and it didn’t seem to mind having half-a dozen or so pairs of eyes - and my camera - watching its every move. Further along, in Digger Alley (so named because several species of mining bee can be seen there) I found a male Brown Argus butterfly - mine and Mike’s first for the year.

It was at this point when I seemed to run out of energy, so John and Mike continued out to the coastal path where we’d planned to be reunited at the newly refurbished East Hide after I’d made my way there slowly …………………….. very slowly as it happens!!

In my view, there wasn’t a great deal of bird activity out on The Scrape, but eventually (though separately, as John and Mike were coming away just as I was arriving at the hide) some interesting species were seen. These included a couple of Greenshank; up to 15 or so Spotted Redshank; 4 Spoonbills; about 100 Avocets; 10 Barnacle Geese; a lone Egyptian Goose; 2 Shelduck; 2 Little Ringed Plover; maybe 50 Black-tailed Godwits; a couple of Common Sandpipers (although John and Mike saw a Green Sandpiper and a Wood Sandpiper too); a juvenile Kittiwake in flight; and a fly-by Whimbrel, along with a miscellany of the more common birds. Raptors were all very distant birds and included a couple of Marsh Harriers; a probable Eurasian Buzzard; a Kestrel and a Hobby.

Because of the heat (something approaching 30 degrees C) and the fact that we all wanted to visit the woodland areas north of the Visitor Centre, in an attempt to see more specialist butterfly species, we turned back, and that meant a long, hard slog (for me at any rate) along the beach, although a cooling NE breeze made that a little easier (where John picked up a large flotilla of Common Scoter out on the sea, a long, long way off amongst the waves). We were certainly cutting it fine, because it was already 1430 hrs as we set off for the Centre once more.

John went on ahead because he wanted to get some eats at the Centre café, whilst Mike and I took another look at the dragonfly ponds, where at least one male Southern Hawker was getting almost too familiar with the public by whizzing as close as it dared along the walkway. But here we obtained better and closer views of both Red-eyed and Small Red-eyed Damselflies, including views of pairs in tandem, where comparisons with each species were relatively clear to see.

Once into the woodland – comprising almost entirely deciduous trees - it was a real treat to walk along the shaded, grassy ‘butterfly trail’ all the time looking for butterflies over the high bracken fronds. But we had to go quite a way before the familiar sight of the bold, bouncing flight of a Silver-washed Fritillary came into view, and it was an exciting experience for all of us. From then on, the fritillaries came more and more into the fore, peaking at c20 or so individuals (although disappointingly, not one was in pristine condition). Other species included several Ringlets and Gatekeepers; Peacocks; Red Admirals; a Comma or two; and a Large Skipper. I got a bit overexcited as Mike found a female Lesser Stag Beetle, the first I’d seen anywhere - so I simply had to get a photograph, and the insect duly obliged; pity no males were seen.(with thanks to Stephen Patmore for identifying the species from my photograph).

Dragonflies in the woodland were obvious indeed, especially Southern Hawkers, which continued to ‘buzz’ so close, one could almost reach out and touch them. Common Darters were almost profuse, and we gained a glimpse of a Ruddy Darter, identified purely from the cherry-coloured eyes as the head was the only part of the insect showing as it alighted for a short period on a bramble, before flying off.

One species of butterfly had sadly eluded us thus far - the White Admiral - but, just as we were about to call it a day, Mike’s eagle eyes spotted something good over my head, and as it alighted on a low Oak branch, I confirmed that it was indeed our particular quarry, although it didn’t stay there for long before it was off again - a strong, direct flight pattern, until it landed lower down on a frond of bracken, and we were able to satiate our appetites for this simply stunning insect. It was a good end to a truly memorable day; a day completely immersed in Nature - which did our well-being so much good.