karen's country calendar

 As soon as I heard my  husband had a work appointment at Bungay I checked  my diary was free then commissioned a lift  with him as Strumpshaw Fen was only 20 miles away and there were swallowtails flying at the moment. The weather looked a little doubtful with a cool breeze and quite a bit of cloud forecast interspersed with a few sunny spells but I hoped for the best. After the survey appointment followed by refreshments in a nearby garden centre we parked up and I crossed over the railway line to the entrance of the reserve.  Immediately I saw several people with cameras lined up pointing at the small flower bed just in front of the reception area...  a swallowtail  butterfly on the flowers!  However just as I was getting my camera out, it flew off, did a few circles in the air before perching high up on a cherry tree where it decided to remain for the time being,  At that time it was cloudy so I went over to the reception to say that I wa...

 It seems my last post was exactly a year ago with the same almost identical visit to Ouse Fen where I was hoping to see the Great Reed Warbler which was revisiting the site it favoured amongst the reeds last year. There was much bird song to be heard today with sedge warblers singing their hearts out and every so often rising into their display flight, Reed buntings were much in evidence along with a whitethroat, reed warblers, great crested and little grebes and families of greylag goose and coots.  I also saw a couple of cranes in the distance.  However the great reed warbler obviously didnt want to be photographed as it remained with its back towards us at the back of a dense area of reeds although it was announcing its location very vocally, sedge warbler                                                      ...