matt green
Norfolkman gone walkabout
I had a good walk around Redgrave and Lopham fen yesterday, now being well into spring I was anticipating seeing lots of warblers and other spring/summer migrants and I wasn't to be disappointed!!
Redgrave and Lopham fen is situated on the Norfolk/Suffolk border and is a wetland reserve, the whole area consists of shallow pools and ponds surrounded by reedbeds and wet woodland ~ part of the reserve is also acidic wet heath/mixed grassland so a large variety of birds, insects and plantlife can be found in a relatively small area! As soon as I entered the reedbed areas I could hear lots of calling Reed Buntings, Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, Black Caps and Whitethroat. Other birds heard and seen were a few Linnet along with the more common tits and finches, also a Cuckoo was heard and later seen along the riverside walk. Walking past the riverside and larger drainage ditches the tell tail slither of Grass snakes could be heard as they slip away into the undergrowth, sometimes giving a brief glimpse before disapearing into the grass...on one occasion one could be seen swimming across the water from one side of the bank to the other!!
Before entering the woodland part of the reserve I glanced over to the area known as 'the spider trail' the small ponds are home to the Great Raft spider, one of the largest spiders in the UK!! unfortunately no sightings today..maybe a little too early in the season?
As I made my way to the woodland area lots of butterflies could be seen, not a great expert when it comes to butterfly identification apart from the more common Peacocks, Tortoiseshells and Orange Tips so suggestions for the two below would be appreciated!! One other sighting before I came to the end of my walk was a large group of Large Red Damselflies, very flighty but managed to get one decent record shot out of a dozen!!
One final pat on the head for some of the reserves Tarpan Horses waiting for me at their enclosure fencing, this hardy breed of wild horse make a valuable contribution to managing the grassland areas by keeping down vegetation around the poolside margins and drainage dykes!
All in all a very pleasant few hours wondering around a somewhat underlooked nature reserve in a very picturesque part of Norfolk!!
Matt
Redgrave and Lopham fen is situated on the Norfolk/Suffolk border and is a wetland reserve, the whole area consists of shallow pools and ponds surrounded by reedbeds and wet woodland ~ part of the reserve is also acidic wet heath/mixed grassland so a large variety of birds, insects and plantlife can be found in a relatively small area! As soon as I entered the reedbed areas I could hear lots of calling Reed Buntings, Sedge Warblers, Reed Warblers, Black Caps and Whitethroat. Other birds heard and seen were a few Linnet along with the more common tits and finches, also a Cuckoo was heard and later seen along the riverside walk. Walking past the riverside and larger drainage ditches the tell tail slither of Grass snakes could be heard as they slip away into the undergrowth, sometimes giving a brief glimpse before disapearing into the grass...on one occasion one could be seen swimming across the water from one side of the bank to the other!!
Before entering the woodland part of the reserve I glanced over to the area known as 'the spider trail' the small ponds are home to the Great Raft spider, one of the largest spiders in the UK!! unfortunately no sightings today..maybe a little too early in the season?
As I made my way to the woodland area lots of butterflies could be seen, not a great expert when it comes to butterfly identification apart from the more common Peacocks, Tortoiseshells and Orange Tips so suggestions for the two below would be appreciated!! One other sighting before I came to the end of my walk was a large group of Large Red Damselflies, very flighty but managed to get one decent record shot out of a dozen!!
One final pat on the head for some of the reserves Tarpan Horses waiting for me at their enclosure fencing, this hardy breed of wild horse make a valuable contribution to managing the grassland areas by keeping down vegetation around the poolside margins and drainage dykes!
All in all a very pleasant few hours wondering around a somewhat underlooked nature reserve in a very picturesque part of Norfolk!!
Matt
