Wildlife in the Ruins (or a grey Bank Holiday in the Thetford Area)

We had been waiting for some time for the 'right kind of day' on which to revisit the Thetford area. Bank Holiday Monday proved just such a day, with short sunny intervals, even shorter showers and a good deal of fair, if grey, weather.

Our first stop was the site of the Priory, founded 1103 or 4, and belonging to the Cluniac order of monks. The remains are in the care of English Heritage. We made our way to the magnificent Gate House, which dates from the 14th century, and were met by the three avian residents you can see in the photo above. I have been trying to ascertain whether the 'white pigeons' are simply that - white pigeons - or whether, perhaps, they are fantails. According to this thread on the RSPB site, they are descendants of the Rock Dove. Feral pigeons are descendants of what has long been known as the Rock Dove. Does this fact make these white pigeons 'feral' doves? I am not sure. But wait, there is an issue with the name 'Rock Dove': do take a look here in the pigeon and dove section of the IOC World Bird List site. 


Above: the pigeons in situ.

The magnificent flint-faced Gate House

 A close-up of the flint, and you can see where strands of ivy have been removed (or in this case, left). Thetford is not far from Grimes Graves, and is a good location for flint.

You can see that we were under rather a dark cloud at this point, but this photo gives a good impression of the extensive remains of the Priory.

You can read more about the Howard family here.

 

The photo above shows the Priory end of the site and the one below is from the spacious prior's lodging.

I went inside the walls of the prior's residence and noticed a corner of wildflowers growing out of the wall. I don't know whether this suggests that this corner is a damp one or whether, perhaps, it is a favourite haunt of wild birds who deposit seeds.

In any case, I was soon aware that there were two bright Blackbird eyes...

... staring down at me. The bird's bill was stuffed full of insects. I left him to his prize catch, not knowing whether male Blackbirds feed the female while she is nesting, though I never saw or heard a hint of another bird in this area. [After note: I have now been able to look up the habits of breeding Blackbirds, and it appears that while only the female sits on the nest, her mate will assist with food finding. Of course, I have no idea whether this particular bird was feeding himself or a family...].

* * *

By this time it was 1 o'clock, so we moved on to the next site - which was half a mile away, if that. The ruined Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Thetford is currently undergoing some restoration, as you can see from the photo below. The nave dates from the 12th century, and at some point after the nearby priory (see above) was dissolved in 1536, this particular church fell into use as a barn. I have only found three other UK churches with this dedication or foundation, including the Round Church in Cambridge.

According to the English heritage board, the rounded structure below is an added 19th century grotto, built as part of an ornamental garden feature. How unusual. You can read more about the church here on the Historic England site.

I looked about on the ground and noticed an empty snail shell. There was only one, so the adjacent flints may not have been in use as a regular anvil for a Song Thrush, but they would have served a useful purpose on this occasion at any rate. 

We were being watched from above, and it is possible that this bird had dropped the snail from a height. Song thrushes bang away at their 'anvils' on the ground whereas Carrion Crows and some other corvids prefer to drop a mollusc shell from a height.

It was time for a picnic lunch so we drove a few miles out of town on to the heath in the heart of the Brecks. The soil is sandy here and ideal for the families that were using the bike trails through the adjoining forest.

David and I found several caches of overwintering ladybirds, sadly all Harlequins. I shall add these to the UK Ladybird survey. But to end this section on a happier note, I am pleased to report that both my recent North Norfolk ladybird IDs have been assessed on iRecord and confirmed. One of the species was a (small) Kidney-spot and the other a (large) Eyed Ladybird - both UK species.

We moved on to Knettishall Heath after our picnic, a wildife area in the care of the Suffolk Wldlife Trust. This will be the focus of my next post, and it will include - you guessed - the sighting of another UK ladybird species. 

Over-wintering Harlequin Ladybirds (and in the two photos below)

Three Days in North Norfolk - 1

At Morston Quay, with Blakeney Point out to the left

We returned from North Norfolk a couple of days ago after a glorious time around the coast. There is so much wildlife in the area: we counted 45+ species of bird and had several encounters with animals. It was good to see a few insects emerging. I took (too) many photos so will save some for the next post. As you can see, the weather was bright at times, though often chilly. The National Trust photo here gives a good impression of the landscape.

The path to Arnold's Marsh, NWT Cley

The Norfolk Wildlife Trust centre at Cley is always a favourite destination. The sea is just beyond the ridge.

Morston Quay, looking back to Blakeney

The North Norfolk skyline is peppered with towers, spires and masts.

The light may be intoxicating at times but the soundscape is compelling, too. We enjoyed the heady mix of Skylark song, Oystercatcher calls and the occasional Curlew.


...

Morston Quay

There were plenty of waders in the mudflats, including Redshank. 

The view from Morston Quay

The blue building in the distance is the Blakeney Point Visitor Centre...

A bit of camera-shake, but it gives a good impression

... It was built in 1898 and was originally a lifeboat station. 

Blakeney Point

Once again, a good zoom was needed; but my record shot shows the Watch House, which had previous lives as a Customs and Excise lookout (yes, there was smuggling activity along this coast) and later as an official coastguard station.

Back in Cley, just along the coast, there were good numbers of Little Egrets. I recall seeing these birds for the first time some 26 years ago when we first arrived in Swansea. I believe (if my memory serves me correctly) that they were all or mostly migrant visitors at that stage. These days many of them breed in the UK and live here all year round.

It is always hard to drag oneself away from the Cley area, but we had other sites on our agenda, including a first visit to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust site of Holme Dunes, along the coast in a westerly direction. This beautiful coastline hugs the Wash, and is wild, windswept and a very fragile environment.

Holme

You can see the attempts to slow down the effects of coastal erosion...

... and although this could hardly be a more different setting, I was reminded of that evocative line by Keats in Ozymandias, 

'the lone and level sands stretch far away...'

We saw a few Ringed Plovers on the beach, and plenty of evidence of bird life in the empty shells that were scattered along the tideline.

NWT Holm Dunes, Norfolk

The photo above fails to do justice to a remarkable boardwalk, but you can just make out the ridge on which it stands. David is looking east towards Burnham Overy and Brancaster (with its Saxon Shore fort remains). The Wash is away to his left.

To our surprise and delight, we found a reserve within a reserve, and we enjoyed visiting the NOA hides and looking at the ringing nets. There were charms of Goldfinches in the trees, and quite a few Linnets, too. There were Pink-footed Geese nestling in the grassy areas - and a few Lapwing doing their aerial acrobatics.

Insect (thanks to iSpot, probably a St Mark's Fly, St Mark's Day being 25 April)
in spider's web attached to a bird hide, NOA Observatory reserve at Holme

I mentioned insects, and there were plenty of these strange black ones in the air. It must have been their time for hatching out. I will try and get an identification. We saw them at Cley and Holme.

As we left the nature reserves at Holme we noticed a number of caterpillar tents. They are aleways interesting to see.

We encountered this unusual pair of Mallards at the approach to the beach in Snettisham, another excellent birding spot on The Wash. Mallards, of course, are renowned for their hybridising partnerships (and are sometimes known as 'manky Mallards'), so perhaps these ducks were not so unusual after all.

 We knew that Snettisham was a good place for waders, 

 and as you can see, we were not disappointed.

There were also a few Shelduck and Oystercatchers around.

You can see the vast mudflats around this part of The Wash. From Holme we thought we caught a glimpse of the famous 'Boston Stump' across the vast expanse of water.

Folk at the RSPB Wildlife Fair in Norfolk last year had recommended the Hawk and Owl Trust reserve at Sculthorpe Moor, so we felt it was time to pay it a visit. The boardwalks were long and well maintained.

Sculthorpe Moor, near Fakenham

There were signs of spring everywhere, including out on the water. This was one of a clutch of nine Mallard ducklings.

More insects - above and below - and both species in need of identification. I will add in the names if the kind people on iSpot are able to help.

It was good to see tadpoles...

I am more familiar with ladybirds, and it was good to see our first 2017 Kidney-spot ladybird on the trunk of a tree.

David produced his measuring card, and I will log the ladybird's details on the UK Ladybird Survey site.

We did not see any moles, but there were some new mole heaps about. We also noticed a huge mole fortress, something quite new to me.

This little chap (too small for a rat) was scampering below a bird feeder...

The creature was incredibly nimble and I kept missing a good (photo) shot.

Missed again - just a couple of golden-brown ears!

This was an impressive hide!

Our sightings at Sculthorpe Moor included Reed Bunting (above), Bullfinch and Nuthatch.

More woolly than wild, but we enjoyed watching these Suffolk (or Suffolk-cross) sheep.

More tadpoles!

We had good sightings of Sedge Warbler at Cley and Sculthorpe...

There were a few pairs of Teal at Cley: I love that iridescent splash of emerald on the female!

Wells - for waterfront fish and chips!

A seal of sorts... (unfortunately the seal boats were not accessible)

Part 2 to follow... but for an account of the birding scene in this area
by someone who knows his species far better than we do,
why not click here to visit Adam Tilt's blog
and share his North Norfolk adventures.