RSPB Minsmere: Green Hairstreak and Other Delights

Green Hairstreak butterfly. We saw two of these.

The sun finally put in an appearance this last Thursday, and we headed off to Minsmere with a picnic lunch. This small selection of photos will perhaps give an indication of the wide variety of species that co-exist on the site, despite the proximity to the new and controversial Sizewell C site.  

We noticed our first Large Red Damselfly of 2024 in our garden yesterday. We didn't see any red ones at Minsmere, but we spotted this rather fine Blue-tailed Damselfly in the pond below the visitors' centre.

 

There were a couple of terns at the water's edge. Is this a Common Tern? I believe this is its breeding plumage; but, as ever, please correct me by leaving a comment.

 

 

It is always a joy to see the unmistakable Avocet, the bird on the RSPB logo.

 

 

I think this is a Sedge Warbler. The new boardwalk was alive with birdsong. 

 

 

The photograph above (complete with Spider Crab, presumably the result of somebody's beach-combing activity) shows the seaward extremity of the Minsmere site, with the Dunwich Heath coastguard cottages up on the northern rise in the distance. 

 

 

Yes, it's definitely breeding season! 

 

 

We passed signs informing us that the Minsmere adders were waking up. We did not see any snakes on this occasion, but we saw a couple of Common Lizards. Just as we turned to head back to the Visitors' Centre, a Bittern flew over the reedbeds, too quick to catch on camera, but a joy to behold.

 

Suffolk Wildlife Trust Oulton Marshes, near Lowestoft

We decided to see what was about on Oulton Marshes, a reserve we had not visited before ...

I noticed the bramble, which has helped me to identify the gall as ...

... Bramble stem gall (Diastrophus rubi) ...

... you can read about it on this site by clicking and scrolling down a bit

The sound of birdsong in the reeds and willows was wonderful.

Sadly there was no tea garden in sight!

There were a couple of Shovelers (this is the male) ...

The slug seemed to be enjoying a dandelion ...

... while we watched the train ...

Teasels ...

Shovelers ...

Mute Swan

The great outdoors!

We could just see the ziggurat tower of St Mary's at Burgh St Peter.

Last year's Teasel

Traffic jam on the Broads?

New growth ...

... and old reeds

I love the pattern

Not quite ...

... Swan Lake ...

... more a case of 'up tails all'.

Carlton Marshes Nature Reserve

We spent much of Bank Holiday Monday here at Carlton Marshes, a nature reserve in the care of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. The small bird (is it perhaps a Whitethroat?) was singing from the highest point of the willow as we arrived.

The Carlton Marshes reserve comprises fen, meadow and waterway. The tranquil views always remind me of a Cuyp landscape - and, of course, the Netherlands are not far away!

 

The bushes and trees were alive with birdsong. Summer migrants continue to arrive - though I have yet to see a Swift.

This small iridescent beetle attracted my attention. I assumed at first that it was a Dock Beetle, but with its marked triangular scutellum behind the pronotum and between the forewing bases, I am not so sure. It was very small (the size of an average 7-spot Ladybird). I don't believe it was a rare Rose Chafer Beetle, (the size of a small fingernail), though I was interested to discover that these beetles had been recorded in Suffolk in the last five years.

The sun came out intermittently, encouraging insects to show their faces. I think the creature below is a Common Cranefly.

We were thrilled to find our first Damselfly of 2014, which you can see in the photo below. I have not been able to identify it with any certainty yet, but its opaque grey-blue eyes must surely provide a clue.

We also saw our first Dragonflies of the year in the form of a couple of Hairy Dragonflies, members of the Hawker family, who were too quick for my camera.

The marshy areas were alive with butterflies. Most were Orange-tips, but this seems to be a Green-veined White.

Up until last Monday the only caterpillars I had seen this year may well have been from Brown-tail Moths since they were in tents on the Blackthorn bushes we passed on our way back from Stansted Airport some weeks ago. As you can see from the photo below, that situation has now been rectified ...

I seem to be drawn to red and black insects, but this fine specimen below is (to state the obvious) not a Ladybird. It is a Red-and-Black Froghopper, one of the largest homopterans in the UK.

I see I spotted one of these a year ago at Carlton Marshes.

This time we saw three.

And finally, our eyes alerted on another red and black insect lurking in the verge - a 2-spot Ladybird, and my first of 2014. It seemed very small. I shall be recording it on the UK Ladybird Survey.

Seasonal Splash: Minsmere, with dabbling ducks!

We had some fine spring sunshine at the weekend. The male Teal in the photo above was almost doing a handstand, as it dabbled! I guess the blue (rather than green) on the head was due to a combination of the glass in the hide and the iridescent fall of light. Teal are on our Amber conservation list.

I mentioned recently that the nesting boxes were looking colourful at Minsmere. Here are a few more des res for birds and bats.

What a plump Greenfinch! His bright flash of yellow-green caught our eye as he flew off before I could take a better photo.

We watched a number of Lapwing at some distance from the North Hide. Again, their iridescent plumage sparkled in the sunlight.

The rabbits are usually very docile, and this one above was no exception. You can see the new Stinging Nettle shoots sprouting up - like the weeds in our garden!

This is a close-up of one of the bat boxes. Unlike the bird boxes, these ones do not have a circular hole in the front.

There were plenty of ducks about on the mere. This is a male Garganey. It is somewhat larger than a Teal, and easily identified by its head stripe.

I always feel it is such a shame that the dome of Sizewell Power Station dominates the landscape of the reserve.

Here is the Garganey again.

The tint of turquoise caught my eye!

This large Mallard was making the most of the Spring sunshine.

I think this is a Chiffchaff or a Willow Warbler, though I always find these birds very hard to identify with accuracy! Please let me know what you think ...

And finally ... back at home a new take on 'coconut cake'! This piece of coconut, emdedded with seeds and mealworms, fell to the ground after some wild trapeze antics from the local Great tits, Blue tits, Long-tailed tits and Robins. Look at the bill marks!

You can read about local migrant 'arrivals' here ... and the Minsmere Bitterns here.