Well, right now I should not be here, in front of the laptop, tapping out another post. I should in fact be 500 miles away and enjoying a weeks holiday in Berlin, probably sitting in a bar overlooking the River Spree with Mrs H and the Lemming enjoying a nice cool pilsner (or three). For obvious reasons (unless you have been on another planet for the last few months) the vacation is binned 😢.
Friday dawned warm and sunny. I still have ten days off work and frustration is starting to build, so I jumped in the car and drove the ten miles to one of my favourite sites in the Norfolk Broads. The joy and relief washed over me like a wave as I stepped out along the footpath between reed bed and wet woodland. The rich, dank smell of bog, ditch, mud and water plants is nicer than the finest perfume. Greeted by the excited chatter of Sedge Warblers marking their territories among the reed. They finish their song by fluttering up several feet and parachuting back down. In the alder trees, Willow Warblers sing their sad descending refrain and from a bush by the dyke a majestic Marsh Harrier eyed me with suspicion before gliding off. As quick as a flash a Hairy Hawker appeared, snatched an insect then sped away, my first dragonfly of the season.

During the winter scrub clearance had been taking place. A couple of areas looked pretty sad but the short term loss is the long term gain. The Broads are not a natural feature. They are the result of flooded medieval peat diggings. Over the centuries nature moved in and some of this nature is rare and precious. Left to it’s own devices the Broads would eventually silt up and revert to wet woodland or carr. The reed beds (another man made feature to supply thatching material for roofs) would be lost and so too those iconic creatures that have made it home, Bitterns, Harriers, Bearded Tits, the unique Swallowtail butterfly and a whole host of others overlooked by all except the conservationists and naturalists.

It took a little while to get my eye in. The winter had left my observation skills a bit rusty. Eventually I picked out the weak flutterings of damselflies. Most had yet to attain full colour and are known as teneral. They are difficult to track at the best of time and even harder in this form and they tease and torment as they settle, allow you to get in position to get a shot, then fly off a couple of feet away.

I walked the path enjoying every sighting, a Kingfisher on a branch over the Dyke, Buzzard cruising above the wood, various spring butterflies and more Hairy Hawkers though it was far too sunny for any to settle. As I turned around to retrace my steps I was stopped in my tracks. On the path ahead sat a Swallowtail butterfly, so fresh not a mark on its wings. This is the 8th of May, even if the weather stayed fair I would not have expected to see this stunning beauty for at least two weeks!

A fantastic ending to my ‘escape from lockdown’. The weather is about to change for the worse and I expect the Swallowtail will succumb but there will be others and more mornings like this one. It can’t replace the hollow feeling of not seeing my daughter but it put a smile on my face.
Fabulous pictures Brian and a great description of the environment. I was almost there. To my shame, I’ve never even been to the Broads, so I’ll have to put that right when the virus and time allows.
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For someone living in bumpy Switzerland my home County may seem rather flat! That said it’s worth a few days to enjoy what we have to offer.
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Sometimes flat is good – especially when I go running! 😊
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The vibrant blue damselfly is a treat and the Swallowtail is breathtaking!
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Little and large, both a joy to see!
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That is one heck of a list! Fantastic!
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Always so much to see Mick and I never even made it as far as the hide overlooking the wader scrape.
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I really like this post, Brian, and they way you beautifully describe your visit here. Fabulous photos, too!
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It was so nice to be back there Pete I tried to describe it as best I could and it was fun trying to photograph the wildlife!
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Very enjoyable post and four excellent photos.
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Thank you David glad you liked it.
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I feel that joy and relief as well when I begin to waft the marshes and wetlands. Beautiful shots, Brian!
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Thanks Donna. The gardens nice but you can’t beat the smell of the wild.
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Fantastic shots – I think the Swallowtail would look great on a wall! Sorry about the missed vacation (err rather delayed hopefully), but glad to see you getting in some field time. Weather went cold here into the high 30’s and the forceful winds kicked in again so all the birds are hunkered down – did have three migrants hit the area earlier in the week so nature is back in business.
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Weather’s changed here too B, strong northerly winds and temps half that of yesterday but not quite as cold as you. Yes glad to get out even though I was flirting with the lockdown rules, just had to do it.
Doubt we will boarding any aircraft until a vaccine is found, time will tell.
Keep well and enjoy the migration!
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Well, you are not alone in the fact that everything is not going as planned anymore. I myself have had plans to leave Malta and move to another country before summer. Today I do not even know when or if it will ever happen. Time flies far too fast..
Your images are superb, as always Brian. The dragonflies are magically beautiful and even the smallest detail appears so nicely. It is also a pleasure to read your description, so well written.
I seen quite a lot of dragonflies recently but they fly away too fast and so does the butterflies. But tomorrow is another day and I’ll try to capture at least a few before summer ends and summer has not really started yet.
Stay safe & Take care!
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Oh Anita so sorry your plans are, at the moment, in ruins. When you have your heart set on something it is so depressing. No one could have predicted this situation but it is here and we must except it until a vaccine is found.
Thank you for your kind comments. Keep safe, keep well.
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Great shots. I wonder why we don’t have shallow tails here in this side of the channel? I miss these Spring time visits I would have in the states… oh well.
We are getting those North winds too. Pretty darn strong! We needed rain with it as it is dry as heck here.
Hold tight to hope.
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Swallowtails over on the Continent are a species of warm, dry landscapes and can be found in gardens, it’s caterpillars feed on a variety of plants like fennel whilst the Norfolk version eats only milk parsley. Basically the two look identical.
Had a little bit of rain but it’s still blowing a gale!
Great news from our PM last night, I can now travel to my favourite sites without fear of being stopped by the police.
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That is great news!!! Don’t need a criminal record in search of butterflies. The damsel flies and dragon flies hold a very special meaning for me so when I saw your post I kind of teared up a bit. Thanks for the wonderful images.
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Beautiful dragon flies! Wow the butterfly was gorgeous! Seems that you had a good day getting out.
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It was the perfect tonic Kim to beat the lockdown blues!
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I can imagine. It is past time for me to get back to my favorite walking trail. 🙂
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Beautiful photos!
It’s not easy to photograph them! 🙂
You did it well! 🙂
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Thank you Nuno I tried my best and was happy with these images.
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Always nice to change the scenery. You were well rewarded. Lovely photos!
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So good to get back to a favourite place Belinda the wildlife there is always special.
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“The rich, dank smell of bog, ditch, mud and water plants is nicer than the finest perfume.”
You have described it perfectly, Brian! A totally refreshing experience.
What superb photographs! The damselflies are always so frustrating. Hard for me to even see them at all, then, as you say, get one in focus and off she flits to a blade of grass a few feet away! Lather-Rinse-Repeat for the rest of the morning.
A truly perfect swallowtail! Harbinger of better days ahead.
Your post has been like sitting by an open window with a cool breeze eliciting a deep sigh.
Be well.
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If there was one couple who I knew would understand that feeling, you’ve just dropped by! Thank you my Florida friends for your lovely comments, now let’s see what you have been up to!
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Your outing sounds perfect, and the images are gorgeous.
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Deborah it was brilliant to be there even though I shouldn’t have been but now I can thanks to an easing of restrictions. Happy days!
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Gorgeous photos. These days we have to make do with what we have, don’t we, and it seems like you are not bad off with your outings options. Yes, travel is not in the cards nowadays. I should have been in the States right now, but for the same reasons, that is not happening. 🙂
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Thank you Otto. Yes I am probably more fortunate than most. Hopefully one day things will return to some kind of normality in regards to travel.
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Even though we are not traveling to places that we planned to see–nature is still alive and well and coming to see us. Beautiful photos!
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Thanks Mary. One day we will get to return to our favourite haunts and that time will seem so much sweeter!
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