For last weeks wander we decided to keep in the boundary of the Felbrigg estate. This stately home in nth Norfolk was built in the 1600’s and was in the Wyndham family ownership for centuries. The last owner was Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer who, on his death, in 1969 left the estate to the National Trust.
Our walk took us across sheep filled open parkland to the church. Down to the lake then through various types of woodland. The house was closed due to covid restrictions but having seen it once I wasn’t overly impressed. We finished with a look around the walled garden. In summer this is a beautiful place to visit and now in November still had some surprises.
Victory V Avenue
It was a mostly overcast day and quite windy however when we got to this feature in the woods the sun broke through. The avenues of Beech trees were planted by the last owner in 1946 in memory of his brother who died in WW2.
Last to fall? Mind your feet!
Apart from the lake, birdlife was very scarce. This female Blackbird in the walled garden was determined to get trod on!
Hot Lips (Salvia x jamensis) Delphiniums in November? Dragonfly!
The walled garden was a feature of stately homes. They formed a micro climate so fruit and veg could be produced to feed the’big house’ all year. At Felbrigg half of the garden is now flowers and shrubs but ancient apple and pear trees line the walls.
Tuesday 17th. Another lockdown hike planned. Very windy and mostly overcast but reasonably mild for the time of year. On this one we even had the pleasure of the irate “Get orf my land!” farmer, always make me smile, bless ’em.
So join myself, Mrs H and our good friends Rose & Mick on what ended up an 8 mile (13km) 5 hour wander around the local countryside.
Woodland pathRipe for renovation?
Deep in Lord Anson’s Wood, miles from any road, lay this derelict building with the grand name of ‘Strawberry Hall’. It was, in times past, a Gamekeepers cottage.
I see the light!
It was here by the abandoned irrigation pipes we encountered the tractor driving gentleman who informed us the path we were on was private, as if I really cared!
‘One careful owner, low miles’
The ‘proper’ footpath took us through another farmyard where we saw this sad sight. To be fair the barns had several beautifully restored tractors in them so maybe this was waiting it’s turn.
The 5.35 from Paddington will not be arriving any time soon.
Closed in 1959 this is Felmingham station on the ‘Midland & Great Northern Railway’ line (known at the time as muddle and get nowhere). The track bed now forms part of the Weavers Way long distance footpath.
October was generally wet and windy. I believe I’m right in saying it rained at some point every day here in Norfolk. Into November and things have brightened up a bit. On the 7th it was sunny, 15c and the lightest of breezes. We are again in lockdown but allowed to exercise so a four hour walk exploring the countryside to the west of the town seemed like a good idea.
Field of silk
A footpath took us across two stubble fields heading into the low late autumn sun. The whole fields shimmered silver as if covered in water. Acres upon acres were draped in countless millions of silk threads left by tiny spiders.
Seed heads and silkRust in Peace
Farmyards are strange places, there always seems to be an area where old machinery is abandoned and left to rust away. Perhaps the thought was “I’ll get round to fixing that one day” but the day never arrived. This tractor still looked in reasonable condition but just to the right other vehicles were being swamped by nature and slowly eroding.
Flax
Always a joy to see wildflowers at this time of the year and some should not be in bloom according to the books. Tell that to this delightful flax (Linum utisatissimum?) We also saw bramble in flower when by now the blackberries are finished.
Hoverfly
I kept my eyes open for any interesting insect sightings the warmth may have brought out. One butterfly was seen, a Peacock sunning itself on ivy. The ivy when in full sun was very attractive to wasps seeking nectar and I also noticed a couple of large hoverflies that resembled honey bees, these were Eristalis pertinax or the Tapered Dronefly. Perhaps I should have taken my macro lens along.
Its a new day
But it all feels old.
Its a good life
That’s what I’m told.
But everything
It all just feels the same
And my high school: it felt more to me
Like a jail cell, a penitentiary.
My time spent there
It only made me see
That I don’t ever want to be like you.
I don’t want to do the things you do.
I’m never gonna hear the words you say
Cause I don’t ever wanna.
I don’t ever want to be.
You don’t want to be just like you
What I’m sayin’ is this is the anthem
Throw all your hands up
You. don’t want to be you
After 48 years, 8 boatyards (some more than once), 4 builders, post office, HGV mechanic training course, several bouts of unemployment and finally 2 supermarkets I have called it a day, stuck two fingers up to being a wage slave and taken early retirement!
So now I don’t have to get ready for work at lunchtime and spoil a whole day. What shall I do with all this spare time? (apart from the extensive list of to-dos being drawn up by Mrs H!)
It would be lovely to go travelling again once this bloody pandemic gets under control (as of the 5th we are again under lockdown so cannot go anywhere!). Berlin beckons. I really miss being able to see our daughter the Lemming and she is really struggling with all the restrictions she is under in Germany.
Viktoria on top of the Brandenburg Gate Berlin
Our holiday to Berlin this spring was cancelled very close to departure time and it took many months to get the full refunds. Good job we had not booked a stay on the Greek island of Corfu. I am really looking forward to being able to return here one day. I enjoy the Greek way of life and there is so much more of this verdant isle to explore.
Azure sea and matching sky, the south/east coast of Corfu
Evening over a tranquil Ionian Sea and a cruise ship slips toward Kerkira
What else can I do to occupy my tiny mind? (yes dear I haven’t forgotten that list). Well I could buy myself another motorbike. Always been part of my life since I was a teenager, I didn’t get a car until I was in my 30’s! I sold my last bike a couple of years back but to be brutally honest I’m getting too old. The condition of the roads (potholes etc) are lethal and the amount of traffic is even more deadly. Best forget that idea.
The beautiful beast! My Harley I owned a few years back. It taught me one thing, you need very deep pockets to keep an old machine running, oh and that fuel tank was only good for 60 miles! But the sound was wonderful (and totally illegal, no silencers!) I actually cried when I sold this
I could always take up fishing again. When we moved I brought all my old rods and reels with us. It’s been twenty years since I put them in the shed when I lost my love for angling. A lot of the lakes and rivers I fished changed ownership and became private or very expensive. With the birth of our daughter I just gave up but now sitting besides a beautiful river on a crisp autumn morning has an appeal. Perhaps I should dust them rods down, if the mice haven’t got to them!
How about that for a wet, slimy, smelly thing! The 21lb (10kg) pike however is a thing of beauty
I could always attempt to see and photograph all 58 species of British butterflies in one year. The amount of travelling involved puts me right off this idea, best to just take your time and enjoy those that come along. We will now be able to go when we please when the weather is good without having to worry about booking holiday time in advance so that’s a bonus! I might invest in a nice shiny new 600mm super zoom lens. I have been pondering the purchase of one for some time and it would make bird photography a lot easier.
Not all birds, like this very friendly Robin, allow such a close approach
Whatever I do in the coming years one thing is for sure, I will grow old disgracefully! I have had years of experience!
Selfie ’70’s style. Camera on tri-pod, focus and settings, set timer, strike a rebellious pose!
If you are still with me after my thoughtful wanderings,well done, see you soon…..
Go to college, a university
Get a real job, that’s what they said to me
But I could never live the way they want
I’m gonna get by and just do my time
Out of step while they all get in line.
I’m just a minor threat so pay no mind
Do you really want to be like them
Do you really want to be another trend
Do you want to be part of that crowd.
Cause I don’t ever wanna.
I don’t ever want to be you
One thing we looked for when searching for a new home was a smaller garden. Seems strange as most people want a bigger plot, yet we wanted to spend more time enjoying things and not tied to endless chores (one and a half hours lawn cutting in our last place!). Our new garden suited us fine despite it being neglected for a while and needing a lot of clearing and chopping back. It’s about a third the size of the previous plot but joy of joys it has a pond! I’ve always wanted a wildlife pond (no fish) but have been too lazy to dig one, now I’m spending ages watching the comings and goings instead of getting on with other jobs.
My new source of fascination! There is a mass of oxygenating plants and a couple of water irises so I’ve started adding marginal plants to give it more appeal to wildlife. The shrub at the back is Red-Osier Dogwood and is starting to produce white berries and the leaves a lovely autumn hue
I was delighted when I saw the first dragonfly appear and a little pond dipping revealed they had made use of the feature before, in among the weed and mud were several dragon and damselfly nymphs. One day two exuvia (cast shells) were on an iris leaf, a darter and hawker, we had had babies!
On sunny days a male Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) is often present. Usually it’s sitting on rocks for warmth here it’s making use of the dogwood
To date I have noted six species of odonata and egg laying by Common Darter and Southern Hawker. Dragons are not the only visitors. I’ve seen baby newts, a frog and lots of other bugs.
Pond Skaters are fearsome looking creatures in macro, they prey on small insects that fall in the water and will even take damselflies!
Yes it’s upside down. Water Boatmen come to the surface for air then swim back among the weeds using those two long legs as oars
The wasps spend ages feeding on ivy blossom then pop down for a quick drink
I was delighted with the sixth species of dragon it was a Willow Emerald Damselfly (Chalcolestes viridis). This damselfly only colonised the UK in about 2009 but is spreading across the country. It lays it’s eggs in branches overhanging the water. The larva when they emerge then drop down and continue development underwater. Will it use the dogwood? Probably not but it’s lovely to see one here.
Nice visitor, the Willow Emerald Damselfly. Also known as spreadwings you can see why
Up close with the Willow Emerald
Anyway must get on, jobs to do and ponds to watch!
An exciting day today. We pick up the keys to our new home, the purchase has gone through very quickly by UK standards. Things were made easier as this is the property we wanted to buy at the end of last year but it fell through, so we had all the paper work in place. Luck was on our side as it came back up for sale (another buyer had to pull out) as we were finalising the sale of our old place. The house is bigger than anywhere we have lived before and we have plans and visions for decorating etc. We hope to get the essentials done before moving in the furniture which is presently in storage. The garden is small and not very butterfly friendly, so that needs addressing. There is a number of mature shrubs that require a look at but best of all it has a small but lovely wildlife pond. Fingers crossed I could have dragonflies on my doorstep!
All this work means time (we still have our day jobs to do as well). We will be staying at the ‘Old Apple Store’ until the furniture is in. I cannot envisage having any spare time to get out and about with the camera anytime soon, or for writing any new posts. So, I am going to take a break for a short while. I do hope to find a moment or two to visit your blogs and catch up with what everyone is doing (can’t work 24/7) so until whenever a few shots from the past couple of weeks.
Gatekeeper
Mid-July and the Gatekeepers (Pyronia tithonus) start to appear. Also known as the Hedge Brown as this is just the place to see these charming little butterflies.
Chaser
Who needs a full set of wings? A very old and battle scarred Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata)
Hawker
Very pleased with this in-flight of a Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isoceles) over the old canal. Also known as Green-eyed Hawker, you can see why.
Flycatcher
Look what I spotted! This rather unassuming looking bird is a Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata). This used to be a fairly common sight however between 1967 and 2010 the population of this summer visitor from Africa has dropped by 89%!
Holly Blue
A fresh, second generation Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus) seen in the same spot as the Fritillaries.
Meadow Brown
The Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) is probably the commonest and most wide spread of the high summer butterflies in England.
Worstead
Where is the wildlife? Well those little dots by the church are swifts. This is Worstead, the village is famous for the cloth named after it which was woven here since the Middle Ages by Flemish weavers. The maize field we crossed on a Sunday walk is not destined to be eaten but used in biomass energy production.
Essex Skipper
The Essex Skipper (Thymelicus lineola) was the last British butterfly to be identified. This was because they look like the the Small Skipper (T sylvestris). The difference is the colour of the underside of the antenna tip! On Essex the tip is all black and on the Small, varying shades of brown. The males also have different shaped sex brands (line on the upper forewing). As these butterflies are so small you have to get real close to tell them apart.
Earlier in the week I managed to get out and explore my new surroundings. I walked for many miles along the old canal and around the country lanes. The weather was not perfect but since then summer has temporarily left us and it’s been a bit soggy.
Female Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens). I just can’t resist photographing these little beauties
The Banded Demoiselles were present all along the old waterway. If it had been a touch sunnier I’m sure I would have seen more dragon and damselflies. There were however Brown and Southern Hawkers, the big boys of the dragonfly world. A few Black-tailed Skimmers warmed up on the footpath, always difficult to approach they rarely sit anywhere other than the ground. A good number of Azure Damselflies (Coenagrion puella) were in the nearby ditches.
The Azure Damselfly synchronised egg laying team need a bit more practice!
Even in overcast conditions several butterflies danced among the grasses that bordered the fields. These were the Meadow Browns and Ringlets. I did see my first Small Skippers (Thymelicus sylvestris) of the summer.
Smile….please? This Small Skipper looks somewhat put out having a lens poked in it’s face
A Leaf-cutter Bee busy at work
Sometimes you come across an area that may look just like dozens of others but for some reason is an absolute magnet for butterflies and other insects. It may be that it’s position is slightly different so offering the perfect micro-climate. I glimpsed one such spot on Sunday and went back Tuesday before the rains came to confirm my sightings were no fluke.
How beautiful is that? White Admiral (Limenitis camilla)
Situated alongside a country lane and public footpath, nestled on the edge of an impenetrable wood was a patch of bramble, nettle and other various wild plants. Here dozens of butterflies sipped nectar or soaked up the odd minute of sun as the clouds gathered. Commas, Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Large Skippers, Green-veined and Small Whites, Small Tortoiseshell, Red Admiral and better still up to six gorgeous White Admirals. The best of all was magnificent Silver-washed Fritillaries (Argynnis paphia).
The female Silver-washed Fritillary is a big butterfly with a wingspan of about 3ins (75mm). Duller than the male it is an impressive sight
Now I have to admit I absolutely love Silver-washed Frits and I was jumping for joy at finding these here. It was only ten years ago that this butterfly re-colonised Norfolk after being extinct for some thirty years. They are a wonderful sight and I tried to convey this to walkers who paused to question what I was photographing. I got the feeling most thought I was slightly eccentric, “a grown man taking pictures of butterflies, how odd”. Some took an interest and it was a pleasure to share my enthusiasm.
The male Silver-washed Fritillary, what’s not to get excited about?
Some of you may recall back in April I mentioned that we had sold our property and might end up homeless. Well, in the last couple of weeks everything has moved very quickly. We were given a date to exchange contracts and complete the sale so all our spare time has seen us packing away thirty years of our life and yesterday we moved out. Thankfully we are not on the streets as Mrs H’s great friends Angela & Simon are letting us use their annex while we wait, hopefully, for the purchase of our new home to proceed. We thought our old house was in a rural location, the ‘Old Apple Store’ is even more remote. Surrounded by beautiful garden and only a two minute stroll to the disused North Walsham and Dilham canal.
The delightful ‘Old Apple Store’ our temporary home
A spare day before back to work so we decided to explore the old waterway. The sun was trying to peep through and it was warm and sheltered from the strong breeze. Flitting around the reeds were dozens of Banded Demoiselles (Calopteryx spledens) looking for all the world like overgrown blue butterflies, I have never seen so many in one place.
A male Banded Demoiselle glistens in the sun
The females of this species are green and lack the coloured wings. Difficult to pick out they are charming in their own right.
Female Banded Demoiselle on a leaf of an Alder tree
We saw several butterflies including our first White Admiral (or as the better half called it, a black and white Swallowtail!) of the year. I think a copy of the ‘I-Spy Book of Butterflies’ may be on her birthday list! The habitat is fantastic here and I will probably spend a fair bit of time checking it out when there is a bit more sun.
A summer brood Comma (Polygonia c-album) adds a dash of colour
So a very special thanks to our new ‘landlords’ for allowing us the chance to relax and catch our breaths until we move on again.
Something a bit different. Comments from Mike over at https://alittlebitoutoffocus.com/?wref=bif on my last post made me realise that many readers may not understand that in the UK several species of butterfly are or were in great danger of becoming extinct. I thought in this post I would try and explain why but not in minute detail. I am not an ecologist so these are views purely of a layman, though many years ago I was heavily involved in angling conservation and river habitat restoration.
Why are butterflies in danger? Each species has it’s own special requirements but it’s all down to habitat. The UK is a (relatively) small but heavily populated island(s) so there is great pressure on land use. More people want more houses, places to work, better transport. Farmers are being asked to produce more food to feed the growing nation. Nature has very often taken second place to these needs. Britain has been shaped by man’s activities for millennia and because of this many butterflies have adapted to the man-made environment. Now as our needs change many of the old practices are stopped and the butterflies are struggling with the effects.
Pearl Bordered Fritillary (Boloria euphrosyne) Bentley Wood, Hampshire 2018
Into the Woods. It was said that thousands of years ago the British Isles were covered in woodland. People have always exploited this natural resource and over time the ‘wildwood’ disappeared and in it’s place came commercial forest. Certain trees were grown for various purposes, for instance Oaks for naval shipbuilding. In the 1920’s huge areas were planted with quick growing non-native conifers with little benefit to wildlife. One ancient practice was that of coppicing. This is where sections of wood are cut down to generate new growth and was done on a rotational basis. In these coppices some species of butterfly thrived as their caterpillar food plant grew in the newly opened areas. These included the Heath, Pearl-bordered, Small Pearl-bordered and High Brown Fritillaries. When the coppicing no longer became commercially viable the woods grew back, blocking light and the under-storey choking out those plants the butterflies needed, the Violets and Common Cow-wheat. Populations crashed to the brink of extinction. The High Brown Fritillary can now only be found on a few limestone hills around Morecambe Bay in Cumbria and some valleys on Exmoor.
High Brown Fritillary (Argynnis adippe), Latterbarrow Cumbria 2018
Green, green grass. It is not just woodland that has suffered change. Many areas of open grasslands are no longer grazed in the traditional way as this became unprofitable. The effects were the same. Plants that require certain conditions could not flourish and those species that rely on them collapsed. The situation was made worse when the rabbit population, that helped keep the coarse grasses short, suffered the deadly disease myxomatosis which was introduced by man. One species hit hard was the beautiful Adonis Blue of the warm southern chalk downs.
Adonis Blue (Polyommatus bellargus) Yoesden Bank, Buckinghamshire 2017
Queen of the Broads. In my home County of Norfolk we have a butterfly that is just hanging on. The Swallowtail is unlike it’s close Continental cousin in that it is totally reliant on Milk Parsley, a plant that grows in the reedbeds of the wetlands of the Broads. If these reedbeds are not maintained this plant and the Swallowtail will die out. It has lost the ability to wander far in search of a new home.
What is the future? These are just a few examples to show how butterflies have adapted to the way we managed the countryside. It is that sudden change of use that has put them in peril. We have moved quickly in land management but they have not had time to evolve. Add in the consequences of global warming and things look dire. It is not all doom and gloom. More people are acutely aware of the problems and are acting quickly to address the situation. Conservation groups are working on habitat restoration under the guidance of the scientists. There have been massive success stories like that of the Large Blue (Phengaris arion). This has been reintroduced to it’s former areas after becoming extinct in 1978 when it was discovered what it needed to survive. For people like myself who delight in seeing such wildlife we owe a debt of gratitude to these conservationists and must support them however possible.
Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina), Totternhoe, Bedfordshire 2018. Hanging on but hopefully with conservation work will still be around for future generations to admire
TO DO NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION WHEN THEY ARE GONE THEY ARE GONE
A very dramatic title but it sums up a lot of observations I have had this week.
As I mentioned in my last post we planned to take our first trip out since ‘lockdown’. Saturday was much sunnier than forecast so we packed a picnic and headed south-west to the furthest part of the County from where we live. The area is called Breckland. The Brecks is a Special Protection Area (SPA) the landscape is one of gorse covered sandy heaths. Rows of Scots Pine act as windbreaks and there are several areas of non-native conifer plantations including Thetford Forest, England’s largest lowland forest. The site we visited was Foulden Common, home to two rare (for Norfolk) butterflies.
Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages) gives me a nice photo opportunity
The two species are both members of the Skipper family the Grizzled and the Dingy. They are small (1 inch or 25mm wingspan) and fly low and fast to the ground. So with my faithful spotter Mrs H it was eyes down as we quartered the more sheltered areas. We found 1 Grizzled and 4 Dingies before heavy cloud cover came over and with the breeze put a halt to activity.
So on to Sunday and typically the sun stayed out all day, that’s what we call ‘Sods Law’. However I paid a short visit to a pond a few miles away hoping to see a rare dragonfly. No luck on that but it was lovely to just sit and watch the comings and goings. Hundreds of damselflies were emerging all around. Their first weak flights taking them up into the overhanging trees.
A twig in the pond was a popular place to emerge. This newly emerged damselfly is transparent in the backlighting but look closely and you can see the shells or exuvia from which they have broken out. In all there were six on this stick
Most of the life of a damsel or dragonfly is spent under water. Here the nymphs will live for up to two years, in some species even longer. They are fierce predators. When their time comes they climb from the water and split from the shell or exuvia. Once free they must let the wings dry and harden before attempting flight. Life in adult form is short, maybe just a few weeks as they seek mates to reproduce, sometimes it is even shorter. As is the way of nature there is always someone on the lookout for an easy meal. On Sunday it was a pair of Reed Buntings. Obviously they had a nest of hungry chicks to feed so were making the most of this harvest.
Male Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus) with a beak full of damselflies
Tuesday and time for a walk by Hickling Broad in lovely weather. Dragonflies were emerging in numbers. Like the damsels their first flight is weak and fluttery. Most of those I saw were the Four-spotted Chasers There were a few Broad-bodied Chasers and several mature Hairy Hawkers.
With wings soft and shiny a Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) has recently emerged
Like the damselflies on Sunday even the larger dragons can be in danger at this stage of adulthood remember this https://blhphotoblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/04/kiss-of-death/. Today it was not a bigger odonata but something much smaller but no less deadly.
Bad choice of perch. The Four-spotted chaser gets entangled in a web and the maker moves in for lunch. If it’s wings were fully hardened the Chaser would probably have broken free. I could have intervened and freed the dragon but the spider needs to live too
And if all that is making you a bit sad well here is something to cheer you up an Orange-tip, oh yeah you’ve seen these before haven’t you.
I have been a huge fan of Drag Racing ever since my first visit to Santa Pod when I was 7-years-old. I love all Motor Sport but Drag Racing is still the one that gets me jumping around enthusiastically. Despite America having the larger NHRA Championships, which I also continuously follow, I have always preferred European and British Drag Racing. This is mainly because I have grown up with it - the first official FIA European Championships were held in 1996 and I haven't missed a big event at Santa Pod since 1997. When an event is on I get to the track, plonk myself down somewhere along the spectator banking and would very happily sit without moving for the entire weekend watching the racing.
