Orchids, Crossbills & garden purple patch continues

On Thursday another Bee Orchid came up at the Paget by Southside and on Thursday evening I cycled to a very local area, 25 Bee orchids, 150 Spotted, 2 Pyramidal Orchids seen and over by Corton woods, an adult Green woodpecker & Song thrush, both feeding, plus 7 fantastic Crossbills by the western side of Corton woods, chip chipping away and settling in Pines just Sw of the wood, seen perched with crossbills and then they flew west. Nearby 4 Bee Orchids, 2 Hybrid (Spotted X Southern Marsh) & 12 Spotted Orchids seen when I arrived home later in the evening, a Hummingbird Hawk Moth seen briefly on the fuschia bush & Hairy Hawker Dragonfly did 4 clockwise circuits of the garden before it too was off, a wildlife bonanza.

The Elephants weren't Tongue tied

On Wednesday 22nd June, I had a half day off work and then drove into very deepest Suffolk, to see a rare Lesser Tongue Orchid (now sadly not considered wild but still nice to see) a place with sev Spotted orchids seen here too. The Lesser Tongue Orchids were caged and just by the side of a path just 20 metres up from a gate. Sadly one of the plants had been nibbled by something and died but the second plant was in robust health. I then drove to Hemsby, a terrible journey as I had to divert via Wroxgham where I sat in a traffic jam for 25 minutes to see John H, who had kindly trapped 2 Lesser Elephant Hawk Moths (a new species for me, almost a third smaller than the Elephants(, 5 Elephant Hawk Moths & 1 Privet Hawk Moth.

Broadland Orchids

On Tuesday 21st June, the longest day, the sun was still gloriously sunny after work so I headed off deep into the Norfolk broads and in the usual place I was fortunate to quickly find a fine Fen Orchid, a well work path led out to it and I managed to obtain a few shots. The Marsh Helleborines were only just out around 15 seen, and quite tiny in stature but none were in sunny areas. Despite checking in the right hand area I failed to find any other Fen Orchids! Finally a call in to Filby & specifically the Ormesby Little Broad I failed to see the RT Diver.

Local Spotted orchids & garden Meadow Brown

On my local Orchid Meadow, lots of Spotted orchids and still some Common Twayblades seen on Monday 20th June. Also in the early evening a fine Meadow Brown butterfly on plants near the garage, the butterfly even flew into the conservatory and lounge before flying out again and wasn't posing for the camera sadly.

Swallowtails at Catfield Fen & further hummer visits

On Sunday 19th June, I drove over to Catfield, heading for the church just south of the village down school road, past the school on the left and just past the Church on the right and then taking Fenside road (don't take Lodge road) until it became a drivable muddy track, past Hubbard Cottage & then past the beautiful Rose Cottage and parked by the deep water sign walking past the house on the left and forking right through the woods and walked out onto the Fen, immediately seeing a close Hobby, my belated first of the year, fly overhead. A Painted Lady was briefly on brambles on the right. Further down ultimately I saw up to 4 Swallowtails, the first a smaller immaculate one and then later a larger more normal size one frequently visiting the brambles but often in feeding flight so opportunities for photography were limited. A Sedge Warbler perched high up in the reeds briefly. Walking back another or the same Painted Lady seen too. Later on in the faternoon on our garden there were further Hummingbird Hawk Moth sightings on our Red Valeian in the garden at 4.30pm and 7.50pm both brief visits.

Breeding Bee-eaters & Hummer in garden

On Saturday 18th June, although I have seen several groups of Bee-eaters in recent years, as recent as 8 last year at Great Yarmouth, I have never seen a breeding colony so when on Friday the PSPB announced 7 where nesting on the NE coast of Norfolk I was keen to see them. Just after 8am I drove through the village of Gimmingham and just after that on the left was a sign saying RSPB Bee-eaters I paid my £5, parked up and looked intoa sandy quarry where immediately I heard then saw Bee-eaters flying around. 2 were perched in a bush over the far side and at one time, 5 were seen up in the air together. Just down from the track a fine Bee-eater was sat inside the nest hole. Further along a Bee- eater was perched on the wires and then it frequently flew and caught several unfortunate Red Admirals which it golluped down and then later it caught a Bee living up to its name admirably. Later in the afternoon, on Saturday 18th, in the garden a fine Hummingbird Hawk Moth fed for 5 minutes on Red Valerian in our Parkhill garden at 3.05pm.

Garden goodies

On the 4th June, the Painted Lady butterfly was still in the garden but was very camera shy and I also found a Zebra Jumping Spider found on the Red Valerian plants. Also on the 4th June, at 5.05pm, a Lesser Whitethroat (a now very unusual garden record) called its scolding call 5X from the top of the bushes to the right/ west side of the garden but flew south when I approached the back doorway! The Wood Pigeons were still building a nest in the variegated Holly tree too. 5th June a Grey wagtail flew just NE from the front of our Parkhill house at 5.35pm, on the 7th June, a second Bee Orchid seen flowering at the James Paget Hospital barely 4 feet from the first! On Friday 10th June, a hunting Norfolk Hawker (first record for the garden) seen hunting around the back garden from 11.30am onwards and it briefly alighted on our Fuschia bush. on the 11th June at 8.10pm, Jenny saw a Hummingbird Hawk Moth by the purple flowers in our central circular flowerbed in the back garden lawn.