Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 30th April 2025

Date: 30th April 2025

Time: from 8:30 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 12°C to 18°C

With the much warmer temperatures, my main target this morning was butterflies.

It was a very slow start with just a single Speckled Wood seen along the access track from Larkins Tyres. However, as the morning progressed it got much better and I was finally able to record 7 species of butterfly:

Wall (at least 4)

Orange Tip (2 males)

Holly Blue (1)

Peacock (1)

Red Admiral (1)

Speckled Wood (1)

Comma (1)

Other than Comma, these were first site records for 2025 of all these species.

The sighting of Wall is especially noteworthy. I had my first record of this species on 15th September 2020 and then another on 24th May 2023 but none since. Therefore, seeing at least 4 individuals in the central section of the cemetery was very unexpected.

Now that the hedges and trees are in full leaf, it is becoming much more difficult to see birds but there were a few highlights during my visit: 

Lesser Whitethroat: singing male again heard and eventually seen in the northern section of the site

Chiffchaff: 5 singing males (1 seen)

Blackcap: 5 singing males (none seen) 

Green Woodpecker: 1 seen in the central section of the cemetery

Great Spotted Woodpecker: 1 heard “drumming” in the wooded area adjacent to Hilly Road

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Lesser Whitethroat

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

Wren

Dunnock

Blackbird

House Sparrow

Starling

Green Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Jay

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Woodpigeon

Herring Gull

Wall

Orange Tip 

Holly Blue

Peacock

Red Admiral 

Speckled Wood 

Comma 

Here are some photos from my visit ….

Photo: Wall

Photo: Wall

Photo: Wall

Photo: Wall

Photo: Speckled Wood

Photo: Speckled Wood

Photo: Long-tailed Tit

Photo: Robin

Site totals for 2025 to date (2024 totals in brackets): 

Birds = 40 (49)

Mammals = 3 (3)

Butterflies = 8 (17)

Dragonflies and damselflies = 0 (11)

Reptiles = 0 (0)

Amphibians = 0 (0)

Total species list for the site

Birds = 69

Mammals = 7

Butterflies = 25

Dragonflies and damselflies = 14

Reptiles = 1

Amphibians = 0

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Trip away from SS15 – RSPB Strumpshaw Fen, Norfolk – 28th April 2025

The main purpose of my visit was to record any spring/summer migrant birds plus Bittern which I had yet to add to my 2025 UK list.

RSPB Strumpshaw Fen is part of the Mid-Yare Valley along with Surlingham, Rockland, Buckenham and Cantley in the Norfolk Broads. The valley protects a mosaic of wetland habitats which is home to a wide range of important species.

RSPB Strumpshaw Fen has the designations Site of Special Scientific Interest , Special Protection Area and Special Area of Conservation. It has the full range of broadland habitats including reedbeds, wet woodlands, wet grasslands, ponds and ditches and orchid-rich meadows.

I managed to record Bittern during my visit as expected.

In addition, I unexpectedly recorded White Wagtail plus there was a good selection of other spring/summer migrants.

I also recorded my first ever Variable Damselfly and my first Hairy Dragonfly for 2025.

The highlights during my visit were as follows (heard only records in italics): Bittern (1), Little Egret (1), Mallard (9 including 2 females with 5 and 12 juveniles respectively), Gadwall (12), Mute Swan (c.25), Greylag Goose (c.20), Canada Goose (c.20), Coot (7 including a pair with 6 juveniles), Great Crested Grebe (2), Common Tern (2), Cormorant (3), Common Redshank (2), Lapwing (5), Cuckoo (2 calling males), Sedge Warbler (at least 20 singing males, 3 seen), Reed Warbler (at least 20 singing males, 3 seen), Willow Warbler (3 singing males, 2 seen), Blackcap (4 singing males, 1 seen), Chiffchaff (6 singing males, 1 silent/unsexed bird seen), White Wagtail (2), Bearded Tit (at least 5), Cetti’s Warbler (7 singing males, 1 seen), Reed Bunting (2 singing males), Meadow Pipit (1), Goldcrest (1), Stock Dove (1 calling male), Marsh Harrier (2 males and 2 females), Common Buzzard (2)

Addition to 2025 UK list: Bittern, White Wagtail

In addition, I saw the following: Hairy Dragonfly (1), Variable Damselfly (1), Orange Tip (1), Red Admiral (1), Speckled Wood (1), Small White (3)

A major disappointment was failing to see the Otter and 2 cubs that a RSPB volunteer said that he had seen a few minutes before I met him!

Here are some photos from my visit ….

Photo: Bittern

Photo: Bittern

Photo: White Wagtail

Photo: White Wagtail

Photo: Willow Warbler

Photo: Willow Warbler

Photo: Willow Warbler

Photo: Sedge Warbler

Photo: Marsh Harrier

Photo: Marsh Harrier

Photo: Bearded Tit

Photo: Bearded Tit

Photo: Lapwing

Photo: Lapwing

Photo: Lapwing

Photo: Great Crested Grebe

Photo: Great Crested Grebe

Photo: Great Crested Grebe

Photo: female Mallard

Photo: Mallard duckling

Photo: Mallard duckling

Photo: Mallard duckling

Photo: Mallard duckling

Photo: Mallard duckling

Photo: female Mallard and ducklings

Photo: Mallard ducklings

Photo: Coot and juvenile

Photo: Coot and juvenile

Photo: Coot and juvenile

Photo: Greylag Goose

Photo: Greylag Goose

Photo: Canada Goose

Photo: Red Admiral

Photo: Hairy Dragonfly

Photo: Variable Damselfly

Photo: Variable Damselfly

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world

Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚

Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature