1 September 2026 (Observations from the garden)

September is the pivotal month for bird migration with birds leaving us and other species arriving later in the month from Northern Europe.  Although a fantastic month for witnessing bird migration, I have to say that October is without doubt the best month for this phenomena with autumn storms from the south-west seeing the arrival of birds from North America, whilst here in the east we can witness the spectacular arrival of thousands of winter Thrushes and Finches from Northern Europe along with scarce and rare passerines from Europe and Siberia.

1 September

The day began with a male Blackcap in our native hedgerow where it remained for much of the day, obviously a resting migrant bird which hopefully benefitted from the soft fruits in the hedge. Subsong was heard.  

The hedgerow also attracted a couple of Blackbirds which fed upon berries of the Dogwood bush whilst other common species noted included a number of House Sparrows.  A juvenile Collared Dove was being fed by a parent bird.

A female Sparrowhawk was seen on a couple of occasions overhead, the second occasion saw the raptor closing its wings and plummeting towards the ground.

Overhead movements included a light passage of House Martins and Swallows in a north-west heading, perhaps this was pre-migration reorienting behaviour. 

Lepidoptera species in the garden today included two Hummingbird Hawk Moths and a single Painted Lady butterfly.

Little Cressingham 27 August 2026

A dry start to the day but with heavy thundery showers predicted. Some heavy and prolonged showers arrived around midday and it was great to look out of the window and finally see some decent rainfall following the long very dry spells and many days of very high temperatures.

My day began with a visit to a nearby army camp where I had to go through my annual safety briefing and pass renewal for the training area, an efficient process.

Little Cressingham (Watton Brook Valley within the training area) 0810-0930.

I arrived at my destination with full cloud and a muggy feel, the wind was an easterly shifting to a light south-easterly.  The morning had a feel of migrants about it.

The first birds I noticed was a couple of Red Kites perched in a dead Oak, in the same tree two Great Spotted Woodpeckers, one of which was chiselling away at dead bark.  A Goshawk was heard calling. Several Stonechats (c.10) and Whitethroat along the valley sides. I also saw a very brief acrocephalus species dart into cover, I suspected Reed Warbler.   

Before proceeding along the valley I decided to scope rolling grassland and in doing so located 3 Northern Wheatear.  Even watching from distance these Wheatears were easily identified migrants, firstly, I checked areas of short grassland at this time of year knowing that this kind of habitat supports passage Wheatear, I saw a distant bird standing upright and still before running fast over the land, then the birds were seen to fly short distances and showed their very distinctive white rump which appears as an inverted T.  

As I slowly walked towards the grassland a Marsh Harrier approached from the west then headed south. 

Wheatear at Little Cressingham 27 August 2026 (one of 3 birds present)

Wheatears are birds of open country and although a few pairs breed in the Brecks the vast majority of birds seen are migrants passing through both in spring and again in autumn.  I encounter these delightful birds every year on the patch.

The Wheatears seen today were easily identified from range by their upright carriage, short, fast runs over the land, stopping and once again upright as it looks around, often these Wheatear chose the highest perch in the area, on fence posts on top of a hillock.  The Wheatear pictured here is a juvenile bird, the other two birds were either female, or again, juveniles.  As previously written the most distinctive feature of a flying Wheatear is the very conspicuous white rump in the form of an inverted T shape.

North Elmham Chapel 25 August 2026

During a short work break on 25 August I visited the beautiful ruins of North Elmham Chapel in Norfolk. My apologies for possibly not getting the information panels in the correct order. I hope you enjoy this little tour.

The approach to the chapel

St Mary's Church North Elmham

Little Cressingham (Watton Brook Valley) 18 August 2026

It has been a long time since we had any significant and meaningful rainfall here in the Brecks, therefore, could you imagine my absolute delight that at just after midnight on the 18 August when it began to rain steadily and continuously for around 3 hours, it was a wonderful sound listening to the rain beating down on the conservatory roof.

I had only a short time for birding this morning and I chose to walk along the Watton Brook valley off Great Cressingham Road for a migrant search. 

Firstly, a single Red Kite perched rather statesman-like on a dead branch high in an Oak and nearby on wires were perched 5 Stock Doves.  Before entering the area of grassland an initial scan saw 25 Lapwings on the hard, dry land.

I walked along the valley through lots of grazing cattle which were being fed on a good supply of supplementary food as the usual lush grassland is looking more like a desert due to the current drought conditions.  I noted that 6 Pied Wagtails were feeding around the cattle. 

The lush green habitat alongside Watton Brook separates this feature from what otherwise appears as an arid looking surrounding landscape, as expected, the valley produced most birds.  My quick visit along Watton Brook produced at least two Whitethroats, Wrens, Dunnock, several Goldfinches, Great Tit, and in excess of 10 Stonechats, of which most were juveniles. 50+ Swallows flew low up and down the valley in their search for food. 

Thompson Wood 17 August 2026

The vast open grassland with areas of broken hedgerows and scrub habitat was my intended destination at dawn on 17 August, and my reasons for covering the site this morning was to check for signs of migrant bird species.

My initial walk beside a long and well stocked hedgerow looked promising for migrant birds, especially given the fruit laden bushes within the hedgerow.  A couple of Robins were heard, then a single bird darted between cover, I managed a short view of the bird, a lovely juvenile Whitethroat.

A habitat I was particularly looking forward to visiting was a long broken hedgerow with lots of scrub growing between the breaks.  As I walked slowly along the hedge I detected movement and very soon after this I was rewarded with at least 3 Stonechats, 3+ Whitethroats, and a single Whinchat, all three species remained more or less together as they moved along the hedge and scrub. 

Whinchat

As I continued my walk I made my way to another area of hedgerow scrub, specifically bramble scrub, where I located at least a further 4 Whitethroats, a species I expected to see given the availability of fruit.

At least 3 Kestrels were seen together, a likely sign of local breeding success, the only other raptor species seen was Buzzard.

A few House Martins were seen distantly over houses in the village and at least 120 Swallows passed over.

A distant "korrp" call was heard, undoubtedly a Raven, the call was getting closer and then a single Raven passed over heading east.

As I approached the end of my walk a Little Owl was calling in a roadside Oak, this prompted a second Little Owl into calling in another roadside Oak.

Saham Toney (St. George's churchyard) 13 August 2026

The 13 August was dominated by a day of full sun and heat with a temperature high of 38°C (100° fahrenheit).  Very sadly, parts of Britain have been experiencing wildfires and there is still no sign of any significant rainfall.

Driving north through Saham Toney, the most dominant feature ahead of you is the tall tower of St. Georges church, and as you arrive it becomes clear that this is a large church which has some equally very large tree specimens, these include magnificent Cedar and Yew trees along the southern boundary of the churchyard and some impressive Beech trees along the eastern boundary.

St. George's Saham Toney (Magnificent Cedar and Yews flank the approach)

The Cedar which produced good numbers of Goldcrests 13 August

What a spread on this Cedar

Goldcrest in Saham Toney Churchyard 13 August 2026

Goldcrest in Saham Churchyard 13 August 2026 (at least 10 birds in the large Cedar)

This was a particularly productive visit for Goldcrests (10+) which were seen in the Cedar and Yews alongside the southern boundary of the churchyard, these birds were seen from eye level right into the canopy of the trees where they foraged amongst the needles.

Also seen in the largest Cedar was a couple of Coal Tits, Blue Tits, foraging Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatch, and a female Sparrowhawk passed through low then continued off beyond the churchyard.

Saham (Meadow and Marsh in the Watton Brook Valley in TF8900) 12 August 2026

 Today was to be sunn and hot again with wall to wall sunshine. The site visited early morning on 12 August is private land in the Watton Brook Valley close to the western limits of Watton. The habitat here comprises marsh and grazing meadow, a couple of good lengths of fruit bearing hedgerows, a large game strip, and Watton Brook.

12 August - searching for migrants

Can you tell who is the real me (Courtesey of my dear daughter)

Habitats visited was the Watton Brook valley where I expected acrocephalus Warblers, and a long and well-stocked hedgerow and game strip.

As I walked north along a scrub lined ditch I first of all saw a single male Stonechat on fencing and bushes and as I reached Watton Brook the dominant species was Goldfinch, but as I walked alongside the brook I could see something different on fencing which was perched alongside a Goldfinch, the Goldfinch had an upright posture, however, the other had a horizontal carriage, I had a pretty good idea what this bird was  and checking with optics it was indeed a migrant Reed Warbler, this bird was seen a few times on the fence but also went to cover in thick herbage and reeds. 

Watton Brook at Saham 12 August (check herbage and fences for migrant birds)

The above picture was looking west along Watton Brook, it was here where I saw a Goshawk circling low over trees and farmland, also, 3 Red Kites were seen.

My return walk took me along a long and well-stocked hedgerow and gamestrip where Linnets dominated.  Also here was another Stonechat and at least two Whitethroats, one of which was a juvenile bird which picked at a blackberry.  A bit further along the hedgerow a single Chiffchaff was present.
  

Bodney Camp and Watton Brook valley 8 August 2026

Not only do I have favoured sites to visit at this time of year, I also have specific habitats within those sites I like to watch. On the morning of 8 August I visited an area of rough grassland by Bodney camp which included Watton Brook and some old Elder bushes I always check for migrant birds, especially Warblers which feed on fruits in order to build energy for their passage south. 

The most obvious birds seen overhead at first was several House Martins and Swallows, with some House Martins feeding at a considerable height.

A large Hawthorn held a preening Chiffchaff whilst other presumed early migrants included a single Willow Warbler and a couple of Blackcaps, one of which was seen to pick at an elderberry. Later, a Willow Warbler, possibly the one I saw earlier flew off strongly and low to the south-west.

At least 3 Stonechats were present, the rough grassland habitat here provides a good habitat for invertebates which Stonechats hunt for.  The 3 Stonechats seen included a male, female, and a young juvenile bird, the female was watched flying to the ground where a small inverebrate was collected and fed to the juvenile bird.

Stonechat (female) at Bodney. This bird was seen to feed a juvenile.

 Also seen on this visit was many Goldfinches (adults and juveniles) which wandered the area feeding from thistles.  Also noted was a single Stock Dove, two Grey Herons, Coal Tit, an alarm calling Whitethroat, Robin, Wren (including juveniles), and Linnets.  Raptor species were represented by one Red Kite and two Buzzards.

Houghton-on-the-Hill 3 August 2026

August through to November is my favourite time of year for birding and Houghton-on-the-Hill is a place I love to visit most during this period to watch migratory birds, either as overhead raptor passage, or newly arrived passerines feeding in the well stocked hedgerows and woodland. Houghton is on an elevated ridge of land which has commanding views to both north and south, and with the beautiful St. Mary's Church, which has stood here for over 1000 years coupled with its elevation of the surrounding land, I am sure this has served as a focal point for migrant birds for millennia. 

1. St. Mary's Church at Houghton-on-the-Hill.

Next to the churchyard is the site of the former village of Houghton, nothing exists here now other than the impression of a road which passed between houses.  I made a point of checking here first for birds given the wealth of habitat here which mostly comprises Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Dog Rose, Elder, and Bramble, I looked intially at a large Hawthorn patch which has Elder and Dog Rose growing within and with the naked eye I spotted something bright white in the Hawthorn, I checked using optics and my suspicions were confirmed, this was a stunning Lesser Whitethroat, this beautiful Sylvia Warbler was seen to preen, also, it picked at blackberries.  Also present here was Treecreeper, Blackbird, a couple of Chiffchaffs, and a single Whitethroat. I would later return to check this site before leaving.

I then walked between the hedgerows east of the church, a habitat which has a wide variety of fruiting bushes which supports migrant Warblers as they stop to feed and rest at this staging post.  On morning visits I like to start at the far end of this hedgerow corridor as the sun is then directly behind me, therefore, the initial walk out on a particularly bright early morning requires one to use listening skills to identify birds by their calls.  This morning the outbound walk east through the hedgerow corridor produced a couple of alarm calling Blackcaps and Whitethroats.

2. Looking west along the hedgerow corridor towards the church.

Once at the eastern end of the hedgerow corridor the early morning light gives great views looking west, here it is possible to watch many birds, especially Warblers, either flying between the hedgerows of picking at fruit.

A slow walk back along the hedgerow corridor produced both Whitethroats and Blackcaps, and on the grass path, a Painted Lady and Small Heath butterflies were seen.

3. Small Heath butterfly at Houghton-on-the-Hill 3 August 2026 

Upon my arrival back at the church and former village site it was clear there was an increase in activity. A single Spotted Flycatcher flew onto an outer limb of a dead tree where it remained for a few minutes, such a scarce bird sadly now.

Also present was a single juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker which arrived to search the limbs of a dead tree.  You can see in photograph 5 the red cap which ages the bird as a juvenile, however, it is possible to see black feathers of the adult plumage beginning to show.

4. Spotted Flycatcher at Houghton 3 August 2026

5. Great Spotted Woodpecker (juvenile) at Houghton 3 August 2026

A final check of the site of the former village area, specifically, the largest patch of Hawthorn, produced 6+ Whitethroats, this was clearly a family party with adults feeding juvenile birds.  A nearby pond hosted Whitethroats, Blue Tits, and Great Tits where the birds visited to bathe.  A single Marsh Tit was also seen.  A single Red Kite drifted overhead and Raven was heard calling in the distance.

Seamere Marsh 2 August 2026 (1055-1155)

A late morning visit to Seamere Marsh where I overviewed from the Deopham road.  I arrived to the song of a Stock Dove, this was followed by 3 birds in flight.  Stock Doves are smaller than Wood Pigeons and have nicely proportioned appearance and lack any white in their plumage, they have beautiful grey upper wings with black tips and black trailing bar. 

A single Chiffchaff passed through a broken hedgerow calling as it went, and a single Swallow and 2 Swifts over.

I had prolonged views of a single Hobby overhead as it circled and made occasional short chases for winged insects which were caught and then consumed on the wing.  Other raptors included a single Kestrel, one Red Kite, and two Buzzards.  At least 3 calling Green Woodpeckers were heard.

A small flock of 9 Cormorants directly overhead climbed to a good height before descending towards Seamere.

Little Cressingham (Watton Brook) 30 July 2026

This mornings birding was on private land which lies within the army training area and my route took me along Watton Brook which runs between meadows and grassland on either side.

0710 As soon as I arrived I could see there was a wealth of activity in the immediate area, several Goldfinches were seen in the valley and in tall willows, at the same time a party of Long-tailed Tits moved along the valley, a few Whitethroats were present (including juveniles), two Carrion Crows were calling in the top of a tall dead Oak, and a Raven was heard briefly.  Looking further west along the valley using the scope I could see Stonechats and Wrens on fencing, and when I eventually reached the area, a number of juvenile Wrens were moving about waterside herbage where one bird reached for a small invertebrate.

It soon became apparent that there was several Stonechats in the valley with at least 6 being juveniles, these youngsters were readily identifiable by their spotted crowns and cream mottling on their mantles. Some young Stonechats had variable amounts of red appearing on the underparts.  

Stonechat

As I continued along the valley I was conscious of the possible early migratory, or post breeding dispersal, by acrocephalus Warblers.  It really didn't take long to hear a familiar, harsh "trrr" note coming from within cover on the river bank, this was a juvenile Reed Warbler, soon afterwards, a second Reed Warbler flew low over open country and onto fencing near where the first call was heard, very brief but lovely views of this smart bird.

A number of House Martins were watched circling above the valley and occasionally they would fly down to the water to drink.  Alarm calling House Martins alerted me to a possible raptor, Hobby maybe, this was shortly followed by movement heard out of sight in the river valley, careful inspection revealed a Sparrowhawk flying out of reeds with a small prey item.

Also of note in the valley area was a single Curlew striding over grassland, a pair of Yellowhammers, and a single Reed Bunting. 

Watton

Later in the morning I visited a friend in Watton, and in her garden I found this rather attractive Rufous Grasshopper.

Rufous Grasshopper in Watton 30 July 2026

Breckles 29 July 2026

Another hot day with a temperature high of 92° fahrenheit. We are now officially in drought conditions with a hosepipe ban in place and with no rain for the foreseeable future.  Everywhere is bone dry, grassed areas are yellow and the fire risk is extremely high.

This morning I visited private land in Breckles with specific habitat types targeted, these included mixed woodland and ground covering scrub.  Waterside willows held a number of Linnets chattering away, also, Whitethroats were noted with a frequent "churr" agitated note given.  I sat for some time looking into scrub and a couple of nearby tall Ash trees, where the latter held a constant coming and going of birds, these included one Great Spotted Woodpecker (red capped juvenile bird), Linnets, singing Greenfinch, one Nuthatch, Chiffchaff, 2+ Willow Warblers (song heard), Blackbird, Wren, Blackcap (giving alarm call), one juvenile Song Thrush, two Yellowhammer (including singing male), a foraging Marsh Tit, and at least 4 Siskins (including 2 juveniles).  Nearby Willows held an alarm calling Reed Warbler giving a repeated "trrt" note, I eventually managed to glimpse the bird in cover, this was a adult bird carrying food for young, which were also seen and appeared tail-less. 

Mimic Hornet Hoverfly at Breckles 29 July 2026 (The largest Hoverfly species in Europe).

This was also a very good morning for finding and watching insects, I concentrated my efforts in scrub habitat and was rewarded with watching 2 Mimic Hornet Hoverflies, this is the largest European Hoverfly species and has the appearance and behaviour of a Hornet.

Also seen was a wonderful male Clouded Yellow butterfly, he was an absolute beauty, two Painted Lady butterflies, Peacock, and Gatekeepers. Emperor dragonflies were also present and showing well.

Thompson Wood 25 July 2026

With todays obsession with destroying our wonderful countryside with unprecedented house building, road building, loss of valuable land to solar farms, and the use of pesticides and insecticides, it is refreshing to see the creation of habitats for the benefit of wildlife and of course for our mental health. 

Thompson Wood is owned by the Woodland Trust and was purchased by the trust in 2021, it covers 279 acres and is one of the largest sites in Norfolk owned by the trust.  Once arable farmland, Thompson Wood will see a variety of important habitats being created, these include woodland, wood pasture, open grassland, and wetland.  The Thompson area holds some of the most important reserves in the country, the creation of this new habitat will significantly add to the area with its species richness.

Visit 25 July

My visit began at the village church, here was at least two singing Wood Pigeons, a singing Stock Dove, House Martins and a couple of Swifts overhead.

1. 'Putlog' or 'putlock' on Thompson Church.

Picture 1. This shows a feature known as a 'putlog' or 'putlock' on the side of Thompson Church, these features can also be seen at intervals going up church towers.  When the church was constructed many centuries ago, logs were inserted into the buildings walls creating a type of scaffold, as the men finished constructing the church the logs were removed and infilled with flint or other building materials.  Check some of these features because sometimes the logs could not be removed and were cut away so that the remaining logs were left flush with the surrounding wall.  

The path from the church to Griston Road saw a single Little Owl between a couple of Oaks, and in an adjacent meadow 30+ Goldfinches wandered between patches of Creeping Thistle to feed, many of these birds were juveniles.  In a Hawthorn on the path at least 3 Linnets were seen including a stunning male which had bright crimson breast sides.

2. An information board explaining the  recovery of 'ghost' Pingos.

Pingos were formed 10,000 years ago at the end of the Ice Age.  The word ‘pingo’ is of Inuit origin and means ‘little hill’. As temperatures dropped, freezing groundwater caused the earth to heave upwards into ice-cored mounds. When the ice melted, the earth collapsed, leaving depressions behind. 

'Ghost Pingos' are those features which were infilled by humans to facilitate increased agricultural production, these ancient features are being restored, as they have been at this site.

A walk around the large grassland here was fairly quiet for birds, but was a good morning for butterflies which included many Gatekeepers and the stunning Painted Lady. 

3. Painted Lady - a good showing of this species this year.

 

Thompson Water 15 July 2026 (with Caroline Falvey)

At 0600 on 15 July I met my friend Caroline Falvey for some early morning's birding at Thompson Water. We met on the Peddars Way/Redbrick Road junction and walked the short distance to Thompson Water where we spent some time overviewing the water from the raised bank, from here we walked the path through the woodland carr habitat to as far as the bridge crossing the woodland stream. 

An initial overview of the water produced good numbers of Mallard in open water and at least 4 Grey Herons, which when at rest had a rather stately demeanor.  A single Black-headed Gull was present and in nearby woodland a Garden Warbler was alarm calling.  A Sparrowhawk passed low over the water whilst other raptors seen included Kestrel and one Red Kite soaring over woodland.

As we walked the path through the woodland carr we came upon an open area of reedbed and willow scrub, the immediate habitat around us was Hemp Agrimony where it was evident that a number of Reed Warblers were creeping about within the plant frequently uttering a "truk" note.  One Reed Warbler was also in song.

1. Thompson Water 15 July 2026 (Hemp Agrimony in the foreground)

As well as some lovely close encounters with Reed Warblers, the above views of the water produced numerous Mallard and 4 Great Crested Grebes (display seen).

Caroline and I then continued through the woodland where we commented upon the number of Rowans bearing fruit.  The dominant tree species is Oak, Ash, and Beech with much Holly understorey, this woodland was very reliable for Golden Pheasant, however, these have sadly long gone.

We then retraced our steps back through the woodland carr and to the viewing bank for a final overview of the water, but before reaching the bank we again stopped at the location pictured above where several Reed Warblers were present, being a calm day we could see slight movements of the weed as the birds skulked in cover, our patience was rewarded when a juvenile Reed Warbler appeared in front of us for about 30 seconds, this bird showed pale gape flanges and may have been tailless.   At the bank we hoped for Hobby, however, there was no show on this visit, we did see at least two Sand Martins over the water searching for insect prey.

Caroline provided expertise on her plant identification, most notably with Hemp Agrimony and the benefits it provides for butterflies and other insects.   Butterflies seen included Gatekeeper, Red Admiral, and Holly Blue.

This was a lovely visit to Thompson Water with Caroline, it was great seeing you again and I look forward to our next meet. 

Hockham (Hockham Heath) 12 July 2026

The forests at Hockham are dominated by large compartments of commercial Pine crops of varying ages, from mature woodland down to clearings with pine regeneration.  It was one of these regenerating clearings I visited this morning, these habitats hold a greater diversity of life for a number of years until pine trees grow tall enough to become the dominant habitat, the comforting factor here is that these pine compartments are rotational, therefore, there will always be clearings to accommodate important Breckland species.

1. Hockham Heath 12 July 2026

The habitat shown above is at an early regeneration stage and the plentiful scrub seen here this morning typical open country birds, these included two Stonechats, a couple of singing Yellowhammers, Whitethroats (young heard), one Garden Warbler, Chiffchaff, and several Linnets which included a bird with food and a very attractive male Linnet holding territory in an area of scrub.  The mature woodland periphery held Blackbird and a calling Nuthatch

2. Linnet (male) close to nest site 12 July 2026

3. Linnet being very obliging

Linnets were the dominant species within the clearing today, which was not a surprise given the available habitat for breeding.  The male Linnet pictured here was perched quietly above a patch of scrub where a nest is probably located.

Also noted in the clearing was a number of Ruddy Darter dragonflies (male and female), and several butterfly species including Small White, Peacock, Gatekeeper, and Large Skippers.   

Forest walk at Didlington 11 July 2026

A distinctly cooler start to the day with full cloud cover, however, the cloud eventually broke up to give another very warm day with a maximum temperature of 81° fahrenheit.  Despite this reasonable temperature, it is significantly lower than recent temperature highs.

This morning I walked the forest trails at Didlington, these trails comprise mostly Pine woodland of various ages from regenerating clearings to mature woodland including various Pines, including Scots Pines, Oak, Birch, and some fine areas of mature Beech woodland.

1. The descent into the forest at Didlington

2. A wide firebreak in the forest

The initial stage of the walk was very quiet for birds with common species noted including Chiffchaff, Wren, and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

I entered a large area of regenerating woodland with young Pines and Birch present with lots of ground covering bracken. The wide rides here held lots of Ragwort, Viper's Bugloss, and Mullein, also, this low level young woodland held many Chiffchaffs, including a family party where an adult was seen food carrying.  Also heard only was a calling Willow Warbler. with both this species and Chiffchaff present and calling it was possible to hear the difference between the species.  The Chiffchaff call is a weakish "hweet" note whilst the Willow Warbler call is strident and clear "hooweet". 

3. Ragwort. A common plant in clearings and forest rides

4. Viper' Bugloss. A striking plant

5. Mullein

6. Beech woodland. A nice break from the dominant Pine plantations

Not too many bird species seen or heard on this walk as one would expect with post breeding dispersal although an overhead calling Siskin may have indicated local breeding.

Watton 7 July 2026

I have little positive things to say about new housing developments and their impacts upon wildlife and their habitats, however, a series of ponds created at the Wayland Fields development where rainwater collects has proved beneficial for species, especially passage waders and for hirundines which collect pellets of wet mud for nest building, for drinking, and for hunting insects.  The immediate surrounding area is full of knapweed, weeds, and wildflowers, the downside with the development however is the loss of Skylarks, an already threatened species.

Wayland Fields 7 July 2026

7 July (Visit)

As I approached the ponds the most obvious species seen was House Martin with many birds over the ponds, some taking a drink from the surface of the water and others collecting pellets of mud from the wet shore.  A single Swallow was seen.

The weedy surrounds of the ponds held many Goldfinches and in time the seed heads of knapweed will provide good feeding for these birds. Also seen on this visit was a number of House Sparrows in weedy areas, some were seen visiting the ponds to drink.

I was about to leave to walk into town when I heard many House Martins alarm calling, I had a pretty good idea what caused this alarm and my suspicions were confirmed when a Hobby appeared over the ponds, the falcon flew over houses for a while before departing over fields.  A stunning raptor, this bird showed all the salient features, the contrasting black hood and white facial area, the blue grey upperparts, and white underparts streaked black.  What a fantastic bird the Hobby was, a bird capable of high speed and incredible agility in the chase.    

    

Little Cressingham (The Arms and Clermont) 6 July 2026

 We are now entering the third hot spell of weather now, the end of May was hot, and of course, the end of June saw temperatures breach 100° fahrenheit, and the forthcoming days are expected to reach 95° fahrenheit.  It is fair to say that this will become normal in future summers in Britain.

Although very warm today the most notable weather feature was the fresh, occasionally strong north-westerly wind.

This morning I visited 'The Arms' road passing along the Clermont estate and then on to the STANTA access road.  The roadside trees are mostly large Oaks, also a mixed woodland habitat comprises Oaks, Ash, Beech, and conifer types, and the STANTA access road has a mixed Larch and Oak woodland alongside. The land is a mix of arable and pig units.

The roadside margins held areas of scrub along with some colourful plants including Rosebay Willowherb, Viper's Bugloss, and St. John's Wort.

1. Rosebay Willowherb 6 July 2026

2. Viper's Bugloss 6 July 2026

3. St. John's Wort 6 July 2026

My walk along 'The Arms' road saw a number of common species, these included Skylark, Chiffchaff and Blackcaps in wooded areas, a female Chaffinch, singing Coal Tit, and further along the road a Nuthatch was calling. I checked the sky overhead and almost immediately connected with a Goshawk which drifted to and fro above the woodland canopy, a calling Buzzard appeared and both raptors engaged in a brief tussle. 

A corner of a field held some wonderful scrubby areas and colourful plants which in turn attracted several butterfly species including Large Skipper, Peacock, Small White, a 'blue' species, Small Copper, Gatekeeper, also Hoverfly species included the large bee-like Pellucid Hoverfly.

4. Small White 6 July 2026

5. Comma 6 July 2026

6. Large Skipper

7. Gatekeeper

8 . Pellucid Hoverfly

Continuing my walk along the STANTA access road, the mixed Larch and Oak woodland held singing Blackcap, and juvenile Blue Tits. Overhead a couple of soaring and calling Buzzards seen.

9. Hummingbird Hawk Moth feeding from Viper's Bugloss

 

10. Hummingbird Hawk Moth

The large field alongside the STANTA access road saw a Red-legged Partridge with 7 recently hatched chicks.  A single Song Thrush gave a brief alarm call and out of sight beyond woodland, the familiar call of at least one Raven was heard.