Well, the May blossom being well and truly out, and the warm weather having well and truly returned, many clouts have been cast. It seems to me that the warm weather is unusually warm for early May and it feels like Spring has jumped into Summer without waiting the customary period. Bob Dylan’s line “Time is a jet plane, it moves too fast” seems more appropriate than ever, or perhaps it’s just my advancing years…
Here at
least, the showers of April were few and far between, and water levels are low;
the Pit is already empty, and I imagine the early Moorhen breeding attempt has
failed: farmers are already deploying their XXXL size hosepipes.
Having said
all that, ill omen though it might be, this weather is undoubtedly pleasant to
be out and about in, and the Common looks at its best at this time of year.
One of the iconic plants to be found at this spot now is the Bog Bean. This photo was taken in 2013, but it's gratifying to know that there are still plenty here.
When this place was being managed by the Southrepps Commons Trust, the Bog bean formed the Trust’s logo.
Plants also
in evidence at the moment are:
The flower
is tiny, and its other name of Town Hall Clock is because on each stalk are
four flowers, neatly arranged as though they are the faces of a clock on the
tower of, well, a town hall. Once you get your eye in (or are accompanied by an
eagle-eyed botanist) you discover it is surprisingly numerous.
The summer
migrant birds are mostly all here now, or else they just aren’t coming. Swallows have been with us for a while, and
in very recent days swifts and house martins have put in an appearance. Singing
in the reedbeds are a couple of reed warblers, but sadly no sedge warbler has been reported. Someone noted a Cetti’s Warbler on the sightings whiteboard, and I
have been told that a cuckoo has been heard in the vicinity.
Those tiny
scraps of life Goldcrests are very much in evidence, if you
can make out their high-pitched song. A recent walk in the company of three attentive
ladies provided excellent views for once of this bird, which is so often
audible but yet invisible, as well as more plants than a simple birder can
remember.
Not on any
of the five commons, but not too far off, I happened to spot a group of three Fallow Deer emerging from some woodland
bordering a cereal field. I have never seen these here, or indeed anywhere in
the wild, so this was a welcome first for me. This species had been noted on
the whiteboard once during the winter, and we were surprised by that, but it
does appear that they are around after all.
Butterflies are on the wing now, and reported as
having been seen on the commons or nearby are:
As the
season wears on we can expect Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Gatekeepers and hopefully some less common ones!
Walking in School Common the other day I was surprised and saddened to discover this road works sign, which had been lugged there from where it was meant to be. It has been reported to NWT and will hopefully be removed soon.
Last time we mentioned the replacement of the main boardwalk, starting with the sections most urgently in need. At that point a start had been made on the small section leading to our tool store, which had become quite hazardous. Soon after the last posting was published, the job was completed by our NWT warden George and a volunteer from Cley. Here’s how it looks now.
No doubt before long we will hear the call to arms for the first phase of the elimination of this year’s crop of Himalayan Balsam: can’t wait! (ahem).
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