Saturday, 25 April 2015

Dog Sitting & Nature Watching


Dog Sitting & Nature Watching

To & From Garboldisham, East Wretham, Thompson and Merton

Thursday 23rd April 2015


Thetford Forest

We were up at 5am (although I’d been up since 2am) this morning so we could get over to our Son and Daughter-in-Laws home in Garboldisham to pick up our Granddog, Willow. We always enjoy having her so it was something we were looking forward to.

When we left home at 7.25am it was overcast with no wind and the temperature was 8˚C. On our way to Garboldisham we saw plenty of Corvids, Wood Pigeon and Pheasants but we were quite surprised to see a Little Egret take off from a brook behind East Harling Railway Station.

 After picking up Willow we made our way back home with the intention of doing some nature watching on the way. We stopped at Brettenham to have a look at the River Thet which was looking a bit grey and bare at the moment but which will soon be alive with Dragonflies and Damselflies. Going along Kilverstone Road a small Hare ran across the road in front of us.


Hoverfly

After doing some shopping we made a stop beside East Wretham where we saw plenty of Rooks, Rabbits, Crows and in the distance over the Forest a couple of Buzzards. Moving on to what we call the Triangle we passed a couple of Egyptian Geese in a field.



We parked up by what we believe to be a Goshawk or Buzzards nest. We could hear plenty of birdlife, including Blackcaps but we couldn’t see anything. I did see a small bird fly out of the bottom of the nest we were watching, it was either cheekily collecting insects or maybe even nesting there. A dangerous but also a safe place to be.

Moving on round the triangle we parked up so Jan could take Willow for a walk while I waited in the car. The woodland was alive with birdsong, eventually I saw a pair of Robins, 3 Chaffinch, a pair of Blue Tits and a Coal Tit. When Jan and Willow returned she said she’d heard a Chiffchaff, Green Woodpecker and a bird she couldn’t identify. We had our coffee and while we were sitting a Blackcap landed in a tree and started singing away but by the time I’d thought of videoing it and sorting out my camera it was gone. The Blackcap is sometimes known as the poor man’s Nightingale because it is more common than the Nightingale and has beautiful song but not the range of a Nightingale. Jan also saw a Treecreeper on the other side of the road.


Cranesbill

Moving on around the triangle we saw a pair of Jays and a bit further on we made another stop where we had seen another Jay picking up twigs. While we were sitting there the Sun came out and burnt the clouds away and it was now a beautiful blue sky and as if to celebrate that, we saw a small Holly Blue Butterfly skipping alongside the road and then above us, in the ride opposite us, just gently floating on the breeze a male Goshawk briefly appeared in the gap between the trees before drifting off over the forest.

We continued on to Thompson where we saw at least three Roe Deer Hinds grazing behind some trees and then just past Thompson Church we saw Two Egyptian Geese who had two 2 Goslings and a group of 4 Greylag Geese two of whom had 8 Goslings. Moving down to the Range Gates in what I think is called Sparrows Hill, we saw a Hare plenty of Orange Tip Butterflies and Wood Whites and past the Range Gates we could see a young Roe Stag grazing.

Much to Willow’s relief we then returned home after an interesting few hours.

What We Saw:

Corvids (Crows, Rooks, Jackdaws and 4 Jays)
2 Buzzards
Little Egret 
Lapwings
4 Egyptian Geese (2 with 2 Goslings)
2 Robins
Several Blue Tits
Coal Tit
3 Chaffinch
Blackcap (male)
Treecreeper
Goshawk (male)
6 Greylag Geese (2 with 8 Goslings)
4 Roe Deer (1 stag & 3 hinds)
1 Holly Blue Butterfly
Orange Tip Butterfly (many)
Wood White Butterfly (many)

Keep your eyes peeled and good spotting.

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