RobboJan's Naturetrek: Stone Curlews, Butterflies & Hares

Loop From The A1065

(Coldharbour Lane through Swaffham Gap To Near Cockley Cley Warren)

Sunday 10^th May 2015

2 Of The Hares We Saw

Update From Lackford Lakes: When I was processing two of Jan’s videos I noticed that she had captured the Little Gull on them. The first with the Canada Geese and their goslings and the other with the Common Tern so that was a bonus. They can both be seen on our YouTube Channel.

Garden Update: We had our first Blackbird fledgling in the garden today. Their nest is in a bush in the far right hand corner of our garden. Last year a cat decimated the nest and we’ve already had 2 cats visiting our garden today. We certainly haven’t seen any Voles in the garden yet this year.

Fledgling Blackbird & Yellowhammer (A Regular In Our Garden)

We left home at 2.30pm. It was a sunny afternoon with a light breeze and the temperature was 20˚C which rose to 21˚C and the breeze freshened up a bit. We had to call into the Chemist and did a little shopping before we got to the junction of the A1065 and Coldharbour Lane by which time it was 3.10pm. At the junction we saw our first of 7 Buzzards and the first of 17 Hares.

There were plenty of Butterflies about and during our trip we saw 8 different types but in the breeze they were all moving fairly fast and beyond our capabilities to photograph them.

Now that the crops are getting taller it is becoming harder to spot the Hares unless they sit up or run across the fields. At one stopping place we saw a Muntjac Deer running through the crops and the only reason we saw it was because it was leaping as it was running.

We saw what I believe was a male Sparrowhawk hunting in an unusual way. It was sort of hovering cum jumping through some crops just above and through them. It was obviously hunting ground nesting birds or small mammals. It gave up after a little while without catching anything before disappearing out of site.

Shortly after this we heard a Deer barking in Coldharbour Wood and it was getting closer to the road and although we didn’t see it, it got very close to us before turning away from the road and going deeper back into the Wood.

We stopped to have some coffee by one of the rides through Coldharbour Wood and a Hare came out of the trees and made its way towards us before turning back into the forest; this also happened a little while later while we were sitting in a lane. Both times the Hares seemed to be unaware of us. Just a bit further on we saw a Carrion Crow with a bird (which later when I looked at the short video I’d shot, appeared to be a gosling and it was still alive).

Typical Scenes Of Our Drive & A Jay

We have done this particular loop several times and it is in archetypal Breckland surroundings. Some of the Scots Pine Trees are just natural works of art.

As we came to the end of our loop we stopped at a field where we saw a pair of Stone Curlews a few weeks ago. We saw another (or perhaps it was the same pair) in a field on the other side of the road. In a narrow stubble strip left by the farmer in the centre of a field of Rape it was like a wildlife city. In and on the edges of the strip we saw the Stone Curlew, Roe Deer, Lapwings, Pheasants, Partridges, Skylarks, Stock Doves, Wood Pigeons, Crows, Jackdaws, a Grey Squirrel and Lapwings. It just shows, how, with intelligent habitat management, what can be done for wildlife.

Not A Brilliant Picture But You Can Just See The 2 Stone Curlews & A Lapwing

Another 2 Hares

We made our way home through Hilborough seeing another Muntjac Deer and a few other birds. All in all it was a very enjoyable four hours spent in our locality and another great example of how brilliant this area is for wildlife.