Chris Lansdell's Birding & Nature Diary

A Mining Bee Extravaganza! 26 March 2022

A Saturday afternoon off for good behavoir (!) had me heading towards Norwich were I had a rendezvous with Jeremy Bartlett on his allotment.

First though I had business in suburban Brundall for a couple of species of mining bee - the rare Grey-backed Mining Bee and Yellow-legged Mining Bee which occur in the same spot. I found 2-3 of the former and loads of the latter plus Dark-edged Bee-fly and a Blood Bee sp. With a bit of patience I managed to get some photos. Grey-backed Mining Bee is rare having previously only been known from Dungeness and a site in Hampshire. The species has started to spread a little with these Norfolk ones only discovered last year.

Into Norwich to meet Jeremy next via a stop at B&Q for supplies for work next week. It was good to have a catch up and also to see his Pied Shieldbugs that are frequenting Red Dead Nettle on his allotment. A Sun Spurge plant in flower was my first of the year. While chatting Jeremy told me of another mining bee spot at Strumpshaw Fen so I decided to give it a go before heading home. At the start of the sandy wall I found the spot and luckily after a short wait a single Clark's Mining Bee appeared around the nest holes. I have since learned that the colony has been there at least 50 years! Then, by pure luck I took a quick look at the small sandy cliff in the woods and found a 4th species for the day - Cliff Mining Bee.

Grey-backed Mining Bee

Yellow-legged Mining Bee

Blood Bee sp

Pied Shieldbug

Clark's Mining Bee

Cliff Mining Bee

Wall Lizard, Felixstowe, 25 March 2022

The small Wall Lizard colony in Felixstowe has been on my to do list for absolutely ages. Finally Belinda and I decided to make the trip on Friday.

In a total of 2 hours searching we were lucky enough to find one - just 1 mind you! Luckily it posed for the camera for about a minute before flitting back into a hole in the rocks never to be seen again. Nearby was a Marsham's Nomad Bee which was a new one on me too. A bright spring 'hutchinsoni' Comma also posed for a quick picture.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking, or rather trudging the track down to Trimley Marshes. It was largely fruitless, except for a fly-by female Orange Tip and loads of Peacocks. The first lagoon held nothing much of note except a couple of pairs of Avocets, 4 Black-tailed Godwits and a variety of common ducks of which a number of Pintail were the best. At Fagbury Point on the way back however I found a female type Black Redstart so all was not in vain!

Wall Lizard

'hutchinsoni' Comma

Marsham's Nomad Bee

Glossy Ibis on Bowthorpe Marsh and a visit to Dickleburgh Moor, 24 March 2022

A Glossy Ibis has been hanging around Bowthorpe Marsh for a few days and being a Norwich area tick for me I poodled along there this morning. After a short search I found it feeding on the south side of the Yare at the far eastern end of the marsh. It gave some nice views in very good light, showing off it's glossyness! A Little Egret was also knocking about while I was further entertained. Earlier an 'off the lead' dog had tried to jump up me and a I had to have firm words with the owner to prevent it doing so and covering me with mud. A few minutes later that dog was attacked by another dog (also off it's lead) to the hysterical screams of it's female owner. Karma is a wonderful thing for sure, especially as she was still crying in the carpark a while later!

In the woods by the carpark it would have been a shame not to pay the Purple Toothwort another visit. This time a Garden Bumblebee was visiting this early nectar source. Bullfinch, Greenfinch and Great Spotted Woodpecker were also in the wood and Chiffchaffs were singing all over.

Back closer to home I popped in to Dickleburgh Moor where 3 Little Ringed Plovers equalled my earliest date for the species. 5 Snipe, 2 pairs of Gadwall and a single Little Egret were also present but a Dunlin I'd seen the previous evening had departed.

Glossy Ibis

Purple Toothwort and Garden Bumblebee

Hairy Violet, 23 March 2022

An after-work trip (probably the first of many this summer!) down into the Suffolk wilds to look for a species which has eluded me so far - Hairy Violet. Although relatively frequent in other parts of the country this chalk-loving species is rather scarce in East Anglia. Suffolk has a handful of records and Norfolk very few indeed.

Meg had given me a location near Lavenham so I headed there. And along a field-edge footpath found several patches with no bother at all. I'd expected them to be tricky to find! The very hairy stems, longish, pointed leaves, blunt sepals and distinctively paler and bluer flowers were all noted. Interestingly, in an adjacent shady area of trees there were Sweet Violets.

On the way home I stopped for a walk along Shaker's Lane in Bury St Edmunds which is supposed to hold Barberry. I failed to find any but did record the very similar Oregon Grape and on it a new fungi for me Mahonia Rust. Appearing as rusty-brown spots on the underside of the leaves. In the woods near the lane there were plenty of Early Dog Violets in bloom.

A brief stop at Mickle Mere en-route home was very quiet - a Painted Lady did fly across in front of the hide though.

Hairy Violets

Oregon Grape

Mahonia Rust

Early Dog Violets

Plant chasing and walk at Kessingland, 19 & 20 March 2022

Saturday saw me do some local plant-twitching. I've been wanting to track down the plant that goes by the strange name of Abraham-Isaac-Jacob (aka Oriental Borage) and a friend had found some at Brundall. I was waiting some details from him as I headed towards Norwich. Passing through Tasburgh on the A140 something caught my eye as I drove past so I stopped in a side road and walked back. And to my very pleasant surprise there was a big area on a steep bank covered in exactly the plant I wanted! I paused to take some photographs with the traffic whizzing past my lug-hole and moved on via loads of Danish Scurvygrass which is now lining our roads.

With no need to go to Brundall any more I stopped at Shotesham Ford where I very quickly found what I wanted to see - Almond Willow growing by the waters edge. Due to a barbed wire fence I was unable to get as close as I wanted so thank goodness I had my bigs lens with me.

Next stop was somewhere I have previously been at Bowthorpe but as it was a few years ago I wanted another look at the strange alien-like lifeform that is Purple Toothwort. I found it excatly where I remembered.

Finally I headed arund the southern bypass and out towards Loddon where unfortunately my luck ran out as I failed to find Butterbur. Possibly it's too early but I live to fight another day with that one.

Abraham-Isaac-Jacob

Almond Willow

Purple Toothwort

Fast forward to Sunday and Belinda joined me for a walk south from Kessingland to Benacre and back. The northerly breeze was cold and migrants almost non-existent. 5 Stonechats, a few Meadow Pipits and Linnets on the move was about it on the outward walk. Stopping in a sheltered spot by the sluice for lunch on the walk back was a good call though as we were graced by a Black Redstart around the buildings. Botany-wise I found Field Wood-rush, Climbing Corydalis and Spring Beauty with loads of Knotted Wrack washed up all along the beach.

Climbing Corydalis

Field Wood-rush

Knotted Wrack

Sweet Violet var. sulfurea - at last! 18 March 2020

Having received a tip-off a while ago about some Sweet Violets var. sulfurea in Norwich I have looked for them 4 times with no luck. Admitedly a couple of visits were just quick drive-bys. It seems I was just a bit too early for them because on Friday I pulled up at the spot and there they were in all their splendor! This butter-yellow variation still retains it's purple spur making the colouration unusual and very attractive. Belinda took great delight in seeing me laying on the pavement in a busy urban street photographing them!

Turner's Oak and a strange Comfrey sp

This weekend has been a quiet one but a walk around Mousehold from Mum and Dad's on Friday had me looking at a rather strange oak growing by the capark at Zaks opposite the Fountain Ground. What caught my eye was that it was in full leaf despite no other trees being any where near that advanced yet. It turns out to be a specimen of the rare Turner's Oak, a hybrid between Common Oak and Holm Oak which explains it's almost evergreen nature. Earlier in the day a singing Chiffchaff in the garden was early and a most welcome sign of spring.

A long walk around the Metfield area on Saturday revealed a flock of c250 Fieldfares with a few intermingled Redwings, singing Song Thrush and Bullfinch. Along the Fressingfield Road south of Metfield my eye was drawn to an attractive comfrey in flower on the verge. It was very low-growing with delicate long pale blue and white flowers. Closer examination revealed that it had 'runners' and was growing as a matt covering the ground. I also had hairy heart-shaped leaves. Being in full flower so early was also a good indicator that this was Creeping Comfrey, a new species for me!

Update - following some Twitter discussions however I have been informed that this comfrey is actually Hidcote Comfrey but my record of Creeping Comfrey has been accepted on iRecord by the county rcorder. I'm confused! Needless to say Creeping Comfrey will be staying off my list for the time being.

Turner's Oak

Hidcote Comfrey

Spring vibes in Norwich, 9 March 2022

A day getting things done in Norwich with the added bonus of some sun, a long walk and some nice plants.

Just outside Earlham Cemetery on Farrow Road there are some fabulous Netted Irises in lovely condition along the central reservation. In the cemetery itself, armed with Rex Hancy's 'Notable Trees of Norwich' book I tracked down the rather spectacular Weeping Beech and also a single Whitebeam. Some of the other trees he mentions will have to wait until the leaves are on the trees! Also seen there amongst the huge displays of Crocuses, Daffodils, Snowdrops and Primroses were a few Glory-of -the-Snow plants, a species closely related to the squills.

Jus had recently found a rather nice looking Silk Tassel tree just off Upper St Giles so I ventured there next to pay it homage, also finding a Small-flowered Gorse next to it. On the walk back through the back streets I found Garden Tree Mallow and Greater Celandine in flower too.