Blue Eyed Birder: Lowestoft Life - 7th -13th April 2025

At last a little time to catch up at home in the garden although the chilly weather did make any wildlife encounters during the first weeks somewhat sporadic but despite the cold it has been so dry that I have had to water most days, especially with quite a few new plants in. I think it is nearly eight weeks since the last proper rain here and the 17 drops we had last night really does not count.

I headed to Enid’s in Wymondem on the day on the 7^th to help dig up a large bit of lawn to create a new bed. She is largely on the clay and the dry conditions has left it baked hard like a late summer lake bed and once the turf was off it was a tough job to actually dig down a spades depth to turn it over but we got it done and she now has a huge new bed to plant up.

My joint custody Pitchers are still loving living with Enid

The garden was full of insect life with Peacocks, Small and Green veined Whites, Comma and Brimstone as well as six Hoverfly species, three Bumbles, Anthophoras, a host of tiny mining Bees in the grass and a several female Andrena nitida.

The Boys from Strood came to stay for a few days but I still managed harden time and the 10^th saw a bit more insect activity at home with quite a few Anthophora plumipes and Eristalis pertinax nectaring and Buzzards drifted over regularly although telling the locals from trespassers is getting tricky. A single Redwing came out of the gardens that morning too.

I managed some quality time outside on the 11^th as I tinkered and tweaked things out there. My carnivorous bog garden seems to be suffering with possibly too much light and I have now shaded the Venus Flytraps and Sundew but the Pitchers look just fine.

I checked on the micro grove of trees that I planted round the back and was pleased to find them all in good health and budding up. I suspect I may be able to see the Willow over the garage before too long. It was my first home Butterfly day with Small and Large White, Brimstone, Peacock and Comma and a host of Hoverflies including both Eupeodes corollae and luniger.

The upcycled cast iron frames I bought for £1 each last spring have now become my border fence / plant support.

Yellow Figwort

Pisaura mirabilis are definitely the commonest spider in the garden and several quite mature Salticus scenicus were hunting along the fence where all my climbing plants are getting going.

Listening to the local Herring and Lesser-black Backed Gulls got me onto the local female Sparrowhawks, at least six Buzzard and a Red Kite while out the front it was upsetting to see two dead Hedgehogs in the road. How can people not see them? Why would you run anything over in a road let along one of these? Unfortunately I just think people don’t care. Mothtrap rebuilding round at the Wrens added a similar insect haul. The Kittiwakes in town are now well and truly back!

My mothtrap went on that evening but the haul was very poor with just an Early Grey, Hebrew Character and Common Plume.

Early Grey

Yesterday, the 12^th, was Operation Loft and the old marquee flooring that my brother got for me was, after about a year, finally moved into the house and with three of us was somehow all wiggled up into the loft through the hatch (which is located in the bathroom) for a future attempt at actually laying them out! Even this job gave us some wildlife encounters with many Tegenaria (or whatever they are now) House Spiders, Steatoda nobilis and the largest Dysdera crocata I have ever seen. She was handled with care and moved to the front garden.

Dysdera crocata

In the afternoon we dragged Aidan off to North Cove for a walk with us. Antony was trying to find Adela cuprella, a Longhorn moth that only frequents the tallest flowering Sallows and for a very small window of time. We got lucky and found two leks and the male moths cut a very strangely symmetrical almost bat shape when dancing.

Adela cuprella - Antony Wren

Adela cuprella

There were a similar suite of Hoverflies to back home but amongst the Butterflies we added our first of the season’s Orange Tips. There were plenty of Bombylius major and in the cuts there were Three Spined Sticklebacks, Whirly-gigs and Pond Skaters. A small Pirate Water Spider was seen.

Pine Ladybird

Eupeodes luniger

Eristalis pertinax

Calliphora vicina

Peacock

Bombylius major

Three Spined Sticklebacks

Platycheirus albimanus

Eudasyphora cyanella

Possibly Pirata tenuitarsis

The feeders were frequented but many Great Tits and the odd Marsh Tit but it was the pair of Pheasants that drew they eye, Both were beautiful in their own way. I am my no means pro-Pheasant but they are certainly a stunning bird to look at and one day I hope to see them within their native range.

Great Tit - Antony Wren

Dunnock

Common Buzzard

Chinese Water Deer were barking and a Buzzard mewed overhead and back near the gate we found Ivy-leaved Speedwell, Golden Opposite-leaved Saxifrage and a pale pinky form of Ground Ivy.

Dryad's Saddle with a 2p for scale

King Alfred's cakes

Tussock Grass

Dog's Mercury

Sallow

Alder

pink Ground Ivy

Golden Opposite-leaved Saxifrage

Back home and them off again to Carlton Marshes for a late evening mini Share Marsh circuit. I did not get the hoped for Grasshopper Warblers but there were 12 Sedge and one Reed Warbler in song along with Reed Buntings, Stonechat, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits.

Marsh Harriers did their thing but the marsh itself seemed devoid of anything bar the odd male Mallard and Wood Pigeon until a Bittern arose from the sedges not too far away and proceeded to perform a leisurely circuit for me. I think it had a blue bill base making it a male.

Bittern

Greater Stitchwort

It was rapidly cooling off which is why I chose the Share Marsh cut through which gave me a close encounter with a Kestrel and attentive Meadow Pipit and then the Barn Owl popped out of its box and began silent circuits.

Chinese Water Deer were all over the marsh

Kestrel

Meadow Pipit

Barn Owl

Later still the pink micro full Moon rose and resulted in a dash down the beach for some pics. A Redwing called as it headed out into the night on its way back home. The moth trap was already on and this morning I pulled out the same there species as before along with my first Oak Nycteoline and subsequent gardening today added Beautiful Plume, Double Striped Pug, Pyrausta aurata and my first ever adult Choreutis nemorana loitering near my Fig Tree.