day 2-norfolk holiday, hickling broad (part 2)

The last chance at a swallowtail. Having failed this morning and the weather being poor the odds were against it. I was already pleading to my dad to bring us down to the broads again. When we arrived we were in a bright spell. The lady in the shop said that the swallowtails were most seen round the bottom of the reserve on hawthorn trees due to the lack of flag irises. I also wanted to see lots of dragonfly's today which was also unlikely due to the weather. luckily no sooner were we into the reserve then my brother spotted a four spot chaser resting in a bush. I tried to get close but accidentally scared it off. luckily I still managed to get a record shot.

The first hide was just round the corner from where we saw the dragonfly. The hide was empty. A pied wagatil was feeding from a stick in the middle of the pond and reed warblers sung from the reeds but there was no life. I walked on ahead slightly from my family and as I looked over the reeds for reed warblers I spotted a large dragonfly moving towards us. I called to my dad "hey dad, heres a big dragonfly". As it came over the path however it appeared that it was not a dragonfly but a swallowtail butterfly. What a tick and in such style. It flew around for a bit before landing in a hawthorn tree where I managed to get some shots of it.

It really is a very impressive butterfly. It fed here for about 5 mins before flying round the back of the tree and we lost it but still what a sighting. We carried on walking, stopping occasionally to look at reed and sedge warblers which were showing much better. The second hide proved no better but my family had spotted this catterpillar which I think is a lacky moth catterpillar.

Eventually I got way ahead of my family because They were busy looking at flowers. I spotted a whitethroat and a willow warbler in the forested area but no dragonflys. Then I found another catterpillar and this time it was a garden tiger moth catterpillar.

As I carried on round we came to the area where the swallowtails had been seen through the week. fittingly we saw non but thats the way it goes. Luckily I found my first ladybird of the year, a seven spotted.

Eventually we came to the end of the hawthorn bushes. a common tern flew over us as we approched the last hide and I shot this picture which I am quite proud off becuase of the fish dangling from its mouth.

The last hide was the best of the hides becuase off the reed birds which were showing well. We also spotted two little egrets in the distance which for a moment we though might be spoonbills. One marsh harrier came really close and was then joined by a second. There were also some reed and sedge warblers plus some breif views of bearded tits.

overall it was a cracking day, if only there had been some more swallowtails. We were invited back to the boat my uncle was renting for the evening to talk. They were moored in barton broat mooring park. nothing much really happened there xcept for a blue sillueht which fle up the river in the low light. It had pointed wings and was moving quite fast; potentially a hobby?

also we heard a cuckoo which is nice becuase I havent heard a cuckoo for a very long time (years) plus a bat. What a cracking day.