A Monthly Publication

Joanna

Well what is ahead for us? So far September has been fairly warm and August managed to produce some summery weather too. The fruit seem to be ripening well, I did wonder if the blackberries would be small and full of pips, however the rain we have had recently seems to have filled them out and the birds and the animals are feasting on them as well as the blackstained fingers of the many humans who enjoy blackberry and apple pie. The apple harvest has begun and Katie and Peasegood Nonsuch are available at Grove Farm Orchards. Again I am delighting in the great names there are for apples, there is even Darcy for the Jane Austen fans!

I know shooting can be a contentious issue, but surely it is better to rear birds especially, than to have the wholesale slaughter that goes on in the Mediterranean area, where any bird is blasted out of the sky whether edible or not and many of our migrants meet a nasty end after their epic struggles over deserts and forests. Migrants from the Scandinavian countries are arriving earlier than for quite a few years, I don’t mean the winter ones that stay with us but the ones en route to Africa or Southern Europe. It is now the 10^th September and it has been very busy at NOA where ringing and recording goes on, all the information gathered goes to research work on bird populations and movements. The flow of Redstarts, Spotted Flycatchers, Willow Warblers and Chiff Chaffs has been steady and there has also been an unexpected and slightly unusual flow of first year Blue Tits, both here and in other Observatories.

The Autumn moths are beginning to appear both in my garden and at NOA where I have been checking the Moth traps whilst there has been a lot of ringing going on, today’s catch included a Pink Barred Sallow and a Migrant Hawker Dragonfly, both were released un-harmed as usual.

As you walk through town and can see the Wash keep your eyes open especially at high tide, I saw some 4000 Waders flying up to the mouth heading for safe roosting whilst feeding was impossible, they were in several flocks and were probably Knot and Bartailed Godwits. It is a fantastic sight and now is the time the RSPB starts the Snettisham roost spectaculars. Well the birds do the spectacular bit! The RSPB supply the guides and information. This weekend is a time of very high and low tides and also because there is no moonlight a good time to start catching up on the stars and the wonder of the heavens. It is a fabulous Universe we live in and there are spectacular shots of outer space on websites and in magazines. Look and marvel and decide if there is a God Creator.