Barn Owl hunting

Opposite our bungalow is an owl box, erected a couple of years ago by Suffolk Wildlife Trust, but which, to our knowledge, has not been occupied by owls. Until this year, that is. Now it has Barn Owls with young, as we have seen parents,or parent, leaving and returning on several occasions. However, because it faces away from us, we have not been able to get any photos - until today! Rosey spotted a parent returning to, and leaving from the box, this morning.

So we headed for a good observation point in the Conservation area and were rewarded with a good view of the adult owl hunting and returning to the box. Maybe not as sharp as I would have liked but never the less -  Magic!

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Stag beetle

Stag Beetles are the largest beetles found in the U.K. and they're now quite rare. The decline of our Stag Beetles is mainly as a result of habitat loss. Some are killed by cars on roads, and since they spend such a long time in the larval stage they are also vulnerable to predation.

The most noticeable features of the male Stag Beetles are the large antler-like jaws, which give the beetle its name. They are used during the mating season to fight with other males over territory. Each male tries to grab his opponent between his jaws, and then throw him.

The fully grown male stag beetles can normally be seen flying at dusk between May and August. They look quite unstable in flight, and their wings make a loud buzzing sound. The warmer temperatures of late spring encourage them to look for a mate. They will drink tree sap, but do not eat, and will not grow at all. After mating the male Stag Beetles die.

The females can be recognised by the much smaller jaws. Although both the male and female Stag Beetles can give you a pinch, they are quite harmless. Females lay their eggs in, or near, rotten wood, and then die.

The larvae (grubs) which hatch from the eggs, have cream coloured bodies with an orange head and orange legs. They live and feed in the rotting wood for up to six years.

When fully grown, the larvae leave the wood to pupate in the soil. This occurs in the summer, while the weather is still warm, and lasts a few weeks. The fully grown beetle remains in this state until the following summer when it emerges as an adult beetle.

Stag Beetle - Lucanus cervus

Although we saw this specimen who was very much alive, we did find two others, very squashed nearby. A shame, but it seems the fate of many from this spot, having found them around here on previous years.

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The RSPB: Strumpshaw Fen

We chose a beautiful day to visit, after promising ourselves for a long time. Although I only had my Sony RX100 with 100mm zoom, the few images I managed, are below. Strumpshaw Fen is a nature reserve managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. It is situated at Strumpshaw on the River Yare in Norfolk, around 6 miles east of Norwich.

Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isosceles) is a rare species, with clear wings, green eyes and the characteristic yellow triangle shape on the dragonfly’s body which make this endangered dragonfly very distinctive. The Norfolk hawker, which has its stronghold in Norfolk, is a nationally rare dragonfly it is classified as endangered and is fully protected by law, so we were pleased to find this one hanging on the underside of a leaf in someone's garden.

Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) is also known as the 'Bloodsucker' for its striking red appearance, but it is harmless to humans. It has a narrow, rectangular body with longish antennae. There are about 40 species of soldier beetle in the UK, displaying various colour combinations of black, red and orange.

Eyed Hawk-moth (Smerinthus ocellata) We were very pleased to find this moth after a tip off from a fellow visitor to the Fen. Fairly well distributed throughout England and Wales apparently, this species has a sombre, camouflaged appearance at rest, but if provoked, flashes the hindwings, which are decorated with intense blue and black 'eyes' on a pinkish background. Unfortunately we only saw it at rest, but were pleased just to see it.

The adults fly from May to July, inhabiting woodland and suburban localities, and must make quite a sight with their large wingspan of 70-80 mm.

Swallowtail - (Papilio machaon) is our largest native butterfly, and also one of our rarest. This spectacular insect is our only resident butterfly of the Papilionidae family, which is one of the largest butterfly families in the world. The British race is the subspecies britannicus which is confined to the fens of the Norfolk Broads. This is partly due to the distribution of the sole larval food plant, Milk-parsley. Seeing the adult butterflies flying powerfully over the Norfolk Broads is a sight to behold, and one near the top of the list of most British butterfly-watchers. For me to get an image on my compact - magic!

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My 70th Birthday

I suppose everybody feels apprehensive about passing birthdays, but Rosey and the family made my 70th a real treat, and one to remember. Having your family around you at any time is what life is all about, but today was special! So some images of them on this special day.

I suspect you have to help Grandad blow out candles because,at his age, he cannot quite do it! 

Helping Andrew with the barbecue. 

And then the smiley faces of the family, (well mostly!) 

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A `Church Micro` cache at Aldham church

Aldham is a short distance from Hadleigh, being just on the opposite side of the bypass.

There are a series of Geocaches called Church Micros, as they are (reasonable obviously) placed near to Churches. They are never actually on Church property, but, as in this case, they often depend on you gleaning information from the Church and its grounds, to enable you to work out the final position of the cache. This allows you to explore some wonderful historic building in the process, and learn some interesting things as well. Three clues had to be obtained in this case, and duly pointed me to a spot a short distance from the church, where the cache was soon to hand!

One of the clues which helped find the final cache, was information on this sundial in the churchyard. So, some picture of this lovely country church of St Mary with it`s round tower.

The church itself is a flint church with stone dressings built circa 1340. A circular west tower has a 11c-12c base, which appears to be the oldest part. The chancel has a 14c kingpost roof and there are some 15c carved benches and lectern.

This church was derelict by the mid 19th century, and underwent a fairly late restoration, in 1883. The tower was rebuilt, as was the south wall of the nave. The roofs were replaced, giving an overwhelmingly Victorian appearance. There was another restoration of the inside in the early 20th century.

The setting of the church is beautiful and tranquil, and worth a visit just for the views.

The Three Tuns was situated at 106 High Street. This pub closed in 1911 and is now in residential use. It used to brew its own beer; the well used for this still remains and is under a covenant on the house that it cannot be altered. I took this photo in the morning having walked past this building many times but not noticed the sign. However, I love the sign, shame I missed the top of the image!

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Redgrave, South Lopham & Banham

Redgrave & Lopham Fen is an internationally important lowland valley fen with a unique landscape of spring-fed sedge beds, rush and grass meadows, wet and dry heath, woodland and pools.

Home to insect-eating plants and Britain's biggest spider, the fen raft spider, this dramatic fenland landscape is one of the most important wetlands in Europe and the source of the River Waveney.

The fen is an exceptional place for wildlife and a testament to the vision of those who battled to save it. It`s a wild watery landscape of sedge, rush, heath and hundreds of pools created over many centuries by local people as they eked out a living, digging peat for fuel and cutting reed and sedge for thatching.

Talking of large spiders, here is an image I captured in 2010 on a visit. Not the best quality, but it does show the creature in its habitat.

The Raft Spider is a large, chunky spider that lives around the edge of ponds and swamps. Adults sit at the edge of the water, or on floating vegetation, with their front legs resting on the water's surface in order to feel for the vibrations of potential prey. Using the surface tension of the water, they chase out onto the water to catch their prey, which will even include tadpoles or small fish.

Raft Spiders will also swim underwater, often diving beneath the surface when threatened.

These two images are of the Four Spot Chaser dragonfly which was just trying to warm himself up at the start of the day.

This was I believe, a Variable Damselfly - Coenagrion pulchellum

and this a female Blue-tailed Damselfly - Ischnura elegans

....and then to an unfortunate one captured, and being eaten by a spider!

And so we made our way to South Lopham where the village sign shows how proud they are of their resident raft Spider.

South Lopham church (St Andrews) has the finest Norman tower in Norfolk and one of the best anywhere. It rises 70ft and is somewhat austere, even forbidding - it would not take a big jump of the imagination to see it in a Norman castle.

The original church was Saxon, dating from between AD 1000 and 1066. The Norman work was commissioned by the fearsome William Bigod, Earl of Norfolk. He was to drown in 1120 in the “White Ship” that was taking another William - the son and only legitimate heir of Henry I - from Barfleur in Normandy to England. The Bigods had fought alongside the Conqueror and most of Norfolk and Suffolk was their reward! We might speculate that the no-nonsense austerity of the tower owed something to the no-nonsense mindset of the Bigods!

The church tower might well have been designed to be the centre of a cruciform church, but the transepts never materialised.

There are a quantity of pew ends which are worth a look including this one, the Elephant and Castle emblem. It is a fairly common feature of mediaeval iconography. The carver of this piece obviously had little idea of the creature’s anatomy - hence the beak-like trunk and pathetic legs!

The font is from the fourteenth century and is of octagonal design. It`s stem and bowl carved with traceried patterns (each one different from the others) and topped with a seventeenth century cover.

This mighty parish chest, fashioned out of a single piece of oak! Some believe that it could well date from 1100, contemporary with the tower. In it parish documents and valuables would be stored. At a later date it was secured by three padlocks (the hasp of the middle one remains) for which the rector and two churchwardens each had a key, so all three had to be present for it to be opened.

So onto Banham to take in St Mary`s church with it`s 125ft lead covered spire, atop the tower. Most of the church is flint construction of fourteenth century, flint being available in large quantities in Norfolk.

Doors on old buildings have such a story to tell with their gnarled and weather beaten appearance. This one is from St Mary`s, but is no longer subject to the weather as the Friends of Banham Church had a modern glass entrance door constructed in 2007.

The fourteenth century Parish Chest.

Two images of the buildings which were originally the late sixteenth century Guildhall. Now known as Guildhall Cottages (not too original!)

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The hidden history of Little Wenham

Little Wenham is a small village in Suffolk, England. It is part of the civil parish of Wenham Parva (the ancient name for Little Wenham) within Babergh district.

A village with no public roads but fortunately some rights of way. Its most famous building, Little Wenham Hall, is largely hidden from view.

To quote Sir Nikolaus Pevsner from his “The Buildings of England” series, “The house was built c.1270 - 80, probably for Sir John de Vallibus and his successor Petronilla of Nerford. It is of great historical importance for two reasons. The first is that it is built of brick, and represents one of the earliest uses of home-made brick in England. Flint is used only for the base of the walls and stone for the much rebuilt buttresses and dressings. The second point of outstanding interest is that the house is a house and not a keep. It is fortified of course, but it is in its shape and appointment on the way from the fortress to the manor house and so ranks with Stokesay and Acton Burnell of about the same years as one of the incunabula of English domestic architecture.” 

About the only view I could get of the `castle`, but perhaps at a later date I will find a way! 

Also on the site are the magnificent 16th C barn which was at one time thatched ...

... and the now redundant Church of All Saints which is under the care of the Church Conservation Trust. It`s a 13th C building whose tower and the south porch were added in the 15th century, and in the following century the tower being raised by the addition of a bell chamber.

On the south side of the sanctuary is a pre-Reformation tomb for a member of the Brewse family (it bears an earlier form of the shield across the chancel) but for whom is now unknown. However, in 1785 it was pragmatically reused for John Brewse, a descendant of Thomas Brewse of little Wenham Hall, who died in 1514 and his wife. When John Constable made an ink drawing of this in 1798, it had iron railings across it. Note the two shields with coats of arms flanking the recess.

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