Nature Notes November 2023
Nature Notes November 2023
The very wet weather we have been having has been a spur to get out into the countryside on the few occasions it has been dry and sunny. Even a walk to shops in the sunshine could turn up interesting sightings: a wavering skein of Pink-footed Geese drew attention to themselves, calling to each other as they headed north-west towards Holkham over Bircham Road. In the churchyard, on top of the block tomb opposite St Michael’s door, a flower spike of a Broomrape was visible above the other vegetation. These plants are parasitic, their roots attach themselves to those of different species growing around them, taking all the nutrients they need from their hosts. This eventually kills the host plants, making Broomrapes natural ‘weed killers’. A few days later there were three flower spikes and two that had already gone over, dotted about the top of the tomb, so together they will be keeping the other vegetation in check. It is amazing how the natural world regulates itself if we leave it alone. On another bright and breezy day we drove to Kelling Heath and walked north to eventually climb Muckleborough Hill, which is a glacial moraine left by a melting ice sheet ten thousand years ago. The view was spectacular: we could see as far as Blakeney Point in the west and Sheringham in the east. On the hill itself there were a few fungi nestled in the short grass, including crimson and orange Wax caps and even smaller olive-brown Bonnets. On another occasion we had a trip to Cley and were amazed to see an Otter swimming towards a hide! It crossed the bank in front of the hide and calmly swam away along the dyke directly below our viewpoint, ignoring the excited murmuring of the watchers. Two young boys were ecstatic that they had seen a live Otter so close and got the photos to prove it! It is really good to see young people’s enthusiasm for wildlife. Later, we had exceptional views of a flock of Bearded Tits busy feeding on reed seeds. Normally, we hear the tell-tale ‘ping-ping’ calls and look up to see a warm brown shape disappearing into the reeds. This time they were sitting on top of the reed heads just across a ditch. The males slate blue head and shoulders are marked by the characteristic long black ‘moustaches’ on either side of the neat yellow bill; they looked stunning in the sunshine. The females are brown with yellowish feathering for camouflage and they all have long tails, presumably to help balance their rotund bodies when in flight. They are very special little birds.
Do let me know if you see any interesting wildlife (rachel.42rr@btinternet.com)
