Day 2 of my mini break was spent at Wicken Fen in Cambs.This is owned by the national Trust and reputed to be the oldest reserve in the country.It was a glorious morning, the sun was up,T so I decided to walk the perimeter of the reserve in order to catch bathing butterflies and dragonflies.The paths were raised in places by means of a boardwalk which made for a pleasant stroll.Butterflies were everywhere,Painted Ladies,Small Tortoiseshell,Red Admirals,Peacock were all in attendance.Commas and Gatekeeper were also present!Reed and Sedge warblers sang in harmony in the lush vegitation, an odd Cettis warbler could be heard.Dragonflies hawked insects over the pools.I noted Black Tailed Skimmer,Emperor and Red Darter,all these species which I am slowly beginning to familiarise myself with!There are over 20 different dragonflies recorded at Wicken,but I`m sure more are to follow.
Later that day I returned to a small reserve managed by Norfolk Wildlife Trust ,where good views of Kingfisher were to be had.I set my stall and it wasn`t too long before one appeared less than 10 yds away,He was perched in a small Willow which overhung the water,an ideal place to ambush stickleback and minnow.Suddenly he was plummeting into the shallows but he missed his prey and landed on a small branch directly in front of me.I grabbed the opportunity and took numerous photos before he departed elsewhere.
Hope you enjoy the snaps
You have certainly enjoyed yourself on your trip with plenty of variety and exciting new places to explore. Looking foward to more accounts from " A Walk On The Wildside ".
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