One of many rarest breeding butterflies in Norfolk (and the smallest UK species) is the Small Blue. I am fairly positive I’ve seen a couple of when visiting Stokenchurch to search for Silver-spotted Skipper, however I actually have by no means photographed one. Previous acquaintance Mick Saunt was type sufficient to provide me the placement of a colony he’d lately visited close to Mundford: having a morning free, Linda and I drove down after breakfast to strive our luck. To chop a protracted story brief, we discovered at the very least thirty people in a single small space of woodland trip! They had been so concerned in mating that they had been fully oblivious of us: a pair even landed on Linda’s denims! A lot of Small Coppers, Widespread Blues and Orange Ideas too.
A transfer to Santon Downham nonetheless failed to supply the standard suspects, however a Music Thrush was good to see. A close-by forest clearing added extra Small Coppers and a Small Heath in addition to a yr tick within the type of a distant, singing Tree Pipit. A big accipiter drifted over: I am fairly sure it was a Sparrowhawk.
