My Cuckoo.

 My Cuckoo, Arthur,has spent the last few weeks since arriving from Africa, flying around a very limited area of Norfolk where he was born, looking for a mate. Here is the plot of his travels.

 

Cuckoo Artur's recent tracks in Norfolk

 

 

  The Open Garden last Sunday which was held in a very watery garden in Park Farm Close provided a chance to see several damselflies currently on the wing.  Azure blues were perhaps the most plentiful, with blue bodies, marked in black. Details of the pattern of the markings distinguishes them from the Common Blue. A photo which can be displayed on a large screen is the easiest way to sort them out. 

Not easy to photograph as they don't sit still very long. 

 

Azure damselflies. Photo John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

Several Beautiful Demoiselles were seen. These are recent arrivals in the village, first arriving in my garden further down the village three years ago. Previously I had only seen the small colony down the Weymouth Road.  

  Female Beautiful Demoiselle. Photo. John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

 

They are unique in having fully coloured wings, light tan in the female and blue/black in the male. The female has a browny/green body and the male bright blue. 

 

   Male Beautiful Demoiselle. Photo.  John Elliott. click to enlarge. 

 

 Beautiful Demoiselles breed in running water but may be seen anywhere, commonly sitting on dark green foliage. The only insect they are likely to be confused with is the Banded Demoiselle, which has only the outer half of the wing coloured. It does occur occasionally along the stream.      

A single Large Red damselfly was also seen but didn't stay around long.

 

 

My Cuckoo, Athur, back from Africa.

   My Cuckoo, Arthur.

 The latest bulletin from the BTO on my tagged Cuckoo.

" Arthur sticks with Suffolk

Shortly after Ashok left Worlingham Marshes, our other Suffolk Cuckoo Arthur arrived on site, completing his first full tracked migration cycle to Africa and back. After hanging out close to the Oasis Camel Park for a few days, Arthur returned to Worlingham Marshes where he has remained so far. "

 

Arthur will now spend the next six weeks or so finding a mate, and then wll be off on his return journey to the Central Africa rainforest. 

Celandies, both Lesser and Greater.

 

 

 

Greater Celandine. Photo.John Elliott.Click to enlarge.

 

The cheerful yellow of the Lesser Celandines which have covered much of my wildlife garden in the past few weeks is now fading, and being replaced by the more subdued, paler yellow of the small patch of Greater Celadine at the bottom of the garden. Not numerous, but widely scattered  throughout  Dorset, and stated to have been found in Roman material,  the Greater Celandine is a member of the PAPAVERACEAE or Poppy Family, not the Celandines. Formerly a herbalists remedy for warts and eye troubles. Breaking the stem reveales an orange latex which contains several poisonous alkaloids, including chelidonin and chelerythrin. Another one to add to our list of poisonous plants in the valley. Of these the Lords and Ladies is in bloom and increasing from year to year, and Hemlock Water Dropwort along the stream will soon be flowering.

Song Thrush return.

 Once a common bird, the Song Thrush has been absent from the village in recent years, so it has been a pleasant surprise in the last week to have it a frequent visitor to my garden. The inverted V shaped breast spots distinguish the Song Thrush from its near relative, the Mizzle Thrush, which has more rounded, crosswise spots, and is slightly larger.

  Song Thrush. Photo.John Elliott. click to enlarge 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early butterfly

 

Brimstone. Photo.John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

The Brimstone butterfly is one of the few that over-winters as an adult, the majority passing the winter as either larvae or eggs, and so becomes one of the earliest to appear in the Spring. Now a regular visitor to our gardens on warm afternoons, it may also be seen along the path to Ashton , with other over-winterers Red Admirals, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell. The Dandelion provides an early source of nectar.  

My Cuckoo

 The latest bulletin from the BTO on my sponsored cuckoo Arthur.

 

Arthur rocks up in Morocco

 Cuckoo Arthur was tagged at Surlingham Marshes in Suffolk on 31st May 2025. Just a few days after Ashok made his move, Arthur also crossed the Sahara. He took a route via the western Sahara, including a spell over the sea as he travelled east of Lanzarote and made landfall again just south of Agadir in Morocco. He is currently 33 miles south east of Agadir.