OCTOBER 2024
The year moves on and with the change of the clocks last weekend there is a distinct edge to the evening air. But what about these "Indian Summer" like days over the last 3 weeks...Sapiston micro-climate weather is back with a vengeance. We moved to Suffolk in 2011 and took for granted the lengthy summer dry sunny days with minimal rainfall ... an equivalent dryness factor to Jerusalem in Israel, As we all know climate change has brought us periods of biblical rain this year and often a long soggy Spring and early Summer. Nature adapts ... to a degree ... but inevitably there has been a dramatic reduction in numbers of some species. Butterflies at the top of the list ... I undertake the National Butterfly Conservation survey at Knettishall Country Park each year and 2024 has been so disappointing for the second year in succession. Early year deluges wiped out many of the food plants that are favoured by the caterpillars and huge numbers perished in the lengthy wet conditions. In a 90 minute transect walk I have recorded only single figures on numerous occasions and the national statistics sadly show a similar pattern. Let us hope that 2025 may be a recovery year.
So what about the plus side ... yes there definitely is one. Autumn colour and lushness ... resulting in a stunning display of yellow and red hues across a wide variety of shrubs and trees. A direct benefit from the record early rainfall ... even our lawn is looking better than in any other previous year. I am a keen gardener and it is extraordinary to see what is happening in the borders and pots ... a miniature potted rose just about to break into a second flowering, red valerian still in flower ... a young yucca throwing up a flower spike and "Spring" bulbs already showing through on the terrace. Long may it continue. I know the increasingly dark evenings are depressing but do think about getting out as Winter approaches; there are still natural world spectaculars to experience. Thousands of Pink Feet and White fronted Geese will be arriving in north Norfolk to winter on the Holkham Freshmarsh, massive flocks of Knot gather at Snettisham and closer to home this is Starling Murmuration time. Both Lackford Lakes and Lopham and Redgrave Fen offer great views. Again a major plus ... you may remember a note about a baby rescued Barn Owl in my September notes. I have been following the recovery on a blog and can confirm that the bird is a she and is now sporting full adult feathering. She has bonded wonderfully with a young male and the rescue centre hopes to move her to the pre-flight aviary very soon before final release into the wild. A fantastic success story with a beautiful owl thankfully homed with experts in the face of almost certain death without quick action.
Finally some more holiday snaps .. a very pretty sheep in the Scottish Borders. We also saw 2 Red Squirrels but they were too quick to even raise the camera. On the basis that I will only ever publish photographs that I have taken personally you will have to make do with a Red Squirrel in arctic Finland ... they are so cute.
Keep watching, Brian Taylor
The year moves on and with the change of the clocks last weekend there is a distinct edge to the evening air. But what about these "Indian Summer" like days over the last 3 weeks...Sapiston micro-climate weather is back with a vengeance. We moved to Suffolk in 2011 and took for granted the lengthy summer dry sunny days with minimal rainfall ... an equivalent dryness factor to Jerusalem in Israel, As we all know climate change has brought us periods of biblical rain this year and often a long soggy Spring and early Summer. Nature adapts ... to a degree ... but inevitably there has been a dramatic reduction in numbers of some species. Butterflies at the top of the list ... I undertake the National Butterfly Conservation survey at Knettishall Country Park each year and 2024 has been so disappointing for the second year in succession. Early year deluges wiped out many of the food plants that are favoured by the caterpillars and huge numbers perished in the lengthy wet conditions. In a 90 minute transect walk I have recorded only single figures on numerous occasions and the national statistics sadly show a similar pattern. Let us hope that 2025 may be a recovery year.
So what about the plus side ... yes there definitely is one. Autumn colour and lushness ... resulting in a stunning display of yellow and red hues across a wide variety of shrubs and trees. A direct benefit from the record early rainfall ... even our lawn is looking better than in any other previous year. I am a keen gardener and it is extraordinary to see what is happening in the borders and pots ... a miniature potted rose just about to break into a second flowering, red valerian still in flower ... a young yucca throwing up a flower spike and "Spring" bulbs already showing through on the terrace. Long may it continue. I know the increasingly dark evenings are depressing but do think about getting out as Winter approaches; there are still natural world spectaculars to experience. Thousands of Pink Feet and White fronted Geese will be arriving in north Norfolk to winter on the Holkham Freshmarsh, massive flocks of Knot gather at Snettisham and closer to home this is Starling Murmuration time. Both Lackford Lakes and Lopham and Redgrave Fen offer great views. Again a major plus ... you may remember a note about a baby rescued Barn Owl in my September notes. I have been following the recovery on a blog and can confirm that the bird is a she and is now sporting full adult feathering. She has bonded wonderfully with a young male and the rescue centre hopes to move her to the pre-flight aviary very soon before final release into the wild. A fantastic success story with a beautiful owl thankfully homed with experts in the face of almost certain death without quick action.
Finally some more holiday snaps .. a very pretty sheep in the Scottish Borders. We also saw 2 Red Squirrels but they were too quick to even raise the camera. On the basis that I will only ever publish photographs that I have taken personally you will have to make do with a Red Squirrel in arctic Finland ... they are so cute.
Keep watching, Brian Taylor