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NORWICH: Bowthorpe & Colney area

24th July 2011

As the weather was nice I decided to give Whitlingham a miss and head for the quieter option of the stretch of the River Yare west of Norwich. Walking along Earlham Road I noticed a Brown Argus settle on the grass, the first one I've seen around the city. Leaving the road to walk along the river at Earlham church I heard an increasingly frequent beeping noise like a metal detectorist getting closer to a buried tin can, and accordingly stopped to wait for the Kingfisher to shoot threw along the river. Further along a Song Thrush was whacking a snail against the path.


As the blackberries are beginning to ripen I paid particular attention to brambly areas, finding a Garden Warbler and numerous Blackcaps amongst the commoner birds. On the fishing lakes several Great Crested Grebes and Common Terns were nicking a few fish. As with many trips in the summer the highlights were non-avian. In this case a Grass Snake basking along the river bank, and two black Mink. Of course Mink aren't a highlight in the case of being glad of their presence, but it was only the second time that I have seen one.


A mink legs it across the path. Click for a slightly bigger picture.

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