The weather forecast for our open day, Saturday 27 April, was unpromising. At 71% chance of rain, I kept my umbrella with me. Our luck held and we had no rain. It was lovely to meet new people and share Blackwater Carr with them.
We heard our first cuckoo of the year and Steve saw his first swallow of the year. We are still waiting for them to nest in our swallow boxes in the shed.
Our snakes have survived. With the aftermath of the storms and floods we were concerned to see how they managed. We saw 2 young snakes, each under a different bit of corrugated iron.
We have been told of a grass snake expert in Norfolk who is studying the markings on the sides of their heads. It seems these markings are like bar codes. The grass snakes can be identified by them.
We have mislaid our list of Blackwater Carr supporters so we know we have missed some of you off our supporters list. Please email us at stevehooper50@gmail.com and we will rectify this. We are very happy to continue welcoming supporters.
Blackwater Carr supporters include:
Henry Cator OBE, Patron of the Broads Society
Tim O'Riordan, Chairman of the Norfolk Branch Council for the Protection of Rural England
Mark Cocker, conservationist and previous owner of Blackwater Carr
The Broads Society
Jonathan Elphick, ornithologist
Brian Cooper, National Parks Antigua
Alan Foster, Inspector of planners retired
Councillor Eleanor Laming, Broadland Green Party
Councillor Jan Davis, Broadland Green Party
James Knight
Will Fitch, Wheatfen Reserve warden
Ben Jervis, Director Bench Ecology
Christine Jervis, Director Bench Ecology
Brundall Biodiversity Working Group
Ruma Karaitiana, Maori Elder and Governance Expert, New Zealand
Bryan Southon, Postwick
Su Allport, Postwick Green Group
Sonia Noble-Parker, Postwick
Geoff Mann, Postwick
Richard Wall, Postwick
Julia Greaves and Jon Rosser, Norfolk
Kim Adam, London
Karen Costelloe, London
Lauren and Mike Penn, London
Glenys Law, London
Veronica Held, London
Ann Wiggins, London
Jane Anderson, London
Jane Harlow, Basildon
Malcolm Laquis-Alden, Colchester
Claudia Doets-Laverty, The Netherlands
John Harris, Adelaide, Australia
Steve noticed some entrances in the bramble bush so we set up the camera. It is too rounded to be a rat and has no long tail. The eyes are at the front rather than on the sides of the head. What can it be? Any ideas, anybody.
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