Oriole Birding | Norfolk - Butterflies & Dragonflies |

Mid–summer is often a time when many birdwatchers turn their attentions to other forms of wildlife, notably butterflies, dragonflies and moths. Our aim on this exciting tour is to enjoy a wide range of these fascinating insects, some of them in very specialised habitats, and to connect with as many of the key species as possible. We are joined on this tour by entomologist and butterfly expert Adrian Riley, who will be leading, assisted by Ashley. Adrian has a huge amount of field experience in finding, identifying and photographing insects with and among his various publications is the latest ‘British Butterflies’ guide. In West Norfolk we will look for the very scarce and localised Black Darter dragonfly, with Common Hawker and Emerald Damselfly also likely and Wood Lark and Green Woodpecker also a possibility. Moving on to Titchwell reserve, the Meadow Trail offers the chance to study a range of species including Common Blue, Azure and Large Red Damselflies, Migrant, Southern and Brown Hawkers, Emperor, Broad-bodied Chaser, Black-tailed Skimmer and both Common and Ruddy Darter. Birds on the reserve could include a range of migrant waders such as Spotted Redshank, Common Greenshank, Green and Wood Sandpipers as well as Little Gull, Bearded Tit, Marsh Harrier, Pied Avocet and Eurasian Spoonbill. Later in the afternoon we visit Holkham Meals and Burnham Overy Dunes where Four-spotted Chaser, Essex Skipper, Brown Argus, Holly Blue, Dark-green Fritillary, Small Heath and Grayling may all be found—even Hummingbird Hawkmoth is possible here! On the way home we pause at a location where both Purple and White-letter Hairstreaks might be seen. At Cavenham Heath we will take a look at the inland heathland habitat of the Grayling butterfly, quite different to the coastal shingle colonies which we hope to observe on day three. Moving on to Great Hockham we explore excellent woodland habitat where we might expect to see about twenty species of butterfly including Purple Hairstreak, Small and Essex Skippers, White Admiral, Comma and Brimstone. The glacial pingo’s of Thompson Common and nearby Thompson Water provide excellent habitat for damselflies with both Emerald and Scarce Emerald present along with large numbers of Red-eyed Damselfly. The rare Small Red Damselfly is found at a local site, with the commoner Red-eyed present for close comparison as well as a display of orchids. At Buxton Heath, we don the Wellingtons in search of Keeled Skimmer dragonflies, a rare species, and the beautiful Silver-studded Blue butterfly is a speciality of the heath here. On our way back to the coast we stop at Holt Country Park, an excellent woodland site where the stunning White Admiral is common. On the coast at Cley, we will take the opportunity to visit Arnold’s Marsh for an assortment of terns and waders with Bearded Tit again likely, and once we reach the shingle bank we can look for the shingle colonies of Grayling. Small-red-eyed Damselfly might also be seen, while Adders sometimes bask at nearby Walsey Hills. A quick search for Banded Demoiselle Damselflies completes what should have been an excellent three days!