Now is the perfect time to look & listen out for the many birds which make epic journeys (some thousands of miles!) to find suitable breeding grounds, including right here at Pensthorpe! Here are a few…

#WorldMigratoryBirdDay #BirdLovers

#Pensthorpe

The 4.8km/3 miles of hedgerows across the Reserve support a diverse range of wildlife, including birds 🐦‍⬛, mammals 🦇, reptiles 🐍, amphibians 🐸 & insects 🦋.

📷 Speckled Wood Butterfly on Blackthorn Hedge

#NationalHedgerowWeek #NatureReserve

Patch gold ⁦Pensthorpe⁩ this morning with this female Common Scoter busily feeding having arrived overnight.

Highlights over the last couple of days - Common Scoter, Cuckoo, Dunlin, Common Sandpiper, 9 Common Terns, 20 Swifts, 25 Swallows, 15 House Martins, 6 Sand Martins, 15 Reed Warbler, 7 Sedge Warbler (📷) & 5 Garden Warbler.

#PensthorpeSightings

Not expecting to come across a Common Scoter at work this morning, hence no camera.

Pensthorpe RareBirdAlertUK WVBS Norfolk Bird Records

The Millennium Garden is the place to head as our Wisteria Arch is in spring flower.

Can’t make it this spring? Wisteria has a second flowering period in August.

📷 Assistant Gardener, Lesley

#WisteriaWednesday #PensthorpeGardens

We are seeing our first Dragonflies & Damselflies of the year on site. So far Hairy Dragonfly plus Large Red, Azure Blue & Common Blue Damselflies have been recorded.

📷 Senior Reserve Warden, David

#PensthorpeSightings #DiscoverWildlife

Our Bluebell Glade is still in full bloom & a wonderful spot to sit & soak up nature’s beauty.

📷 Senior Reserve Warden, David

#NatureBeauty #Bluebells #Wildflowers #Woodland

What a beautiful day to be at work! I do love the marvellous mosaic of habitats at Pensthorpe!

#WardensAtWork #NatureReserve #NorfolksNature #BlueSkies #NatureBeauty #Pensthorpe

Gertrude (GPC) who will be 70 this spring has laid an egg for the first time at Pensthorpe!

On average in the wild flamingos live for 30-40 years, but the oldest greater flamingo recorded ever was at least 83 years old!

#greaterflamingo #flamingo #pink #birds #spring

The 1st summer bird ringing session took place this morning, with a total of 26 birds including this Sedge Warbler & Reed Bunting.

📷 Aviculture Warden, Claudia

#BirdRinging #WildlifeSurveys

Take a look at these amazing photos of a close encounter with a Common Lizard on the boardwalk.

Six individuals were counted along the same stretch.

📷 Reserve Volunteer, Curney

#PensthorpeSightings #DiscoverWildlife

Take a look at these striking flowers of Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) growing in our Sculpture Garden.

📷 Assistant Gardener, Lesley

#PensthorpeGardens #FlowerFriday

The Reserve Volunteers have done an amazing job, starting to replace sections of the boardwalk in the Wildflower Meadow.

To be continued over the next few weeks… 🛠️🪚

📷 Reserve Volunteer, Andrew
#AmazingVolunteers #WardensAtWork

Happy May Day!

Have you seen any May Blossom (aka Hawthorn flowers) yet this year? There are lots of these flowering trees around the reserve, being enjoyed by a host of pollinators.

#MayDay #Blossom #Springtime #Flowers #NatureBeauty

Our first curlew eggs have arrived!
Eggs are collected from RAF airbases under license by Natural England. Around 65% of the UK's breeding curlew population has been lost over the last three decades! These chicks will be released back into the wild Royal Air Force Natural England

It’s #BabyBird season 🐣 🐥

On your journey around the reserve, look out for families of Coot, Moorhen, Greylag Geese & Mallard.

#PensthorpeSightings

This Sunday, 5th May is #InternationalDawnChorusDay .

To celebrate, we are hosting a Dawn Chorus walk at Pensthorpe, where you can tune into birdsong 🐦 🎶 around the reserve with our Warden.

Details & booking @ pensthorpe.com/events/dawn-ch…

Discover what mammals are living at Pensthorpe during a brand-new event.

Using a range of survey techniques we hope to uncover the reserve’s more secretive wildlife.

More info & booking @ pensthorpe.com/events/mammals…

#NationalMammalWeek