As we moved from Norfolk to Suffolk on our East Anglia holiday we decided to visit RSPB Strumpshaw Fen which is on the River Yare in Norfolk, around six miles east of Norwich. The new road system around Norwich totally flummoxed our GPS system in the car and our journey took a little longer than expected.

The reserve has a full range of broadland habitats and wildlife and is a  pleasant walk round reedbeds, woodlands and orchid-rich meadows. One of the main reasons for visiting was to see the swallowtail butterfly. I achieved that within seconds of getting out of the car and was full of anticipation but once I got my camera out of the bag no other opportunity presented itself.

Nonetheless I did have lots of other photographic opportunities including (appropriately) the Norfolk Hawker, lots of fenland plants and, the highlight for me, a juvenile muntjac deer.

Norfolk hawker

Four spot chaser

Beautiful demoiselle

Marsh harrier

Lapwing

Black-headed gulls, chicks and eggs

Lots of wonderful fenland plants

Lots of butterflies too

Grey heron

Great crested grebe

Cormorant

The encounter of the muntjac deer.

Click below for gallery of photos from today: