May is a very busy time for nature, with so much going on it is difficult to know where to look next. For me it has always been the month associated with birdsong, and particularly the dawn chorus. To enjoy this short-lived but magnificent outpouring of song, several early-morning trips to my local nature reserve are undertaken in May. Decades of early shifts on the railways has taught me the ability to quietly slip on my clothes in the dark, then sneaking out without waking the house. Despite the initial urge to return to bed, once outside and breathing in the fresh spring air, the effort is immediately made worthwhile. The solitude and peacefulness found during the hour before dawn is such a wonderful reward for venturing out so early. Although, this May, it seems no longer a lonesome pursuit; on one morning five cars were already in the car park when I arrived at four o’clock! At least a dozen people had gathered into a whispering huddle, Merlin apps at the ready, they were preparing for their sunrise stroll. It seems that dawn has suddenly become a popular affair!

Bird song can’t help but summon up emotion in anyone touched by the beauty of nature, and I could attempt to write lyrically about the joy of the skylark, the melancholy of the nightingale, or the innocence of the blackcap’s happy go-lucky song. But I’d like to focus on a bird that never fails to make me smile, even laugh, especially after startling me. The Cetti’s warbler is named after a 19th century Italian monk. Presumably he was a naturalist!? But ‘discovering’ a Cetti’s warbler seems a bit of a stretch. Okay, they are often hard to see, hidden in the undergrowth, but boy do they let you know they’re there! The call, once learnt, can’t be forgotten. It’s loudly and aggressively delivered, just as your back is turned, and normally from a patch of bramble-encroached reedbed or tangle of willow scrub. 

The Cetti’s is a wetland bird and is more often found around the more vegetative diverse edges of reedbeds, it is also a year-round warbler, staying put throughout the winter and singing during most of the year. They were the pioneers, leading the vanguard of Mediterranean birds moving to our shores. Although failing to make it into my 1964 addition of the Observers book of British Birds, they were certainly about in the mid-seventies, albeit in small numbers. In the early nineteen-eighties a couple of hard winters almost wiped out the few breeding Cetti’s warblers we had. They soon picked up again, and by the turn of the century they were in every suitable wetland site in Southern England. Metropolitan Essex became a little ‘hotspot’ for their first attempt at colonisation in the early seventies. I would often risk death on the A13 and cycle down to Rainham Marshes. It was long before the ‘urban jewel’ of an RSPB reserve it is now. Between the shooting-butts of the rifle range and a landfill site was a patch of boggy ground interwoven by scrub, brambles, reed, rush and mace. Perfect!  It was here I heard my first Cetti’s, a rare bird then. It both startled me and made me smile, and has done so ever since. 

From birds to butterflies. At last, it’s a great year for holly blue butterflies, with them seemingly everywhere this spring. Painted lady butterflies are in good numbers too, and were on the move in early May. Sat in my garden during the Bank Holiday, I counted 22 passing through in the space of 30 minutes, and everyone was headed north! The UK’s butterflies have had mixed fortunes over the past few decades, with the general decline in numbers a continuing concern. However, there is much to cheer - silver-studded blues are doing amazingly well on NWT Buxton Heath, and the spread and increase of the silver-washed fritillary across the county is fantastic news. One of the most astounding butterfly returns to the county is that of the purple emperor, with NWT’s Foxley Wood being one of the best places in Norfolk to see it. This homecoming is a salute to the fantastic conservation work that has been carried out there.

But a new prize is on the horizon. The large tortoiseshell butterfly, after years of national extinction, has been declared, once again, a breeding British butterfly; and it’s heading this way. The large tortoiseshell, once a familiar sight across Norfolk, suffered a dramatic decline during the 20th century possibly linked, in part, to Dutch elm disease. It became only a rare visitor to Britain. However, this spring, numerous individuals have been appearing from hibernation in woodlands from Cornwall to Kent - even in the suburbs of London - and they appear to be on the move. This is a sign they are now fully established as a British breeding butterfly once again. The large tortoiseshell is a butterfly of mature woodland, such as Foxley Wood, with its caterpillars feeding on elm. Although more frequently now on willow and poplar, this change of taste has perhaps helped their return. Of course, this is unlike the small tortoiseshell – the one you may well see in your garden - which prefers to lay its eggs on a patch of sun-soaked nettles. The large tortoiseshell is, as its name implies, much larger, and the white markings on the leading edge of their forewings are smaller and square in shape. Observers are encouraged to report any sightings to Butterfly Conservation's iRecord app to help monitor their spread.

What to look for in June
June is the month with so much of the natural world to discover. If you haven’t been recently, consider a trip to the NWT Ranworth Broad visitor centre. It’s undergone an impressive make-over, and is a great place to visit for all the family. Of course, Ranworth is home to Norfolk’s only breeding pair of osprey, and at the time of writing they have eggs in the nest. By June we will, hopefully, be seeing their growing chicks. The nest can be seen from the visitor centre and the observation platform, however the strategically placed nest-camara allows close-up views from the screen in the centre or even in your own home, from our website here.

Take action
Why not sign up for the UK's biggest nature challenge! 30 Days Wild is The Wildlife Trusts' annual challenge event, where everyone involved does one wild thing a day throughout the month of June. Having celebrated its first decade, 30 Days Wild is back for another year with new and exciting changes that will make your wild adventure even more unforgettable. You can sign up now to receive your FREE goodies in the post (including free seeds) and receive daily emails full of fascinating facts and inspiring activities to help you achieve your wild challenges. Sign up here.