Spring green

Spring is here. Let's celebrate.

Seven-spot Ladybirds

Primroses

Robins threatening to punch each others' lights out (it ended peacefully when one walked away)

Brimstone slurping on hyacinths

Tulip

Celandine

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D

Annual leave

Got to use up the last of my annual leave, so headed to Norfolk

Arnold's Marsh, Cley

Speckled Wood at Kelling Water Meadows

Celandines

Hoverfly

Alexanders, Smyrnium olusatrum (thanks, Roy)

Dead nettles (this is the kind of plant I can identify)

Er... red campion? No, Herb Robert (thanks Charlie)

Ramsons, or wild garlic... no, Garlic Mustard (thanks, Brian. I did say that I'm no good at plants, and I've just proved it)

What did we see? Started at Kelling Heath where Darren relocated the Great Grey Shrike just as we were leaving. Next stop was West Runton for two Shorelarks seen in a clifftop field; we couldn't find them but we did see a nice fly-by Hobby hunting the Swallows there.

Then on to Kelling Water Meadows, where there were lots of bugs and greenery down the lane (see above), a Ruff on the pool, a little flock of Yellow Wagtails containing two which looked vaguely blue-headed on a brief glance, a male Wheatear and three Ring Ouzels on the way to Weybourne.

I think we went to Cley next. The new visitor centre is very nice but the rainwater-flushed loo was a bit feeble. Nice idea, though. On the shingle ridge by Arnold's Marsh, we caught up with two Shorelarks; on the marsh itself were nearly 200 Sandwich Terns and an assortment of waders including a smart breeding-plumaged male Bar-tailed Godwit. Mustn't grumble.

photos taken with Canon Powershot A640 or Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Creepy-crawlies

Comma

Brimstone (mostly busy flying up and down at speed)

Watching ladybirds climbing up and down leaves is always amusing

Celandine

Blackthorn blossom

photos taken with Canon EOS 30D, EF 300mm f/4L IS USM

Yellow and green

For woodland flowers, these celandines (?) grow in a rather bizarre location on the Nene Washes. Not a tree to be seen, but presumably there were some at that spot originally.

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995