East Norfolk

In my opinion, there are really only two reasons to visit Great Yarmouth:

1. Mediterranean Gulls on the beach between the two piers
2. The old cemetery, which can be great for newly-arrived migrants, but wasn't today

The Med Gulls were fun, though (and the chips weren't bad):

Adults (no black in the wing)

Second-winter (a small amount of black)

First-winter (lots of black in wing and tail)

Having fun on the beach (helter skelter in the background)

Perhaps a visit to the Britannia Theatre?

Feeding frenzy

Several of the Meds wore rings, and I managed to read the numbers on a couple of plastic colour rings. I've sent off the details (http://www.ring.ac) so it'll be interesting to read their life histories. Belgium or the Netherlands look likely sources.

Black-headed Gulls

Comma

Bracken

Holly (Winterton)

We started off at Winterton and failed to see much, apart from a cracking male Black Redstart. Loads of Blackbirds around, though.

Finished the day at the raptor roost at Stubb Mill, where we watched 30+ Marsh Harriers and at least two Hen Harriers come in. The Cranes were a disappointment, though - we only saw three very distantly, flying somewhere else for the night...

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

Red, orange, pink

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Sleeping beauties and other things

When I got to work this morning, it was beautifully sunny. Cold, but sunny, so I went for a quick walk around the garden. I found these wasps clinging to the ivy flowers for dear life. They were almost completely still, except for a few wiggling antennae and twitching thoraces.




I went back at lunchtime and found lots more wasps, looking much more lively, feeding on the ivy nectar. At this time of year, it must be a lifeline for them.

Vine leaves on the turn






Common Darters are still around in good numbers. Every day, I think 'they'll all be gone tomorrow', but it hasn't happened yet.

Red Admirals are probably the most numerous butterflies

Several Commas seen today, too.

Holly berries

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Everton

Not the Merseyside football team, but a small Bedfordshire village where we ate lunch today.

St Mary's Church

If I had learned to use Photoshop properly, I'd have made the background black-and-white...

Looking north from the Greensand Ridge

photos taken with Nikon Coolpix 995

Brrr

Holly




Cow parsley?


Male Bullfinch

It's still literally freezing here. There hasn't been enough sunlight to melt the snow off the trees, so everything is still snowy-white. Life must be hard for small birds, especially.

Finally caught up with the Hawfinches at Ferry Meadows. At least two birds were present, including a male which showed particularly well in the trees above our heads. A procession of dog-walkers and joggers kept flushing the finches from their food source (presumably some seeds on the ground somewhere) and into view.

It was useful to hear the birds' call again, which reminded me of Grey Wagtail, for some reason...

digiscoped photo taken with Nikon Coolpix 995 + Leica Apo Televid 62 with 16x eyepiece