A spring morning

East Angular

We've spent the weekend in Suffolk (and a bit of Norfolk).

Friday evening, Nightjar survey, preceded by a fine barbeque and a tasty Firecrest:


Saturday, Sizewell:

Bee Orchid

Dunwich Heath

Sunday, Minsmere:

Common Tern. I thought this was a very artistic style of defecation

Shoveler, drake moulting into eclipse plumage

Tiny Moorhen

Speckled Wood (the only butterfly we saw all weekend!)

Juvenile Magpies outside the cafe

Looking south towards Sizewell

and west (inland)

Konik ponies

We stopped off at Lakenheath in hope of hearing Golden Orioles, but didn't.

And the Ouse Washes at Earith, where we didn't see a Cattle Egret

Good clouds, though

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

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

Hedgerow

Ox-eye daisies

Bumblebee in flight

Bramble blossom

Speckled Wood

Dog-rose

Azure Damselfly

Bee on Cow Parsley

Spider

Caterpillar 'floating' in mid-air, dangling on a line of silk

Leaves

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

The Lodge

I went to The Lodge this morning to do some recceing for the Beds bird race team. I failed on that front, but had some photographic successes.

Birds. Yes, I photographed some birds!

Here's one that fledged earlier: baby Blackbird

Another delivery of still-wriggling caterpillars on its way to a Robin nest near you

A tiny Grass Snake swimming in one of the ponds. Whether it was after insects or newts (both plentiful, I'm not sure)

Odonata. Yes, it's dragon- and damselfly time again.

Female (I think) Hairy Dragonfly

Zoomed-in, you can see the hairs

Large Red Damselflies: mating

and teneral (just-emerged)

Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)

Speckled Wood

Small Copper

Holly Blue (nectaring on holly, appropriately enough)

Green-veined White

Adela reamurella - weird, long-antennaed moths

And now for some leaves..

Rowan (I think)

Oak

Maple

Lime

Horse-chestnut

Bracken

Beech

Miscellaneous bugs:

Green Shield-bug

Bee-fly on bluebell

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