Monday 23 May 2016

A week in Suffolk

We plan our holidays carefully, research into habitats and reserves and species likely to be seen sometimes take months between start and finish. Locating suitable self catering cottages is much easier nowadays with improved search facilities on websites, deciding on areas to visit can be tough with so many beautiful areas in the UK and so many species to enjoy.

It is not often we venture south, our love of Scotland with its magnificent rugged landscapes pulls us back time and time again as does the love of the wildlife we see there. However some species can only be seen by heading for gentler landscapes and warmer climates, we hoped Suffolk would provide some sightings of birds we cannot hope to see in the north. The landscape was guaranteed, the wildlife we would have to seek out ourselves.

Our cottage for the week, very near RSPB Minsmere...more on later...was super with over 20 species of birds seen from the garden the first evening! We even had a red legged partridge in the garden...

...and a lovely sunset

The aforementioned RSPB Minsmere was a few minutes drive away and we had our first visit there the following day.

Lovely reed warblers were plentiful...


And a skulking cetti's warbler, their call is loud but brief and this is the best view we got!

Beautiful avocets were numerous...


Common terns were hunting


Sedge warblers were singing loud and proud...


A sight of mixed emotion, I love seeing wild creatures hunt and they all have families to feed but the sight of a weasel with a water vole catch was not easy to accept, water vole numbers are on the rise though!


The sight of a bittern is rare enough, getting one close and with a fish catch was special!!





Whitethroats were seen and their delightful songs enjoyed...


An evening walk when the reserve was very quiet brought us a lovely experience with bearded tits, watching and listening to a male in the reeds...


I heard a soft "pinging" behind me and turned to see this beautiful youngster...just magic!

Walks through woodlands brought us a sighting of a large male adder basking on a path, due care was taken!


Marsh harrier sightings were often and good...




Dartford warblers were located and seen....



More lovely sedge warblers...


And another superb bittern experience!!!



And just before home, cuckoos...lovely!



A wonderful holiday and lots of happy memories.

Many thanks to all who read, if you do comment please do not forget that they come to me first for moderation.

Our first Scotland trip of the year in a few weeks, can't wait!


Thursday 5 May 2016

Lots of favourites and some new wildlife too!

I don't really have a favourite season as each one can offer amazing beauty and sightings of special wildlife. Spring however offers opportunities to see some wonderful birds before the canopy of leaves grows and we are left with a beautiful but invisible chorus!

There are a few local sites where I visit with intense regularity at this time of year, fingers firmly crossed and a huge amount of expectation in mind. Strid Woods at Bolton Abbey is a firm favourite and has been for many years.

Many birds can be seen along the river and in the woods, the magnificent pied flycatchers find their way back from Africa every year, the amazing instinct that guides birds like these continues to fascinate me.

Male pied flycatcher...

Not great light on the day but a delight to welcome them back.

Nuthatch are common year round birds in the woods but are always photogenic...





Treecreepers are tricky to get near enough to photograph but with patience I get lucky now and again...


Roe deer roam the woodland, seldom seen on busy days but a bonus of regular midweek trips is the opportunity to see them close.


With dippers on the river there can be little wonder why I spend so much time here!




Not far from here there are ring ouzels nesting and I was fortunate to get a shot of a male in flight...

A trip to a local reservoir resulted in some photgraphs which created a lot of discussion amongst birding friends, what I presumed was a female sparrowhawk...it was certainly large...could well be a male goshawk, hard to tell apart but the thick body and large head certainly suggest goshawk. The bird was very high so the shots are heavily cropped which restricts detail.



A chance sighting on my way to my RSPB peregrine watch duty, a little owl...

Green woodpeckers are around at the peregrine watchpoint...


Redstarts are back from Africa too...

Of course we are there to watch peregrines!!!



Another walk in Strid Woods, this time the light is better and the pied flycatchers look stunning...



As do the redstarts!

Another visit to the ring ouzel site and a brief sight of the male...

Back into the woods as the season progresses, a nuthatch almost too close for my lens to focus!


More pied flycatchers...


And a real bonus, wood warblers are scarce, their song is beautiful as are their colours...


And another male redstart...

House martins are back at Malham, another thing to add delight to the peregrine sightings...


And to end on a real bonus... a yellow wagtail. Normally seen at higher altitudes this is a real beauty and to see close a privilege I shall never forget!



Exciting times in the last couple of weeks and hopefully many more good sightings to come. The peregrine chicks are hatched and I look forward to keeping you updated on their progress, with photographs, in the weeks to come. Meanwhile we are heading to Suffolk for a week's holiday, the forecast looks good and the wildlife sites look great!

Many thanks to all who read, please don't forget any comments come to me first for moderation.