Wednesday 19 August 2015

Holiday Snaps Part 2 - Norfolk and Suffolk, July/August 2015

Following on from a week-long holiday in Cley, Norfolk with my wife and kids, we moved on to Sweffling in Suffolk for three nights.

The weather was much better, allowing us longer days out. We spent Saturday 1st August in Framlingham - I think the poshest town I've ever visited. I was impressed with Framlingham Castle and Framlingham Mere SWT nature reserve.

 Brimstone, Framlingham Mere, Suffolk - Saturday 1st August 2015

 Red Admiral, Framlingham Mere, Suffolk - Saturday 1st August 2015

 Common Blue Damselfly, Framlingham Mere, Suffolk - Saturday 1st August 2015



Framlingham Castle and Mere, Suffolk - Saturday 1st August 2015


 Yellowhammer, Blythe Meadow nature reserve, Suffolk - Saturday 1st August 2015

On Sunday 2nd we cycled to Minsmere RSPB. Never a dull day out, even when the birds are quiet in early August. Plenty of invertebrates and the odd mammal to see. Amd despite having been before, the kids wanted to see where BBC Springwatch was filmed.

 

 Water Vole, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015



 Painted lady, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015


 Red Admiral, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015
 
 Peacock, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

 Comma, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015
 
 Gatekeeper, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

 Large White, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

 Ringlet, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015


 Greyling, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

The buddleia by the visitor centre was covered in butterflies.


 Five-spot Burnet moth, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015
 
 Cinnarbar moth caterpillar, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

Eyed Hawk-moth caterpilar, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

Beewolf (Vespa triangulum), Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015 

Dune Robberfly, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015
 
Field Grasshopper, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

Male Red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius), Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk
Sunday 2nd August 2015


Southern Hawker, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

Male Common Darter, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

Female Common Darter, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

Male Emerald Damselfly, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

Female Emerald Damselfly, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

Blue-tailed Damselfly, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

Large Yellow Underwing wings in the canopy hide, left by Brown Long-eared Bats

Tansy, Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015

Sea kale (Crambe maritima), Minsmere RSPB, Suffolk - Sunday 2nd August 2015


Luke watching butterflies

 On the beach

Looking for Spineless Si...

Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan?

Tuesday 18 August 2015

Holiday Snaps Part 1 - Norfolk and Suffolk, July/August 2015

I had seven days holiday with the family in Norfolk (Cley-next-the-Sea) and four in Suffolk (Sweffling), at the end of July and going into August. The weather was as changeable as you'd expect for a British summer, but we still got out and about loads.

The focus wasn't on wildlife (well, it was a bit), but we still managed a bit of bug-hunting, mammal-watching and birding between the beached, swimming, cycling, museums, etc. Here are a few of the more nature-related photos:

I took Luke out to look for Barn Owls by the River Glaven, between Cley and Wiverton...

Bingo! Barn Owl, Cley, Norfolk - Saturday 25th July 2015

We spent the morning of 26th July on Cley beach, until the weather turned nasty and the family went home while I went and sat the in the hides at Cley Marshes NWT.

Some of the art on Cley beach

 Black-tailed Godwit, Cley Marshes NWT - Sunday 26th July 2015

  Common Sandpiper, Cley Marshes NWT - Sunday 26th July 2015
 
Goldfinch, Cley Marshes NWT - Sunday 26th July 2015

 Little Gull, Cley Marshes NWT - Sunday 26th July 2015

Ruff, Cley Marshes NWT - Sunday 26th July 2015

On Monday 27th, we took the kids crabbing at Blakeney harbour, and walked back to Cley around the freshmarsh. It took us ages because Luke wanted to look at (and catch) every invertebrate he could find!
 
 Chasing grasshoppers...

Six-spot Burnet moth, Blakeney Freshmarsh, Norfolk - Monday 27th July 2015

Cinnabar moth caterpillar, Blakeney Freshmarsh, Norfolk - Monday 27th July 2015

Lesser Marsh Grasshopper (Chorthippus-albomarginatus),
Blakeney Freshmarsh, Norfolk - Monday 27h July 2015


Young Common Toad, Blakeney Freshmarsh, Norfolk - Monday 27th July 2015

Dusky Sallow (Eremobia ochroleuca), Blakeney Freshmarsh, Norfolk - Monday 27h July 2015

Brown-line Bright-eye moth (Mythimna conigera), Blakeney Freshmarsh, Norfolk
Monday 27th July 2015


Worn out... 

Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus), Gressenhall, Norfolk - - Tuesday 28th July 2015

 The weather forecast was, erm, disappointing...

I went to a really interesting bat talk by Phil Parker at Cley St. Margaret's Church on the evening of Wednesday 28th. I also got two bat lifers: Soprano Pipistrelle and Natterer's bat.

The bats leave the church by squeezing through the gap around the door
(see the dark blur at the
left edge of the door)


  Spooky church yard...

White-crowned Sparrow in the window of Cley church, added during the restoration funded by twitchers' donations.

Earlier on Wednesday, the kids had been bug-hunting in the garden.
We found our first UK Hummingbird Hawk-moth.


On Thursday 30th July, I stumbled across this Mediterranean Gull while rock-pooling with the kids on West Runton beach. Med Gulls are not scarce around here.


Thought I'd spotted an owl roosting in a tree at first...


It was time to move on to Suffolk, via Winterton Dunes NNR on Friday 31st July.


 
Speckled Bush-cricket, Cley, Norfolk - Friday 31st July 2015


Grayling, Winterton Dunes, Norfolk - Friday 31st July 2015


Dune Robberfly, Winterton Dunes, Norfolk - Friday 31st July 2015

Lesser Marsh Grasshopper, Winterton Dunes, Norfolk - Friday 31st July 2015


 Common Darter (female), Winterton Dunes, Norfolk - Friday 31st July 2015

 Emperor Dragonfly (female), Winterton Dunes, Norfolk - Friday 31st July 2015

 Ruddy Darter (male), Winterton Dunes, Norfolk - Friday 31st July 2015

Stonechat, Winterton Dunes, Norfolk - Friday 31st July 2015