Linda and I rarely miss a carboot - we usually visit a couple every Sunday. Today demonstrated the value of an early start, when we paid just £2 for this original multi-bird painting by RAR. It's fully marked on the back, from a framer / gallery in Holt.
Since a few people have asked! Both of these Victorian types hold far less than they seem they should: toastmasters used Illusion Glasses to reduce their intake (so they didn't get sozzled), while ice cream vendors dispensed the ice cream in these shallow glasses, which were returned, washed (hopefully!) and reused!
I don't think I've ever mentioned here that I enjoy scouring charity shops, carboots and antique fairs for antique glasses: I have quite a large collection, including rummers, firing glasses, penny licks and illusion glasses! Most unusual, however, are the uranium glasses. These fluoresce incredibly brightly under UV light: needless to say, they produce such low levels of alpha, beta and gamma radiation that they pose no health threats!
Paul, one of our oldest friends from our days as space memorabilia dealers, drove for three hours to join us in a butterfly hunt in North Norfolk. First stop was Salthouse Heath, where we immediately found first one, then a second beautiful Green Hairstreak: the photos show how tiny they are! We became aware that a Turtle Dove was purring away in full view a hundred metres away and I was thrilled to grab a couple of images.
We moved to the Iron Road, where I'd seen lots of Wall Browns yesterday: perhaps it was the overcast and chill breeze, but we failed to find any today - but a Red Kite swooping overhead was some recompense. After coffee at the Visitors Centre we headed home via Hickling: Paul was keen to catch up with Swallowtail again. A walk around the whole reserve gave us three fly-bys but no photos, and we failed to find any Wall Browns either! (We did see lots of Hobbies, Marsh Harriers and Cranes!)
The usual early start saw Brian, Norman and me at Cley before 8.30. First stop was Bishop's Hide, which immediately provided us with views of five Temminck's Stints and six Wood Sandpipers. Also present was a delightful flock of 20+ Tundra Ringed Plover as well as the usual suspects.
A walk up the East Bank added a Knot in breeding plumage on the Serpentine, with Sandwich Tern, Little Tern and Gannet offshore. After coffee (and a Great Egret!) we headed inland to Salthouse Heath: the mission was to find a Green Hairstreak, which we duly did! Even better was a purring Turtle Dove: we didn't try to see or photograph it, not wanting to disturb the delightful migrant.
Last stop was Hickling: the target here was Swallowtail, one of which we eventually located near the boat trip dyke. Four-spotted Chaser and Hairy Hawker were good to see...
Just a couple of shots of a really enjoyable afternoon bash at one of the best venues in the east!
Obviously Robins must stop fighting long enough to mate, but I've never seen a pair actually being tender to one another! These two were 'mutual feeding' on and off all afternoon...
The Sun is still very active: this group of sunspots is several times the diameter of our Earth!
With a female Red-foot close to home at Hickling NWT Reserve it seemed rude not to go for a look! In the event she was mostly perched distantly in the heat haze, with occasional forays over the reed beds - often tussling with Hobbies. A flock of five fly-by Whimbrel were good to see, with another three briefly grounded at the end of Brendan's Marsh: a single Crane was not unexpected, while a Whitethroat was delightfully confiding!
This Sunday we're back at Maz's fantastic BLUES BAR in Lowestoft: a wonderful venue at a very convenient time of day!
No Norman (he's in the Lakes!) so Brian and I headed north to Cley, settling into Bishop's Hide around 07.40. It was unseasonably cold, but nevertheless we were treated to close views of a Spoonbill hunting for nesting material, a Little Egret and somewhat more distant ones of a Greenshank and a couple of Wood Sandpipers.
A move to Dauke's Hide added Little Stint to the year list, as well as Common Sandpiper, Marsh Harrier and other odds and ends. Coffee and then the East Bank, which produced several distant Great Egrets and a Ringed Plover.
We finished off with a walk along the Iron Road at Salthouse and down to the pool at Kelling Quags: nothing else to report, so (after another cuppa!) we headed home...
