Nightjars and Stone Curlews

An invitation to join  Sue and Peter for supper at the lovely home of friends Joyce and Andrew in Suffolk provided the opportunity for a twilight walk across Westleton Heath. Although photo opportunities were few, we did hear at least fifteen Nightjars, as well as two or three Stone Curlews, a Little Owl and a pair of Tawny Owls. As we returned through the woods we came across a single Glow Worm: that's it below, honestly!

The short video clip of  chirring Nightjars will need the sound on your device to be turned up!

Fancy a 'jar or two?

As mentioned in the previous post, the object of our visit to the North Coast was a Nightjar vigil on Kelling Heath: following a thoroughly enjoyable supper at Byfords in Holt, we were in our favourite spot by half past nine. We didn't have to wait too long before both male and female Nightjars began calling and quartering the Heath (allowing some dreadful high-iso images!)

Spoons and Egrets - but no Caspian Tern

Sue, Peter, Linda and I had arranged to visit the North Coast for supper and some Nightjarring, but news of a Caspian Tern in front of the Centre Hides at Cley made us decide to leave earlier than planned. In the event we missed the tern by literally two minutes: it flew south as we were parking..

Nevertheless, we passed a pleasant hour enjoying close views of Spoonbills, Little and Cattle Egrets and a pair of Little Ringed Plovers

Hummer!

This delightful Hummingbird Hawkmoth spent twenty minutes in the garden this afternoon: lots of butterflies, too, including my first Gatekeeper of the year.

Confiding Little Owl and Buzzard

It was my turn to unlock the church today: I took my camera (as I generally do) and was rewarded with terrific views of a Common Buzzard and Little Owl on the outbuildings of a nearby farm.

Lunar X, Y and V, noctilucent clouds and Venus!

The sky was beautifully clear when I got home from band practice last night, so I grabbed a few shots of the Moon and a faint display of noctilucent clouds. The Moon was an hour or two past the optimum phase to see the clair obscur X and Y effects, but they could both be picked out. Interestingly, a letter V had joined the lunar alphabet!

This morning Venus was visible in the east as a brilliant, slightly gibbous object.

A Swift photobombs the Moon!

Lovely first quarter Moon last night: while I was taking a few photos a Swift got in on the session!

Candid Camera!

It's our week to lock All Saints in the evening, so Linda has deployed a Trailcam near the water bowl she fills every day: tonight we were thrilled to see it had captured a Grey Partridge, a Stoat and a couple of Pheasant chicks! As we were returning to our car we saw a pair of Grey Partridges in the cereal crop opposite the Church: fingers crossed they produce young. A female Marsh Harrier circled over the barley fields as we headed back to the car.

As we were driving back from Taverham Garden Centre, not one, but two Clouded Yellows flew across in front of the car!