Suffolk Sound with Jules Button

Today at 11.20 it's my monthly round-up of what you might see in the night sky this month - if the clouds ever clear!

SUFFOLK SOUND

A morning at Minsmere

The 'Summer Wine Crew' arrived at Minsmere at around 8.15: perhaps unsurprisingly we hardly met another birder for most of the morning! To be honest there wasn't an immense amount of birds either: the only waders on the East Scrape were Black-tailed Godwits, but the several dozen Pintails were good to see. Now I'm bound to be shot down here, but surely this has to be a Caspian Gull?

All the usual winter highlights were in evidence: Bearded Tits, Stonechats, Mipits, Kingfishers, Marsh Harriers, Water Rails and so on, but a very interesting raptor was the female / juvenile harrier below: the question is: why has it only got four 'fingers'?...

Woodie!

It's really gratifying when an attractive and somewhat scarce species like Great Spotted Woodpecker begins to visit the garden regularly: Linda and I see it as confirmation that our efforts at maintaining a wildlife-friendly environment are appreciated! It's also a thrill to hear skeins of Pink-footed Geese  passing overhead, both during the day and at nighttime (No credit to us, of course!)

Fireworks!

Yes: I really do agree that private fireworks parties:

• are a source of atmospheric pollution
• frighten wild and domestic animals
• are potential fire hazards
• put explosives in the hands of potentially antisocial individuals
• are no longer historically relevant

..but, let's face it, they are pretty! These were a few of the highlights from a display two roads away.

The night sky in November

Garden visitors

I'm still feeling decidedly under the weather: a combination of some lingering virus and the after- effects of the shingles shot. Nevertheless, there's still business to attend to, and luckily my office window looks out on the garden in two directions. Nice to see the Partridge Family still enjoying the comparative security of the lawn, while the regular Great Spotted Woodpecker continues to forage in the sycamore.

Astro-ornithology!

Combining two of my major enthusiasms: I was photographing today's rich crop of sunspots when the Sun drifted in front of a distant TV aerial, just as a Wood Pigeon alighted on it!

Jabbed!

Having seen on a recent edition of 'Gone Fishing with Mortimer & Whitehouse' just how badly Bob was affected by a dose of shingles, when I was offered the vaccination I readily agreed. The absolutely charming nurse gave me the jab at the end of my annual diabetes review: I'm delighted to say that she was positive, upbeat and supportive, congratulating me on how well I was controlling the condition with diet, exercise (and metformin!)

Incidentally: there is some evidence that the shingles vaccine imparts a degree of protection against dementia: another good reason to book a jab now!

Odds and ends at Cley

Band practice tonight, so only a short run to the North Coast with Brian and Norman. (My camera / lens continue to give problems, so apologies for the poor images below)

As expected, the Long-billed Dowitcher was on Pat's, mooching about a bit distantly with the Godwit flock: later - as we were walking along the East Bank - it could be picked out as the Godwits moved to Arnold's Marsh.

A few Scoter and Red-throated Divers on the sea, but not much else to report: after coffee we drove the short distance to Kelling Heath, where we saw - but didn't photograph - a somewhat flighty Dartford Warbler

Bright passes by the ISS in November

Plenty of opportunities to see the International Space Station this month: no need to stay up late or get up particularly early, either!

Even spottier!

At the moment early mornings almost always bring the sight - and sound - of Pink-footed Geese flying north west over the house: the garden is full of Goldfinches, Blue Tits and Starlings.
Without yesterday's clouds the Sun can be seen to have literally dozens of sunspots....

More amazing sunspots

Taken through a very small clear patch in an otherwise unbroken cloud base, some impressive sunspot groups this afternoon: let's hope we get some CMEs followed by more lovely auroral displays!

The little things that give us pleasure!

In my case, one of these 'little things' is being able to mow the lawn in mid-October! The hope is, of course, that I won't have to do it too often before the end of the year - but, as they say, 'It is better to travel in hope than to arrive'

The Dowitcher plays peekaboo!

Linda and I had to visit Bayfield Hall to pick up a piece of sculpture we'd ordered on our recent visit with Peter and Sue. While we were there we enjoyed a cup of tea and a somewhat strange vegetarian sausage roll: a few feet from the window a terrific variety of woodland birds visited the feeding station.

A short drive to Cley and a walk out to Bishop's revealed that the Dowitcher was still present, but was inconveniently asleep behind a Teal! A brief seawatch  from the Coastguards added Red-necked Grebe and Velvet Scoter to our short daylist...