Beautiful dawn Moon...

The waning gibbous Moon was absolutely stunning in this morning's crystal-clear sky...

Amazing day on the North Coast

My turn to drive! We rendezvous-ed at my house before heading north by way of Wroxham. First stop was Bishop's hide, Cley, where the first of two Curlew Sandpipers - both in smart plumage - fed among a large group of Ruff and Dunlin. Other birds dropped in: Great Egret, Spoonbill, Bearded Tit, Common and Green Sandpipers, Yellow-legged Gull and four juvenile Yellow Wagtails. Best of all, though, was a young Water Rail skulking amongst the reeds to the left of the hide. After an enjoyable chat with a delightful couple from Yorkshire, we headed to reception for tea and cakes.

Having moved the car to the East Bank carpark, we strolled out to the sea, picking up two distant Glossy Ibises on the way. No sign of the Jack Snipe, but another year tick was available between the North Screen and the new hide: after a bit of searching (and with confirmation from Julian!) I found a female-type Whinchat - not always guaranteed these days.

On the way back to the car, I was delighted to find a mint-fresh Clouded Yellow flitting back and forth across East Bank: most welcome. Ice creams and then home!

Ready for the eclipse!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I sent off for some 'eclipse glasses' ready for August 12th (although I still have the 1999 ones somewhere!) The first image of the Sun was taken with the phone camera filter that came with them: the next two were taken with my Canon R7 and the Baader foil filter I made. At under a fiver, definitely a good investment - particularly if you live in Spain!

Just a phase! Venus at dusk

Venus is still a brilliant object above the western horizon: its phase is visible even with binoculars.

About time for 'anti-agism' to be a thing!

Over the past couple of decades there's been a huge increase in legislation aimed at protecting the rights of almost every minority group in the country: isn't it time that the same consideration was given to older drivers?

The graphs below (both from online Government sources) demonstrate exactly who are the most dangerous driver age groups on UK roads (Both in terms of traffic accidents and fatalities)  Yet our (unelected) PM and his cronies seem intent on driving motorists over 70 years old off the roads with increasingly draconian new regulations...

Near-total Solar Eclipse!

I've just been having my monthly Astronomy chat with the lovely Jules Button on 'SUFFOLK SOUND' radio. I spoke at length about the 92% Solar eclipse that will occur late afternoon on August 12th, and stressed (as always) that it is very dangerous to look at or near the Sun with the naked eye. As promised, here's a simple set-up for projecting the Sun with a small telescope. You can buy eclipse filters quite cheaply online HERE Well worth the money!

Hummingbird Hawkmoths

This long, hot spell seems to have been favourable for butterflies and moths, particularly Painted Ladies and Hummingbird Hawkmoths. We've had numerous individuals of both species in the garden throughout July: as I type this there are two Hummers visiting the Buddleia. What I'd like now is a Clouded Yellow!

Butterflying!

Great mate Paul drove across from Swadlincote again to join Linda and me for another tour around the butterfly hotspots of Norfolk. First stop was Warham Camp, where literally hundreds of Chalk Hill Blues  fluttered around the ramparts. Other species included Wall, Common Blue and numerous Hummingbird Hawkmoths.

Moving on to Holkham Pines: following lunch in the cafe, a walk through the woods and back along the dunes failed to produce the hoped-for Hairstreaks or Fritillaries, so we headed back to Norwich to try for Purple Hairstreaks at Zak's and Swallowtails at Strumpshaw: no luck.. Still: a terrific day out in great company!