Minsmere: full house with Clouded Yellows!

Since all my birding mates were either working, in Germany or recovering from heart surgery, I headed south to Minsmere on my own...

First stop was Island Mere, where - despite the reedbeds being completely overgrown - a couple of family parties of Bearded Tits came close enough for a photo. Three Bitterns flew across the Mere, but were too distant for decent images. I was chatting with a local birder (from Leiston) and mentioned I thought it was a good day for an Osprey, at which point one appeared over his shoulder!
Again, a little distant, but still great to watch.

The rest of the reserve was fairly unspectacular for birds - just a few Stonechats and Little Egrets - but the walk along the beach produced two Clouded Yellows and a Painted Lady. There were lots of the usual butterflies too, including a smart Small Copper.

A couple of miles tramp around Dunwich Heath gave brief views of three Dartford Warblers and distant ones of a Hobby: a pair of Kestrels flirted in the late summer sunshine...