Even clearer skies this morning!

No apologies: this is an Astronomy blog too! The planetary alignment was spectacular ar 03.00 (And there was an aurora earlier, too!)

Some excellent pre-dawn astronomy and a mystery satellite!

A relectant crawl out of bed at 04.00 gave me excellent views of the planetary alignment between the Moon, Mars, Jupiter and the constellation of Taurus, with its bright red star Aldebaran. The Moon was snuggled up to Pollux, one of the 'Heavenly Twins' in Gemini.

At around 05.00 a bright satellite of mag -2 or brighter passed north to south overhead (hence not the ISS!) I checked with 'Heavens Above' and no such object was scheduled.

The little Snowman enjoys the sunshine!

But only briefly, of course! In 'snowman years' he's more or less a teenager now, and definitely enjoys his monthly expeditions around the garden! 

Beautiful crescent Moon

Just before dawn the Moon, Mars, Jupiter and the star Aldebaran spread in a line above the eastern horizon...

Hemblington Church: August wildlife survey

August has never been a particularly stand-out month for our surveys at the 'little church on the hill'. Today, however, we were kept busy with an unexpected raptor passage.

As soon as we began recording it was obviously a 'flying ant day`- large gulls in their dozens were circling overhead, occasionally joined by a few corvids. As we were sorting these out, Peter picked up a distant pair of Common Buzzards, followed by 'kettles' of ten, seven, twenty and twelve, amongst which were two Honey Buzzards and a large accipiter. A little later a somewhat tatty Red Kite flew low overhead, while a Great Spotted Woodpecker was a good, late addition to the day-list.

Black-winged Stilt - the video

A Dutch breeder's escape? A European unlicensed ringer's bird? Who knows? Certainly not from Pensthorpe (where the famous Sammy originated) and certainly a beautiful bird - well worth the long walk!

Black-winged Stilt at Titchwell: Sammy rides again!

A 7.00am start saw Brian, Norman and me at Titchwell before the crowds arrived. We started off in Island Hide, where a good grill of the waders revealed nothing out of the ordinary, but did give us close views of Ruff, Avocets and Dunlin. Continuing to Parrinder Hide we added Peregrine, Common Sandpiper, Spoonbill and Golden Plover: we chatted with a couple of other birders who told us that the Stilt spent most of its time at the east end of the reserve. Abandoning a walk out to the beach, we retraced our steps, turning off the main path and heading around the back of the reserve via the 'Autumn Trail': patience was rewarded when the target bird flew in and landed right in front of us! A Red Kite flew low overhead as we walked back...

After coffee and sausage baps (veggie, naturally!) we made the walk out to the beach, with little to show for it - just a few Knot and Sanderling and a Great White Egret. Once back in Brian's new car, we headed eastwards, stopping at North Pools, Wells, where a couple of Greenshanks and four Cattle Egrets were good to find.

We drove home via coffee at Cley: it seemed a shame not to visit Bishop's, where another Great White, a couple of Green Sandpipers and a friendly togger from Royston made it worth the effort!

Sheep Partridge

In North Norfolk they have Cattle Egrets: here on the Heath we have the much scarcer Sheep Partridges!

Cattle Egret at Cley: the video!

Short video of a Cattle Egret in front of Dauke's Hide, showing where they got their name!

Dawn Moon

The waning gibbous Moon looked particularly beautiful at 05.30, especially the dense crater fields around the south pole.

The Prince Regent, Gt. Yarmouth

A Bank Holiday late-nighter! Be great to see you!

Spottiest Sun ever!

I reckon we can expect more auroral displays soon: I can't recall the Sun being this spotty before! (Photos taken with a special Baader filter late afternoon yesterday)

A trip to Southwold!

Despite the high winds and threat of rain, Linda and I spent a very enjoyable day in Suffolk with friends Sue, Joyce, Peter and Andrew. Southwold is a delightful little seaside town, with some amazing food outlets, galleries, shops and places to eat. After a breezy walk around and a stroll to the end of the pier we enjoyed lunch in 'The Canteen', a community restaurant with an imaginative, mostly veggie menu.

After lunch Joyce and Andrew departed, while the remaining four of us made the short walk to the bijou Arts Theatre, where we settled down to watch a rendition of 'Snake in the Grass' by Alan Ayckbourn. The all-female cast of three tried hard and, despite the somewhat bizarre script and limitations of the small, one set stage, it was on the whole a pleasant experience.

A day out with Sue and Peter wouldn't be complete without supper: we chose the Waveney House Hotel in Beccles where we enjoyed our meal overlooking the river.