The Moon and Jupiter

Just before dawn, the Moon and Jupiter were close together in Gemini: with Orion nearby, it was worth getting up early to see!

Garden visitor!

Actually, both Common Frogs and Toads are resident in the garden: we have a splash pool and a small pond with a rockery surround that provide them with food and shelter all year round. I was cleaning the pump filters today when this handsome chap popped out to say hello!
We used to have newts as well, but the large Koi and Golden Orfe have apparently seen them off..

Helmingham Hall

Linda and I drove through the back lanes of Suffolk, arriving at Helmingham Hall just as the garden festival opened its gates. As usual we spent far too much, but it's impossible to ignore the incredible range of plants on offer: one stall alone had scores of different, new cultivars of Lobelia. We added to our wildlife art gallery with another lovely piece by artist Kirstie Steadman - a Nuthatch, this time. Despite the predicted rain, the weather was fine and mild and we had a thoroughly enjoyable few hours.

Comet Lemmon - just!

There was a super-clear sky this morning, dominated by the Moon, Jupiter and Venus: not ideal for comet spotting! Nevertheless, with a long exposure of the region to the north of Gemini and with reference to star maps of the region, I think I pinned down the 9.2 magnitude Comet Lemmon. 

The International Space Station

The ISS was a brilliant object as it passed over Norfolk at 8.30 last night.

September survey at Hemblington Church

Linda, Sue, Peter and I carried out this month's survey on a bright, blustery day: we were pleased to record a good spread of species, including two hirundines and a couple of Swifts!

Beautiful pre-dawn Moon

The sky was crystal clear this morning, allowing terrific views of the Moon's crater fields. An interesting feature is the Alpine Valley, a deep slash that cuts through the Lunar Alps near the dark-floored crater Plato. This, it is believed, was produced comparatively recently by a near-horizontal impact.

Curlew Sandpiper at Buckenham RSPB

Since it was my morning to open the Church, I carried on to Buckenham to see if yesterday's Curlew Sandpiper was still present. A good scan through the waders on the 'main pool' revealed plenty of Ruff and Lapwings, but I couldn't find the target bird. I decided to walk to the mill and back, in case any Glossy Ibises had dropped in (they hadn't!) When I arrived back at the hide I found Justin Lansdell watching a couple of distant Cranes: he confirmed that the Curlew Sand was present and let me look at it through his 'scope: most kind!