Purple Hairstreaks and all the Skippers!

Linda and I met up for lunch with my big brother, Rob and his delightful wife Michelle, who are spending a few days in Suffolk. The venue was the 'Bird in Hand' at Wreningham - I can totally recommend it!

We spent the afternoon at Redgrave & Lopham Fen - we were the only visitors! All the pools were too dry for Raft Spiders, but we saw lots of butterflies, including Large, Small and Essex Skippers, as well as Norfolk Hawker and the usual darters and chasers.

Highlight of the visit was a gathering of probably eight or ten Purple Hairstreaks (first of the year) at eye level on a small oak. A USAF KC-135 tanker aircraft made a low pass: just like being at an airshow!

Whats up, Doc?

For only the second time in the thirty plus years we've lived in Blofield Heath we've had a rabbit munching clover on the lawn. As long as he doesn't start on the flower beds, he's welcome to stay!

Tonight's waxing crescent Moon

Just after sunset the Moon is a lovely site low in the west: through binoculars the crater fields towards the south pole are really spectacular! Over to the north, the red planet Mars was visible, quite near the blue-white star Regulus

Osprey again!

Presumably one of the Ranworth pair, an Osprey flew north over the garden this morning. (Naturally my camera was at arm's length, but sadly I hadn't replaced the SD cards after processing them!)

Perhaps this will be a familiar sight in years to come if the species continues to visit the Bure & Yare valleys.

Snowman!

Despite the heat he's still with us! Time for our ancient, little Snowman to inspect his domain: too hot to stay out of the freezer for very long!

Roof covey!

Our family group of Red-legged Partridges are becoming regular visitors again, now that the youngsters are nearly fully-grown. Most mornings they greet the dawn by 'chukk-ing' away from the roof, before dropping down to feed.

Honey Buzzard over Hemblington!

Today was the June wildlife survey at All Saints, Hemblington: Linda, Sue, Peter and I were joined by old friends Joyce and Andrew for a most enjoyable - and productive - nature watch!

As well as the usual selection of passerines, we were pleased to see good numbers of raptors, one of which was a beautifully marked Honey Buzzard! Since Joyce departed for Suffolk we've missed her botanical expertise: Sue and I aren't bad at identifying the obvious flora, but Joyce is something else! In among the tall grasses and Oxeye Daisies she picked out a new species for the churchyard - Wild Basil

Last huge surprise - and addition to the church list - was a fly through Swallowtail. It seemed to land in a cherry tree in the hedge, but couldn't be located.

A swift one!

Sue had arranged a morning in Reepham to look into the possibility of erecting Swift nesting boxes at Hemblington Church. Caroline Spinks from Norfolk Swift Network gave an interesting and informative talk about the logistics of installing boxes into a church tower, while other attendees added their personal experiences. (Whether we'd be allowed to put boxes in the tower of All Saints remains to be seen)

Following the meeting we headed off to Blickling Hall for lunch and a stroll around the park: lots of common butterflies were enjoying the warm weather!

Night Heron at Cley (and two more year ticks!)

The Summer Wine Crew left the Yare Valley early and arrived at Cley by 7.45, finding seats in Bishop's Hide in time to enjoy close views of a Green Sandpiper. Distant Cattle Egrets and Spoonbills lured us over to the Centre Hides, where we found Jacquie B, David & John already watching a large flock of Bar-tailed Godwits. These were soon joined by a similar number of Sand Martins that swooped around before dropping into the reeds. Jacquie called out a Yellow Wagtail on a nearby island: most welcome! Before we left we added a Great White Egret, Mediterranean Gull, twelve or so Cattle Egrets and five Spoonbills. After coffee we decided on a walk along the East Bank: glancing back towards the North Foreland woods I noticed a group of Little Egrets, among which was a Night Heron! Although distant, the new Canon set up allowed decent photos, which we used to zero other birders onto this excellent addition to the year list. Finally, on the way back to the visitors centre, we heard and had reasonable views of the long-staying Marsh Warbler at a range of about a metre!

Last stop was Holt Country Park, where we managed to find and photograph fifteen or more Silver-washed Fritillaries.