Uranus: found!

Walking home from an excellent supper with friends Sue, Peter and Margaret, I was delighted to see that the sky was dark and crystal clear: so much so that I could locate Uranus by eye, before grabbing a couple of photos.

Can you find Uranus?

If it's clear at any time for the next few weeks, Uranus is comparatively easy to find with binoculars: at magnitude 5.6 - and with no Moon at the moment - it might even be visible with the naked eye if you enjoy dark skies. It's to the right of the well-known 'V' of Taurus and just below the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) A ten second exposure with your tripod-mounted DSLR, set at f2.8 and 1600 ISO should reveal the seventh planet's greenish colour. Take photos over a few nights and you'll notice it moving against the background stars...

Marsh Harrier past the garden

This female Marsh Harrier has been backwards and forwards just past the end of the garden this morning: it seems that local birds are increasingly adopting the habits of their continental cousins, becoming more frequent over arable land than marshland.

Blizzard conditions!

Well: hardly! Still, it did snow for an hour or so today, but - to the little Snowman's disappointment - it failed to settle!

Happy Anniversary!

Lovely Linda and I have been married thirty one years today: despite the gloomy prognostications, we're still ecstatically happy!

A morning on the North Coast

Before picking up Norman I had to spend ten minutes defrosting the car: nevertheless we reached Cley before 08.00, starting with a brief seawatch at the Coastguards. Lots of gulls, but nothing more exciting than the odd Common Gull. Several seals were feeding close in, suggesting shoals of bait fish. Just past the pill box we found a very flighty flock of fifteen Snow Buntings that refused to settle for decent photos.

A move to Bishop's Hide added brief glimpses of Water Pipit and Kingfisher: Pat's was almost devoid of interest, apart from a solitary Pinkfoot, so we took a walk along the East Bank, before the obligatory coffee.

Last stop was Walsey Hills. Snipe's Marsh held a couple of Grey Wagtails, while the feeders were attracting a good selection of finches and tits: the path along the top added Yellowhammer and a very large flock of Linnets, as well as a distant Raven.

November survey at Hemblington Church

Despite the cold and occasional drizzle, Linda, Sue, Peter and I carried out this month's survey, recording the first winter thrushes of the year and several skeins of Pinkfeet

Great Spotted!

Not rare, of course, but still: always a delight to have as a regular garden visitor.

Rendlesham Forest trip!

Our usual team of Jason, Paul, Jane, Linda and me spent the weekend in our favourite part of Suffolk, exploring Rendlesham Forest by day and at night. In between we enjoyed some great food, conversation and walks, lunching at Orford Beach Cafe and dining at the Wilford Bridge: both really terrific venues. Lots of Crossbills in the Forest, but all fly-overs: one flock was over thirty-strong!

A talk for BADCOG (Weather permitting!)

Tonight I'm scheduled to give a wildlife talk for the Blofield & District Conservation Group - a terrific organization that does amazing work in helping to maintain local churchyards, meadows and small reserves. We kick off at 7.30 at the Strumpshaw Community Hall, Mill Road, Lingwood.

Finally! Clear skies and a bright aurora

Two early morning rises allowed me - finally - to connect with a decent display of the Northern Lights: they suddenly flared at 04.15, just as the sky cleared. Interestingly, there was little or no green, just a lovely deep red.

Aurora!

Despite the overcast, this morning's aurora was so intense that  it was visible with the naked eye here in east Norfolk. Note, however, the latest moronic barrier to astrophotography: the increasing use of searchlights and lasers. Was there any need for this at 04.00?