All about the Hawkers!

Brian and I met at Strumpshaw at around 7.30 and spent the morning walking 'the loop' twice. Not too many birds (Buzzards, Bearded Tits, Marsh Harriers etc) but lots of Dragonflies and Butterflies. There were scores of Norfolk Hawkers (including a pair with a very 'devoted' male that flew tight circles around his mate while she oviposited!) still several Hairy Hawkers, a Southern, an Emperor and my first Brown Hawker of the year. Lots of Four-spotted and Scarce Chasers still and numbers of Black-tailed Skimmers are building up.

Today there were suddenly Ringlets, Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers everywhere, while just two Swallowtails put in an appearance...

Dark Green!

A long day in the field with Brian: not many birds about, but some decent insects and enough bits and pieces to keep us interested! First stop was Horsey Gap: lots of Stonechats and a family group of Lesser Whitethroats. Best of all, though, was a mint-fresh Dark Green Fritillary, that posed nicely among the marram!

A move to Yarmouth looking for Med Gulls was totally unproductive: no medium-sized gulls at all, just loads of Lesser Black-backs. The harbour mouth was no better and neither was Bure Park. We moved westwards to Filby and then Ranworth, where the only real birdy moment was a distant Osprey....

Another great day on the patch!

A 7.00 meet-up with Brian T at Strumpshaw was, as always, a pleasure: but the reserve's star birds put in an appearance and made it a great day. Cuckoo was, perhaps, not unexpected, but TWO Bitterns flying around together for five minutes was unusual, and a close-perched Kingfisher was a long-awaited photo-opportunity. The first Migrant Hawkers - a pair - graced the southern path.

The male Turtle Dove spent ages on the lawn this afternoon: what beautiful birds they are!

Pecking order!

All the local Corvids and Columbidae are feeding young, so the feeding stations are full at first light: the gentler species (including the Turtles and Stock Doves) tend to use a quieter, less competitive area.

A garden-full!

As well as the Turtles, Linda's comprehensive feeding program and our five water features attract all kinds of families at this time of the year. Today we had Stock & Collared Doves, Wood Pigeon, Rook, Jackdaw, Starling, Magpie, Robin, Blue & Great Tit, Dunnock, Blackbird and these lovely Song Thrushes...

Turtle Doves

Just a few photos of the pair of Turtles in our garden today: they made themselves at home, until a blackbird got aggressively territorial and scared them away...

To me, there's something quintessentially satisfying about sharing my garden with these beautiful (and increasingly scarce) birds... Anyone can walk out to Gun Hill (I've done it twice!) but to have these lovely, gentle creatures in my tiny garden for ten years is just a wonderfully satisfying thing...

Spectacled seconds!

Such a lovely day, so Brian T and I trudged out to Gun Hill, picking up Little Egret and Grey Partridge on the way. The long-staying Spectacled Warbler was showing very well in bright sunlight, but I still seem to have focus issues with my new lens & camera. A pair of Med Gulls flew over calling, and a pathside pool held a patrolling Lesser Emperor.

A move to Choseley proved fruitless, so we ambled eastwards to Cley, where coffee and scones was followed by distant views of half a dozen Spoonbills.

In response to several enquiries...... LOL!

I haven't given any status updates about the Turtle Doves recently, because I don't want to bore people and also because there's no knowing when they might turn up during the day: a few friends have convinced themselves I'm denying them photographic opportunities!

The male, unusually, has been feeding in the garden most of the afternoon.

Bitterns and more Buzzards than you'd believe!

A short walk with Brian was both enjoyable and productive, with decent views of many of the Fen's specialities.

Fen Hide was the place to be, with flight views of a female Bittern being mobbed by gulls and at least two family groups of Bearded Tits. Walking round to the Buckenham gate gave us unexpected close-ups of a pair of Hares, doing all the mad stuff apart from boxing! A final stop at Reception allowed the best views of the morning of the same female Bittern!

As I drove towards Broadland Business Park (cash & carry stop!) I noticed a group of circling birds: from the Makro car park, I could see through the binoculars that it was a 'kettle' of 26 Buzzards. The biurds were too high for photography, but an impressive sight nonetheless....

Seven sunny miles!

A long walk today, but the pleasant company and sunny weather made it very enjoyable. Best dragons were very photogenic Norfolks, Scarce Chasers and Four-spots, while Cuckoo, Buzzard, Little Egret, Hobby and the strangely-marked female Marshy added spice!