And then there were three!

Peter e-mailed some pictures he'd just taken of two Little Owls sunning themselves on the distant oak tree we can both see from our garden fences. Naturally, I slid past the bees again to see if I could improve on yesterday's photos: the answer was - not really! But, to my surprise, there were now three Little Owls! To me it looks like an adult (male?) and two juveniles.

Another bit of fun! Linda checked the trail-cam that she uses to keep an eye on her hives: as well as several shots of our resident Hedgehog, there was also this flight-shot of a Sparrowhawk!

 

Today's walk: raptors, Yellowhammers and a late Fieldfare!

I set off from my front door at around 07.15 today and walked the five mile loop to South Walsham Fen, via  High Noon Lane. There I bumped into an old birding friend enjoying a ride: since he's working from home, I won't name him!

I didn't really expect to see much, but in fact there were a few worthwhile odds and ends: a female Marsh Harrier by the Church, several Buzzards and Kestrels and - best of all - quite a few Yellowhammers. The bridle way by South Walsham Fen produced lots of Chiffchaffs and a male Blackcap, while the rough grazing by the Alpaca Farm held a colourful Starling and two Fieldfares. Lots of good birds to add to my 'lockdown list' if I kept one! I can add Tawny Owl to that: there was a male hooting away near the garden at dawn.

Finally: the hedgerows are beginning to blossom with violets, Primroses and Stitchwort - but can anyone help with this delicate lily-type flower? There were two on a local 'Roadside Nature Reserve'.

'Essential journeys'? I think not!

Just back from my one-a-day walk around the Heath: saw one or two nice things that I'll post later. What I did find slightly difficult to understand is the number of 'Home Improvement' vans parked in people's drives: I saw rooves being laid, curtains and carpets fitted, small building work, electricians fitting outside lights.... How much - if any - of this can really be justified within the Governments current regulations?

Like a lot of other self-employed people, Linda and I have seen a dramatic fall in our incomes: three big events have been postponed, several lectures and smaller Astronomy events have been cancelled: we've lost hundreds in non-returnable hotel bookings and attendance fees. Unlike many others, though, we're not entitled to claim loss of earnings. And unlike the tradesmen above, I can't visit my customers at their homes, shops or business premises.

An outbreak of clap!

I have to say: I was pleasantly surprised tonight. Despite living in a cul-de-sac in a small village in rural Norfolk, as I was photographing the crescent Moon tonight I became aware that a number of my neighbours had come out of their front doors to join in with the NHS clap...

Yet another Little Owl: this time from the garden!

Good friend Peter (who lives two doors down!) often sees Little Owls across the field from his rear windows: today he e-mailed to say two birds were on view. I carefully eased past the beehives and had a scan: despite using the scope I couldn't  make out any owls. I took photos of all the trees and sent them to Peter, who was kind enough to identify the correct tree and the branch the owls were using. Finally, I managed a few shots: the trees are probably half a mile distant, so I reckon I did quite well with my 500mm zoom and 1.4 converter!

Finally: an admonition from central and local government.

 

The Orion Nebula with a 300mm lens!

The Orion Nebula is a region of star-formation around 1,300 light years from Earth. It's visible with the naked eye as part of Orion's 'sword'. I'm amazed how much detail I managed to grab using my Pentax kit: the colours are genuine!

The ISS made two more passes last night: always a terrific thing to watch. I did try to take some video: the results were encouraging, but not worth putting online. I'll have another bash! As I was photographing the fuzzy ball in Ursa Major that is Comet Atlas, I realised just how much junk is floating about up there: three satellites passed through 'The Great Bear' during the fifteen second exposure below. I hope the astronauts aboard the ISS are keeping an eye open! Last image is the Pleiades or 'Seven Sisters': as you can see, this open cluster contains a lot more than seven stars!

 

Another Little Owl!

Today's local walk took Linda and me past an old tree that, in the past, was a nesting site for Little Owls: imagine our delight in finding that at least one bird is back! Our five-mile walk around the parish produced lots of spring flowers and insects, as well as other interesting birds and mammals.

The International Space Station skims past Taurus

The situation all over the UK is pretty grim (and it will get worse) but there're still things to see and photograph. Even though bird images are not likely to be super-abundant on here for a while, I shall carry on posting things that I find interesting. Hopefully, you'll find some of them interesting too!

The ISS passed overhead twice tonight: the second time it skimmed through the 'V' of Taurus. There'll be another good pass at 7.38 tomorrow evening...

Keeping it local...

With exercise-walking having to start at the front door, I'm lucky to live out in the country: our village is surrounded by farm- and woodland. Today I walked a circular route that took in some recently-ploughed fields: I was fascinated to watch a Common Buzzard eating earthworms. Nearer to home, a Grey Heron flew over the garden - he can stay away from our pond!