Colwell and Totland Bays, Isle of Wight

Staying on the Isle of White for a week. We are 3 mins walk from the beach and the coastal walk. Yesterday was grey and overcast when we started out walk to Totland but the sun came out later though not a great sunset. The area has had large landslides over several years so the area is full of skeleton trees and shell containing coat and rocks.

Hunstanton Birds

I spent Friday morning on Hunstanton Beach, watching and attempting to photograph some of the birds including the colony of 

Fulmars that nest on the cliff in the company of Swifts. As the tide went out the rocks were visited by Oyster Catchers, Cormorant, Curlew, Redshank and various Gulls including Mediterranean with the eye ring and pure white plumage.

Raptors and Little Terns Winterton

Winterton is a well-known site for winter raptors but yesterday they also put on a great summer show including this very tame kestrel and two appearances of a Hobby feasting on the Little Terns. In the third image here, the Hobby is at a distance being pursued by angry adult terns. In the fourth shot, one was much closer but I had 1/500th set for insect photography so unfortunately not sharp. It looks as if it is a fledging tern that it has captured - as the RSPB warden said ' better to scrifice one fledgling than an adult that has potential to produce many more young'. 

Burnham-on -Sea

A few images from a visit to Burnham-on-Sea on my way to Bristol on a very sombre overcast day. Burnham-on-Sea is part of the second longest beach in Europe with the iconic low lighthouse,  the remaining active lighthouse of three Burnham lighthouses  Whilst Burnham has one of the longest expanses of sand, it has the shortest pier in Britain.

 

Dorset 12 Burton Bradstock

Parking at the National Trust Car Park, we walked over the cliffs to Cogden beach and along the beach towards Burton Bradstock. Lots of flowers, a few butterflies such as these Large skippers and some interesting insects including the amazing Tephrid flies with their picture wings and iridescent eyes. (Although now on the way home, I will be continuing my 'diary' of our CCC trip to Dorset for a few more days. We hope to return next year so this acts as a guide to places to visit and what wildlife was seen).