Spoonbills at Snettisham

Great excitement to see a Spoobill very close at Snettisham even if it was asleep only waking occasionally. Later, an adult flew in and immediately the youngster started begging for food. Eventually, the adult allowed the young spoonbill to put its beak right inside the gullet and retrieve food. It continued to beg but the adult flew off to join other spoonbills (9 in all) and it followed. Not the easiest to photograph as difficult lighting with the sun coming out occasionally but a great sightings.

 

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.

Orchids, Moths etc at Buxton Heath

Buxton Heath outing was one of the highlights of this year for me with its wide variety of specialized heathland species many of which we managed to see. Here the Marsh Helleborine with its abundant  population of small insects, Southern Marsh Orchids, Beautiful Yellow Underwing caterpillar, Fox Moth caterpillar and Rusty Tussock moth flightless female egg laying. Final three Hoverfly Eristalinus sepulchre, Five-spot Burnet and the Bog Cricket

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'. 

RPS Nature Trip to Norfolk Heathland

The Silver-studded Blues appear to be coming to the end of their season at least 2 weeks earlier than last year though we did find a few fairly newly emarged butterflies. There were plenty of other insects and spiders to photograph.