Birds at Hunstanton

Some shoreline birds from my visit on July 8th on a mostly overcast afternoon. I was trying to capture movement and flight as flocks of waders etc moved through when the tide receded and exposed the mussel-bed-feeding grounds. I also attempted to capture the Fulmars and Swifts that nest in the cliffs - not a great success rate!!

Sharpenhoe - Other Insects

I went hunting for these Thistle Gall flies having been fascinated  on a previous visit by their iridescent eyes and bright orange antennae and mouthparts. They were joined during our RPS visit by a host of other species

Sharpenhoe Butterflies

 Despite the strong winds, most of the RPS Nature Group on an outing to Sharpenhoe yesterday managed to photograph two of the target species - the Chalkhill Blues (all males so probably early in the season) and Dark Green Fritillaries (getting a bit worn and mainly females so late in their season). However, the favourite was a Brimstone male emerging from its cocoon. Also shown Large Skipper, Red Admiral, Small White and Holly Blue.

Small Blues and Friends at a Wet Trumpington Meadows

Despite a strong breeze and increasingly frequent rain showers, we manage to sight and photograph a new British butterfly for me - the small Blue. Lots of other species to photograph, many sheltering or enduring the wet conditions. The small caterpillar is a Red Admiral I think.

Curioser and Curioser

Our monthly guided nature walk at Paxton Pits produced some very curious sightings, none more so than this Thistle Tortoise Beetle larva which is very spiny like its host plant. It carries around a pile of droppings and debris that it uses to disguise itself -  very small so difficult to get a better shot. First time I have recorded Beewolf Wasps at Paxton - they are nesting where the Early Colletes bees were active earlier in the year. We think it was a young Garden Warbler and certainly there were a couple of pairs of Crows with young in the newly mown hay fields