Saturday 18 September 2010

Autumns around the corner

The sunshine today meant that there were loads of lovely insects out to photograph.  My camera could not get close to the marsh harrier or great white egret, but I could capture the darters and fungi:


Darter

 
Darter

  Darter

 
Darter
Boletus
Boletus


Boletus

Amanita

Fungus

Friday 3 September 2010

Late summer short breaks

Late summer has given us a chance to visit family in Devon and Cambridge and for me to get a bit of wildlife watching in.  In Devon the house martins were still nesting and buzzing the eves of the house where we stayed.  Also swallows were lining the cables with youngsters pestering their parents for food.

House Martin

Barn swallows
When in the east of England we travelled along to Cley and Wells.  The highlight was a spoonbill and lots of warm sunshine.  Other interesting birds included waders shown below, plus spotted red shanks, ringed plovers and marsh harriers.

Curlew
Turnstone
The north Norfolk coast is amazing - great wide expanses of mud flats, shingle and sand - wild and exciting.  On the shingle banks the most obvious plant this late in the year is the yellow horned poppy;

Yellow horned poppy
A sneaky extra day off allowed a visit to the Somerset Levels - this turned up an Osprey, 4+ hobbies, 2 great white egrets, clear and close views of Cetti's warbler and kingfishers, plus a number of waders such as black-tailed godwits...oh and a bittern fly past!

Godwits & lapwings