HARDLEY FLOOD

   Today was much cooler than recently and after the rain had ceased I walked from Chedgrave along to Hardley Flood hoping to see Kingfishers but to no avail. Instead looking across the flood I could see several Great Crested Grebes both singly and in pairs and it made me realise I should have come here a few weeks ago to witness the pairs of Grebes performing their spectacular dancing routines as a prelude to mating and nesting.
   Looking across the river to the marshes beyond I could see both Lapwings and Marsh Harriers displaying and there seemed to be a lot of Swallows and Sand Martins passing through on their way to their nesting sites.

   Gazing back across the flood I could see in the distance two Pintail ducks and a Merganser and as I walked back along the river I watched a Heron pluck a fish from the water whilst flying along and then stop on the bank to eat it. Finally I popped round to see Mum on my way home just in time to see a Sparrowhawk swoop onto the bird feeder and chase a small bird into a nearby conifer tree. They both disappeared and I went out into the garden to try and see them. There was no sign of them but while I stood between the feeder and the conifer with my back to the house I heard and then actually felt the Sparrowhawk brush my hair as it made a return visit to the feeder, I don't know who was more surprised, me, the hawk or mum who was watching from the kitchen window. All I know is that it is something I'm not going to forget in a hurry and I will try and get a picture of the hawk in mum's garden soon.

BLACK TERNS

   On a warm and windy day at Minsmere I was at Island mere hide watching several Little Gulls which are quite distinctive due to their small stature and the dark underwings of the adult birds when somebody else in the hide suddenly noticed two Black Terns flying amongst the various Gulls. Black Terns are not common in this country although some birds are seen each spring and autumn on migration as they do not breed here. The birds were quite distant and fast moving which made them impossible to photograph but eventually they briefly settled on a wooden support on the mere and although they were a long way off I managed a few shots which have been heavily cropped so are not good quality.

MIGRANTS ARRIVE AT CARLTON MARSHES

   This week has seen the mass arrival of many summer migrants many of which have been much later than normal. I have popped over to Carlton Marshes a couple of times to catch up with the Yellow Wagtails and Blue Headed Wagtails but they have always been a long way off but I have noticed many other species arriving including Swallows, Sand Martins and warblers such as Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler and Grasshopper Warbler which I heard but didn't see. Also Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs which are quite similar but I think this is a picture of a Willow Warbler.

   On the 20th April I heard my first Cuckoo of the year which is always something I look forward to and I also saw this Whitethroat on the top of a bush singing. In addition to this I spotted my first Hobbies of the year and I hope to get some pictures of them later.

BITTERN IN FLIGHT

   Also this week I managed to capture some half decent shots of a Bittern in flight. This was a male who was in pursuit of a female over the reed beds and was determined not to let her escape. The milder temperatures have also encouraged the Bitterns to start booming finally about two months later than normal. They only boom for a few weeks to attract a mate and for the remainder of the year are not very vocal at all, in fact the birds have to exercise their vocal cords for a few weeks before they can boom and this is known as grunting. I have seen quite a few birds in flight over the winter when their numbers are boosted by birds from the continent but this was the first close encounter in good conditions.

MALE MARSH HARRIERS

   I finally got the chance this week to take some decent images of Marsh Harriers at minsmere. Although I see them most times I visit they never seem to come that close to the hides and if they do it always seems to be cloudy or raining well at last this week the sun was out and the birds were performing, at least the males were as they collected nesting material. It was interesting to watch the birds as they glided above the reedbeds in the strong wind with their legs dangling down as I didn't realise how long their legs were. Watching the males collecting twigs and small branches and returning to their nest sites also gave me an idea where abouts the individual territories are and how many there are in the reedbeds. Here are a few of the many photographs I took this week.

A BRIEF ATTEMPT AT HARES

   I've always wanted to take photos of Hares as I love watching them  playing in the fields and contrary to popular opinion it's not only in the early spring that they 'box' but also at other times as well. I think the thing is that they are more easily seen in the early spring in the bare fields and low level crops. Anyway trying to photograph them is not easy as they are quite timid and normally run at the first sight of you which means you have to do a bit of creeping around stalking them.
   This was my first attempt prompted by the sight of two Hares on a field of wheat the previous evening in Aldeby. I didn't have a great deal of time which can be a major problem as patience is normally needed but luckily when I crept up to the edge of the field a Hare sat only about 30 yards away and although not very active I managed to get a few shots before a passing truck spooked it and it loped off across the field. Hopefully I can get permission in the next few days to get access to another patch of land where there always seems to be an abundance of  Hares every time I pass it and I can spend some more time trying to get some decent images.

YELLOW WAGTAILS

   Yesterday I popped over to Minsmere after hearing about the Yellow Wagtails that had appeared there on their way to various breeding grounds across England. These birds winter in Africa and arrive in this country each spring with the males in their bright yellow plumage.
   The birds at Minsmere were quite mobile flitting between the Konic field and the levels where the ponies were grazing but eventually they came close enough for some photographs and at one point I counted five birds in close proximity to me.

KESSINGLAND WANDER

   On a bright and very breezy morning I drove over to Kessingland in the hope of spotting some of the spring migrants that have recently started to pour into the county and on arriving I noticed several other people in the car park who turned out to be the RSPB Lowestoft local group. They invited me to join them on their walk so we set off along the track towards the sewage treatment works and the fishing lakes. I heard Chiffchaffs and a Whitethroat before reaching the lake where several Swallows and Sand Martins were swooping low over the water looking for insects. We passed through the caravan park where I spotted a Kesrel on the wires and continued on to the sluice when we saw two Kestrels hunting over the grassland repeatedly diving to the ground but not apparently catching anything. Carrying on past the sluice to the small broad we could see several Wheatear along with a Ringed Plover and a few Pipits.
   Returning to Kessingland via the beach I observed more Ringed Plovers and Wheatears as well as a small flock of Linnets and a skylark. All in all a very pleasant walk in good company and it made a nice change to go for a walk without wearing six layers of clothing!
   Here are a few pictures of the Kestrels we encountered.

RED SQUIRRELS IN YORKSHIRE

   Last weekend we made the trip up to North Yorkshire for a short break and while we were there I took the opportunity to visit a private woodland where Red squirrels thrive. Although food is put out for them these squirrels are wild and are not enclosed in any way. My guide for the day was a local wildlife photographer and conservationist who together with a few others is trying to provide isolated pine woodland in the upper valleys in an effort to spread the small populations of squirrels around so that if the pox carried by the grey squirrels does get into the area it doesn't destroy the whole population in one go. Working with local landowners and residents they have identified several isolated pine woodlands suitable for the red squirrels and they are working on a plan of action to prevent the spread of the grey squirrels up the valleys.
   On the day a bitter easterly wind and snow flurries threatened to put off the reds from showing but after waiting for an hour or so two squirrels put in an appearance and despite the bad light I was able to get some reasonable shots. These really are beautiful animals who would probably already by extinct in this country if it wasn't for the efforts of a few people.

MORE GARGANEY PICTURES

   At the beginning of last week I got the chance to head back to minsmere to get some more images of the Garganey ducks in a much better light. The original pair were still in residence at Island mere but since my previous visit another female had joined them.