DOTTERELS AT KESSINGLAND

   Apparently about 15 minutes after I left on Saturday afternoon 4 Dotterels were seen flying in at Kessingland and after being reported again on Sunday morning I thought I would go and look for them in the afternoon. I soon learnt that 3 of the birds left after being disturbed by one of the many dogs exercised along the beach but one bird remained and was showing well when it was found. This particular bird only flew a few hundred yards whenever a dog came too close but because of the terrain it was difficult to relocate. Following one of these flights I was lucky enough to find it sitting well down in some rough grass where I took the shot above.

   The Dotterel is a member of the plover family that is only seen occasionally around here on migration north to its breeding grounds on the Arctic Tundra and on mountains. In the UK it is limited to breeding mainly on mountains in the Scottish highlands and sometimes on a few hills further south where unusually most of the parental duties are carried out by the male because as soon as the eggs are laid the female goes off to find another mate for a second brood. The young are quickly independent  and fend for themselves before migrating to North Africa where most of the UK population spend the winter in Morocco. There are only thought to be some 600 breeding males in the UK and even 150 years ago there were only thought to be 50 or so pairs in England so it has never been prolific in numbers. The most notable thing about Dotterels is that they can be very confiding and are often not bothered by humans which can also cause problems as hill walkers can destroy nests. This bird would quite happily walk up to 10 yards away from me and the other assembled watchers and photographers as long as you remained quiet and still.

A TRIP TO KESSINGLAND

   Following reports of sightings of Ring Ouzels at Kessingland sluice I thought I had better go and see for myself and so parking in the village I walked down past the sewage works where I was fortunate enough to see a Green Woodpecker. Now normally these shy birds disappear very quickly but this particular one couldn't have seen me straight away as it stayed in the area looking for food but was always wary and on the lookout.

   Moving on to the sluice and the area of gorse and bramble scrub surrounding it the Ring Ouzels were easy to spot but unfortunately they were so shy of humans that the only shots I could get were distant ones but still they were nice to see. On the grass around the scrub along with a few Skylarks were quite a lot of Wheatear which along with the Ring Ouzels were on their spring migration northwards to breed.

   Finally a completely unrelated photo taken during the week at Oulton Marshes in another failed attempt to see the Dusky Warbler that has been around for a while now of a Water Vole climbing the vegetation in a weed filled overgrown ditch.

SPRING FLOWERS AND INSECTS ALONG THE WAVENEY

   Last weekend I spent an enjoyable day walking along the river from Beccles to North Cove and then through some of the woodland in the valley. The spring flowers were really starting to show well and butterflies and other insects were flying between the colourful heads seeking nectar. The first to be seen were the Marsh Marigolds with their bright yellow flowers which were attracting many bees and hoverflies. A few white butterflies were seen most of which were Small Whites but upon closer examination some of them were Green Veined Whites which would sometimes come to rest on the vegetation as shown below.

   Walking away from the river into more wooded areas I encountered a few Bluebells in the shade of the branches and fluttering in a clearing were the first Orange Tip butterflies of the year for me, the first below on a Garlic Mustard flower and the second on a Bluebell which really made a good picture with the mixture of colours. Both of these butterflies were males as they are the only ones with orange on the wings, the females being white with a black spot and tip to the forewing.

   Driving along to Aldeby I came across a patch of Cowslip (primula veris) on the road side and so stopped to take a few pictures. There were also some patches of common Primrose (primula vulgaris) but being in the full sunshine these were past their best.

   Parking the car I walked into a small woodland where I have seen orchids in flower before and began to search through the undergrowth coming across a few remaining Wood Anenomes at the end of their flowering season with their gorgeous yellow centered white flowers striking amongst the new seasons green growth. Eventually I came to a patch of Early Purple Orchids but very few were in flower and they need another week or so to reach their best but I took a picture of one that seemed to be ahead of the rest.

ANOTHER DAY WITH THE ADDERS

   Waking up to a bright sunny day I decided to risk the weekend crowds and try to get some more Adder images before they disperse for the summer at Minsmere. There were quite a few people looking for them, some with more success than others but if you looked in the Bramble patches and were very quiet then they were there to be found. A brief look around revealed several snakes warming themselves up in the sun three of which are shown below, firstly a male, then a close up of a female, and then a darker form Adder.

   All together I saw about a dozen different snakes and observed some interaction between them. The males were still interested in the females and were competing with each other for their attention. Often a male would detect the presence of another and I saw them raising their heads up and scenting the air with their tongues before engaging in some brief combative 'dancing' with intruding males as can be seen in the two images below.

   This behaviour always resulted when a female was in the vicinity and the males were competing for the chance to mate. I was fortunate to witness one male drive off two separate intruders before mating with the female which he initiated by repeatedly tapping the female with small jerky movements before she accepted him and they joined together. The below pictures show a close up of the two heads together, the two joined, and a close up of the joining. This is something I had not seen before and I am told it is quite unusual to record. The pair remained joined for about an hour before separating and moving on.

   As the heat of the day warmed up the snakes they became more active and more difficult to see as they moved around more disappearing in the undergrowth but this did give me the chance to picture them out in the open as shown in these last three images, firstly a male close up, then a female on the leaf litter giving me the eye and finally a male coming towards me through the grass as I lay on the ground and yes, I did move out of the way before he got too close! A great day with some beautiful creatures.

 

REPTILES ON A MINSMERE MONDAY

   Decided to avoid the weekend crowds and try to see the Adders that have been showing very well for the last few weeks at the reserve but typically for me the warm sunshine of recent days had given way to cloudy skies but as it was still quite warm I persevered and I was glad I did. A walk past the normal haunt of these snakes revealed nothing so I carried on to Island mere hide which resulted in distant Bittern sightings and fleeting glimpses of a Jack Snipe along with the usual collection of ducks,geese and grebes. As the temperature rose and the sun tried to break through I strolled back along the path and amongst a pile of wood and scrub recently cleared sudden movement caught my eye which turned out to be a Common Lizard that on closer examination was revealed to be a female. Initially perched on a log the lizard moved through the pile allowing brief opportunities to take pictures of which a couple can be seen below.

   As I walked along I was continually looking into patches of Brambles and the dead leaves that coated the ground and eventually was rewarded with the sight of a female Adder basking in a small gap in a tangle of undergrowth. I approached slowly and upon closer inspection realised that another Adder was also there, darker in colouration with a cloudy blue eye which indicated that it was soon about to shed its skin. The two snakes slowly moved closer to each other giving me the chance to take a variety of images including a few closer shots before I moved away to leave them undisturbed.

   Adders emerge from hibernation in March to breed when the generally smaller males will compete with each other to mate with the females. The males are often lighter in colour being either grey or almost white with dark zig zag patterns whereas the females are normally brown also with the same patterns. Sometimes at this time of the year you can see two males intertwined trying to push each other to the ground and this is known as 'dancing' and is spectacular to see. The larger snake normally wins and gets the chance to mate with the female. The female then normally moves some distance away to give birth to live young, sometimes as far as a kilometre or so in August but as the temperature drops they return to their traditional hibernating sites for the winter. On Monday I was not fortunate enough to see any males displaying but this may have been due to the lack of sunshine as they have been seen regularly in recent days. Oh well, maybe next time!

MOTHERS DAY BEE-FLIES

   Glad I took my camera when we visited mother in law on Sunday as a stroll around the garden revealed several Bee-flies hanging around the flower borders and with a bit of patience managed to get a few better images for the blog. The Bee-fly is very distinctive with its furry body and rigid proboscis but despite its appearance it is totally harmless and is often seen in gardens feeding on the flowers. It is seen between March and June and its larvae live as parasites in the nests of ground burrowing bees. I can't remember the name of the flowers they were feeding on but they are abundant in the garden at the moment.