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I managed to get in an early walk on a gloriously sunny and warm day on our last full day in Suffolk.

I was really hoping to get a photo of a male bearded tit but the only small bird I could see in the reeds was a reed bunting (the first this week).

I then had quite good views of a kestrel which was often mobbed by small birds.

On the beach there were lots of ringed plover which were very difficult to pick out amongst the pebbles, but wonderful to see in flight.

There were redshank too.

On the pools, as well as the ringed plover, there were dunlin and the first grey plovers of the week.

And then right at the end a bearded tit (but not unfortunately a male).

Click below for gallery of this morning’s photos.

An early morning visit to RSPB Minsmere in the hope of bearded tits but unfortunately it was much too blowy and surprisingly fresh.

However, good views of a kestrel in the field just before Island Mere and a brief glimpse of a green woodpecker was compensation..

At Island Mere just a brief view of a bearded tit, then little grebes, mute swans, grey heron, and greylag geese but we saw no otters

At the Bittern Hide we saw a bittern in flight and a male and female marsh harrier but all too brief for photos. A flask of coffee and then a wonderful local Blythburgh bacon   bap made up for the disappointments.

Tried photographing late summer swallows but my attempts were pitiful.

At the East Hide the best was shelduck, teal, shoveler and gadwall. Avocets were too far back for decent photos.

Click below for gallery of today’s photos:

This morning’s walk around Walberswick National Nature Reserve was quite stunning.

At the beginning we saw a Red Admiral and at the end a Common Darter: in between a marsh harrier being harassed by a gull and lots of bearded tits (mainly heard, fleetingly seen but not photographed). The highlights were ringed plovers, dunlin, a pair of stonechats, goldcrest and even a morning murmuration of starlings.

Red Admiral

Common Darter

You can’t get away from the pheasants around here

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A morning murmuration of starlings

Ringed plover and a dunlin

Dunlin

Ringed plovers

Ringed plovers in flight

Pied Wagtail

Goldcrest

Greylag geese

Little egret

Redshank

Black-tailed godwit and possibly 2 dunlin

Great tit

Stonechat

Looks promising for tomorrow:

Click below for gallery of photos from this morning’s walk (also featuring the golf course we played in the afternoon!).

Not much different to see at RSPB Minsmere today from the previous days, but as it was very windy there were no signs of the bearded tits.

The additions of note were a hobby, a kestrel, a snipe and greylag geese.

As well as windy it was quite dull for most of the day except for a brief window of sunshine later in the afternoon – in other words I’m searching for excuses for the paucity of my photos.

Snipe

Stonechat on the beach

A distant kestrel

Muntjac deer

Curlew

Curlew meets black-tailed godwit

Male and female teal

Greylag geese

Lapwings

Grey heron

Mute swan

Click below for gallery of today’s photos:

We had a walk on Dunwich Heath in the hope of seeing Dartford warblers and stonechats but all we managed to see was a dunnock and skylarks, although we were told that that Dartford warblers were around (heard that one before?)

So full of disappointment we went to Minsmere.

Minsmere never disappoints.

At the Bittern Hide we had good views of marsh harriers, grey herons and cormorants.

At Island Mere we saw bearded tits, more marsh harriers and lots of swans.

Click below for gallery of photos from this morning:

What a joy to be back at RSPB Minsmere! With a  mild and still morning there was so much to see around the scrapes that we didn’t even venture to the Bittern Hide and Island Mere.

Early on we had a good view of a jay busy hiding acorns.

On the North Wall there were good sightings of bearded tit.

There was just one sighting of a meadow pipit near the beach.

On the scrapes the highlights were the little stints and, as always, the avocets.

The curlew were distant but quite distinctive.

The redshank and the black-tailed godwits too were at the back of the pools.

A juvenile gull looked majestic and stood out a mile’

A kingfisher was busy fishing undeterred by the presence of a nearby stonechat, robin and blue tit.

A starling looked quite stunning in the sunshine on a post.

There were loads of widgeon, teal and shelduck.

A little egret entertained as it tried to swallow the dragonfly it had caught.

There were pheasants everywhere …

… and even more lapwings.

Good to see a pied wagtail not in a car park.

Click to see the gallery of photos from this morning.

And a few extras:

My first walk around Eastville Park for some time. There have been many sightings of otters recently but all I spotted were all the walkers who have seen the otters.

I did get two decent views of kingfishers; one which flew down the river, did a roll (showing off its orange breast) and disappeared over a fence; the other which flew down river showing its bright blue dorsal colours.

There are now two swans back on the lake, hopefully a couple.

The mallards are looking more attractive post eclipse.

I saw the back of a buzzard which was then mobbed by crows.

Back of a buzzard

It was good to see butterflies still and plenty of bees (and other insects).

Red Admiral

My best photo opportunity was a grey wagtail which hung around for a while.

Click below for gallery of this mornings photos:

I found a had a free morning and, as I didn’t have much time to prepare a birding sortie,  I decided to go down to the Severn Estuary again. It only takes 20 minutes to get there and there’s always something to see.

I didn’t even know what the tide times were. Luckily the tide had not gone too far out and I was still able to see lots of waders on the shore line (even if they were a bit too far away for decent photos). More knowledgeable birders were seeing all sorts of waders but I was quite happy to pick out redshank, oystercatchers, ringed plover, widgeon, a single curlew and two little egrets.

Oystercatchers

Redshank

Widgeon

Curlew

Cormorant racing oystercatcher

As I made my way along to the Pilning Wetlands I saw lots of meadow pipits, pied wagtails and even two yellow wagtails. There were big flocks of starlings forming too.

Big flocks of starlings forming

Starlings having a bath

Pied wagtail

More widgeon in flight

On the wetlands there was a big flock of black-tailed godwits but (once again) the sun was in the wrong direction for me (with my amateur eyes) to pick out much else.

So, I contented myself with getting photos of the meadow pipits and 3 wheatears.

Wheatear

Meadow pipit

There were quite a few birders down on the estuary and meeting a few of them made the morning even more pleasurable.

A beautiful morning and lots of birds to see but more for the scope than the camera.

On the estuary there were teal, ringed plovers and a curlew.

Teal

Ringed plovers and a curlew way up the estuary

As well a very large flock of black-tailed godwits on the pools I had pointed out to me a spotted redshank and a couple of curlew sandpipers.

Black-tailed godwits

Spotted Redshank

Between the estuary and the pools there were 30+ meadow pipits, half a dozen pied wagtails, a small flock of starlings, a wheatear and a stonechat.

Stonechat

Wheatear

Starling

Meadow pipit and wheatear

Pied wagtail

Yet most of the birds were too far away for decent photos or into the sun and appearing in monochrome – all fun to see in the scope though.

A few more photos that can claim to be nature photos from our trip to the Loire Valley; on this occasion at the Château de Villlandry:

Peacock

Peacock

Comma

Comma

Château de Villandry

The Loire

A short opportunity for some nature shots between visits to châteaux in the Loire Valley.

Here on the River Cher:

Cormorant


Grey heron

Grey wagtail

The butterflies were looking a little ragged

Little egret

And the best of the châteaux:

Azay-le-Rideau

Château de l’Islette