Snow Buntings at Landguard, Felixstowe

 

 

As we entered the Landguard Nature Reserve at Felixstowe last Sunday afternoon, we noticed that 'Snow Buntings' were included on the Bird Observatory list of species recorded that day. 

 

We were just about to head for home as the sun was setting fast when, thanks to a tip-off, we were able to enjoy a few minutes in the company of a pair of these beautiful creatures. 

 

My grainy photos are barely record shots, but the light was fading and my zoom lens was finding it hard to focus. Never mind. It was such a joy to see the birds that we headed for home with smiles on our faces. 

 

 

 

 

Jersey Tiger

 

Photo credit: David Gill

There has been a lot of publicity in recent days about the Jersey Tiger moth. I had never seen one until this afternoon when we noticed this one on the beach at Landguard, near Felixstowe. We have had the occasional Ruby Tiger in the garden and have seen one or two Scarlet Tigers (mainly in Cornwall), but this was my first Jersey. 

What a beautiful insect! And there is something rather ethereal about it in flight when the striking orange-red underwings are displayed.  

 

Resting on the groyne

 

Wonderful striped legs!

On the beach. Photo credit: David Gill

 

A Sunny Afternoon

The weather forecast indicated that the Felixstowe area might be in for a sunny afternoon, so we headed off to Landguard to see what was about on the beach and in the adjoining nature reserve. We were delighted to see Wheatears on the clipped turf; David counted eight at one point. 

There were a few rabbits, grazing away in the spring warmth. We encountered the remains of an Easter Bunny trail (see 'Daffodil' below) in the nature reserve, with rabbit information boards for those taking part in the hunt. 

We came home and put up the garden table for the first time this year, and sat among the tulips, sipping our mugs of tea and listening to the sound of birdsong. 

 

An Hour on the Beach

Last weekend we spent an hour or so on the beach at Landguard, in the lee of the port of Felixstowe. There were one of two gulls on the shoreline and cormorants and geese overhead.

Port to the left, bird observatory to right, and protected nature zone (where we see butterflies) in the foreground

 

I was interested to see the red ring on this gull, and it was a shame I failed to photograph the rest of the label. A lot of bird ringing is done at the bird observatory. There is a blackboard on the fence listing recent sightings, which is always good to see.

 

Sunset on the boardwalk, looking towards Harwich

 

Common Blue Butterflies at Landguard, Felixstowe

 

We seem to have had a very breezy, and at times blustery, summer here in our corner of the east coast. Small butterflies, like the blues, tend to hide away in the long grass and are not easy to see. If they brave the elements by clinging to Viper's Bugloss, Ragwort or grass seedheads, they sway about and can be very difficult to photograph!  

But I love blue butterflies (which always bring to mind 'Blue-Butterfly Day', Robert Frost's springtime poem), and am always glad when I encounter them. The photographs in this post were taken this last weekend on the nature reserve at Landguard, which nestles between the North Sea and the container port of Felixstowe. We think we also saw one or two Brown Argus; these insects are not easy to distinguish from Common Blue females, and in such windy conditions, it was hard to be sure. However, I think the butterflies in these photos are all Common Blue. 

 

#30DaysWild, 5 June ... a Butterfly at the Beach

 

There are some advantages in living close to the container port of Felixstowe ... and one of these must surely be the fact that it is possible at this time of year to see Painted Ladies as they fly into land after their long migrations. The photograph above was taken this evening at about 18.45 hrs. It was fairly sunny and mild. We saw four of these beautiful butterflies in total, a 300% increase on our total Painted Lady sightings for 2020.

Landguard and the Sea at Last

Wheatear, there were several in evidence today

 

We have had a couple of visits to the sea recently, which have been such a joy after all the long winter months of shielding at home. 

The beach at Landguard (Felixstowe) is partly nature reserve, and there are currently large swathes of fenced-off areas to allow species such as Ringed Plover to breed without disturbance. We saw a number of these beautiful birds from a distance. There was also a sizeable flock of Linnets.

We looked hard for seals this afternoon, but failed to see any. However, there was one in evidence on our previous visit (see further down).  

I hope we will have the chance to visit this bit of coast more frequently now that restrictions are lifting. How I have missed the sea!

 

 

Landguard: Blue Butterflies on a Blustery Afternoon

I see we are fast moving towards the autumn equinox, and perhaps this had something to do with the force of the waves on Saturday afternoon. I know other places have experienced dreadful storms and floods. The beach at Landguard shelves steeply as you may be able to tell from the photo.

 

As ever, I enjoyed seeing what was on the sand around my feet. I need to get my pebble book out and gen up on my stones. I spent my teenage years in East Anglia and used to know my carnelian from my quartz!

 

As you can see, this far end of the beach was once again pretty unpopulated. There were three windsurfers quite a way out, braving the breakers.

 

We spotted a bird on the groyne, this time clearly a Turnstone.

 

You can see the wing markings in the photo below. I nearly missed its take-off!

 

Up on the reserve we managed to find several Common Blue butterflies in the sheltered spots. 

 

Most had hunkered down to avoid the wind.

There were also a couple of tiny Brown Argus.

 

I think this butterfly had seen better days. 

Another Common Blue...

 

... and another, this time on the Tamarisk.

I wonder how many more we will see this season. For any who may not know it, here's a link to Robert Frost's beautiful 'Blue-Butterfly Day' poem, though as you will see, it doesn't exactly fit with our UK season right now!