A Blackbird and her bill

At this rate we are unlikely to have any 2016 summer bedding plants looking like this ...

Mrs Blackbird is taking a break from our coconut feeders and was spotted outside on the patio with a bill stuffed to the brim with the mossy liner from our upright planter.

Who can blame her - spring is in the air despite the chilly temperatures. 

RSPB Minsmere ... Best of the Rest

Those of you who read my last post will have seen my Adder photographs from RSPB Minsmere, here in Suffolk, UK.

The snakes were undoubtedly a highlight, but there were other wonderful wildlife moments, too. This Robin was singing its heart out near the Visitors' Centre. 

There were more than a few signs that the BBC Springwatch crew

were in the area, such as this red tag. 

I wonder what is special about this particular bramble patch!

 

The weather improved a bit, but the conditions were not ideal for butterflies. 

This Red Admiral was resting in a sheltered spot.

 We watched the Avocets on the scrapes.

Some were doing what waders do best ...

and others were sitting on their nests. 

There were some chicks, but we failed to see these. 

There were also some stately Little Egret ...

... and a Bittern. 

We saw a second Bittern (above) later on,

flying past Island Mere Hide. 

We came face to face with a couple of well-fed Red-legged Partridges

who were 'hanging out' near the tea room. 

The air was filled with Sand Martins,

and while they took to the skies,

the rabbits scampered about in the sand bank. 

These fluffy goslings commanded a lot of attention, particularly since they were easy to see ...

... unlike the fabulous but elusive Bearded tits,

who kept disappearing in the reedbeds. 

The one above is a male 

(note the 'beard' or moustache).

This is a female, though she is hard to see!

 

I believe this tiny insect is a grasshopper,

my first one in 2015.

It is hard to tell how long those antennae are!  

Update: 27 May - I now think it is a Groundhopper. 

The Common Tern

kept us entertained while we waited

for the Bearded tits to emerge. 

While I was watching the Adders, I fell into conversation with an artist-illustrator,

Narisa Togo, who was sketching the snakes.

Narisa gave me details of her wonderful blog here.

Do take a look ...

Beautiful Birds ~ The Common Tern on the Cromarty Firth

We had never been to Foulis on the Cromarty Firth before. Unbeknown to us it proved to be not only a good place for tea and cake, but also an excellent site for the Common Tern. Can you see that raft-like structure some way out in the water? ...

This was where the Terns gathered.

You will find the slightly more de luxe model of raft here!

The raft, which you can see in its entirety below, serves as a suitable nesting place for these birds. We were there some two weeks ago when there were quite a few Common Tern about, but according to a report in today's BBC news (link here), 95 pairs have now been spotted off Foulis!

Beautiful Birds: Puffins at RSPB Bempton Cliffs

Those who are familiar with my blog will know how much I like Puffins!

I have been concerned by recent media stories (and here) of declining numbers and of dead and emaciated birds being washed up on our beaches.

We arrived at Bempton Cliffs on 20 April 2013, wondering whether any Puffins would have returned to their nesting sites. It was a cold afternoon, with blue sky and a blustery breeze. I had a job to angle my monopod and to keep the camera still. However, we had only been there a very short time when we saw our first Puffin of the season.

You can see the bird here, eyeing up its burrow on the cliff edge. 

The bird flapped about a bit, but seemed tired.

It was soon time ...

... for a rest.

A few minutes later the bird stood up and surveyed the scene ...

... when lo and behold, there one Puffin ...

... became two.

 It was soon time for a further siesta ...

 ... while the sea raged below the cliff.

An inquisitive Razorbill inspected his new neighbours ...

... deciding that they needed an even closer once over. 

There was a sudden kerfuffle ...

... and two Puffins became three.

I don't know what had happened to the third Puffin's mate ...

... but the pair of birds carried on without much regard for the one on its own. 

I wished I could have been just a bit closer to watch the pair as each partner demonstrated affection for the other.

'Affection' sounds a very anthropomorphic term ...

... and I only use it because I cannot think of a better one. Suggestions on a postcard, please!

I think you can see from this photo how one partner was much larger than the other.

Puffins don't make a lot of noise on the cliff, so I was interested to see this bird opening its bill.

Siesta over, it was soon time ...

for a bit of nest-building. Puffins lay a single egg. You can read about the breeding season here.  

During the time we were out on the cliff, we saw three Puffins (the ones in the photos above) to our left, and this single Puffin (spot the orange feet) in among the Guillemots on our right.

RSPB Bempton Cliffs is a wonderful resource, and the main Puffin viewing areas are pretty accessible. I would love to visit the site once the Pufflings have hatched later in the season.

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