Beautiful Birds (32): Little Egret (and Rivers of Britain)

Little Egret

You might care to follow this link . . .

Seasonal Splash (5): Bawdsey, More Winter Colour ...

The remains, I'm guessing, of the white webs of last year's Brown-Tail Moth caterpillars (Euproctis Chrysorrhoea) on Sea Buckthorn

We took a 'brisk' walk at Bawdsey on the Suffolk coast yesterday afternoon. It was too chilly to hang about for long . . . though milder than Philadelphia!

We saw a field of swans - probably Mute Swans, but they were a way off and so busy eating that I couldn't see their bills.

The light on the mere and by the martello tower was amazing. You can see at least three of these towers from this vantage point.

David took the photo above for me of Bawdsey Quay.

We really enjoyed watching the fly-pasts of skeins of geese.

The sunset was simply stunning!

We were really surprised to see two rafts of Mallard on the sea. Does anyone know whether this is at all unusual? Were they fishing, do you suppose? In any case, they suddenly took to the air . . .

... when a seal popped up! 

It didn't hang about, so we drove home for a cup of tea. 

Seasonal Splash (4): Winter Colour ...

We took a stroll around Mistley Towers, part of a ruined Robert Adam church near Manningtree, UK . . .

. . . There were a lot of Mute Swans on the estuary foreshore.

Some were more interested in posing for the camera than others!

A portrait in profile.

These Shelducks were heading for home . . .

I think these are Bar-tailed Godwits  . . .

. . . and a Common Sandpiper, in late afternoon light.

We spotted a pair of these Greylag geese at the nearby Alton Water Park.

 January: 2012 bird species seen to date  . . .

1. Pigeon (USA)
2. Starling (Liberty Island, NY, USA)
3. Egret (wetlands outside New York, USA . . . hard to tell which species, Great or Little)
4. ?Red-tailed Hawk (NY, USA)
5. Sparrow (Liberty Island, NY, USA)
6. Mute Swan (Mistley, Essex, UK)
7. Shelduck (ditto)
8. Bar-tailed Godwit (ditto)
9. Common Sandpiper (ditto)
10. Carrion Crow (ditto)
11. Assorted - but unidentified - gulls (ditto and rivers Hudson and Delaware, USA)

Marshland Habitat (2): From Dead Wood to Dunlin

We are greatly enjoying our exploration expeditions in Suffolk. The light was fading fast as we set off, but we were delighted to see so many Dunlin (albeit at some distance) out on the mere. I have never knowingly watched these birds before. Another first for me.

As I have mentioned in a previous post, the reedbed landscape is usually only punctuated by sails or church towers, windmills or ... dead trees.

These 'corpses' are apparently not the result of disease or strikes by lightning. Rather, they are reminders of the time when the old fields were flooded.

Particularly high tides breached the bank in this area near Snape back in 1953, creating a large area of mudflats. In days gone by, the barge sailors referred to one of the wide stretches of the river Alde as 'Troublesome Reach'. It is still possible to see withies - long wooden stakes used as markers - standing proud from the river bed, to guide the vessels along the deeper channels.

We saw most of our birds out on the water, but there were one or two rustles in the leaves overhead. This Great Tit was pretty camouflaged in the sunlit mosaic of turning autumn leaves.

We seem to have seen more Ladybirds than ever before this year. There were one or two Seven-spotted ones (Coccinella septempunctata) on the stinging nettles.

Seasonal Splash (3): Winter Colour ... and Windmills

Autumn colour at Framlingham ... a sign of things to come

We passed Saxtead Green Post Mill, dating from 1796. It ceased working commercially in 1947.

Aldeburgh Old Mill

We were at Aldeburgh for the Poetry Festival last weekend, where we saw another mill (above, right), straddling the high(er) ground between the shore and the marshland around the Alde estuary. I shall have to find out more about these buildings.   

P.S. It seems we are not the only ones to be seeing Ladybirds ...

Beautiful Birds (29): Orford and Havergate

The striped lighthouse is at Orford Ness, a National Nature Reserve in the care of the National Trust off the Suffolk coast. The area is a particularly important breeding ground for the Little Tern (Sterna albifrons). There is also a Gull colony. We parked at Orford last Saturday afternoon, and took a blustery walk along the shoreline ...

... passing lots of boats ...

We were particularly interested to discover that Suffolk's only island, Havergate, is just a short boat ride away. The island is protected by the RSPB - and noted for its Avocets (such magnificent birds!), waders, ducks and Brown Hares.

• Orford Ness (and Sutton Hoo) in the East Anglian Daily Times

Eye-catching Insects (7): Ladybird

We went out in the autumn sunshine to photograph one of the round-towered Suffolk churches, Hasketon. While we were there, we noticed a flurry - or should I say a 'loveliness'? - of Ladybirds by the lychgate. For the most part, they were very active and therefore not easy to catch on camera.

The village sign

This photo shows the Seven-spotted Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) perched on an ivy bush.

The beautiful church, incidentally, is dedicated to St Andrew. The round Norman tower was re-worked c.1300. There is fine flint-work visible on the exterior.

Beautiful Birds (31): Black Swans ... and Flamingo update

I spotted these Black Swans (Cygnus atratus) at Snape some days ago, just as the light was fading. As a breed, they come from Australia. You can read more about them here on the RSPB site.

The RSPB South Suffolk Tweet for  21 October mentions that there was still a Flamingo around in the county [ #havergate].  

These three (above) were not seen in Suffolk, but I thought they would add a bit of colour!

Beautiful Birds (30): RSPB Reserve Minsmere, Suffolk, UK

A Teal (not a Shoveler) ... shovelling!

David lining up the camera for a waterfowl fly-past

You can see the Mismere RSPB Reserve on the left and the North Sea on the right ... pretty chilly, too!

And here they come!

A Little Egret surrounded by a group of Teal, with their heads below the surface.

Is this a Bar-Tailed Godwit? No, I gather it's a Black-Tailed one.

We drove past the RSPB Deer Rut station ... into the Dunwich sunset.

Do take a look at David's Orwell View blog for more photos ... You may also like to see the RSPB Daily (e-bulletin), featuring the Little Egret we saw at Minsmere.

Eye-catching Insects (6): Moth

This moth flew up to my window, and I rather liked the 'chance' composition! 

Beautiful Birds (29): Starlings at Felixstowe

This Starling (and presumably its shadow) had a ring on its right leg.

It was dining off pizza ... and probably chips.

The container port near Landguard Point seemed to be home to a large number of Starlings ...

... though on this occasion, I only caught a few on camera, as they prepared for take-off.

Marshland Habitats (2): Roost at Snape Maltings, Suffolk, UK

The twilight roost begins as different species gather in flocks ...

... and daylight fades. 

Starlings gather on the roof at Snape Maltings ...

... taking to the skies ...

... in an ever-changing swarm ...

... until all is still once more.