Shingle Street, a Wild Stretch of Suffolk Coast

I always enjoy a visit to Shingle Street, which can feel a very exposed part of the coast. Today we encountered surprisingly blue skies and calm sea conditions. There was very little wind despite the cool temperature. The rivers Ore and Alde (from which Aldeburgh gets its names) reach the sea here. There are currents and sandbanks. I always like to look out for this buoy, and on windy days you can hear its bell ringing. There was no sign of the green buoy this afternoon.

 We have often watched Common Seals, but there were none in evidence today.



There were, however, good numbers of Cormorant.

The light changes constantly and at times the view can seem quite surreal. 

Birds are continually on the move. 

I love the progression in the photo below from scrubby grass to watercourse to shingle to (sea which is hidden from view, then on to) sand, to sea and finally to a wide expanse of East Anglian sky. 

Shadows are very evocative in the low light at this time of year.

Nobody knows how much longer the Orford Ness lighthouse will withstand the battering of tides...

... but for now it stands as a poignant and cherished beacon, a monument to a former age.

Reeds are an iconic part...

...of this desolate landscape.

They give way to a low-lying field of sheep and a church tower. 

Shingle Street is a terrific spot for wildlife. Pipits can often be seen, along with waders like the Redshank below. 

I suspect the lichen (if this is what it is) in the photo below bears testament to the pure air.

The shell below belonged to a Slipper Limpet. 

By 3 p.m. the light was fading fast...

 We took a last look at the buoy...

... and the gulp of Cormorants (there were many more in the sky by this time, probably heading for the marshes at Trimley). 

 The sparkle of sunlight on reeds was utterly irresistible!

We checked the mudflats in case there was anything unusual lurking in the shallows...

and David walked a bit further along the bank...

...before we turned for home with the call of the Redshank ringing in our ears.

Some of you may be acquainted with Blake Morrison's collection, Shingle Street (published by Chatto & Windus). Carol Rumens reviewed it here for The Guardian and Observer online. 

Seasonal Visits to the Suffolk Coast

Crow at Felixstowe

A very happy new year to all ...

and here are a few sea snaps taken along the Suffolk coast over the last couple of weeks. 

Pier Parade, Felixstowe

iii

The beach at beautiful Bawdsey

Bawdsey

Common Whelk eggcase, I think, found at Bawdsey (I always thought these were Skate egg cases...)

Cuttlefish cuttlebone, Bawdsey

Catshark eggcase, I think, found at Bawdsey

Dried-up Catshark eggcase, I think, found at Felixstowe

Whelk shell, Felixstowe

Beach huts, Southwold

Pebble assortment

I wonder which sort of weed, Southwold

Turnstone, Southwold

Southwold, sunset light

Southwold

Have a Wild and Wonderful New Year!

Autumn Light at NT Wicken Fen

Many wildlife-lovers and poets would probably name autumn as their favourite season, and while I am not one of them, I love the bright colours and the intensity of the light that can be enjoyed at NT Wicken Fen in October (and yes, it was still late October when we visited).

We kept an eye out for a Kingfisher, but were not rewarded.

This was the view up the lode. 'Lode' is a late Middle English word for a watercourse, found frequently on the Fens, where it refers to an artificial waterway, usually for drainage. 

A moth larva was rapidly disappearing in the undergrowth at the edge of the reedbeds. 

I don't suppose we will see many more dragonflies now until 2018, but there is a wonderful dragonfly poem in a new book, Thaw, by Charles Bennett, Wicken Fen Poet in Residence, just out from Fair Acre Press.

I don't feel I have had a very good dragonfly-spotting season, but it may be more to do with location than climate issues.

It was lovely to see these Goldfinches out in force at the top of a bare tree.

I have taken so many photos like the one below over the years...

... but the windpump on the reserve always draws the eye.

On the butterfly front...

it was the Speckled Woods...



...who were stealing the show.

You can see the changing light...

I am wondering what work is being done on the Butterfly Walk, which is one of my favourite parts of the reserve - and a good place for Brimstones, 'Blues' and Brown Argus in spring and summer.

I love the little 'dragonfly' cottage...

Light was fading as we passed the fenman's cottage.

Time for a last windpump picture...

... and, of course, one of a sparrow, since this is one of the best places we know for watching (and hearing) these birds that were once so much of a part of our lives.

I took a last look at the watery reflections...

... before we headed for home.