On the road to West Beckham

Tag CloudLandscape

Juvenile Avocet ( Avocet recurvirostra )



Dunlin ( Calidris alpina )





Juvenile Ruff ( Philomachus pugnax )





Young Shelduck ( Tadorna tadorna )





Coot ( Fulica atra )



Hobby ( Falco subbuteo )



Blue Tit ( Cyanistes caerulius )





C0rn Sowthistle ( Sonchus arvensis )









Wild Celery ( Apium graveolens )





Hemp Agrimony ( Eupatorium cannabinum )



Gypsywort ( Licopus europaeus )

and
an
Adult Yellow Legged Gull very early on.

Tag CloudAvocet, Dunlin, Coot, Shelduck, Hobby, CornSowthistle, Landscape, Ruff, Fool'sWaterCress, HempAgrimony, BlueTit

Sea Aster ( Aster trillium )







Common Darter ( Sympetrum striolatum )

and
a
Glossy Ibis





Sea Beet ( Beta vulgaris ) flowers.





Spur Leaved Orache ( Atriplex prostrata )

Tag CloudCommonDarter, SeaAster, Landscape

Corn Sowthistle ( Sonchus arvensis )









Fennel ( Foeniculum vulgare )







Sea Club Rush ( Bolboschoenus maritimus )













Sea Aster ( Aster tripolium )



Red Clover ( Trifolium pratense )

and
a
Green Sandpiper

Tag CloudCornSowthistle, Landscape, Fennel, SeaAster, SeaClubRush, RedClover

Poplars at Santon Downham





Black Bindweed ( Fallopia convolvulus )

Tag CloudLandscape, BlackBindweed

And the sun came out after a very grey early morning.






Avocet-280717

Scything the mud.

Avocet ( Avocetta recurvirostra )





Black Tailed Godwit ( Limosa limosa )







Ruff (



Growing up is hard to do.

Mum! Where's my food??



Come on mum.
Get it yourself.



And the temper tantrum ensued.













Black Headed Gull ( Larus ridibundus )



Common Tern ( Sterna hirundo )



Ringed Plover ( Charadrius hiaticula )



Walking down the beach towards Thornham a creek stops one going all the way.
But following the edge of the creek as it turns back towards Titchwell; this wonderful sight appeared in front of me.
Immediately they began to scamper back towards the water.
Thankfully, all it took was to stop and kneel down.
Still visible to them as you can see from the photograph above but enough for them to hold fast.
Gradually they calmed, realising I was going to go any further towards them.
Well, only a little after about fifteen minutes of stillness so I could get clearer pictures.

They continued in their sunbathing and gradually made their way back up the bank to lie on the vegetation.

One or two kept a watchful eye
but sunbathing was the order of day.
Except for one younger one who preferred to splash about in the shallows.

Managed to retire after about an hour without further disturbance.























After about an hour, retired to leave them to their day.

Common Seal ( Phoca vitulina )













Insignificant little plant on the side of the track, but so beautiful.





Hedge Parsley ( Torilis arvensis )





The vertebrae of a dead ?

Avocet280717-10 from Mike Ball on Vimeo.

Tag CloudLandscape, CommonSeal, Avocet, Ruff, BlacktailedGodwit, BlackHeadedGull

Juvenile Shelduck ( Tadorna tadorna )



Freshly minted young Sedge Warbler







Adult Sedge Warbler still feeding young ( Acrocephalus schoenobaenus )



Marsh Harrier - Juvenile ( Circus aeruginosus )







Black Tailed Godwit ( Limosa limosa )







Pernnial Sow Thistle ( Sonchus arvensis )





Mugwort ( Artemesia vulgaris )









Gypsywort ( Lycopus europaeus )





Common Orache ( Atriplex patula )












Parsley Water Dropwort ? ( Oenanthe lachenallii )

Little Stint
Common Sandpiper
Dunlin
Spotted Redshank
Yellow Legged Gull
Green Sandpiper
Oystercatcher
Mediterranean Gull

Tag CloudBlacktailedGodwit, Shelduck, MarshHarrier, PerennialSowThistle, CommonOrache, SedgeWarbler, Landscape

Little Egret ( Egretta garzetta )



Black Tailed Godwit ( Limosa limosa )

















Amazing. All that effort for a tiddler.






Heron ( Ardea cinerea )

Caspian Gull
Yellow Legged Gulls
Mediterranean Gulls

Tag CloudLittleEgret, Landscape, GreyHeron, BlacktailedGodwit

Down by the riverside as the sun came out.





Beautiful pollarded willow.













Arrowhead ( Sagittaria sagittifolia )







Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus ) in the mill pond. Going over but still impressive.



Flatford Mill Pond

Tag CloudLandscape, Willow, Arrowhead, FloweringRush

Damselflies in the Hazel.






















Hazel ( Corylus avellana )







Banded Demoiselle living up to its name, both English and Latin. ( Calopteryx splendens ) Females at the top - Males below.





Yellow Waterlily ( Nymphea lutea )

Tag CloudYellowWaterlily, BandedDemoiselle, EmeraldDamselfly, Landscape

Hay Rattle ( Rhinanthus minor )









Common Centaury ( Centaurium erythraea )







Sheep's Bit Scabious ( Jasione montana )





Grey Hair Grass ( Corynephorus canescens )







Sea Sandwort ( Honckenya peploides )







Sea Holly ( Eryngium maritimum )







Sea Gooseberry ( Pleurobachia bachei )





































Little Tern ( Sternula albifrons )

Tag CloudLittleTern, CommonCentaury, HayRattle, SeaHolly, Landscape, GreyHairGrass, SeaSandwort, SeaGooseBerry, Sheep'sBitScabious

Just breathtaking today.



















Redshank ( Tringa totanus ) piping in the flooded creeks near the fishing boats at high tide.



Shoveller ( Anas clypeata )





One bird moved from the nest.









The partner settled on the nest.



But something wasn't quite right.







Settling down but is still wasn't quite right.









Aah. Now we're there.









Avocet ( recurvirostra avocetta )









Sea Campion ( Silene uniflora )









Sea Kale ( Crambe marítima )







Horned Poppy in bud ( Glaucium flavum )



























Mating Oystercatchers







Oystercatcher ( Haematopus longirostris )





Ringed Plover ( Charadrius hiatacula )









Thrift ( Armeria marítima )








The Bouy at the point.



Shellduck ( Tadorna tadorna )



Desiccated Hare











The tide line














Sea Spurge ( Euphorbia paralias )



Kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus )

Tag CloudLandscape, Avocet, Oystercatcher, SeaKale, Redshank, Shoveller, SeaCampion, RingedPlover, Thrift , SeaSandwort, Shellduck, Kestrel, SeaSpurge, Tideline, HornedPoppy

The amazing Giant Viper's Bugloss ( Echium pininana ).

At the end of the dead end road leading form Potter Heigham to the marshes.




Hickling Broad

Savi's Warbler singing and seen but not recorded.

Sedge Warbler
nearby

SedgeWarbler-230517








Potter Heigham Marshes

Spoondbill
Black Winged Stilt
Temminck's Stint
Garganey







Spoonbill ( Platalea leucorodia )







Ribwort Plantain ( Plantago lanceolata )



Prickly Sowthistle ( Sonchus asper )









Four Spotted Chaser ( Libellula quadrimaculata )














Swallowtail Butterfly ( Papilio machaon )



Reed Bunting ( Emberiza schoeniclus )

Tag CloudLandscape, FieldRecording, Spoonbill, Swallowtail, RibwortPlantain

While listening unsuccessfully for an Iberian Chiffchaff this morning the view at the southern end of the footpath through Wallsey Hills beckoned.

Tag CloudLandscape

View from Wiveton Down to the South West











Heath Bedstraw ( Gallium saxatile )

Red Kite over

Tag CloudHeathBedstraw, Landscape

Whooper Swan ( Cygnus cygnus )



At least a hundred Black Terns

20 or so Little Gulls

A pair of Red Necked Grebes

Marsh Harrier




Thrush Nightingale









Whitethoat

Lesser Whitethroat

Penduline Tit

Whinchat





and

Common Rosefinch

Tag CloudLandscape, FieldRecording, Whinchat, WhooperSwan, ThrushNightingale

A boardwalk through this area takes you through the variety of habitats. Mire - Dry wood - Wet mire with pools.

A pair of Goosander were basking in the glow of the evening sunshine.





Estonia hay meadow management.

Surprising few birds as I believe this is designed to increase biodiversity.









White Stork ( Ciconia ciconia )







Common Crane ( Grus grus )











Hornbeam ( Carpinus betulus )



Thrush Nigthingale singing










Hazel Grouse nibbling the new shoots on the Silver Birch.

Great Grey Owl

White Backed Woodpecker











Wood Warbler singing.







Marsh Marigold ( Caltha palustris )





Buttercup Anemone ( Anemone ranunculoides )

















Green Hairstreak ( Callophrys rubi )




An Icterine Warbler singing from high in these trees.







Pied Flycatcher & Spotted Flycatcher also present.
















White Wagtail ( Motacilla alba )


on the road
to
Tartu



White Stork ( Ciconia ciconia )








Common Crane ( Grus grus )

Tag CloudLandscape, FieldRecording, WhiteWagtail, WhiteStork, GreenHairstreak, MarshMarigold, ButtercupAnemone

Whinchat on the telephone wires













Not the best photographs but an Elk nonetheless. Just pleased to see one. Brilliant. ( Cervus canadensis )











Scot's Pine - cones ( Pinus sylvestris )



Ling on a cold and frosty morning. ( Calluna vulgaris )



?



Bog Rosemary ( Andromeda polifolia )





Great Grey Shrike ( Lanius excubitor )

also

Tree Pipit
Redshank
Snipe
Black Tailed Godwit





Much more moist at this end of the mire.



Fantastic breeding Black Tailed Godwit.

Flying overhead calling.



and
a

Two syllable burst

BTG-1305171


Just down the road out of the park in a glade





Pied Flycatcher ( Ficedula hypoleuca )

also

Redstart

Tag CloudLandscape, BlacktailedGodwit, GreatGreyShrike, Scot'sPine, LingHeather, Elk

Haeska meadows on the North Shore of Matsalu bay.

Barnacle and Whitefront on stop over. ( Branta leucopsis & Anser albifrons )











Coats of many colours.

Ruff on the flooded fields.
and
Wood Sandpiper









Hundreds of Ruff out on the shoreline. ( Philomachus pugnax )



Kloostri

The channel here controls the water level of the flood meadows.

Lesser Spotted Eagle on the road from Haesta to Kloostri





A circular walk here leads out onto the reedbeeds.

White Tailed Sea Eagle breeding in the reed beds.
Common Crane
Montague's Harrier
Blue Headed Wagtail
Wood Sandpiper
White Stork







Water Horsetail - ( Equsitum fluviatile )



Solomon's Seal ( Polygonatum multiflorum )



Wood Anemone ( Anemone nemorosa )









Buttercup Anemone ( Anemone ranunculoides )



Ash bud ( Fraxinus excelsior )





Sea Buckthorn ( Hippophae rhamnoides )





Norway Maple ( Acer platanoides )



Bird Cherry ( Prunus pads )

Tag CloudLandscape, BarnacleGeese, Ruff, ButtercupAnemone, Solomon'sSeal, Ash, SeaBuckthorn, BirdCherry, NorwayMaple, WoodAnemone, WoodSandpiper, WaterHorsetail

In a glade in the woodlands at the northern end of Leidissoo

Tree Pipit



and

Yellow Hammer

Tag CloudLandscape, FieldRecording

A major migration watch point.









Oystercatcher ( Haematopus ostralegus )



Long Tailed Duck sunning itself on the rocks. Many hundreds further out into the water. ( Clangula hyemalis )













Pasque Flower growing on the beach. ( Pulsatilla vulgaris )





Banks of Wood Anemone on the road to Poosaspea ( Anemone nemorosa )













Hepatica ( Hepatica nobilis )











Ants ?

Tag CloudLandscape, Oystercatcher, LongTailedDuck, PasqueFlower, WoodAnemone, Ants

Further up the road from Sutlepa towards Poosaspea an area of cut wood held a singing Bluethroat Red Spotted form. ( Luscinia svecica )

Tag CloudLandscape

Dawn light on the trees.






Soundscape from the reedbed.




Soundscape from the woodland edge a few hundred yards from the reeds.











A Cormorant colony just by the watchtower. ( Phalacracorax carbo )





A very changeable morning. From snowflurries to sunshine.

Tag CloudLandscape, FieldRecording, Cormorant

Haapsalu Bay









Common Gull ( Larus cannus )



A pair of Great Crested grebe in the bay. ( Podiceps cristatus )

The pair below were just putting the finishing touches to their nest.





Diving down to collect fresh weed.





The first time on the nest.







Seems okay



One more bit of reed.







Hooded Crow scavenging in the harbour. ( Corvus cornix )



Jackdaw ( Corvus monedula )













The most delightful Tree Sparrows in and around the park and water's edge. ( Passer montanus )



Goosander in the bay. ( Mergus merganser )







Common tern fishing in the harbour. ( Sterna hirundo )

Tag CloudLandscape, TreeSparrow, Jackdaw, HoodedCrow, Goosander, GreatCrestedGrebe

The most beautiful old Beech tree.











Lady Orchid - Orchis purpurea










Duke of Burgundy Fritillary - Hamearis lucina

















Wayfaring Tree - Viburnum lanthanum



Dogwood - Cornus sanguinea

Tag CloudLandscape, LadyOrchid, DukeOfBurgundyFritillary, WayfaringTree, Dogwood, Beech

Whitethroat - Sylvia communis



Marsh Harrier - Cygnus aeruginosus





Great Crested Grebe - Podiceps crostatas



Sedge Warbler - Acrocephalus schnoenobaenus















Sea Kale - Crambe maritima









Sea Campion - Silene uniflora

Tag CloudLandscape, Whitethroat, GreatCrestedGrebe, SedgeWarbler, MarshHarrier, SeaKale, BladderCampion

Wheatear - Oenanthe oenanthe























Wild Cabbage - Brassica oleracea







Rock Samphire - Crithmum maritimum

















Early Spider Orchid - Ophrys sphegodes

Tag CloudLandscape, Wheatear, EarlySpiderOrchid, WildCabbage

Beautiful old Crack Willows









Celery-leaved Buttercup ( Ranunculus sceleratus )



Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus scirpaceus, one of the many singing this morning.



Sedge Warbler



Cetti's Warbler
Which can be heard calling in the reedbed Dawn Chorus recording below.

Blackcap



Dawn Chorus in woodland at Stodmarsh



Dawn Chorus in the reedbed at Stodmarsh



Hobby and Marsh Harrier

On the lane down towards Stodmarsh are these tremendous woodlands full of Bluebells

Tag CloudLandscape, FieldRecording, ReedWarbler, Bluebells

Fresh coppicing



Golden glow of Oak in the morning sunshine.





Hazel Coppice



Silver Birch - Betula pendula, in the morning sunshine



Hornbeam stool









Fresh lime leaves.

Small leaved lime - Tilia cordite

Tag CloudLandscape, SmallLeavedLime