PEREGRINE FALCON - Ipswich waterfront - 30/6/2017

Ok, so in my last post I might have mentioned that this was a disappointing June, but now I've been proven wrong. For on the very urban waterfront, near the heart of town I spied two PEREGRINE FALCONS flying high up in the sky, level with the tops of the tower blocks.
A flock of PIGEONS flew around in alarm, until I noticed two larger birds in amongst them - PEREGRINES. The larger of the two, which seemed to be the adult, dive-bombed and caught a pigeon in mid-air and brought it over to the smaller, juvenile one. It attempted an aerial pass of the prey, but the juvenile dropped it in the river, where it was unable to collect it. This didn't stop the juvenile to keep pestering the adult for more food, in a very whiney way that was loud even to me at street level. They flew around for a while before disappearing over the buildings. The local OYSTERCATCHERS were very vocal in their dislike of the falcons, piping away until the falcons had left, one stayed perched to the top of one of the old dilapidated buildings. It was a great sighting for Ipswich, although I didn't have either bins or a camera, as I was in town. Instead I had to rely on my normal vision.
The area where I saw them was around the Wine Rack near the waterfront entrance, the empty skeleton of a building that looms above the people below, a great eye sore.

Ipswich waterfront -  the Wine Rack is the middle - unfinished - tower block



Barham Pits - 29/6/2017

Nothing really much to add, everything, everywhere is quiet, in one of the most disappointing Junes I can remember. There was little about, except a new GREBE family which had recently hatched.

 

The GREBE chicks like to take a ride on their parent's back

 

 

The other GREBE family seem to have abandoned their nest, for some reason. So far of the five breeding pairs present, only one bird has fledged.

A pair of COOT were also about but don't seem to have raised any young. An influx of around 40 CANADA GEESE was noticeable, as there were so few water birds about.

 

 

A KINGFISHER on Pit A, it was calling as it flew across the water and was answered by another bird, so a family might be present. There were lots and lots of small  birds about, mainly TITS, BLACKCAPS and CHIFFCHAFFS. There was a GREY WAGTAIL present on the path between the two pits. The BLUE TIT I have pictured seemed to have taken comfort in this little hole in the railway bridge and wouldn't come out.

 

There were lots of flowers about, PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE, MEADOWSWEET, COMFREY, were the most common, with WATERLILLIES growing in the water.

PYRIMIDAL ORCHIDS were present in a small corner of land,  with four being present in total. They flower in this area in small numbers every year.



Wild Writing Workshop - Lackford Lakes - 24/6/17

For the benefit of you, my readers, I attended a workshop to improve my writing. No more tortured prose, no more robotic descriptions anymore, I promise you.
The course took place in the tranquil grounds of Lackford Lakes, the perfect place for sensory writing, by which I mean the creative uses of the senses to allow words to flow. So part of that meant sitting in a field and noticing the whole world around and writing abut it. It also meant exploring more, and looking more into the writing that I do.
The workshop was run by Matt Gaw, editor of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust magazine, and published nature writer. I thought the course was good, it got the creative juices flowing. I think it will  make me think more about my writing style, about what I am trying to get across. However, don't worry, the blog will stay the same and there won't be any great changes as such.
The day also got me to interact with other writers, something that doesn't happen often, as writers aren't the most out going of people. Me, I'm just a lonely writer not sure if anyone else really reads my blogs. I'm just doing this blog as a labour of love.
Anyway, if you're a budding writer I would recommend going on the next course, as it will do some good.


The Reserve
At lunch time we had an hour to wander around the reserve, allowing time to visit the Sailing Lake and the Slough following a circular route that also passed the large reedbed.
Next to Winter Hide, the first hide and the one that looks over the Sailing Lake, a small area of fen had a few SOUTHERN MARSH ORCHIDS growing. On the Sailing Lake, itself, there was a large influx of SWANS and GEESE, numbering 100 + birds.

The Slough was also busy with a pair of COMMON TERN nesting on one of the rafts with a pair of SWANS nesting on the other. There was an influx of GADWALL and COOT, probably failed nesters, and there were a lot of GULLS and CORMARANTS about. However one thing I noticed, and have seen a lot with the water birds, in most places this year, is the general lack of any young birds about. There were really none present that I could see.
KINGFISHERS were present around the visitor's centre and the hides overlooking the Slough and seemed to have had a good summer, as had the lots of BLUE and GREAT TITS that were feeding on the bird feeders outside the visitor's centre.

Orchids - 22/6/2017

PYRAMIDAL ORCHIDS have appeared on set-aside near where I live. In a neglected, overgrown area of a large prairie, arable field I counted eight spikes in total. This shows what an important habitat can be created when areas are left unploughed and unsprayed. This orchid flowers slightly later than other species so there's a good chance more will appear. Lets hope so.
Bye.

The Suffolk Broads - Beccles to Oulton Broad South - 20/6/2017

There were lots of REED BUNTING singing from the large amounts of reeds

Although all the best birdwatching places in the Broads are in Norfolk, a slither of National Park land exists in Suffolk, along the river Waveney, a long river with large sections free from any human development. It is wide and reed fringed, with the occasional leisure boat put-putting along its quiet waters.
I decided to walk a large section of this river, from Beccles train station in the west to Oulton Broad South station in the west, just on the outskirts of Lowestoft, if that means anything. The walk is about ten miles long, but with tropical humidity and temperatures in the late twenties, it sure felt longer. The scenery is also pretty monotonous with flat vistas over cattle grazed marshes. There were some Suffolk Wildlife reserves about, but they seemed to fit into the landscape, so I wasn't able to tell where they started or ended.
And there was little bird life about.
GRASS SNAKES were occasionally observed, disturbed from sunning themselves on the path. I only had a long lens camera so was unable to photograph them. Several CUCKOOS were about, with the wealth of prey available in all the REED WARBLERS present in the overgrown ditches. MARSH HARRIERS drifted over the grasslands, often shepherded by a crow or similar bird. Nice, but not worth the effort.
By the time I arrived at Oulton Broad, at the finish, I was planning to look at the reserves that lie around there - Carlton and Oulton Marshes - but I was so knackered I skipped them and headed to the train station to get back home. Believe me when I say this walk nearly killed me.
Ok, so I have been planning this walk for several years now, and it took me until today to finally get around to doing it. Now I've done it I will never have to do the walk ever again, and I mean that. Sure there are some good reserves about here, but they are just a short walk from Oulton Broad station, no need for the massive hike I undertook today. I think I'll come visit again in the winter, where maybe there'll be more about, ducks, maybe owls, who knows, but more than there was here today.

A typical vista of Broadland countryside

Summer Sun amongst the River Gipping Lakes - 13/6/2017

 

Today I decided to have a look at the northern most pits along the River Gipping, six lakes that range from Pipp's Ford to Needham Lake, a mix of fishing lakes, open quarries and nature reserves. As it was a hot day in mid June there wasn't too much about, but it was still interesting enough to reward a look.

So I started at Pippp's Ford, and on the finished workings there was a ROE DEER, an animal I don't see too often in Suffolk. It was far away and kept running, so I couldn't get a decent photo, but these two were the best.

 

 

 

On the working quarry section at Pipp's Ford the water had been drained to allow digging to happen, so there wasn't too much there. SAND MARTINS were nesting in the sand cliffs of the quarry. 





 

The working quarry

 

On the working quarry at Pipp's Ford POPPIES were growing on the disturbed soil.

 

 

The sandy soil allowed the tall VIPER'S BUGLOSS to grow.

 

I bumped into an official looking birdwatcher who told me there were three pairs of LITTLE RINGED PLOVER present on site, but two pairs had failed, probably because of the recent crap weather. I didn't see any today, with just one LITTLE GREBE and several LAPWING hanging about on site.

 

 

Pippin's Lake

 

A fairly quiet lake. The only birds were a family party of GADWALL, with six chicks closed to fledging.





 

PYRAMID ORCHIDS were beginning to appear near Pippin's lake

 

Riverside Farm Pit

 

The SWAN family had hatched and had moved onto the river, with five CYGNETS.

 





 

 

A pair of GREY WAGTAILS were nesting in the lock along the river by the pit.

 

Alderson Lake

Two GREAT CRESTED GREBES were close to fledgling and a COOT was present.

 

Needham Lake

A SWAN family of five CYGNETS was present and there was one GREBE.

 

On all the pits there were large numbers of CANADA GEESE young spread around .

 

So a fairly quiet day, but I can't really ask for more considering the season. Soon summer will turn to Autumn, with only a month to go before waders start arriving on site, and the breeding season ends. The whole cycle will continue until it will be summer again. Ah the joys of birdwatching.





Summer bird watching at Trimley - 8/6/2017

Its oh so quiet...
shh. shh.
Its oh so still...
shh. shh
And that's about it. One of the quietist days birdwatching I have ever had at Trimley. There were some ducks about, some waders as well. The pools seen from the hides had only a couple of birds on them. I'd sit for a while, and when nothing turned up just moved on, it wasn't really a time to reward my patience. It seems the bad couple of weeks of torrential rain and even hail at times has badly affected the nesting birds, with very few young about.

Loompit lake was definitely the most affected with only one COOT and GREAT CRESTED GREBE pair about and only two pairs of POCHARD. Usually a few pairs of GADWALL nest but not this year. However the late nesting TUFTED DUCK were relatively unharmed with at least ten pairs present here and at Trimley.
A pair of COMMON TERN were flying over the Trimley Reservoir, so must be nesting nearby, and a RINGED PLOVER was on the Winter Flood.

Cattle were out grazing the grasslands with large numbers of SWIFTS wheeling above, and the breeding waders tumbling and calling through the air whenever a CROW appeared. It was all very evocative of a landscape now lost except for a precious few acres.
So there you go, very quiet indeed, with not much about, and a day I'd just forget, if it wasn't for these great photos of fledged GREAT TITS, in one of the many tree belts that criss-cross the Trimley Estate. They almost look like paintings.

Strawberry Fair - 4/6/2017

As usual we did our annual pilgrimage to Cambridge to go to Strawberry Fair. It's like a lot of these free festivals that pack up the schedules across the country over the Summer. There was lots of music, by band of which  I'd never heard of before and stalls selling hippy tat. These events do attract characters though...

These women were walking around on stilts

 

 

 

Axe throwing

 

This man made my friend carry his gravestone for him

 

 

 

Belly Dancers

Missing Dog

 

 



The Suffolk Show 1/6/17

This Thursday went over to the Suffolk Show, a mega festival for all things Suffolk which, obviously being a rural county, concentrated on the agricultural world. There were lots of prize animals on show, tractors and other stuff. From the many photos I took here are the crop.

This little Buddha was found amongst the floral display

 

 

This EXMOOR PONY was having trouble with the crowds

 

 

This Kiwi was giving a display about sheep shearing

 

 

 

 

 

Blacksmith - The next couple of photos were of the blacksmiths. They were working with burning furnaces on top of a heatwave outside. They seem to have herculean powers.

 



The blacksmith putting a red hot shoe on the horse. It stank of burning hair.

 

 

 

 

 

This rider was doing stunts on his horse

 

Horse and hounds

This dog was trained to round up ducks - honestly.

 

A great day out - I recommend going there next year.