Norfolk part four

 We crossed the border into Suffolk to visit Weeting Heath National Nature Reserve to see if we could see any Stone Curlew. We did in fact there were another couple in the hide and they had counted at least sixteen, we didn’t see that many, I think the most we saw was eight however seeing only one before that was a great result. The same couple told us that the RSPB Lakenheath wasn’t far away so we had to visit there too. Suffice to say it was a long walk around the reserve for very little reward.

A centipede in the garden of the cottage.

For some reason a blister appeared near its head.

Lauxaniids Sp. of Fly?

Box Bug instar.

Stone Curlew.

Six in this shot.

24-spot Ladybird at Lakenheath.

Great White Egret.

Little Egret.

Common Tern in a dive.

It came up with a fish.

Ruddy Darter.

Back at the cottage there were dozens of Migrant Hawker hawking over the field next door.

Wasp cleaning its self. 

Hook Norton day one part two

 A few more images from our first trip to Otmoor and the garden of the cottage. Please don’t hesitate to correct me if I have the identification of these insects wrong.

Chequered Weevil.

Green Nettle Weevil.

Harlequin Ladybird with a mite. There were quite a few Harlequins around the reserve.

Orange Ladybird larva.

Another Harlequin Ladybird.

14-Spot Ladybird.

Two 14-Spot Ladybirds doing what comes naturally.

Climbing Harlequin Ladybird.

Golden-bloomed Grey Longhorn Beetle.

Male Red-headed Cardinal Beetle.

Common Brown Click Beetle.

Alder leaf Beetle.

Green Dock Beetle?

Dark Bush Cricket nymph.

St Aidan’s part six

 The sixth and final part of our trip to RSPB St Aidan’s. My last Blog was Bitterns in flight however to be able to get into flight they naturally must take off.  Here is a full sequence of one of the Bitterns coming out of the reeds and taking off.

If you look very closely you can just make out the eye of a second Bittern below and to the left of the first.

At times it didn’t look elegant.

And it seemed to be crashing into the reeds a lot

But it did eventually make it out

And as Bob and Paul would say “and away”