Last Weekend At Boulmer and Big Waters 15 & 16 July 2017

Not a post in 6 weeks due to not getting out, holidays and being ill.  Instead of Big Waters here are a few pictures from a trip to Boulmer last weekend with Tom Tams in search of the Long Billed Dowitcher which was very successful even though I didn't get any pictures of it I saw it a few times and quite close.  So here are some of the other things we saw starting with a short video of a couple of Juvenile Stonechats feeding:

I did go to Big Waters this weekend but was not feeling 100% so went home and hit the pillows and these were the only pictures I took.

This was one of the fishermen at the public end who had just caught a 6lb 3oz Bream

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Big Waters - 28 May 2017

Arrived at Big Waters on Sunday about 10 minutes late so decided to just wander round concentrating on ground level for a change so here are a few pictures from the 2 hours I spent in complete solitude. If there is no name against them and you know them please let me know

Red-headed Cardinal Beetle - Pyrochroa serraticornis

 Silver-ground Carpet - Xanthorhoe montanata

Scorpion Fly

Azure Damselfly

 Red Admiral - Vanessa atalanta

Moth but  not sure which one

 Large Red Damselfly - Pyrrhosoma nymphula

 Speckled Wood - Pararge aegeria

The patternation looks like one of them post reading lamps (Alderfly - thanks Alan J)

 Common Carpet Moth - Epirrhoe alternata

 Green-veined White - Pieris napi

 Large Red Damselfly - Pyrrhosoma nymphula

 Emerald Damselfly - Lestes sponsa

 Lots of Cows in the South Field

 Mute Swan in the wood which has been chased off the pond by the resident couple and their young

 Green-veined White - Pieris napi

I then met up with Alan, Keith, Ian and Mick and ended up taking a few pictures of the birds

Couple of Canada Geese dropping in 

 Grey Heron surveying its hunting area

Practising Landing Approaches 

Common Tern looking for food 

Our resident Fish Crow which seems to have better success than the Terns 

 Couple of Gadwall

Big Waters - 21 May 2017

Haven't been up to Big Waters for a couple of weeks due to Family Duties so it was great to get out there for a few hours for a good old chat and a perusal of the countryside with Ian D, Alan J and Keith B.  Here are a few pictures from the walk

A Fox watching us watching him

The paths are getting smaller as the greenery grows

I can't remember anything growing here 3 weeks ago

One of my favourite vistas 

Six Great Crested Grebes on the pond but only 1 pair has any young

The resident Swan pair which bred on Little Waters has now brought them to the Big Pond

View of the Island from the new Platform

...and the North Scrape from the New Platform

Reed Bunting belting out the top tunes for the ladies

Lovely flowers

The Cygnets on the main scrape

Canada with its reduced brood of 4

Young Moorhen on the Main Scrape

At least 4 Terns sitting on the Island

Another shot of the Grebe family

...and the Swan family out for a Sunday Paddle

Finally a short video of some of the youngsters on the pond with background (non scripted) chatter supplied by the lads (and Mick M)

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