16th May - The Sailor's Path, Snape to Aldeburgh, Suffolk

We met with Friends today and decided to walk from our cottage to Aldeburgh.  Fortunately the footpath was just across the road from Snape Hall where we were staying, the footpath would pick up the Sailor's Path. The Sailors’ Path follows a beautiful route between Snape Maltings and Aldeburgh. The Path is named because sailors would walk the path between Aldeburgh and Snape.

We were not visiting the Snape Maltings, but have been there before.  Snape Maltings rises above its surroundings like a great ship. Local businessman Newson Garrett built the Maltings in stages from 1846. The railway arrived in 1859 ensuring that the Maltings remained a viable business until it closed in 1965.  They are now an antiques and craft centre, plus a concert hall.

Having picked up the Sailor's Path it wound through farmland on a sandy path and then into oak and pine woodland.  A Jay, normally a shy bird, appeared on the fence close by.

The path continued through the woodland with singing Blackcap and Chiffchaff.  There was a section of boardwalk as we passed over streams, eventually coming out into the open at Hazelwood Marshes.

The River Alde has one of the most beautiful estuaries on the east coast. The river flows through wide marshes and low hills under a huge Suffolk sky. In the past, barges transported goods to and from Snape Maltings. The barges moored at Snape today are used for pleasure trips.

The tide was rising and there were a few waders on the mud.  This Redshank in breeding plumage.

And a few Oystercatcher.

Further away a pair of Avocet were engaged in their mating display.

After the detour to look at the marshes we returned to the path and walked past two singing Nightingale which were a surprise.

The path eventually reached the main road into Aldeburgh at the golf course and you then walk along a pavement past some very large houses finally coming into Aldeburgh's High Street.

We walked to the sea front and found somewhere to have fish and chips, after which we walked along the front and beach.

The coastal town of Aldeburgh is a popular place for holidays. In medieval times, the town had a successful shipbuilding industry. Fishing has also played an important role in the town’s economy. Aldeburgh still has a small fishing fleet and fresh fish can be bought from huts on the beach.

The coastal town of Aldeburgh is a popular place for holidays. In medieval times, the town had a successful shipbuilding industry. Fishing has also played an important role in the town’s economy. Aldeburgh still has a small fishing fleet and fresh fish can be bought from huts on the beach.

Herring Gulls patrolled the beach always on the look out for an easy meal.

At the northern end of the town's sea fron there were public toilets and for some reason the building was perfect for Swallows, that could be seen flying around the buildings and call all the time either in the air of actually on the building.

They clearly breed here and the birds were paired up and chattering away to each other.

Sitting together on the roof tops

So of course there was the chance to catch them in the air, but this was the best I could do.

We opted to avoid the walk back and instead managed to get a taxi.  The weather had been good to us on what was a lovely opportunity to catch up with friends.

15th May - RSPB Minsmere, Suffolk - Part Two: The Hobby

As we came back into the woodland from the reed beds we were greeted once again by a Muntjac.  They seem to be everywhere, this one a male with the small antlers.  There is some concern that these deer are eating the undergrowth, and area that is crucial for Nightingale and the worry ids that this will reduce suitable habitat for the Nightingale.

The Bittern Hide was a little more busier than when we had entered this morning, however we managed to find a seat and once you get a good one you hang on to it.

Looking out over the reeds I could see a Hobby perched in one of the many hawthorn bushes dotted amongst the reeds.  It was though a long way off.

It was still cold and maybe a little to early for the Hobby to be out, but there were signs of the sun coming out and the hope was this would bring out the insects and then the Hobby would perform.

In the mean time it was the Marsh Harriers once again that took the attention.  First a male.

Then a nice close pass by a female, showing the creamy yellow head cap.

A close up of the male showing off the eyes and the binocular vision these birds of prey have.

Then with the sun out a Hobby appeared on the dead tree to the left hand side of the hide, but it had found the worst possible perch, completely out of sight.

As well as staying out of sight the other concern was the heat haze.  It seems bizarre that on a such a cold day there would be one, but the sun is very strong now and any radiation is going to set one off.  So we need the sun to bring out the insects and the Hobby, but it also ruins some of the photographic opportunities.

On the right hand side of the hide are several dead trees providing ideal perches for the Hobby as well. At one point there were three perched here.  The heat haze was still a problem, but I was able to get some good images.

The Hobby then began to perform, but stayed out over the reeds which meant long distant shots, but things started to change, one came to the tree on the left hand side.

And then would drop from the perch and fly across the open water in front of the hide, meaning the Hobby was closer and at last the shots began to come.

And they were hunting in front of the hide as well, catching insects, but it wasn't clear what they were to start.

From this shot you can see a dragonfly wing.

This sortie across the water it caught another dragonfly, which was a blue green colour and looked big, possibly an Emperor Dragonfly.

Holding with the claws and then chewing off the head.

Not sure if it just dropped the abdomen.

Incredible to watch, everything happening so fast, a glide and then an acceleration with rapid wing flaps, the legs forced forward and then the eating.

They would perch up in the dead branches, watching all around the area.

Then set off around the reeds and water, almost always in front of the hide.

At one point one flew past literally below the hide.

They are so photographic and normally difficult to catch, but here they were performing very well.

Notice I haven't made any reference to their latin name and a football game!

While there were plenty of dead branches, there was one that curled out closer to the hide.  They had managed to avoid this so far but as our time moved towards an end one so obligingly flew up and perched there.  My day was complete.

We walked around to the I sland Mere were there was a Bittern hiding in the reeds.  I managed to get a glimpse and then watch it fly into the reeds and our of sight.  We waited to see if it would show but it stayed out of sight.  There was to be only one thing we could do about it, come back, which we would do.

15th May - RSPB Minsmere, Suffolk - Part One: Marsh Harriers and Swifts

A weekend away and for the first time in a long time we returned to Suffolk in May and to the wonderful RSPB reserve at Minsmere.  We arrived on the Thursday, staying in a small cottage in Snape.  This meant a short twenty minute drive to Minsmere and then the walk through the woodland to the Bittern Hide.

Passing through the woodland there was a Muntjac Deer feeding around the old Oak trees.  This small deer seems to do very well here in Minsmere and in Suffolk in general.

It was a very cold day, requiring a thick winter coat, a hat and gloves!  The wind was from the north and the woodland was very quiet, no birdsong.  We climbed the stairs to the Bittern Hide and sat down with the hide to ourselves.  The Bittern Hide looks out over the expanse of the reed bed here at Minsmere and is a haven for the Marsh Harrier.  Once upon a time this was the place to come to see the rare Marsh Harrier, today like so many birds of prey they are doing very well.  The number of harriers here mean it is easy to see them and in many cases they will pass close in front of the elevated hide.  A female was out over the reeds the first one of the day.

Of course we have good numbers here in Hampshire, but some of the light can be a problem.  Here the light was pretty good and we were then treated to a close fly pass by a male.

Head on coming straight at us.

A nice close up of the male.

One thing we were not prepared for after not visiting for some time was the work on Sizewell C.  Major changes to the roads around the area, but plenty of destruction that happens with projects of this size.  The project will take over ten years to complete and away in the distance, but closer than the existing Sizewell dome were the many cranes associated building, the Marsh Harriers passing through them in the background.

A break from the Marsh Harriers now as three Spoonbill flew past heading towards the Island Mere.

All three were immature birds, showing the black tips to the primary wing feathers.  Spoonbill are doing very well in Suffolk with nesting colonies at Orford Ness and Havergate Island on the Suffolk coast a little south of here.

It was back to the Marsh Harriers and more close pass bys in front of the hide.

The male has a very distinctive eye with a yellow iris not seen so vividly in the female.

The largest of the harriers, the marsh harrier creates a distinctive V-shape in the air by holding its wings up. Females are chocolate-brown with a golden-yellow crown and throat. Males have a brown back, gingery belly, pale head and neck, and long, grey wings with black tips.

When I first came to Minsmere in the mid eighties I can recall the excitement when a Marsh Harrier would rise from the reed bed.  Today there is still the interest but they have become more of a staple sight rather than a real rarity.

The reason for this has been the conservation efforts to recognise the needs of this impressive raptor.  In 1971, after years of persecution, the DDT crisis and habitat loss, only one nesting female remained in the whole country. Today, there are more than 500 pairs in the UK.

It was then time for the obligatory Red Deer to appear on the right hand side of the hide, two young deer coming down the path.

Some excitement in the hide to my left turned out to be due to a Hobby appearing on a dead tree trunk on the left hand side.  I managed a few shots, not the best before one bird in his haste to try and see the Hobby fell, dropped his scope and tripod and the noise created disturbed the Hobby and it flew off.

Some of the Marsh Harriers were carrying nest material mnd the most frequent sightings were of male birds and as I followed one male I could see it was carrying some food and the female came up from the reeds and they performed the food pass, with the female catching the "present" from the male.

Both birds can be seen calling.  It is difficult to see what the prey was, but it does seem to have long legs so maybe a bird.

The seats are the most comfortable and we need to stretch the legs, so we walked around to the Island Mere Hide, on the way another Muntjac.

It was quiet in the hide, out on the lake there were Tufted Ducks, Great Crested Grebes and a few Common Terns.  On feature of the morning that was evident from the hide was the amount of hirundine and Swifts.  Swallows, Sand and House Martins were out low over the water and the Swifts over the reed beds.

More Marsh Harrier action and no sign of any Bitterns, here a female Marsh Harrier showing the difference in plumage from the male.

We walked back to the visitor centre for some lunch, after which we decided to get some steps in and set off across the North Wall.  At the end of the path there is a new boardwalk that snakes around to the east hide, land side of the sea with the dunes as cover.  A Sedge Warbler sang from the top of the reed stems.

We popped into the East hide where there was quite a bit of activity, Common Terns coming and going and a familiar sound of the Black-headed Gulls on the islands. 

A Sandwich Tern was taking the chance to bathe in the freshwater of the scrape.

Also of interest a Shelduck family, the seven ducklings not that old and being shephered by their parents.

Coming out of the hide it was clear there were a lot of Swifts about.  The cold temperatures and overcast conditions forcing the Swifts and the hirundines to hawk insects low over the water, reeds and sand dunes.  They are never easy to photograph at the best of times as they twist around as they react to the insect prey.  But as they were low I was able to position myself as they came around. the wind also meant that they would hold up as they headed into the wind slowing them down.  Once again there was a lot of images for not a very large amount of finished articles.  BUt these were some I was pleased with.

They came over the dunes and then as we walked around the path to the west side, over the reeds.

So the end of the first half of the day, we would be heading back to the Bittern Hide for the afternoon, hopefully with some Bitterns showing!