We split the holiday we would have had to Madagascar into two separate weeks and this saw us heading off for a week away in Suffolk, heading east this time. It has been awhile since we visited the county, the last being in 2017, then it was May, but now August and we expected a lot of differences. We were not able to get into our cottage until late afternoon so we decided to repeat our old routine and visit the RSPB reserve at Lakenheath. The weather forecast was not good, dry but with very strong winds and this was definitely the situation when I got out of the car in the car park. Dust was everywhere and there trees were being whipped about in what was an extremely strong wind.
After a cup of tea and something to eat we set off, with the Covid-19 restrictions in place the visitor centre was closed as was the only hide. Walking along the main path the strength of the wind I was very doubtful we would see much. In sheltered spots there were many Common Darters flying low to the path and weaving in between the reed stems. This female was taking a risk settling on this reed stem.
We walked along the main path to Jupps View, the Poplars giving some shelter, but at the same time the wind through their leaves over powering any other sounds. At Jupps View there was little showing above the reeds. A Great White Egret bravely flew across and a group of Canada Geese came over but dropped out of sight into the reeds. A distant Marsh Harrier could be seen over the reeds but that was about it.
We walked back along the river, at the Washland there were Swifts and all three hirundines were feeding over the water while Black-tailed Godwits fed in the shallow water. We made our way back to the visitor centre where we were able to get an ice cream before setting off for the cottage.in Badingham, somewhere we had stayed on our last visit to Suffolk in 2017
Later that Evening in the trees around the cottage there was a group of at least four, maybe five Spotted Flycatchers.
I was able to get closer by walking across the meadow.
The Spotted Flycatchers were still around the following morning, along with Blue and Great Tits and a few Chiffchaffs.
The Flycatchers were very accessible .I even managed to capture it while singing (well making a noise!)
Later that morning We visited Framlingham and Aldeburgh to do the tourist thing, here the "Castle on the Hill"
Monday, the 24th we were up early to visit Minsmere. We were there before the visitor or welcome centre was open, and headed out across the North Wall. Approaching the beach there were some lovely distant clouds out in the North Sea.With the East Hide closed the only way you could view the Scrape with suitable light is from the public hide. From here we could see Redshank, Dunlin, Ringed Plover and this Ruff on one of the islands.
Leaving the hide we walked up onto the dunes to view a very calm sea, walking through the dunes I noticed a birder lying down amongst the marram grass, his quarry a Wheatear a few metres away.
It soon became clear that there were several migrants in the dunes, using the bramble as cover and a source of food, here a Willow Warbler.
Another Wheatear or the same one appeared on the concrete blocks that are a feature of the dunes here at Minsmere. These were put in place during world war two to thwart a potential German invasion, but now provide the perfect perching place for weary migrant Wheatears.
While probably not migrants but non the less interesting, a family group of Dartford Warblers were in amongst the bramble showing intermittently.
Leaving the Dartford Warblers I was able to get closer to the Wheatear.
More of the Dartford Warblers, this time an adult.
We moved through the dunes and past the Sluice to watch the bushes, they seemed to be alive with birds, there being constant movement. Both Lesser and Common Whitethroat were seen, but the most plentiful were Willow Warblers.
I was able to get some of the best Willow Warbler photographs I have ever taken.
From the Sluice we headed back onto the reserve walking past the Konik Ponies with the coastguard cottages at the top of Dunwich cliffs looking smart in the sunshine.
On the western side of the path there are open spaces in the reeds created by the ponies, here the mud has formed small pools and Gadwall and Mallard were all grouped together and this Green Sandpiper bobbing its way around the edge of the pools of water.
Often confused with the Common Sandpiper, the Green is slightly larger and lacks the white collar of the Common Sandpiper.
With the hides closed around the Scrape, there were raised areas where it was possible to see over the reeds and across the Scrape. A group of 34 Avocet and a single Black-tailed Godwit were settled in the pool.
To our surprise the South hide was open. The restrictions were for only four groups to occupy, there was no indication of what a group constituted and no one to police, it was left to the public to be compliant. There was no one in the hide so we went in. There was completely nothing in front of the hide, the only bird was a lone Black-tailed Godwit at the end of a spit.
As we returned to the visitor centre the number of visitors was beginning to increase, The shop and cafe was now open and it was time to have something to eat, a bacon and sausage bap, eaten outside watching a few straggling Sand Martins around the bank.
We decided to walk back out to the beach and then head north up onto Dunwich Heath, the sun was now out and the heather from a distance looked a lovely colour, it would be nice to spend some time on the heath.
The heather was in bloom in the majority of places, mixing with the greens of the bracken makes you realise ow the Scottish tartans have developed over time.
We took the path through the centre of the heath, there were a few Stonechat about, but in general it was quiet. The only butterflies seen as we crossed the heath were Large and Small White.
A large raptor appeared to the north and as it came closer I was surprised to see it was a female marsh Harrier, it would have more suited to the reed beds we had just left.
The gorse too was in bloom adding another colour to the mix across the heath.
With the blue skies, fluffy clouds and the purple heather it was quite a spectacle
We were following the Sanderlings path that would lead eventually to Southwold, taking a detour we came through a wooded area and in a clearing there were several Small Copper, enjoying the sunshine. It would seem that this delightful little butterfly has had a very good year with numbers everywhere.
We made our way back onto the heath and followed a path close to the edge and a sheltered spot. Here there were many dragonflies, all seemed to be Migrant Hawkers but there were also a few Common Darters. Here a Migrant Hawker male paused on a branch.
Its rare you get this opportunity to get in close and admire the intricate pattern and colours.
Heath land is always good for Grayling butterflies and I was surprised we had not encountered any so far, but the sheltered spot along the edge of the heath produced at least three or Four, this one proving to Helen how difficult they are to see when settled on the dead bracken, in this case it had not dropped the upper wing to hide the tell tale spot.
Some more views of a Migrant Hawker.
We left the heath and headed through the woodland area that was part of the Minsmere Reserve, the RSPB are working to clear it to provide more nesting habitat for the likes of Tree Pipit, Stonechat, Nightjar etc. There was very little bird life as we walked through the woodland, the one notable feature being the contrast between the heather and the young birch trees
The path through the wood comes out onto the Westleton road and then its a short walk through Scotts Hall. The Island Mere Hide like many of the others was closed and the best view you could get of the Island Mere was from the Whin Hill viewpoint, too distant to make out any herons egrets or bitterns.
That was it for Minsmere, there were too many people and not enough birds so we headed back to the cottage for a relaxing afternoon on the deck.
Tuesday saw rain move through and we spent the day in Norwich. In the evening the weather improved a party of at least 15 Mistle Thrushes gathered on the power lines out side the cottage.
Wednesday saw the weather improved, well it was dry anyway and we headed for Southwold.
Southwold is a small town and civil parish on
the English North Sea coast in the East Suffolk district
of Suffolk. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth. Southwold was mentioned in Domesday Book as
a fishing port, and after the River Blyth withdrew from Dunwich in
1328, bringing trade to Southwold in the 15th century, it received its town
charter from Henry VII in 1489. Over the following centuries,
however, a shingle bar built up across the harbour mouth, preventing
the town from becoming a major Early Modern port.
Although once home to a number of different industries,
Southwold's economy nowadays is mainly based on services, particularly hotels,
holiday accommodation, catering and tourism. A recent housing report by the Southwold and
Reydon Society concluded that just over 50 per cent of the dwellings in the
town are used as second homes and let to holiday-makers.
With the surrounding areas largely given over to
agriculture, the town is an important commercial centre for the area, with a
number of independent shops, cafés and restaurants, and a market on Mondays and
Thursdays. Adnams Brewery is
located in Southwold and is the town's largest single employer. Although the
fishing fleet and the industry generally is much diminished, Southwold Harbour
remains one of the main fishing ports on the Suffolk coastline. In 2012,
additional facilities for the fleet were constructed there, as part of the
repair and reinstatement of the Harbour's North Wall.
Of course the sea and coastline have an enduring
relationship with Southwold. The sea and the beach are there for all to enjoy with colourful iconic beach huts a big attraction. We took the time to get some shots while there were few people about,
The pier too is a major attraction along the Suffolk coast. The pier and its history are closely connected to that of
Southwold. Its original use was, of course, practical – it was a landing stage
for the steamships which arrived from London Bridge. In 1934, after the
T-shaped landing stage had been swept away in a storm, the remaining part of
the pier was transformed into amusement arcade and concert hall, and so the
pier became a destination for those at rest rather than work. The current
length of the pier is 623m, the result of a restoration project which began in
1999 and completed in 2001. Today the
pier is owned and run by Gough Hotels who are dedicated to providing an
exciting and surprising experience for visitors here.
The weather continued to threaten with moody skies and some sunshine over the sea
And when the sun came out it would brighten up the beach huts contrasting with dark storm clouds
The falling waves catching the reflections of the brightly coloured huts in the shallow water.
The Pier sign probably became tangled up in the wires during the high winds of Tuesday.
We walked along the sea front and then on reaching the river through the ship yard alongside the river. We then crossed Southwold Common the location of a Red-backed Shrike the week before, but today totally devoid of birds. This then brought us back into the town and we reached the sea front once again at Gun Hill.
Here there are six 18-pounder cannons commemorate
the Battle of Sole Bay, fought in 1672 between English and French fleets
on one side and the Dutch on the other. The battle was bloody but indecisive
and many bodies were washed ashore. During
World War I, it was widely thought that these cannons were one reason why this
part of the coast was bombarded by the German Fleet as a "fortified
coast". In World War II the cannons were prudently removed, reputedly
buried for safety, and returned to their former position after hostilities
Southwold is extremely popular and the empty car park we had arrived to was now completely full, many people wandered along the sea front and on the pier. We had lunch and then a ice cream while sitting on the sea wall. After that we decided to head back to the cottage and then onto somewhere else.
It was at this point the whole holiday was turned on its head. Having popped into Framlingham we made the last minute decision to visit the Snape Maltings once again. The navigation took us just past the turn for the cottage for a right hand turn. With traffic coming in the other direction I waited to turn right as they passed and was promptly hit from behind by a black Golf. We were OK a little shaken but the car was not able to be driven, the main reason being the fuel tank was ruptured, as for the Golf it was in a really bad way.
No need to go into all the details, but you have to wonder about the way we managed elderly people driving on our roads, no driving tests or reviews are conducted and this can't be right. The outcome physically from this accident was not bad but it could have been a lot worse.
So the car was picked up by the breakdown company and taken on its way to Aldershot. We had to wait for the next morning for a hire car to be delivered. Fortunately all this happened 200 metres from our cottage so we were able to ship all the contents of the car into the cottage and wait with a beer for the breakdown truck.
In the morning I sat on the deck and watched the Spotted Flycatchers once again. In addition there were swifts over head and a Kestrel drifted over hovering over the field
Is this what the vole sees as it looks up?
After the Kestrel it was time for some more Spotted Flycatcher pictures, while a breeding bird in Hampshire they are not necessarily as confiding as these birds were.
The hire car turned up at about 10:30, a Mercedes GLC 220 no less, but it took a while to learn how to drive it. Finally we were off to Minsmere arriving about midday and opting to have lunch in the cafe, a big mistake as a Long-tailed Skua was on the Lucky Pool at exactly the same time but didn't stay!
After lunch, still oblivious of the skua report we headed for the Island Mere. The hide was open so a chance to check the reed bed and water for something interesting. Same rules for using the hide, but this time there was an occupant so we had to don the mask. Out on the water Grey Heron, Cormorant, Mallard and Gadwall and Great-crested Grebe and Coot. The wind was quite fresh keeping anything in the reeds down. A female Marsh Harrier drifted over the reeds in the distance once again and for a very brief moment a Great Egret appeared in the south west corner of the mere, the same area where I had seen one three years earlier.
Leaving the Island Mere we passed the closed Bittern Hide and headed out across the North Wall. The East Hide was open too so we popped in, again it was empty both inside and out, the only birds being a few feeding Dunlin
The silence was occasionally punctuated by the begging calls of a juvenile Herring Gull that stood out in the middle of the scrape poolAnd that was about the sum of it. Minsmere is a wonderful reserve, but come the late summer early autumn it is about being in the right place at the right time. I must admit with the events of Wednesday afternoon my heart was not completely in it. We headed back to the cottage to get ourselves sorted for leaving on the Friday. It had been a great break once again, a chance to get away and relax, which despite the car accident we were able to do
No comments:
Post a Comment