Category: David

Clusters of red poppies at Southwold, overlooking the beach and the North Sea.

Oystercatcher sifting mud on the edge of the River Blyth at Southwold Harbour, searching for mussels.

I’ve not yet (at the time this was drafted) seen the painted ladies which have been reported to have reached the west midlands this year. But near the Suffolk coast they seemed to be everywhere, sometimes several on the same shrub.

For some year, there have been peregrines resident on the spire of Norwich Cathedral, which have started having chicks each year. This year, three chicks on the nesting platform (complete with web-cam) provided by the Hawk and Owl Trust working with the cathedral authorities.

Our visit came the day after the chicks had flows for the first time. Stunning views of the birds through telescopes which the Trust had by its information caravan (open seven days a week!). The adults busy catching pigeons and plucking them to feed the young. One of the young had flown down and landed on the ridge of one of the houses in the cathedral close.

It was mewing loudly but not getting any visible response from the parents. Meanwhile, it was providing close-ups for the birders bathered not far away.

Remains of what was possibly a grass snake (Natrix natrix) which must have picked the wrong time to cross a quiet Suffolk country road.

A damselfly from one of the emerald species, one of perhaps two or three which were flying with a larger group of common blue damselflies over a pool in Baggeridge Country Park yesterday. The same species was in the same area in June to August last year.