Natural highs and lows

A few of our day trips were to wildlife sites about an hour away from the cottage, not too far to travel, whilst at the same time being an exploration of locales for future holidays. One of these sites was the national nature reserve at Tentsmuir, on the east coast, where we visited Morton Lochs on the warmest day of our trip in the hope of some early-emerging dragons. No such luck, unfortunately, but we were rewarded for our dedication with several flybys from a Kingfisher. We also drove most of the way to Tay Reedbeds, but with temperatures in the mid 20s, we didn't fancy a 6km walk on dusty tracks, opting instead for an ice cream in a nearby village, followed by a meandering route back to the cottage and an  appointment at patio o'clock. An Orange Tip nectaring on apple blossom Grey Heron A reflective heron Probably our most adventurous day was another gorge walk, this time at the Birks of Aberfeldy, where the Moness Burn tumbles its way through a beech wood. We found severa...

We were fortunate, whilst on a trip to RSPB Minsmere on the Suffolk coast, to meet up with an old friend and keen birder, JD. The nature reserve was a couple of hours' drive away, but so very worth it (despite the Cambridge rush hour, tailbacks from roadworks and getting lost a mile short of our destination). JD sent us very detailed instructions of where to meet up, which I expertly confused in that bit of my brain where I hold my map memory. Long story short, whilst pootling slowly along the wrong narrow lane with the car windows open, we scored a drive-by Nightingale in song. Eventually, we found the correct spot with even more detailed instructions... "park by the female Ring Ouzel, walk up the track to the male Redstart and look through my scope at the pair of Stone Curlews". This latter species is part of a family which is also known by the name of Thick-knees, which I'm sure in today's enlightened times would be considered body shaming. We'd barely beg...

Stronsay, one of the islands on the eastern side of the Orkney archipelago, recently hosted a Citizen Science Festival. The Orkney Field Club were invited along to an informal discussion on wildlife recording, which was held at The Fishmart, a local cafe. As I have been to Stronsay several times with work this year, I was 'selected' as the designated diner. The meeting lasted a little over an hour, time for a general wildlifey chat, thoughts about what the islanders might want to record, plus sandwiches, cake, tea and coffee. What's not to love? Due to the ferry timetable, either side of the meeting was free time to nature watch and Stronsay did not disappoint. Several days of easterly winds meant that there was plenty to see in the form of birds migrating south which had been 'diverted' across the North Sea. But first, the beach... A pair of Dunlin A Carder Bee, possibly Moss Carder, on Sea Rocket A hoverfly of the Genus Eristalis , on Sea Mayweed A hoverfly, Scaev...