There and Back

Sunday June 29

Pam as still not feeling herself after a couple of days stomach upset - she thinks it was the prawn lunch she had. Saturday was so very hot, the temperature reached the lower 30sC, that the prospect of an air conditioned car tipped the scales. We didn't set off until 10 a.m. and were home by 3 p.m.

It was a much more reasonable temperature too, the sun hardly appeared. With only two short stops, at Sculthorpe Mill and Abbey Farm, we were soon at Snettisham. The first thing we noticed was the number of Egyptian Geese around, all with well grown young, they've had a very productive year here.

 

Scanning the vast expanse of puddled and creeked mud, I came across a stretch of what appeared to be roosting gulls. I worked my way throught them, finding that most of them were adult Mediterranean Gulls, Pam reckoned there were more than a hundred, the most I've ever seen together. Every bird was either asleep or busy preening.

 

I then noticed a few Sandwich Terns dotted amongst the gulls. One or two had the bare foreheads of moulting birds, most of them still in full plumage. Further scanning found a Roseate Tern, busy preening. So delicate  amongst the bruiser gulls and Sandwich terns. I took photographs of each section of the swathe in the hope of being able to enlarge later.  It was not possible to include the whole  group.

This much edited photo has all three species present

 

This one shows the Roseate Tern as well as possible. Pushing the camera's capabilities to the limit.

 

 Despite the roped off shore and the notices, there was a family of two adults and two children walking on the mud. Then, a man with binos and a camera was also down there stalking a rather unwell looking Black-tailed Godwit. People !

The day had been long enough for Pam, always enjoyable to be out birding, we drove staright home via the inland route.

Moth-ing has been hectic this week. The traps at home have been full of very active moths. Almost impossible to stop some escaping - unless one sits inside a net. I tried that once, not good when slightly claustrophobic. Yellow Shell was the nicest in the last catch.

We trapped another Yellow-legged Clearwing, photo taken through a pot unfortunately.