Natural Suffolk

I came across a swarm of insects on a visit to the Oak Tree Community farm  to look for wildlife. I assumed the menacing dangling thing was either an ovipositor or possibly a sting. These were the same sort of thing that had been bugging me walking along north wall of Minsmere a week ago, but I didn't come away with any bites. They followed me around in  a small cloud along that stretch of the reserve.  The appendages were neither sting nor ovipositor, simply long back legs, St Mark's flies otherwise known as Hawthorn flies are a little bit early this year for St Mark's Day 25th April. St Mark's Fly Bibio marci   Mating - the larger female with smoky wings is above Phil Gates has some fascinating detail of the large eyes on his cabinet of curiosities blog , which differ between males and females, the males have a visual system adapted to both hover and locate females, whereas the females have a simpler visual system without the fine hairs between the...

 Don't often get to see a tawny owl in a garden, but here it is. I looked for the reason the blackbirds were kicking up such a racket nearby, and here is the guilty party  resting Tawny owl in the fading eveing light

On a visit to Sidmouth near the south coast I heard a bird on the very northern edge of its range, the Cirl Bunting . The sound isn't hugely mellifluous, but it was notable in a what's that I've never heard it before sort of way. This was near Mutter's Moor, going across the road on the path running south from the car park Your browser does not support the audio tag     The south-west coast path looks down on this rugged coastline       end 

 Living up to their common name, doing their stuff on the Somerset Levels picking out food from the ground disturbed by the cattle.  You get Little Egrets in this area too, but the yellow bill is diagnostic w.r.t. the black bill of Little Egret  From the RSPB They often spend time close to livestock like sheep and cows and grab the insects and worms their hooves disturb.  and that's pretty much what these guys seem to be doing on this misty late Autumn day

I found  Bonny Wood is a slight headache to locate. First go to Barking Tye, parking is difficult there. SWT say park at village hall, I parked a little bit of a way down the side road past the bend of the main road to the right coming from Needham Market. The footpath is just by the side of the water tower going past someone’s house. This reserve is probably wet in winter. I took a bunch of photos back in 2016 but failed to make any useful notes. It's a nice recollection of a lovely summer walk.  view from path start over fields   Hedgerow blooms              Coppice stools     reserve entrance     crossways   starting on the way back from the crossways    way back with water tower in the distance    

 This one was a hunt for yellowhammers for Yellowhammers.net Upper Hollesley common Recording potential poor because the road is very noisy   Your browser does not support the audio tag but this recording was good enough to qualify the song type. There seems to eb a general principle that scientific analysis can tolerate recordings that I'd categorise as rough as guts . I came across this electric blue critter on the common and this cryptic moth the heath where I recorded the yellowhammer Tunstall Common this has more recording potential, road is not too bad. though many tractors shifting harvest this time Your browser does not support the audio tag Tunstall common   Blaxhall Common nothing heard this time. Very ferny. Sent in an oldie yellowhammer recording from 2007 from the nightjar walk Your browser does not support the audio tag Blaxhall Common