Since my last post I've been for a walk on the beaches at Burnham on Sea in Somerset and Charmouth in Dorset with my family. Both walks threw up big surprises, very different, but both thrilling in there own ways!
At Burnham I saw a bird land on the beach in the distance and thought to myself 'That's not a Gull!' Something about the way it flew and landed....it was a just a dot, so far away, I couldn't identify it until I'd walked a few hundred metres closer.....to my absolute amazement the bird turned out to be a Peregrine Falcon! A proper wild one too, not a Falconers bird, and it let me get pretty close before it flew up, circled me and headed back in land! What a thrilling experience!
The surprise in Charmouth was featherless, but still a master of the skies..... and my family and I both jumped as the squadron of Red Arrows suddenly appeared over the cliffs and headed out over Lyme Bay to put on a seemingly impromptu display of aerial acrobatics!
Everyone along the beach just stopped, sat down on a rock and enjoyed the free show!
I just snapped away with my camera. Old habits die hard!
Other photo's taken in the last 3 weeks or so include the scarce but unique day flying moth the Hummingbird Hawkmoth. I saw one in my garden and another near the cliffs at Watchet in Somerset! These insects are fascinating and appropriately named, as they hover in front of flowers like a Hummingbird and use their proboscis to feed on the nectar. Lots of people mistake them for Hummingbirds, but they should not, as there are no Hummingbirds in Europe!
Below are photo's of everything mentioned above, plus Sparrowhawks, Kestrel, Little Owl, Turnstones, Common Blue, Painted Lady, Red Admiral and Tortoiseshells Butterflies and loads more...;
^Above^ - Hummingbird Hawkmoths in my Somerset garden (Top pics) and at Watchet.
^Above^ - Peregrine Falcon at Burnham on Sea beach!
^Above^ - Fox in my Somerset village.
^Above^ - Female Kestrel in my Somerset village.
^Above^ - Rabbits in my village.
^Above^ - Swallows in my village.
^Above^ - Stock Doves in my village.
^Above^ - House Martin at Watchet in Somerset.
^Above^ - Buzzard near Brent Knoll in Somerset.
^Above^ - Sparrowhawk at Sand Bay in Somerset.
^Above^ - Young and adult Swallow at Sand Bay.
^Above^ - Lesser Black Back Gull in my village.
^Above^ - Goldfinches at Apex Park in Burnham on Sea in Somerset.
^Above^ - Collared Doves at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Little Egret at Burnham on Sea.
^Above^ - Scruffy Magpies at Burnham on Sea.
^Above^ - Pied Wagtails at Burnham on Sea.
^Above^ - Redshanks at Burnham on Sea.
^Above^ - Turnstones and Redshanks at Burnham on Sea.
^Above^ - Herring Gulls at Burnham on Sea and Apex Park.
^Above^ - Lesser Black Back Gulls at Burnham and Apex Park.
^Above^ - Mute Swans at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Woodpigeons at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Black Headed Gulls at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Greylag Geese at Apex Park.
^Above^ - Painteed Lady on Buddleia in my garden.
^Above^ - Red Admiral in my garden.
^Above^ - Dragonfly in my garden.
^Above^ - Female Blackbirds in my garden.
^Above^ - Squirrel in my garden.
^Above^ - More Woodpigeons, this time in my home village!
^Above^ - Not sure which species of Moth this is, taken in my village.
^Above^ - Common Blue at Sand Bay in Somerset.
^Above^ - Caterpillars in Berries at Sand Bay.
^Above^ - Young House Sparrows at Charmouth in Dorset.
^Above^ - Cormorant at Charmouth.
^Above^ - Herring Gull at Charmouth.
^Above^ - Carrion Crow at Charmouth.
^Above^ - Black Headed Gull at Charmouth.
^Above^ - Camouflaged Little Owl at Bleadon in Somerset.
^Above^ - Tortoiseshells at RSPB Greylake in Somerset.
^Above^ - Horse at Watchet.
^Above^ - Teazel at Burnham on Sea.
^Above^ - Setting Sun in my village.
^Above^ - Hovercraft at Burnham on Sea.
^Above^ - Walkers at Burnham on Sea.
^Above^ - Training dogs at Sand Bay!
^Above^ - Taking your dog on a trip out to sea at Charmouth! :D
^Above^ - Various Somerset nature scenes! :)
And finally, something a little different....The Red Arrows....;
