Holidays...

Westleton Church

Just came back from a week in Suffolk. We stayed in Westleton, between Southwold and Aldeburgh, a handy locale close to a variety of nice habitats.

As this was the first time I have taken my moth trap south you can see the results here. I was very pleased with 32 or more new species with a couple more still to identify.

Apart from the moths, I didnt do any real birding, so all I had of note was a Hobby and a couple of Marsh Harriers.

Odonata is always an attraction for me down there as we have so few dragonfly species available in the north east. On Minsmere River at Eastbridge a few Norfolk Hawkers weren't new species but only my second while Hairy Dragonfly and Variable Damselfly took my list up to 30 species.

Eastbridge dragon habitat.

Variable Damselfly

Norfolk Hawker

The weather was warm enough to sit out on the beach and enjoy the plants of the shingle ridge such as Sea Pea and Yellow Horned Poppy.

Thorpness Beach

Sea Pea

White Bryony

The hedgerows were full of stuff such as White Bryony, Hop and Old Mans Beard.

Silver studded Blue going to roost.

On the heaths this was my only Silver studded Blue. In previous years I have seen 70 or more here.

All in all a lovely week in a great place. I think we'll go back next year. The weather is better than Scotland!