Howdy folks! Welcome back to the Frampton Marsh recent sightings. With me, Chris the Visitor Guy!
Well, the summer holidays are here. But kids aren't the only wild things to be found on the reserve. Yes, good sightings continue. Let's get to it, and cue the maps...
Yes, going slightly old school with the maps on Saturday. Well, it was hammering with rain which made writing on the outside board impossible. Good numbers of curlew sandpipers to be seen, plus the long staying pectoral sandpiper.
Better weather on the Sunday. The little terns are unusual. You can find them at the river mouth, but these had actually flown up river and over the reserve.
A lucky few were able to see a spotted crake from East Hide, and also the pectoral sandpiper. Alas everything got flushed by a peregrine and neither was seen again.
After a couple of days absence, the wood sandpiper reappears. Eyed hawk moth caterpillars are always a good sight, finger sized critters busily munching on willow.
Lots of black-tailed godwits around too.
As you can see from Friday's counts, lots of stuff about!
So, what photos do we have for you this week? We will start with this lovely portrait of a snipe having a stretch, by Steve Nikols
Sticking with waders, Oliver Woodman here shows why a pectoral sandpiper gets its name, with the very sharp dividing line across the breast.
Paul Sullivan got a nice macro shot of this hoverfly. Eristalinus sepulchralis, if you want the precise species, also called the small spotty-eyed dronefly. Because, you know, it is small and has spots on its eyes...
If that isn't your cup of tea, maybe you'll prefer this young reed warbler, captured by Jeremy Eyeons
Looks like it only just got out of bed!
So there you have it! If you are coming to visit us, you can keep up to date with the sightings by following our Twitter account. No need to have an account yourself, we make it so everyone can see it. If you do tweet yourself, please remember to use #RSPBframpton so we can see what you are posting, and also ideally mention @RSPBNorfolkLinc. If you have any good photos (or video, or even artwork) we'd love to see that too. Tweet it, or share it on our Facebook page or our Flickr account. It may also be useful for you to know the weather and tide times for the site, which may well have an impact on what is showing.
It is also worth mentioning that next Friday we will be holding a bat night, in collaboration with the Lincs Bat Group. We have some good ones down at the reserve, including Nathusius pipistrelle and Daubenton's bat. Book now to reserve your place!
So that is it from me. Hope you all have a great week, stay safe, and I'll catch you next time!