Good News After 300 Years!

Although there are no trips running at the moment to Havergate due to the ongoing pandemic fun & games, I had the opportunity to get across to the island a few weeks ago for a very specific reason involving the big lens - more on that in a bit.  However, you can't visit Havergate with a camera and not click the button occasionally, so I thought you might like a thread.

As always in late July, there were plenty of large gulls hanging around, like the Lesser Black Backed

and Herring

It was raining on and off that day, typical after all the glorious weather this summer to get one of the few dodgy days when I really wanted exceptional photography conditions, but never mind!

Plenty of young gulls around too - though I'm going to let Clare try and work out which species (I always reckon life's too short!)

Sandwich Terns were fishing the river

Whilst Black Tailed Godwits poked around in the muddy margins

Bright legged Redshanks were plentiful

and the Hares seemed to have had a good summer too, quite a number were pottering around and looked nice & healthy

Those who know the Island's history (if you don't, I have a whole presentation I can give you on the subject!) will know it is linked to the Avocet, so it's always nice to see them chilling out here

It was the discovery of nesting Avocets in 1947 that prompted the RSPB to take Havergate on, so they form a wonderful link to the reason my camera had received the invite in the first place.  We often see Spoonbills on the Island (especially later in the year) and there has been an effort to encourage them to breed over the last decade or so by building artificial nests, erecting dummy birds etc.  This year (after a failed attempt last year), we finally saw young Spoonbills (fondly called Teaspoons!) fledge from the Island.  This is believed to be the first successfully breeding Spoonbills in Suffolk for over 300 years, so a real cause for celebration of all the hard work undertaken by the wardens & volunteer work parties.  So here you are, long distance and grotty day notwithstanding, the first Suffolk Spoonies in 300 years :-)

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