Lovely sunny Saturday wandering through Northward and on down to the estuary.
The reserve was heaving with birds and insects - including the biting ones (use jungle strength DEET, but DON'T let it get on anything plastic). We didn't explore half the reserve, we're saving that for a long weekend in Kent, but what we did see was enough to make us want to come back soon.
We'd hardly got into the reserve when this little fellow popped up.
Seeing some Avocets, we nipped into one of the hides for a closer look.
There were also these funny little grey waders scampering about, and it wasn't until we looked at the photos that the penny dropped, Avocet chicks, awww, cute! They're a bit small and a fair distance away, so sorry that the pics aren't brilliant.
Back in the bushed again we found some more babies, a Whitethroat
and a Great Tit
There was also a Nightingale posing (for once). Or, as Robbo has pointed out, it's more likely a Dunnock - oh well :-(
You get tremendous views from the reserve over the estuary...
Heading out of the reserve down to the water we found a cow pen with attendant Starlings.
Once in the fields we kept flushing Skylarks, most oh whom decided to take the opportunity for some song practice.
Other birds seen and heard included: Peregrine; Buzzard; Kestrel; Heron; Little Egret; Greenfinch; Goldfinch; Chiffchaff; Blackcap; Sswallow; Black-headed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Oystercatchers.
Some of the many insects seen are below. There were literally clouds of one species of dragonfly.
and this butterfly - which appears to be a Siamese twin - something I've seen in beetles before. Alternatively they could just have got really, really stuck mating ;-)
A lovely day, great wildlife, an eight mile walk (which gives us the excuse to have a packet of cheese and onion crisps with our cheese and onion roll - food of the Gods I tell you!) a couple of bites (prior to putting the DEET on) and only mild sunburn - wonderful :-)
"Let loose the Kraken!"