Tuesday 15 May 2012

Before Breakfast at Elmley

Steve and I were our just after 7am - the weather at that time was superb.  First we stopped so I could photograph one of the many Brown Hares on the property and then some obliging Stock Doves.

Brown Hare
Stock Dove
Moving on we drove across a meadow with 6 wonderful adult Mediterranean Gulls and went looking for Short-eared Owls.  We did have one bird hunting but too distant to get any more photographs.

Adult Mediterranean Gull
Stopping off to get breakfast we just had time to catch a glimpse of a Grey Partridge.

Grey Partridge

Elmley is a fabulous National Nature Reserve with more breeding waders than most other sites in the UK.  Most of the birds found are declining species elsewhere and have been affected by modern farming. It is therefore heartening that this splendid effort is down to the vision and enthusiasm of farmer and landowner Philip Merricks.

Skylark
Goose-stepping Lapwing chick
Redshank

Tomorrow I visit a new Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserve.

No comments:

Post a Comment