Home again.

Three and a half weeks after leaving for our northern adventure we are home and I must say I am really looking forward to sleeping in our own bed!

I have had  a fantastic time and apart from our homeward journey it has all gone so smoothly. We left Southport hoping to go birding on our way homeward but the weather was so awful and there was negative news of the bird we had thought we would go for so we decided to press on. Unfortunately what I assume to be a troubled man decided to climb a gantry over the M1 causing it to be closed for 28 hours and us to be held in awful traffic in torrential rain! We decided to spend the night part way home and maybe try for a tick in the morning.

Morning came and the weather, whilst not brilliant, was looking hopeful. So we, also feeling hopeful, decided to go to Paxton Pits and try to see a Great reed warbler. What a lovely site it is, one I am certain we will return to and best of all we got sight of the bird, a life tick for us both! No picture of the bird I’m afraid but a couple of views from the site.

We saw a pair of Great crested grebes, many, many tufted ducks and other birds one might expect there. Common terns were nesting on a secure platform, it intrigues me that bird know where they are safe!

We also saw some lovely damselflies and dragonflies too, all in all a good detour! I thought this might have been the Beautiful demoiselle but now I am sure it is a Banded demoiselle but despite the name it is still a beauty!  When seen in flight they look like butterflies, I think because of the dark wings.

Now pardon the intrusion but mating damsel/dragonflies are fascinating! First a pair of ‘blue’ damsels, not 100% sure which type these are yet so I will correct this when I find out.

Next a pair of Migrant Hawker dragonflies, there were none in sight until the sun peeped out then they all came out ‘to play’.

We were just about to leave Paxton when Ian spotted a Painted Lady. I have to tell you about something I saw today that was a definite first for me, mining bees! They are tiny bees that live on a hill and bore hole. As soon as one landed it was gone like a flash down in one of the pre drilled tunnels. They were certainly different and I intend to see them again.

So our visit brought us up to bird number 232.

On the way home we needed to pop to the shops for milk etc, imagine my surprise when our granddaughter, Alice,  was suddenly just outside the car! She was just about to meet up with her dad, but waht a lovely surprise a real treat. Then as we were going into the shop we bumped into a good friend, Trevor, we were really back on home territory

I suspect the next couple of days might be spent catching up with a few chores but then we will be out again to see what Norfolk has been up to while we were away!