Nature through the eyes of my camera

Sunday 22nd August Dunwich Heath Having booked a slot at Dunwich Heath National Trust site I was able to stroll around the heather ladened heath with my husband, daughter and granddaughter. The heath was a mass of purple, dotted with the occasional splash of yellow gorse. My aim today was to help my granddaughter with her photography.  She has a good eye for a photo and enjoyed herself.  The image below she called a shady spot. There were beautiful clouds in the sky today. We did a circular walk and stopped at the cafe for refreshments before taking a stroll down to the beach.

Thursday 20th August Ramsholt Today we went to Ramsholt where we followed a walk from Gill Moon's book The Suffolk Coast (25 walks with your camera). It was only a short walk of two miles but as I had been having problems with my back it was far enough. Ramsholt used to be a thriving place with sailing barges arriving to unload coal and other supplies and to take away local produce such as sugar beet. It once had a school with fifty pupils. It is much quieter today with mainly leisure boats and tourists. The Ramsholt Arms (original the Ferry House) is a very popular pub overlooking the River Deben. Our walk followed the shore line of the Deben until we turned right to join a footpath onto the marshes. The marshes are used for grazing and are great for wildlife such as barn owls, marsh harriers and red deer. All Saints Church dates back to Norman times.  It was renovated in the 1950's.  It has a round tower supported by buttresses.  There are wonderful views from the church lo

Thursday 27th August Piper's Vale and Landseer Park Piper's Vale is a local nature reserve on the southern outskirts of Ipswich. It is part of the Orwell Country Park, on the banks of the River Orwell. The site has a diverse habitat with many insects, birds and butterflies. There is also a variety of wild flowers and wild fruits. Holly Blue Dock Bug Landseer Park used to be a wooded valley with a  brook running into the River Orwell.  Until the 1960's the area consisted of various mature trees, set in woodland along shrubland and wetland.  The site was then used as a  landfill site for domestic waste.  The rubbish has now been buried and the area is a public park where wildlife has now reinstated itself. Garden Spider Wasp Spider

Saturday 8th August Walberswick Walberswick is a village on the Suffolk coast at the mouth of the River Blyth. There is a long shingle beach with sand dunes behind, surrounded by marsh and heathland. A nature reserve follows the River Blyth estuary combining mudflats, meadow and marsh. Walberswick held the World Crabbing Championships for many years and crabbing is still a popular pastime for families today. Sand dunes covered in sea holly. Part of the old pier. Holiday cottage Beside the River Blythe Sea Lavender and Sea Purslane Mooring poles on the Blythe

Sunday 14th July Shingle Street Shingle Street is a small coastal hamlet situated between Bawdsey and Orford. It was originally home to fishermen and river pilots. A martello tower was built in the 19th century and later became the coastguard station. Many of the original buildings date from the 19th century although several were destroyed during world war II. Those that remain are mostly holiday lets. Although there is only a shingle beach the ebb and flow of the tide over the years, plus the wind, has created huge mounds of shingle, pools and inlets that fill and empty with the tide. One of the many pools and a fisherman's cottage. One of the shingle mounds and inlets. Holiday lets. Old fishing paraphernalia.   There are several different kinds of coastal flowers and shrubs along the shingle. Small Copper butterfly on Tansy.

Saturday 11th July Bradfield Woods Today was a bright, sunny day so it was ideal to go to Bradfield Woods in the hope of seeing and photographing some butterflies.Bradfield Woods is one of the richest woods in Britain and a National Nature Reserve owned by Suffolk wildlife Trust. The ancient ash stools at the Bradfield woods were created by centuries of coppicing, and are the oldest living things in Suffolk. With over 370 species of flowering plants and around 420 different fungi. Comma Peacock Silver-washed Fritillary My first ever Purple Hairstreak My first ever Purple Emperor These are just a few of the butterflies we saw during our walk around the woods. This was the first time we had taken our 8 year old Granddaughter with us to photograph butterflies so seeing and photographing the Purple Hairstreak and the Purple Emperor was a bonus for us all.

Saturday 20th June Piper's Vale Piper's Vale is one of the many parks in Ipswich. It is a local nature reserve on the bank of the River Orwell. Its diverse habitats include reedbeds, scrub, alder carr and heath. Over 100 different birds have been recorded in the reserve. Today we are hoping to find a few butterflies as well as view the Orwell Bridge from beneath. The building of the Orwell Bridge was started in October 1979 and finished in December 1982. A view from the waters edge A selection of butterflies  A Marbled White Common Blue

Tuesday 5th/Friday 8th May Lock-down walks Swans swapping over duties as we walk passed the mill on our walk today. Today our walk takes us along Pope's Green Lane and out into the countryside.  Not far along we turn off onto a bridleway leading to Wyncoll's Lane. Along the track there is a massive oak tree. It is one of the largest in the area. Barn owls are regular visitors here. Another view of the same tree. We soon reach the old cart track leading to Wyncoll's Lane. This cart track was used by cart and horses many years ago. The branches of the trees converge overhead forming a tunnel. It's very surreal. The tunnel emerges near Wincoll's Farm. Here we turn right and follow the lane until it joins Pope's Green Road again. We saw many flowers and insects on the way round including this female Orange Tip butterfly and a Sawfly. On returning to Layham we were surprised to find the first of the cygnets had hatched.  

Thursday 28th May Barn Owl We have spent time in the local nature reserve today hoping to get some shots of a local Barn Owl hunting. We were not disappointed. Circling round before coming back to the nest box. We also managed to catch a Cormorant in flight and some Greylag geese.  

Saturday 25th April Lock-down walk 2 Today we took a longer walk to the bluebell wood, onto Rands Road and through to Bullocky Fen before returning across some fields to Hill Farm where I then took the road towards the Hadleigh rugby club to home. It was again a beautiful day and ideal for walking. A private wood with an amazing display of bluebells this year. Wild flowers are in abundance at the moment Farm buildings and corn field From Rands Road we wove our way through flower laden pathways to Bullocky Fen. In years gone by drovers used to drive their cattle down this pathway to the river to drink. Hence the name Bullocky Fen. From this old oak tree a new one growing. With so many wild flowers around hoverflies were easy to spot. On returning home the swan by the mill was sitting on it's nest now full of eggs.