Butterfly Bonanza (Grand Turk& Caicos islands).

                                                  A Gulf Fritillary!

                                                A Cloudless Sulphur!
                                    This species is a Queen..

                                        The beautiful Monarch butterfly.

                                       A Long distance migrant..

                                  Monarchs are resident here...

                                            Monarch feeding.

                                                   Common Buckeye

The next port of call we visited on our cruise,I`ve renamed `Butterfly Island`.I have never seen as many butterflies together in one place as here,it was amazing!Within the space of 400yds from the port I counted 12 different species.Some were on the wing, whilst others were feeding on the assortment of flowers that carpeted the area.One species in particular stood out from the rest,it was larger and more numerous than the others and seemed to be flitting about everywhere I walked.This was the Monarch,a species that occasionally is found on the British Isles.These long distance migrants are native to North America but are known to winter in their tens of thousands to South America.These on the islands here were probably native and stay all year round.It was annoying not knowing the names of these beautiful fritillaries but I kept the camera busy for future reference.It was strange that birds were conspicuous by their absence,but it was nice to use a small macro lens and get up close with the butterflies and marvel at their beauty.I hope my photos do them justice, because it was a fantastic experience to be surrounded by these wonderful creatures......

Onto St Kitts

                                      Common Ground Dove

                                               Gray Kingbird

                                            Greater Yellowlegs

                                 Blue Winged Teal were numerous on the saltpans.

                          Black Winged Stilt and a few White Cheeked Pintail.

                                   A solitary Greater Yellowlegs

St Kitts was another of the islands where we docked.A  short walk around the town of Basseterre was taken, before the girls decided it was time to head for one of the local beaches.A local taxi driver quoted 27 dollar return to Cockleshell beach and we were duly on our way.A journey of about 25 mins was endured passing numerous saltpans en route.I could only hope that one was within walking distance from the beach, as this would give me some opportunities to view and of course photograph some of the local inhabitants.It didn`t take long to settle in, as 3 sunbeds an umberalla and 5 bottles of the local Carib beer in an ice filled bucket were purchased,cost a princely 25 american dollars.Ah,this is the life, as I took the top off another bottle of Carib.With thirst quenched and the girls sizzling nicely,I was off to explore the hinterlands.I could hear various whistles and noises in the distance, which could mean only one thing,,,,birds.A small brackish lagoon was spied through the bushes.Numerous duck and Black winged Stilt were feeding in the margins.The duck I couldn`t ID immediately but the Stilt were unmistakable.A few long legged waders were probing the soft mud and a small Sandpiper type scurried along.Grabbing what images I could,I would be able to identify these when I got home.I discovered later that the majority of the birds were North American en route to their wintering grounds,I couldn`t understand why they had to leave the islands, as although it was winter here, the temps were 26 degree celcius and  plenty of food about what more could they want!!!I`ll again leave you with a few of the images I obtained whilst out and about with the camera.Pity that time was very limited and having worked up a thirst I headed back to the sunbeds and another bucket of iced beer!!!!

Caribbean adventure (Tortola)

                                            
                      

                                               Royal Tern

                                            Successful catch.

                                             Magnificent Frigate bird.

                                   Pirates of the skies.

                                     Brown Pelican surrounded by the shoals.

                                      Trying for lunch.

With the winter weather heavily upon us, we decided to head for some guaranteed sunshine to the West Indies.Again, like this time last year, we embarked on a 2 week cruise of the Caribbeaan Isles.Cruising lets you see so much in a short space of time.First port of call was Tortola,which means Turtle Dove, not really much to do there only to head for the beach for the day.A real bonus for me was the amount of birds on show,although not a lot of different species there,  it was a mecca for Brown Pelican,Frigate bird and a few Royal Terns.These birds were here for one reason only and that was to feed.The shallow warm waters were alive with huge shoals of fish.The downside was I had left my 400mm lens on board ship and had only a 70-300mm zoom lens with me.Luckily the birds came quite close for me to catch some of the action.Whilst my wife and daughter lazed on the sunbeds,I was busy following the birds.The Pelicans were usually successful on their forays and would plunge from the sky head first into the mass of fish,coming to the surface with the bill pouch full to the rim,the water would sieve out of their bill, leaving them to swallow their catch.The Terns on the other hand were more subtle on their approach and would skim the surface picking off the odd individual fish.The frigate birds tactic was to wait while a tern had caught fish then ambush it and relieve it of its catch.It was an enjoyable afternoon in the sun and I`ve posted a few shots of the action.

Black Terns @ Brockholle NR.

On returning from a 3 hr walk over my local moors this fine morning,I learnt of 2 juv black terns down by the River Ribble adjacent to Brockholes NR near Preston.With it being such a fine day, I couldn`t help but put my walking boots on again in the hope of gaining some images of these wonderful birds.I thought most of them would be well on their way South by now but obviously these birds had lingered on a bit.I was soon onto them, thanks to one of the local birders and made the most of the occasion with my camera.Hope you enjoy the images as much as I enjoyed taking them!!!!!

Hebridean conclusion

 She landed on a fence post in the distance.

 Stunning female Merlin

 Eyeing me with caution.

 Stunning light!!

 Absolutely awesome sunset!

To finish off my Hebridean adventure,I`ve posted a few shots of a bird that I really wanted to see on these western isles and thats the Merlin.I was fortunate to come across this female having caught what seemed like a Skylark,she flew away into the distance initially but I relocated her sat on a fencepost some 500 yds along the road.She stayed long enough for me to obtain a good few shots.

The Short Eared Owls were pretty regular throughout the trip but on the last evening there I had near perfect light to enable me to get some excellent shots.The conclusion to my weeks stay was the most amazing sunset looking out over the sea a truly fantastic end to my holiday!!!!

South Uist/Hebredes2

 Thought I`d continue my sortie to the Uists with a selection of birds that I encountered.The starlings had began to flock up for the winter,no doubt many from the Arctic had come in recently.Although often overlooked by the photographer they are in fact quite an attractive bird in their spotty winter plummage!

 Large flocks of waders were beginning to appear on the coastlines so I grabbed the chance of some close ups with the effervescent SanderlingMany of these were juveniles but its always a pleasure to sit patiently and capture the moment.

 They really do allow you to get close and I often think as I watch them scurry about, of whence they came and where they will end up on their journey South!

 The Wheatear is one of our first migrants to arrive in the Spring,so it saddens me to see them departing our shores on their long journey to Africa as it means Summer is just a memory and a long cold Winter lies ahead!!

 They certainly use a lot of energy in their quest for food!

 Huge flocks of Golden Plover inhabit the Machair but trying to get near them with the camera proved difficult!

 This Buzzard alighted quite close luckily I`d stopped for a drink of coffee and had the camera to hand,again these can be difficult to approach.

I was watching the Short Eared Owls when this female Hen Harrier appeared and began hunting over the Machair,she suddenly spotted something and pounced  on the unsuspecting prey!!!

South Uist/Hebrides.



On a recent trip to the Uists I had some lovely encounters with some Otters.This particular one was hunting the edge of a rocky outcrop, which I used to my advantage to get within 3 metres,when it heard the sound of the shutter button it just give me a quick glance and carried on unperturbed!!

 I was that close to it, I watched it chasing this fish underwater before finally surfacing with it in its jaws!

 This was another Otter I stumbled upon whilst driving around a freshwater loch in Bernerey.In fact there were 2 together, 20 metres from the bank.I could see one had caught this eel and after a couple of minutes toying with it, it headed towards the bank to devour it.There wasn`t any cover to advance closer but I was happy to watch from a safe distance of about 40 yds and obtained this image!!

 Whilst driving back to South Uist, I stopped to investigate what I thought was a dead pine martin by the roadside,however it turned out to be a polecat.I didn`t think there were any of these on the islands,so maybe it was an escapee from one of the local gamekeepers,interesting never the less!

Lakenheath/Hockwold Fen.

                                                       Returning at dusk.

                                                       Bearded Tit.

                                                             Reed Warbler.

                                                                Cuckoo.

                                                            Marsh Harrier.

                                                      A photographers delight.

                                                       A bonus flypast.

F15 Eagle.

Stone Curlew.

A few days off work found me heading down the A1 and across country to the Suffolk/Norfolk border.On previous visits I`d gone down in early May,however I was confident that June would be just as rewarding.Lakenheath and a quick visit east to Minsmere were to be my initial destinations,with an odd early morning sortie round the local heaths!Golden Oriole are synonomous with the area and these were often heard amongst the poplar plantations on the reserve.Cuckoos were regularly seen patrolling, as hundreds of pairs of Reed and Sedge warblers breed amongst the dense reedbeds,they are of course perfect hosts for this parasitic migrant.

Marsh Harriers had bred successfully and numbers were on the increase again,proving that with good management and suitable habitat these fantastic birds will thrive.I watched them skimming the tops of the reedbeds on the lookout for small birds and Coot chicks which they seemed to favour.The weather was kind with blue skys which added to the enjoyment of being on the reserve.Many a time a deafening roar would be heard as the American F15 Eagle fighter jet would take off from the runway close by,maybe on their way to Libya on a mission.They are awesome beasts when seen at close range and the power they possess is frightening to say the least.

Also seen were Bearded Tits clinging to the reed stalks,their evocative ping ping call never to far away.There was so much going on, at times you didn`t know where to point the camera !Two pairs of Barn Owls were resident and both were feeding youngsters.Sightings were guaranteed of the birds,with dusk being my favourite time,most people had left by then and I had the place to myself as the sun went down!

Not too far away is another reserve, managed by the Suffolk wildlife trust and  noted for Kingfisher sightings.I set myself up in a hide and within half an hour was rewarded with great views of an adult bird diving into the shallow water emerging with sticklebacks to take back to their young.Perches had been strategically placed in front of the hide and the Kingfisher would regularly use them, allowing great photo opportunities!

On the way back to my campsite, I checked the local heathland for Stone Curlew and discovered up to 5 birds present in one particular area.Access to the heaths are prohibited till Nov, to give these rare birds space and encouragement to breed.It seems to work well, as again I believe numbers are up on last year.
I really enjoy visiting the Breks of Suffolk and wish I had more time to spend there with the camera.I`ll certainly return for my annual fix next year and hope to share with you again, some more magical moments of what it has to offer.Hope you enjoy this years account and images!!!!!!!!!!