Buzzards, Heron and Hobby

 We spent a couple of hours at Kingcombe Lodge before heading home and were rewarded with views of the Heron, a passing Hobby and up to four Buzzards in lovely light.

Toller Porcorum Demoiselles and Dragon

 The Beautiful Demoiselles at Toller were mostly not yet fully mature but the brilliant blue of the male is beginning to show with the green and brown females. A Southern Hawker put on a good flying display for me and then perched conveniently

Powerstock reptiles etc

 Another session at Powerstock Common produced some great reptiles- Common Lizards including black form (juvenile) and a Slow worm (a legless lizard not a snake). The Scorpion Fly wanted to get in on the act.

Dawn at Kingcombe

 Beautiful misty morning after rain overnight. Meadows looked magical with dew drops and cobwebs

Woodpeckers and Fighting Sparrows

 The Green Woodpecker chick at Studland put its head out every time the adult was in the area so I hoped for a feeding picture but we decided that the adults were trying to get the youngster to leave the nest. The Greater Spotted Woodpecker and House Sparrows are on the feeders at out accommodation.

Studland Heath

Not a lot of wildlife to observe on Studland Heath. It is famous for reptiles though I only saw brief sightings of lizards, they are obviously there as this Wood Ant is carrying a shed snake skin. I did manage a female Keeled Skimmer, a glimpse of the Dartford Warbler and a very pristine Sundew. (Looking at photo I believe this is a female Black-tailed Skimmer not a keeled)

Kimmeridge and West Bay

 Our next stop was Kimmeridge Bay, famous for the flat rocks but these were covered as the tide was higher  than expected probably due to the onshore wind. The wind surfers kept us occupied for a couple of hours - very brave folk in the huge waves. I remembered that West Bay had a promenade and therefore might be good to photograph at high tide, so we ended up there. The spray was fantastic but even more intriguing were the large lumps of foam being propelled into the air.

Swanage Pier

 Very strong winds were forecast so we went searching good rough sea pictures. Our first stop at Swanage proved to be an error for our mission as the bay is protected by the hills from the South Westerly. Howewever the pier itself and the diving Sandwich Terns were very attractive in the welcome sunshine

Powerstock Common Dorset

 Four butterflies from today - Green Hairstreak,Speckled Wood, Wood White and Marsh Fritillary, Three species of Orchid,  Greater  Butterfly, Twayblade and Common Spotted, with Foxgloves.

No Hobbies but other birds at Lakenheath

 We went to try for more low-level photographs on Hobbies but only a couple seen very high in the sky. However, there were several small birds feeding young (Reed Warbler and Whitethroat) and even a really friendly Jackdaw fledgling. The Banded Demoiselle is enjoying an insect snack.

Wicken Fen on a Windy Day

 The wind was still pretty strong this morning so there wasn't much flying at Wicken Fen - the Male Sparrowhawk and the Swifts were two species on the wing. We spent a bit of time in the Hide watching the squabbles of the Greenfinches and Goldfinches over the niger seed.

Lakenheath Birds

 A few more birds from our visit to Lakenheath yesterday. The female Marsh Harriers were few in number -  presumably sitting on the nest while the males hunted. This male has caught a rat and is carrying it back to the nest. There were lots of Common Terns diving for fish in the river. I was very surprised by the rainbow colours on the Magpie as the iridescence reflected the blue sky. The small birds are mostly sitting on eggs rather than feeding young as they were this time last year. The Reed bunting and Sedge Warbler were among the few small birds seen.