Friendly Nature

The sun is shining, the birds are singing and we're off to sunny Suffolk! The only problem is, that by the time we arrive at the Suffolk Wildlife Trust's nature reserve at Lackford Lakes, it's overcast with a chill wind. But that won't stop us!

It's a while since we've been here and I remember a series of scenic lakes with a mix of open areas and woodland. But we could really do with a bit of sunshine to both brighten up my photos and to set the birds singing. That's a real old-school bird hide on the far side of the water.

And this magnificent construction, which has appeared since we were last here, is very much the state-of-the-art design, both practical and visually appealing. It's a two-storey affair with indoor seating and balconies. On the lower level there's a special low window to accommodate those who use wheelchairs.

And here's the panorama from up top. On a dull day like this there's one location that might just provide some photos. In a small patch of woodland there's a fallen tree where photographers and others scatter seed and nuts to tempt the birds to come closer. The birds, of course, know all about this and take full advantage.

The Robin is one of our most approachable birds. At one time they made a good living following herds of wild pigs through the forest, picking off any grubs and insects turned up by their rootling snouts. In the absence of wild pigs they quickly learned that human gardeners gave them much the same opportunities through their digging and hoeing.

Here comes a Great Tit, looking very smart and perhaps on the look-out  for a mate. 

But food is the main priority on a chilly morning like this. Not only was nature being friendly this morning but also the people who were sharing the joy of being close to the birds. Les soon fell into conversation with a man with a fine country accent. But there was also a young woman training her camera lens on a disintegrating log and intermittently firing off a short volley of shots. Try as we may we couldn't make out what she was photographing till she let us in on the secret.

Bank Voles! They've also discovered the constant source of food here and scamper out from their hidey-holes, grab a mouthful and are gone. They are really quite common in woodland areas, but mostly go unnoticed because of their tiny size and secretive ways. They have good reason to be secretive too; all kinds of predators regard them as a tasty snack.

The Great Tit's smaller cousin, the Blue Tit, is also here to enjoy a free meal.

And here's that Robin again. One thing you quickly become aware of is the strict "pecking order" amongst the birds who come to this fast-food take-away. And the bird that most exemplifies that phrase has been here several times already. However its "take-away" is so fast that it's no sooner here than gone.

Eventually a Coal Tit hesitated for just a second and allowed me to get my picture (I won't show you all the failed attempts which just show a bare piece of log). Then for a minute or so all the birds were gone.

A Nuthatch was making an upside-down approach to the feeding area and they seem to be the boss among the smaller woodland birds.

There were actually two of them who appeared together, probably a pair, though they were never close enough to each other to get them both in the picture.

A Bank Vole pops out to pick up any fallen seed.

And we'll finish off the morning's entertainment with another portrait of the Nuthatch. As so often happens, just as we were about to leave, some watery sunshine seeped through the clouds.

These trees, just coming into leaf, deep in the reedbed, caught my eye for some reason as we made our way back to the car park. We had plans to spend the afternoon somewhere rather different.

Take care.