I was at Woodwalton Fen first thing and pretty much had the place to myself for most of the morning. Plenty of Chinese water Deer and a few water voles and a single muntjac but it was the birds that made the morning. Loads of garden warblers amongst the throng of warblers on site and plenty of groppers reeling away as well, 7 species in total. 2 cuckoo's, food passing marsh harriers, water rail and plenty of other birds on my wander on a wonderful morning. I headed for lunch and then on to Upwood Meadow where the green winged orchids were in flower nicely but not as impressive as last year. I met up with other members of the Cambridgeshire bat group for a box check 23 Soprano pipistrelles and 12 noctules.
Chippy Sue's, Whittlesey - Just Chips 8.5/10

I finished early and headed to Therfield on what was a beautiful afternoon, I arrived at the field complete with four dotterel showing well. John Dixon was on site and we spent a few hours watching and chatting. After having our fill of the dotterel we headed off, stopping for two whestears on the way back after a nice afternoon.

Fish n Chickn Fish Bar, Royston - Battered Sausage and chips - 8/10.

Somehow I slept through my alarm somehow, and left 90 mins later than planned. I headed down to Dorset, stopping in the New Forest on the way down to check out a few sites for future trips. I then headed to a roadside verge to see the Woodstock x Fly orchid hybrids they were smaller than expected and tricky to find but worth the effort to visit. I made a detour for a quick tourist stop and a weasel shot across the road, I stopped but could not squeak it out. Next stop was Langton Herring to see the very distant Kentish plover but the area was alive with whitethroats and a fly through whimbrel was nice. The weather was not ideal for herps so instead I looked for the Great Grey Shrike near Arne but had no luck so popped into Arne for an ice cream not intending to stay as I knew it would be busy but some reported yellow wagtails lured me into a quick look round. The wagtails were showing nicely with the cattle but the significant visitor disturbance ensured little else was about apart from the sika deer. I popped into Blashford Lakes just as they were closing my visit too brief to locate the Bonaparte's gull so I headed for home.

Parkway Fish Bar, Poole - Battered Sausage, chips and Baked bean Fritter - 8/10.

A handful of Moths lesser swallow prominent the pick, I had other stuff to do but on the way home late afternoon, I stopped in at Folksworth for the rather distant Ring Ouzel.

I had never intended to go to Minsmere but that is where I ended. I finished work early and headed to was at Fox Fritillary Meadow reserve open evening for the Snakeshead fritillaries to see the spectacular flowering of these weird plants. I had had my fill of fritillaries and the obvious next stop was Minsmere for the Savi's Warbler which showed very briefly but was singing quite a lot. But it was the mammals that made the evening first was a very brief otter in the far corner of the mere. I though about heading to Westleton Heath to look for deer so headed back to the car. Some rustling grabbed my attention and I got the briefest view of a shrew, on the route back to the car I bumped into a muntjac which showed nicely and then a small herd of red deer near the visitor's centre. No need to go to Westleton so I took a wander encountering yet another mammal this time a water vole on the pond, and with several grey squirrels and dozens of rabbits that was 7 mammal species in less than 2 hours - not a bad evening.

Debenham Fish and Chips, Debenham - chips and Mushy Peas - 8/10.

I took an evening trip to Stansted Airport Lagoons to see the summer plumaged Black necked grebe found the previous day. It showed well but the light was not ideal, I sat on the bank of the lagoon in a good spot as the grebe moved up and down the lagoon. There were loads of house and sand martins my first of the year, security turned up and parked up opposite, I was 20m past the no entry sign and they were trying to move me with just their presence, but I clearly had more staying power and they left after 20 mins and I stayed until the light was too poor and I headed home.

I was up early and found my way to Cassiobury Park in Watford where as I arrived a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was calling. It showed well for the next hour with another nearby occasionally calling, well worth the visit. With nothing else on the cards and the sun putting in an appearance I headed for North Kent to see some herps and orchids. Early Purple orchids in full flower and common spotted leaves just emerging. Dozens of slow worms and one adder was all I could find herp wise but I bumped into a hunting fox although difficult to photograph with a 100mm macro lens! After some lunch I stopped in at Rainham RSPB for an ice cream and a wander, the place was very busy with people but a litle quite on the wildlife front. Plenty of sedge warblers and the odd whitethroat but little else in the way of migrants. A water shrew showed briefly in a ditch a few times, and I called it a day.

Sole Plaice, Darenth - Saveloy and chips - 8/10.

I was first person at Woodwalton Fen for a morning wander, a water vole showed too briefly for my camera but the Chinese water deer were more co-operative. Three grasshopper warblers were elusive and the place was alive with blackcap, sedge, willow and reed warblers. A brief grass snake, plenty of butterflies and the first large red damselflies. It started to get busy so I left stopping at Upwood Meadow to check on the Green winged Orchids where three were in flower but plenty in bud. I stopped at a common lizard site on the way home, only one showed briefly but it was enough for a quick photo.

Alan's Fish Bar, Ely - Spam Fritter, Pea fritter and chips - 8/10.

I was at Santon Downham at dawn my target lesser spotted woodpecker, I had seen one briefly a few weeks back and thought I would give it another go. A brief view of water vole on the walk was a good omen, and it was not long until I heard a lesser spotted woodpecker and then one landed in a dead tree a little way off, the light was still poor but I got a few photos. I spotted some disturbance in the water, and thought it may be another vole, but it was two otters, a mother and cub. They showed well and I followed them up the river watching them fish although a couple of moorhens exploded away when they spotted the otters. A water vole was not so lucky and despite diving into the water for his burrow it was not match for the mother and she easily caught the water vole and passed it to the cub and it took 10 mins for the cub to eat. The mother finished the left overs and they continued their hunt, I followed them for well over an hour until the arrived at a holt and disappeared to sleep off their breakfast. It was a great experience watching them feeding together and really made the day. I headed back to the car for a drink, encountering a large number of bramblingon the way and then took a wander in the woods looking for ladybirds, I only found two pine ladybirds and a striped ladybird but during my wander I spotted a couple of tree pipits, yellowhammers and stonechats. I stopped in at Weeting but the stone curlews were hiding so I moved on to Lakenheath where booming bitterns were the highlight. There were plenty of warblers almost all out of sight but I did flush my first chinese water deer at the site on the way to the wash land for the glossy ibis which was showing distantly. With little else around grabbed an ice cream and headed for home.

Lakenheath Chip Shop, Lakenheath - King Rib, Chips and pickled Egg 8.5/10

Just a few moths this week as the weather was not ideal, very cold at night and quite breezy similar species to last week hebrew character, early grey, common quaker etc. the best moth was a tawny pinion.

I was up early and was first to Fowlmere determined to get better views of water shrews and water voles. A herd of fallow deer and a couple of muntjac and a nice treecreeper. I staked out the water shrews but only one brief view so took a wander along the stream and had 3 brief views of water voles but got a photo of the last one. I had to head to work but stopped as another water vole was feeding and allowed me to approach slowly and get some photos.

I had not been to Fowlmere for ages so was up early for a pre work visit, I was greeted by 4 Jungle Fowl which I am not sure is the reason for the reserve name. I flushed a lone fallow deer and several muntjac before one allowed a few photos. The place was alive with birds blackcap and chiffchaffs everywhere a few sedge warblers and a single reed warbler. Goldcrests and cetti’s warblers were showy and a brief bullfinch is always nice to see. A brief water shrew and a bank vole deep in the undergrowth were nice to see and hard to photograph. I missed the water vole and 5 brown hares playing in the fields behind the reserve were too far for the camera so I just watched their antics. Corn buntings and calling grey partridges nearby as I headed for work and the families headed for the reserve, a good swap.

A rather more leisurely start took me to Vange Marsh RSPB where the two black winged stilts were showing well. I headed into Kent and made a couple of quick stops for slow worms and early purple orchids before reaching Dungeness. The long staying ring necked duck was still on its favoured pool and the long eared owl was deep in its bush but there was little else on the reserve apart from ice cream. I headed to the beach and did some ladybird hunting, here I located 2 species 24 spot ladybird and Rhizobius litura before a stop for a late lunch, another ice cream and home.

Greatstone Fish Bar, Lade - Battered Sausage, Chips, mushy peas and pickled egg 7.5/10

I was up early and at Woodwalton Fen for dawn, it was cover in thick mist and I waited for 40 mins before it was worth heading into the reserve. Chinese water deer were easily found and I had sightings of three water voles. A couple of sedge warblers were singing away and I could hear a grasshopper warbler in the distance, I moved closed and had a few brief views. I took a wander round the reserve marsh harriers displaying and a very brief otter sighting. Blackcaps, chiff chaffs and willow warblers were everywhere but the best find was a redstart but it was not staying for photos. One brief view of a lizard but no other herps and I headed off for lunch. I moved onto Cambridge to a regular site for red eared terrapins, where two were sunning themselves in the glorious weather. I moved onto another site for water voles, but they were being elusive and I had one brief view before heading home.

Chippy Sue's, Whittlesey - Haggis and Chips 8.5/10

On the Moth front this week it was very samey with no real attractive moths, I hope that the better weather coming will bring some good stuff. Moths this week included Early grey, Early Thorn, Common Plume, double striped pug, hebrew character Also Rosemary Beetle, Hawthorn Shieldbug and tawny mining bee the non moths in the trap. Close to work I stopped to see the golden rabbits a couple had been showing well for the last few days and I stopped one evening for some photos.

I finished work early and popped over to Sudbury, where after a short search I located the white stork of unknown origin. It showed quite well but where I was standing was actually on private land although it looked like the well marked footpath, it was actually not. The owner informed me and I apologised and offered to leave but they were happy that nothing untoward was happening and I was invited to stay and see the stork.

Oh My Cod, Sudbury - Battered Burger and Chips 8/10

I was in Yorkshire pursuing other interests, and ended up on Ilkley moor where I bumped into a male red grouse showing quite nicely, shame I only has a 70mm wide angle lens to use on him. I was still unwell and I had a tumble hurting my leg, twisting and ankle and yowling in pain and it took 20 mins before I could walk so deserved an ice cream, I changed what I was doing and took a wander (or rather a limp) down the Strid (An ancient riverside woodland), some nice grey wagtails and a good display of woodland flowers including large amounts of toothwort. I headed for some chips and home.

Towngate Fisheries, Idle - Spam Fritter, Chips and Mushy Peas 8/10

I was ill all weekend so didm't leave home, which was criminal given the lovely weather so I had to be content in the garden. Quite a few insects about but no butterflies the best find was a 22 spot ladybird. Although I did enjoy watching the tawny mining bees at work.

Don't tell the wife but recently I recently purchased a new toy, I was after a powerful but small handheld torch and after some research I purchased a Olight x7 Marauder - not cheap when you chuck in two sets of rechargable batteries. Max output is 3000-9000 lumens with a 300m throw and the performance is excellent and it only weighs 500g with batteries. I have tested it a couple of times, but not spotted much wildlife with it yet, apart from a muntjac in the garden on Monday night.