Local Wildlife

There is something seriously wrong here. It's a bank holiday weekend and the weather is good. um.

For the first time in ages I went to Hatfield Forest. It was fairly quiet but I did see Bullfinch, Marsh Tit, Great Spot and Green Woodies. The lake had Great Crested Grebe's, a Kingfisher and a lone Common Tern. Alas there were few photo ops.

Escaped domestic duck.


Incoming Canada Geese.


Since someone in Canada would be screaming PHOTOS at this point (hi OC :D) I popped to Fisher's Green to a feeding station.

Juvenile Greenfinch



Blue Tit



House Sparrow - Male


House Sparrow - Female or juvenile


Blue Tit


Female House Sparrow



Blue Tit







Blue Tit



Goldfinch


Blue Tit


House Sparrow - Female


Great Tit


Female Chaffinch


Blue Tit



Female Chaffinch


House Sparrow - Male



Great Tit





Juvenile Greenfinch






So with enough photos to keep OC happy I headed to Rye Meads.

I couldn't see a Garganey but the Ruff was still about and there were Green Sandpiper and flipping loads of Canada Geese.

Female Pochard



Young Tufted Duck


Gadwall in flight


Little Grebe


Canada Geese





A flutter


and a Dragon

The Kentwell Way

For quite a while I've kept thinking I should show you Kentwell. Kentwell is a Tudor house on the outskirts of Long Melford. I've been to Melford many times since this blog started but I've not shown you Kentwell.

The house and its contents are nowt special. There are many Tudor houses in England and many have a finer set of contents. The house is in private hands it was bought in the 1970's by the Phillips who have done much to restore it. Kentwell is not frozen and the Phillips have added a Breughel pastiche to the drawing room, your view of the Phillips additions is personal but it is different from the usual National Trust style and that's no bad thing.

So why having said that do I want to show you Kentwell? Well the Phillips have restored the estate (the walled garden is a working garden) and have introduced the recreations of Tudor life. These offer us a chance to see how the family in a Great Tudor House might have lived, and how the community in and about the manor supporting them, went about their daily lives in the House's heyday in the 16th Century.

The recreations don't concentrate on battles or the "great and the good" but on domestic life. The tudors are not professional actors people make there are costumes and authenticity is the key. Nor are they repetitive, it is a day in the life of the house. At 3 o'clock people will be doing different things to 12 o'clock.

They are also do WWII recreations and Ghose Evenings. You have to admire the Phillips energy and of the many minor houses in private hands Kentwell is one you think has a chance of a secure future.

Now if I wander around with one camera on I stick a travel lens on it. Today I was wandering around with a 10-20 ultra wide angle. Don't know why! I did have my little compact which was in B&W mode and was used for the fish picture as well.

Enough waffle!!









The duck was walking on the fish at one point!






























Tomorrow will be wildlife promise!!