WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS We were up in Yorkshire at the start of the month enjoying a week's holiday at Bempton Cliffs. Gannets and Puffins were on the cards for us up there, and lots more besides. You'll be able to read more about our trip in due course. 

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS May ended up being a quiet month for me in terms of wildlife sightings, because Bob managed to put his back out sadly, which curtailed our outings together. In fact, we had been due to go to Kent on the 1st May as an early Birthday trip for him, but we had to cancel that. To be honest, it was actually nice for me having a bit of downtime with Bob, though obviously I wasn't happy about the reason! Although Bob's back is taking a while to fully recover, he's gradually getting there and doing much better now. Whilst there are only a few wildlife highlights to share with you for May, I've got to say, they were fabulous! I didn't have to travel far, as most were seen in our back garden in Seaford. It's amazing how much you can enjoy when you pay close attention to what's in your garden. Literally, within a few days of Bob putting his back out, we heard that two Spotted Sandpipers ( Actitis macularius ) had been seen along the River Ouse north of Piddinghoe, not far from Seaford. It's an exceptionally rare vagrant that you'd normally expect to see in North America, or in Central and South America where it overwinters. It would certainly draw a lot of keen birders to the area, and for that reason I didn't even consider going to look for it myself over the bank holiday weekend, as I'm not really a birder per se. But, by the Monday, I was tempted and Bob encouraged me to go, despite the likelihood it could be busy. It was very disappointing for him, as there was no way he could manage it, which was such a shame. So, having checked the latest sightings that day, I set off in the afternoon for Southease. I really hoped I would see them, but more than that, I prayed I'd have a really great close view of it on my own, which I knew was highly unlikely. As I walked along the east side of the bank south towards their last known location, I saw a man approaching from the other direction. We briefly stopped to chat. He was clearly a birder and shared the good news that he'd seen it, which was very encouraging for me. I continued on further, and then another two men approached. Once again, we stopped to chat. When I set off again, I noticed that there was no one else on my side of the bank. What luck! However, on the other side of the bank there were two small clusters of people, a little distance apart. The sun was behind them, so their side would have been better for photos, which no doubt was why they had gone to the west side. I just hoped the bit of cloud cover we had, would be to my advantage, making it easier to photograph from the east. The first group were pointing their bins or large camera lenses towards my side of the bank, so I knew where to look for the Spotted Sandpiper. I slowed down as I approached and it didn't take long for me to have my first glimpse of this attractive wader species through my bins. It's so striking. Just look at those lovely spots on its chest.

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS April was an amazing month for wildlife moments for myself and Bob, so much so, it's been a struggle to narrow it down to just the encounters I've shared below...and there's still quite a few! The month was off to a great start with a new species for me - the Black-necked Grebe. One was seen for a number of days at West Rise Marsh, on the outskirts of Eastbourne. Bob had already been to see it during the week, but was happy to go again with me when I was free. Despite the very windy conditions, we had some lovely views of this stunning bird.

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS At the end of February and early March, Bob and I were away in Norfolk for my birthday and had a wonderful trip. Plus, what a lovely birthday treat I had with both calendars produced by the Sussex Wildlife Trust showcasing two of my photos in the month of March! (Though rather disappointingly, they incorrectly attributed the one of the Common Seal to someone else). On the inside cover of the Rye Harbour calendar they also used my photo of mating Migrant Hawker dragonflies. This is a first for me, so I was thrilled they've used some of my photos.

WILDLIFE HIGHLIGHTS Bob and I have visited West Rise Marsh a few times this month to look for Jack Snipe, but sadly without much success. We did see one, we think, on one visit, but it flew off before we set eyes on it. It's much the same with the Common Snipe, which as their name suggests, we see more of, but they're super skittish and fly off well before we're even close to where they're hiding, around the boggy wet marshes. With so many wet, windy and dull days, plus the fact I still have to go to work, I was starting to wonder if my February Highlights would be virtually non existent, so I was content with photographing and observing a Heron, standing in the water. They can stand motionless for ages, and move very slowly, stealth-like through the water to new areas. Unfortunately, I was just moving into a new position, when it actually caught a fish. I missed capturing that moment when its head quickly and unexpectedly darted downwards and snatched its prey from the water. But, you can see the Heron in mid-gulp (first photo).