A quick stroll to the cove in Benodet , Brittany was rewarded by these brilliant birds dancing about in the sand , digging in with their beaks.

After some time searching they are Ruddy Turnstones.

Close up they are very ruddy their feathered are beautiful. They seemed completely preoccupied by whatever it was they were hunting in the sand and they let me sit and observe.

The beaches look brilliant today as the rain has stopped . This visit was very wet( see below!!)

Looking forward to exploring Brittany this week .

We read something very disturbing yesterday, in some parts of China there are no bees, they are pollinating Apple trees by hand !!

We take these amazing insects for granted , they are essential as well as beautiful. Plant your gardens for bees and other insects.

These two casualties of summer little and large ,one a bumble bee and the other small one looks like a honey bee but hard to be definite as very dried up.

The flowers on the open heath areas in Ashdown forest are an amazing colourful display.

The yellow is dwarf gorse an amazing bright yellow. The pinks and purples are heather.

If you begin to look more carefully you see that there are more than one type of heather growing and more than one shade of pink. I particularly liked the tall paler ling.

Some of the flowers are very bright.

The open heath is very beautiful with wonderful views.

Definitely a place to explore more.

I have been on the lookout for grasshoppers all summer . They are masters of disguise, quick and a tease ( making plenty of noise, but being invisible)

I spied this grasshopper in a patch of dry grass it was small . It is a Field grasshopper

What is the difference between grasshoppers and crickets ?

• Grasshoppers have short antennae.
• Crickets have long antennae.
• Grasshoppers stridulate (sing) by rubbing their back legs together.
• Crickets stridulate(sing) by rubbing their wings together.
• Grasshoppers have ‘ears’ on their abdomen.
• Crickets have ‘ears’ on their front legs.
• Grasshoppers are out in the day.
• Crickets are crepuscular ( they come out at dusk)
• Grasshoppers eat plants and grasses.
• Crickets also eat animal matter.

They both belong to the order Orthoptera.

When walking the same day on the heath in Ashdown forest I spotted a second even smaller grasshopper that was very green . The photo is not very clear but I was really pleased to see two in one day.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to been very close to a two toed sloth. My daughter was feeding the Sloth avocado!

These creatures are amazing close up, their eyes are so domed and their nose incredibly damp and shiny.

Sloths only come down from the tree where they live once a week for a poo!! They wee in the tree and eat in the tree. This sloth loved the plums and apples it was having but was especially fond of the avocado.

Sloths can live for 35 years , they weigh between 8-11 kg and have 4 very distinctive long canine shaped teeth that they can use to shred leaves.

This was an amazing experience to see these animals so close up.

After the recent rain there has been a definite spike in slugs, particularly in the evenings. We have noticed, especially the black ones;crossing paths, climbing walls and generally exploring.

This slug seemed very content munching on a corn cob, the remnants of a BBQ.

A walk in the warm sun in Ashdown Forest on open heath was full of colour . Yellow and purples everywhere . However this deep blue Gentian caught my eye and that Of a bee who was literally diving into it.

The inside of the flower is completely obscured by the backside of the bee.

This is a Marsh Gentian (Gentiana pneumonanthe) found in lowland heaths and acid grassland. This is a species in decline.

A brilliant blue and a lovely find.

We took a new path tonight that skirted the edge of a lake and then followed the River Nene.

The Reeds were amazing and as thick as bamboo canes and a fantastic dark blue green colour.

Along this walk a Heron landed and took flight as we travelled along.

Turning each corner or bend the Heron seemed to have arrived.

Earlier in the year we saw small Egrets at the lake , hopefully will see them again. In the meantime the Heron is great to see.

As we returned nearly to the end of our walk He was sat on a submerged tree looking serene.

https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/hobby/

Tonight out for a walk by the River Nene past the huge reed beds we saw a Hobby hunting and snatch a dragonfly . It was brilliant.