Northern Lights from Home!

The Lesser Whitethroat I heard for the first time from the house on the 2nd (at about 4.30am!) stayed throughout May, singing incessantly from the hedgerow opposite the house. (I did try to capture it on camera but just got rubbish record shots. Frustratingly elusive!) I got better views later in the month of a bird in a local village and eventually a shot or two.

The Barn Owl up the road showed well at dusk and dawn, and I got decent shots on 10th May.

It was, however, from 10.30pm onwards that the stage lights came on – literally - for the main performance, stealing the show from the day’s avian cast: The Northern Lights! The forecast was excellent, and, with clear skies, we were in with a real chance of seeing them. And sure enough, as the skies darkened, the greens, yellows and purples began to shine through, and what a sight! Although not quite as amazing with the naked eye, the images on the camera were extra-ordinary and certainly far better than I had envisaged. I came away after an hour with a good 30+ keepers, and some stunning images including the ones here.