Wednesday 30 April 2014

Young Girl - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap

Referring to yesterdays Post, I am in no way suggesting that my return to England a year ago was a 'Life Changing Experience', but today's events certainly are! I have been waiting 'expectantly', if you'll excuse the expression, for news of the arrival of my first and what will be only Granddaughter:- this text was received at 16:15 - "We have a little baby girl! She's so cute and having a nice feed. We've called her Elizabeth Louise. She weighs 6lb 8oz". That is not only 'Life Changing' but also 'Life Beginning' and as well as meeting Elizabeth Louise, hopefully in the near future, I'm simply dying to see the reaction of her 3 brothers Frederick, Alexander and Benjamin. I also look forward to sharing the photographs, as and when they arrive, with this very special 'readership'. Things are really happening here now and it's a promise that this won't be the last 'bombshell' of the week - WATCH THIS SPACE!

Since last Friday very little time has been spent 'in the field' but the Moth Traps have been active every night and we haven't been walking around with our eyes closed either! From the traps over the weekend we have logged a few Insects 'new for the year' (#) and one 'new to the property (*).
 DARK-BARRED TWIN-SPOT CARPET#
 SPRUCE CARPET#
 GREEN CARPET#
 SCORCHED CARPET#
I have been 'on the carpet' a few time during the years at sea, so
this is a nice change.
 PEPPERED MOTH*
additionally we have seen
 BLACK SEXTON BEETLE
and
 COCKCHAFER
(or May Bug our first of the year)
Of note? I once sailed in a small cargo vessel of the same name. 
On Saturday, amid a small influx of common migrant birds, there
was a single
 YELLOW WAGTAIL
flying over the farm as it went.
 COOT
a nest with 9 eggs close to the road at Parley Pond.
The Carrion Crows seem to be keeping a 24 hour watch!
 BEECH
and all other trees are now reaching their best.
 BULLFINCH
are showing daily at the north end of the property,
we are looking for signs of breeding,
 while LINNET already have.
Unusually close to the pathway a photograph was possible 
just in passing with neither parent 'sitting'.
Another Thank You should be extended to John Gifford for assistance with identifications.
Unfortunately, there has been no sight or sound of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker but we live in hope that this is because they are incubating eggs and have fallen silent during that period. If indeed they do breed there will certainly be a cacophony from the young jostling for food.
I doubt if the re-appearance of Australia in the Top Ten is anything of a coincidence, given THE HAPPENING of the day. If you are reading this our Very Best Wishes go to ALL the York's, the Australian division of our ever expanding family!
Entry            Pageviews
United States
                  670
United Kingdom
                  598
Germany
                    76
Estonia
                    63
Russia
                    58
India
                    19
Canada
                    15
Greece
                    11
France
                      8
Australia
                      7

Tuesday 29 April 2014

The Shape of Things to Come - Part III

Maybe hard to believe, but today is the first anniversary of my return to England  after a magical 5 months tour of numerous parts of the Americas. Met at Portsmouth Docks by my dear friends Paul and Tess, I stayed with them for a couple of nights and enjoyed the very best of home comings!
If there is any consolation to facing the mundane then I feel lucky to have chosen 3 days of the most foul weather. The wall to wall heavy rain of Sunday followed closely that of Saturday, which was only surpassed by yesterday's deluge conditions, including heavy hail, accompanied by the most ferocious of thunder and lightening storms. So having been confined to barracks for that period it was not much of a hardship having got so much done. A couple more days and most things will be completed, a few more milestones will have been reached? and maybe we'll get back to Live Posts, but for now the third and final visit to Estonia.  
 Took me ages to find the Church,
 but no time at all to locate the
BEER BAR!
From Ennu Farm we present a series of bird species which breed there.
What a place to spend Spring!
 GOLDEN ORIOLE
shame about that wayward branch.
 WRYNECK
 SPOTTED FLYCATCHER
 A sequence of  strange
 WHITE STORK
 behaviour.
 The Kamikaze Kid
 WHITE STORK
nesting.
 THRUSH NIGHTINGALE
 also called 
SPROSSER??
 WHITE WAGTAIL
 TREE PIPIT
 TREE SPARROW
With a little imagination you should be able to picture it, as while
down on Ille's farm I often took to riding a bicycle!
I'll just take a break while you get back on your feet and stop laughing.
On one sunny afternoon it was decided to re-visit the White Stork
nest above, but stopping for a short break this series appeared
before me. I might have run away but was frozen to the spot.
 WILD BOAR
 Three Little Piggies Went to Market!
 Neighbouring Farmers
WOODLARK
Entry            Pageviews
United Kingdom
                 602
United States
                 602
Germany
                   73
Russia
                   64
Estonia
                   52
India
                   17
Canada
                   14
Greece
                     9
Brazil
                     7
China
                     7