Saturday 13 September 2014

Come Fly With Me - Frank Sinatra

if you ask me Francis Albert is getting just a little
too much Blog Time! 
Thought we'd slip in a quick 'extra' Post while things are still fresh in my mind! A day when I thought getting down to cleaning the caravan carpets and emptying the grey waste bucket might be in order but I was soon distracted. At the traps things remain much the same except to say that quality and quantity were today replaced by a little colour. Bordering on 'late' but a welcome return of the delicate and aptly named
 BORDERED BEAUTY
and while shades remained Orange and Ochre
this pristine
 SALLOW
made for a fine shot.
 Add that to 4 varying shades of 
COMMON WAINSCOT
then we left the traps with something most pleasing to the eye.
 Also lurking within was this
Unidentified Larvae
which we feel sure someone will put us right about.
For some it would seem, Moth Traps are simply a waste of time
as this
 CONVOLVULOUS HAWK-MOTH
was found perch on a friends bath tap yesterday morning.
 GEESE
of one description or the other (Greylag or Canada) are now a daily
feature of the early morning sky-scape, likely heading for the nearest
stubble field to 'top-up'.
 Not quite sure what this
COMMON BUZZARD
had lashed to its leg this morning but thought unlikely to be jesses?
So, onward to the ponds in the northern half of the property before
the chores began which, not surprisingly held a couple of
 GREY WAGTAIL
Less expected was a small party of 'young'
 LINNET
using all of the available facilities bathing, feeding and drinking.
Pulling up to the 5-bar gate at the North Pond this napping
 WOOD PIGEON
 paid scant attention to me even when I got out of the car.
Content sleeping and dusting in the little bowl it had excavated,
 it eventually walked away rather that flew.
Merritown Heath 
was the next 'port of call' to see if I could locate my New Charges.
After fencing of most of the wooded areas here it was decided to graze cattle, and as I am probably the most frequent visitor to the site was asked, via Phil Sterling, by the farmer to keep a 'weather-eye' on the stock. With no idea of breed or numbers I climbed the gate only to disturb c13 Mistle Thrush and c2 Blackbirds from this
 ALDER BUCKTHORN
 previously feasting on the ripe and sweet black berries.
How do I know they were 'sweet', well like the Apple Tree just 20 yards behind me I just had to try one. If they ain't killing the Blackbirds then they................ However, it was discovered later that they are a serious PURGATIVE so feel glad I didn't linger or I might have been Running! It was a movement in the trees that first caught my eye with a first sight
not dissimilar to one witness by 3 Dutch friends and I
in the Malaysian Rain Forests at Taman Nerara when waking early
one morning to find a small herd of
 MALAYAN TAPIR
foraging close to our huts. Photo taken there in 2011.
 Closer inspection showed them to be
 
 PEDIGREES
 I am told by their owner Gary Clarke
 with one recently having been Artificially Inseminated with
success rate as yet unknown.
 Back on PCF Territory no visit here is complete without a wander
through the Oak and Birch Woodland where already this year
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Woodcock and Nightjar
have been seen. Unfortunately today the birds were of the more common variety.
 RAZOR STROP FUNGUS
on
 BIRCH
 LONG-TAILED TIT
 JAY
 another
LONG-TAILED TIT
before returning for a last look at the 
Irrigation Pond.
 Mussing at the beauty, once again, of
GREY WAGTAIL
the silence was
SHATTERED
by a passing aircraft, so much so that before I knew it 
"Up Periscope" had been ordered and all 6 foreward
Torpedo Tubes loaded! 
 It was recognised as a
HAWKER HUNTER
Fighter Aircraft
 which was quickly followed by a second,
and as if that were not enough racket for one day, they were joined by
 a single
English Electric 'CANBERRA' Light Bomber.
Phheeeeewwww!
 At the road junction between the Eco Recycling Unit and Bournemouth International Airport (BIA), a favoured vantage point for Aircraft Spotters, the crowd was already growing, so there was a need to investigate. The cameraman at the Parley Pond looked a likely contender, who informed me that additionally both the Canadian and British
 LANCASTER BOMBERS
were about to land at BIA.
His reward was a lift to the best 'spotting spot' on the farm were he was
left to his own devices. For me it was Post Haste for the bund on the west
side of Harbins lawn just in time to see the 2 Bombers approaching over
Parley Court Manor
 At this point there was no knowing which was which
 but it looked every bit as though they were making to land.
 The one bearing the Pennant Letters
 V(ictor) R(omeo) A(lpha)
is the Canuck
 while
K(ilo) L(ima A(lpha)
is the Brit.
 They didn't land on that occasion
 taking a wide sweep to the north
 before realising the
 Kettle was Boiling
 Both safely on the ground they were followed by their pals
 in the slightly more powerful
 HAWKER HUNTERs
 and the
 CANBERRA
Have to admit this made for an awesome sight while our
Dear Friend Janet Read tell us
Hi
They arrived today and will hopefully fly Saturday and Sunday.
Janet
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                    5   -   By coincidence an E-mail, complete with Video Link. was received from my friends in Taiwan this morning. We will make best efforts to get this 'excellent' footage to you after the week-end.