Wednesday 3 May 2017

Silver Machine - Hawkwind

Continuing the Catch-Up.
 but not before a little Weather Drama
on Monday afternoon!
The first 'Hawk', in the Moth Department, of the year was a
POPLAR HAWK-MOTH
(caught 23/04/2017)
most numerous of the migrants
 SILVER Y

 POWDERED QUAKER
 and sister to Lesser Swallow Prominent secured a few days ago
this is simply
SWALLOW PROMINENT
With the
COOT
still sitting on eggs, it now looks rather like the pair
might be about to get new neighbours.
The pair of Little Grebe, not to be confussed with those already
sat on eggs at the other pond, are making gestures indicating their intent
to nest here as well??
 FLOWERING CURRENT
 is now in bloom as is
MARSH MARIGOLD
while
 BLACKCAP
 are vocal
in just about every bush!
Unusually, a pair of
GADWALL
are still knocking about
unusual as they are all but absent once March is out!
 RABBIT
are also being seen on a daily basis now as
 WHITETHROAT
numbers iincrease by the day.
Notwithstanding all that had gone before, the day's highlight was surely
 the finding of this
(middle trunk just below bow stump)
 GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER

nest still under construction and being exclusively excavated by the male bird.
However, the 
female did pop in to note progress
from time to time
 and also undertook a session of preening, maybe in readiness
for what was to come??
After all that inspecting plus washing and brushing up the
 Old Lad Himself
 was allowed out to streach a
 Well Worked Bill
 before getting back to the job in hand!
"Pheeewww, this 'ere sawdust don't 'arf get stuck in yer froat"!
HOOF FUNGUS
(Fomes fomentanus)
was also of coincidental note as a species that had been brought to my
attention by Dave Foot on our trip to Scotland.
However, this was countered by the biggest 'laugh' of the day
as we drove across to the Heath to find that the 4 Cows that
should be there had somehow strayed onto
Parley Court Farm.
Already asride my trusty steed, The Strange Rover, we got in gear to attempt getting
them back to where they belonged, which wasn't as easy as it looked. Eventually, a
phone call was made to summon help and soon after arrival the bovines were safely retuned to the sanctuary.
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