Thursday 24 December 2020

The Kid's Are Alright - The Who

 A promising start to another day dogged by heavy showers but when

MISTER BLUE SKY
(Electric Light Orchestra)

shows his hand then it cannot be all bad especially when arriving at the c2 Moth Traps and being met unexpectedly by my 3 younger Wildlife Apprentices

Oliver, Sophie and Josh
Enough is usually Sufficient but when there were also a couple or 3 Socially Distanced Moths as well it was equal to holding a Prial in Cribbage! Gently tossing the potted Insects to each other they were able to study
WINTER MOTH
YELLOW-LINE QUAKER
and
SILVER Y
The Seed having Already been Sown - just need to see Chloe now.
Next came a timely reminder of that fantastic trilogy which is
Tolkien's - Lord of the Rings at the
Sign of the Prancing Pony
"short cuts lead to long delays Mr Bilbo", "yes Pippin, and Inns lead to longer one"!
we watched the 
MUTE SWANs 
fly in to the main pond from the south, absent for over a month now,
but not knowing if they were our regulars but were soon tucking into the groceries.
No action on either of the more northerly ponds but along the course of the
Moors River / Water Meadows both
CORMORANT
and

GREY HERON
had found a common perch.
The other 'common' factor along this stretch is the
TREE-LINE
between the Mobile Bird Hide and the Subject Matter
which more often than not grabs the attention of the focus.
We were happy'ish
with the outcome.
On the Heath nothing more than a broken down generator, a lone
STONECHAT
along with a totally unfamiliar and very distant
HELICOPTER
while there were some difficulties clicking
and videoing
this lone
MISTLE THRUSH
in the Solar Panel Compound
but not quite the same problems
with the dozens of
far more obliging
MEADOW PIPITs
but the weather still was not calming down!
"Gale Warnings for Thames - Dover - Wight - Portland - Plymouth" you have been advised!