Monday 4 October 2021

Simply the Best - Tina Turner

 There was but a single hour of daylight on Saturday when it was not hammering down 'cats and dogs', but as far as the Moth Traps were concerned it was the BEST! Just that first hour allowed us to record what was going on, which didn't amount to a lot but

the appearance of
DEEP-BROWN DART
along with
GREY SHOULDER-KNOT
and maybe a migrant
SILVER Y
were better than nowt and did keep the momentum going.
Fortunately prepared for such an occassion we had sorted, some time ago, the best 16 bird species recorded on our patch to date so a perfect day to share half of them with you, in no particular date order.
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON
was a strange start to say the least as back then we were only paying the occassional day visit to test the temperature of the water so to speak. Across its stay, occassionally on our 'beat' and on both sides of the River Stour, it was logged without delay as 'twitched' from Weymouth.
YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER
has been recorded across 3 successive years, with c2 in the garden during the winter of 2017 but not since. There have also been c3 records of 
GOSHAWK
with c2 transiting individual and the single that sort all to temporary residence on the Heath during this Spring, while at the same location there has been a single adult male
BLACK REDSTART
on the Heath plus c3 juvenile / female types
at the Sewerage Works
over the years.
We make no personnal claims to the likes of
STONE CURLEW
but anecdotal evidence from the likes of Gramps, who lived here well into his 90's, is surely enough, "once alive with them" he informed me!
The appearnce of a jaunty
GREAT SCAUP
on the Gravel Pit, some years ago, coincided with an exact same bird from
Longham Lakes
on the same day so can be no mistaking the origins of our only one here.
GRASSHOPPER WARBLER
has only been recorded once, 'reeling' (singing) in the southern meadows,
while only a single 'grounded'
GREAT WHITE EGRET
has been recorded, feeding varaciously within the Eco Recycling Works
with just c2 others transiting the property in later years.
The other 8 when time allows!