Fog on the Tyne - Lindisfarne

A couple of quiet week-end days when Birds all but deserted us while Moths continued to show in small but interesting numbers. This morning was shrouded in dense fog, with the aircraft taking off from Bournemouth International, just a stone's throw away, not even being visible. On the strength of that, the rest of the day will be spent tickling the keypad to the tune of the Memoirs now having reached 1997, amounting to 231,000 edited words but still much more to do than has already been done! Before even arriving at the traps it was seen that the

Little Gentleman in the Black Velvet Waistcoat
had been hard at work overnight with 4 of their spoil heaps dotted
across Harbins lawn, another job for Gramps (Janet's Dad) we feel.

and likewise the 'roosting' Wood Pigeons!
With the abundance of trees around here, why do they feel the need to
park themselves directly above the traps?
On the up-side, it's nice, just for a change, not to be personally on the receiving end. 

Also on a positive note within there was our 'third'

OAK RUSTIC

and by sharp contrast a very pink
VESTAL

It was thought that the 2 together made for a 

Novel Combination.

BORDERED BEAUTY

SALLOW
and what will be a calculated stab at identification of this Micro
thought to be

BEAUTIFUL PLUME

Out in the Field as stated there was little Avian activity with this

STONECHAT

seeming to steal the show before it too buzzed off.

Strangely, only this single BEECH in a row of dozens
is showing its Autumn Plumage.

Readers will likely be pleased to know that today the was only a single
SMOOTH SNAKE
before we continued on to view the progress, or otherwise, of what
should be the new watercourse.

This channel was filled with rocks last week which, a few days later,
were removed only to find them back again yesterday?

The 'top-dressing' of clay-like soil continues along the banking,

while more 'bespoke' looking culverts have arrived.

The Steel Erectors have certainly been busy as the
Factory /Workshop (whatever) continues to gain length at a steady pace. 

Water continues to flow naturally along this small tributary of the Moors River,

before dropping into this culvert 

and then pumped to the other end of the proposed Balancing Pond,
continuing its natural passage to the Moors.
Will we live to see the finished product?

The two

ALDER BUCKTHORN
at the Merritown Gate are now looking resplendent, with all else
on offer amounting to examples of

RED CAMPION

and

WHITE CAMPION

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Mairi's Wedding - JR Bannerman

It's starting to get a little tiresome as it was rain that upset the visit of Frederick and Alexander, it was rain that confined me to barracks for most of yesterday, and guess what - it's pisscipitating down as we speak! However, always looking on the bright-side of life, with the rain and total cloud cover also came reasonably high temperatures, mostly in lower double figures, which usually = Moths.

Having caught an Oak Rustics on 2 successive days it was initially thought

something of a miracle to secure the hat-trick, but beware! Having already been 

cautioned on the pitfalls I was all to quick to shout what was thought to 

have been found as on closer inspection, some time later, the presumed OR

was seen to be a rather tardy

COMMON RUSTIC with OAK RUSTIC
for comparison.
But there were more.

PALE MOTTLED WILLOW

PINION-STREAKED SNOUT
which, not for the first time, fooled me into thinking it was a Micro.

A very pale and lightly marked
NOVEMBER MOTH (type)
We say 'type' as this small group can only be positively identified
by examination of genitalia, and we ain't going there!

COMMON WAINSCOT with LARGE WAINSCOT
for comparison.

COMMON CARDER BEE 

 also still on the wing

 TAPERED DROANFLY

Eristalis pertinax 

RED-LEGGED SHIELDBUG
before heading north in the gloom.

 In the half-light of early morning a rather pale

 COMMON BUZZARD

while the rest of the morning was spent on 

Merritown Heath

 where everything is now

 Beautifully Autumnal

First to be located, this

 COMMON TOAD

 and then the smallest

 SMOOTH SNAKE

 we have yet encountered. Not hidden away under the sheets of metal or

roofing felt but thought to be enjoying the heat retained by the metal,

just sitting on top, in the position shown.

 Make the most of it as it won't be long now before all these 

Reptiles and Amphibians go into hibernation.

Next up was a combination that sent me travelling back in time to my

Early Schooldays.

Yes, I can hear what you are saying "he's got a bl***y good memory"

 BOG MYRTLE

BRACKEN

MAIRI'S WEDDING

Step we gaily, (strictly in the Anglo Saxon sense you understand) on we go,

Heel for heel and toe for toe.

Arm in arm and row on row,

All for Mairi's Wedding.

Over hillways, up and down, Myrtle Green and Bracken Brown.

Past the shielings, through the town,

All for sake o' Mairi.

John Roderick Bannerman (1865-1938)

I was once considered half a decent Choir Boy during my formative

years in Nottinghamshire where at one of the annual competitions at the

Albert Hall (Notts) I performed this song as a solo.

Up at the intended Balancing Pond there has been something of a
conundrum.

First they excavate more gravel and then put the same gravel back,
before top dressing with clay like soil and then return to stack the
same back into heaps??

Whatever they are up to one thing is sure that the site isn't
"things will be back to normal this time next week"
as predicted by the Civil Engineer in charge 10 days ago.
However, the Factory/Maintenance Hanger (whatever) is certainly
growing apace.

REINDEER LICHEN

is now springing up

 all over the place,
and on the way back we took

 a quick peek into Phase III of the Solar Panel Project were large

wooden boards have been laid as a base for the Heavy Plant,

 while thus far only the clearance continues but my visit did coincide
with the arrival of the first lorry-load of steel. 

 FIELD MAPLE

looking as resplendent as they ever will and

ALDER BUCKTHORN
in autumn plumage.

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