CHANGES - David Bowie

The Bowie track my 2 daughters cut their teeth on!
I DIDN'T LIKE DAVID BOWIE!

 Maybe that's because 

'I WAS DAVID BOWIE'

an image of how I used to wander around Weymouth in 1973, just

A INSANE LADD.

FAR, FAR 'BEYOND' GENIUS

(wot says you ShIela? Wouldn't mind a pint for every time we've
done Bowie around your dinner table)

 A little earlier 1963 at the start of the 

MOD REVOLUTION

complete with almond toed high heeled boots.

THESE IMAGES HAVE BEEN CROPPED TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT!

With my aunt, 1964, who never did quite know what to make of me!
It's a God awful small affair to the girl with the mousey hair
But her mummy is yelling, "No!" and her daddy has told her to go
But her friend is nowhere to be seen now she walks through her sunken dream
To the seats with the clearest view and she's hooked to the silver screen
But the film is a sadd'ning bore for she's lived it ten times or more
she could spit in the eyes of fools as they ask her to focus on..........

Anyroad, let's get on with it.

We feel sure the Readership must be fed up with stories of floods
and more particularly images of the River Stour?

but this isn't the River Stour, this is the
5th Fairway at the Parley Golf Club.
With wandering around the Southern part of the farm a little restricted
it was decided to take a look off piste and a morning visit to

and for no other reason than it was at arms length

WOOD PIGEON
kicked off the walk.
With both National and Dorset Bird Lists for 2016 still a little deplete
it was certain (?) there would be a few additions to both here?

A good start with

GREAT CRESTED GREBE

but we had already noted 

COOT
at the Irrigation Pond. It was at the west end of the cross path that
Cetti's Warbler was added, but it or they were having none of it
as the camera was made ready.

FOX

was a nice addition to the Mammal List although there are those who
wouldn't agree,

but it takes all sorts!

BLUE TIT
got it more out of frustration for lack of subject matter but then

at the other end of the Lake things perked up a little with

 POCHARD

 male

 female
SHOVELER

 and a 'fly-in'

LAPWING

indicating those already on the ground.

at the last knockings here one of the few
COMMON GULL

obligingly moved within camera range before

returning to base, there was a message to say that the c2 Strange Looking Ducks were back in Janet's parents paddock, so it was about-turn and back in the direction from which we'd just come! These 2 birds have been visiting the area frequently over the past week, and on description we had a good idea of what they might be. They were, as thought,

 EGYPTIAN GEESE

but a little more than that for these usually

ultra-nervous Wildfowl

were no further from the main road than 20 feet (albeit screened by
mature trees and hedges)

and ventured to within 100 yards of the Farmhouse.

What has happened to the video clips in recent days

is not known, and while we have visited a Forum or two

we are no nearer to resolving the matter. If there is a
Computer Whiz Kid out there who could let us know
how to resolve this we would be most pleased to hear from you at

captbagsy@btinternet.com

While there

NUTHATCH
was added to the County List, a

COAL TIT
just made for a pleasant but all too brief sight and

JAY
was added to the Year List with both Lists now standing at 61.

Also in their garden was their Christmas Present, a sculpture of the
2 of them by Grandson Lawrence.
?SCARECROWS?

Just a few frisky
HORSES

to end.
SAILORS, fighting in the dance hall
Oh man! Look at those cavemen go
It's the freakiest show
Take a look at the lawman beating up the wrong guy
Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know
He's in the best selling show
IS THERE LIFE ON MARS?

Entry	Pageviews
United Kingdom	342
United States	210
Germany	193
Russia	85
France	34
Estonia	20
Canada	12
New Zealand	9
China	7
Australia	6

Sunshine of Your Love - Cream

Stormy Weather replaced by Sunshine of Your Love.

We can only blame the weather in as much as yesterday we were able to get out and be rewarded with decent views for a change. Although it was a little chillier, gone was the rain (albeit temporarily) with no wind and apart from the glare of the Sun (no, you can't please everyone) it was perfect for Birding and Walking alike. The first bird of interest and a Year Tick to boot, betrayed its presence by a short series of rasping croaks which had me scampering from Slight II in the half light to find a

RAVEN

flying overhead.

With neither Coot or Moorhen detectable at the Irrigation Pond
it was quickly on to the Gravel Pit where a flash of blue caught my eye

but at great distance. A scan with the bins found a 

KINGFISHER
(only the 'second' ever recorded at this site)
perched at the far end of the watercourse, with the clip above giving
some idea of just how far away it was!
This was followed by a lean half hour as we made our way to the
Sewerage Works where all of the hedges and that lovely big muddy puddle
were also devoid of bird life. Because of the hedges and other fencing, this
is a difficult area to view but with first a

SPARROWHAWK
and then the most vocal

GREEN SANDPIPER
on Earth flying in things were looking up.
Down at the 'flood plain' which now masks the
Moors River
there was a bit more in the way of Wildfowl action although
nothing different and everything also at great distance.

TEAL
numbers of which are now in excess of 3-figures with

Male birds seemingly outnumbering

Females 3 to 1.

GADWALL

are creeping towards double figure with 8 counted there today,

while

WIGEON

is still represented by the lone male.

Male WIGEON

through the trees

and in company with female TEAL.
The most unusual, in fact unique, sight along that beat was of c3

COMMON GULL
which are 'rare' in our Recording Area anyway but to our knowledge
have never been seen before at this particular site, nor in such numbers.
There were also c2

LITTLE EGRET
and the same number of

GREY SQUIRREL
but that number increased by one on arrival at Eco where c3

COMMON SNIPE
were flushed.
Being something of an 'Old Pirate' any item of flotsam or jetsam is
noteworthy and always considered as an addition to the
'Cum in Handy Locker'.

Such was the small green bucket, complete with handle found on the marsh once the Snipe had disappeared from view, and was laid aside for later collection. Following that, it was only ideal curiosity that had me investigating one of the Pheasant Feeding Bins, which had also lost its lid, but still ⅓ filled with Wheat. Thrusting my hand into the bin, to test just how wet the grain was, it was removed 10 times quicker as this small Rodent appeared. Taking a good look all round, it was impossible to fathom just how this hapless and satiated creature had managed to get there in the first place, but it certainly couldn't get out!

WOOD MOUSE
(thanks to John Gifford)

There you are, the story is no more than a minute old and already there is a use for the 'little green bucket'! Decanting the Mouse from the bin to the bucket, which made a fine base for both images and footage, after which it was given a new found freedom.

Despite the slight trauma note, this tiny creature was still feeding.
Cutting along to what has been a deafeningly quiet Merritown Heath
so far this year, we first heard and then saw our first

DARTFORD WARBLER

since mid-December and while stood in that particular vicinity

it was thought worth turning the biggest sheet of corrugated metal 

we have laid there to find a

 FIELD VOLE

still in residence.

Further on and within the Main Solar Panel Compound

 the place was alive with birds, with these images doing no justice

to actual numbers.

 On these panels alone were Wood Pigeon, the largest flock of

Starling seen here so far this year, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail and Fieldfare.

 The latter were somewhat more confiding than usual,

 and from the cover of the Strange Rover

 We were able to secure these photographs.

Also there was a single

 ROE DEER

and our second

 RAVEN

for the morning. We say morning as at precisely noon, that is when

the heavens decided to open again and 'rain on our parade'.

However, there was one final Mammal noted as a

FOX

decided to cross our track on the way back to 

Slight Return II and the Memoirs.

Entry	Pageviews
United Kingdom	311
United States	214
Germany	188
Russia	74
France	33
Estonia	19
Canada	16
China	9
India	8
New Zealand	7