Simply Red

The most rewarding thing about yesterday, and worrying in equal proportions,

was the memory of undoubtedly my

Finest Hour

in the whole of a now 47 years interest in watching the 

Birds of Great Britain and the World! 

 Friday 27th August 2010

started like any other day when on leave from the Oil Rig firstly with the

10 or so minute walk from my then home to Weymouth's Radipole Lake Nature Reserve.

It was immediately apparent that there was little to hold me there so continued with the 'usual' which was to walk, via the promenade, to Lodmore where the situation was found to be the same. 

At that time, some wag had nominated me

The Bus Pass Birder

which allowed free travel and the oppertunity either to visit the sandflats at 

Ferry Bridge, Portland first or simply carry on to Portland Bill which was the latter.

Arriving back at the former some time later the tide was at full ebb with the

sandy areas what might be described as 'alive' with smaller Wading birds.

Among the 

 DUNLIN

and the

 RINGED PLOVER

 there was seen a far more rufous headed individual which

set the heart racing immediately, but there was certainly not a

 similar reaction to identification.

Size alone pointed to a 'Stint' of sorts, of which there are only c4 species,

(Little, Temminck's, Long-toed and the object of our desire)

but all sharing some similarity in plumage which can lead to a nightmare.

 Having seen them before, this most destinctive bird had to be a contender for

 RED-NECKED STINT

but time was getting short and the tide had also started to flood - 

time to bite the bullet, publish and be damned and a 'text to c15 fellow 'birders'

with the message being simply reading

"putative Red-necked Stint at Ferrybridge!"

Not a soul replied or attended, maybe reflecting my prowess as a 'birder'

save for Martin Cade - Warden of the Portland Bird Obseratory but busy at the 

bottom of the garden with mobile phone in the lounge.

By this time having returned home he had paid a visit without success while I had 

got stuck into

 and downloaded the images as above and sent a couple to Martin.

 Stint page from the same Field Guide 2 x bottom left Red-necked.

He phone later and simply asked

"why is this not a Red-necked Stint" to which I replied "it is".

There was one advantage in all of this that the species had been seen before,

but when you are stood there with a Mega Rarity before you, only a Birder would know the feeling!

There is an adequate Royal Navy expression for such a situation - but we'll just leave it at that!

 2008 and again with my favourite Travel Companion Sue we had conquered

the full length of the USA from Baja California to Barrow (who claim it is the most northerly town in the worls) in Alaska with our arrival going something like this.

Disembarked the aircraft, got into conversation with an Eskimo lady who invited us to dinner. 

Accosted by 2 young men on quad-bikes who asked if we were 'birders', asked if we were interested in seening Red-necked Stint? Drove us to the hotel (the term is used loosely although extremely comfortable and welcoming) dropped our bags and within 5 minutes this was the scene!

Red-necked Stint

WE'LL HAVE TO DO A 'FULL FEATURE' ON BARROW

WHEN TIME ALLOWS!

Locally it started like this but the Sun was a little short lived however with

c2 First For Year Moths

 HEDGE RUSTIC

along with

NEGLECTED RUSTIC

Who Could Ask For Anything More?

No signs of the Greylag Geese but adequaitly replaced by a

 gaggle of noisy and seemingl;y aggressive

EGYPTIAN GEESE

 initially on the

Moors River

and then a single on the

Gravel Pit

Also there, as the gloom started to set in, another 'obliging'

 GREEN SANDPIPER

taking a bit of a

Wash and Brush Up

before flying off leaving the 

male

Gadwall 

showing his better side

and the female

preening.

 It was then noticed that the 

CATTLE

from the Common to the west had escaped 'AGAIN'!

The rounds of the Heath drew a complete 'blank' but was surprised on exiting

 that the escapees had moved a full mile

 which was just about the

END of IT!
Returning briefly to the RED theme and the post of Friday 28th, before we close the red

 AIR AMBULANCE
has been identified by my dogged friend
John Gifford!

That air ambulance had me chasing my tail as I just could not read the registration, but you know what I am like. It is a MD902, normally based up in East Anglia, but is covering the Dorset / Somerset chopper (G-DSAA). So the reg is actually G-HMDX. magpas Helimedix.

That's dedication for you - Over and Out! 

'Slender' is the Night - Jackson Browne

 Or maybe that should be 'Tender'?

Being an Ancient Mariner of about 10 minutes short of 50 years at sea, my life is

constrained by 'routine' and 'discipline', even the tins and jars in the cupboard are all lables facing forewards - sad but true!

Always out of the hammock at least one hour before the old Current Bun

and as soon as daylight shows 'standard size Moth pots in hand'

The sun had been up for a couple of hours,
covered the ground with a layer of gold.
Spirits were high and the raining had stopped,
the larder was low, but boy that wasn't all.
Eleventh Earl of Mar
couldn't get them very far.
Daddy! Oh Daddy, You Promised.

Eleventh Earl of Mar - Genesis

it's off to check the wooden fence for stragglers! 

Yesterday, it was a return to the caravan 10 times quicker than the 

outward saunter to grab a 'large pot' as there perched on the pallings was a

First For Year

 CLIFDEN NONPAREIL

 Looking rather like a recenly 'moth-balled'

RAF Vulcan Bomber.

The splender of such an Insect comes when it eventually opens its wings!

Nonpareil is a French word meaning "having no match or equal; unrivalled" 

and while not a 'rare' Moth it is one that is much prized.

 A fine start but, the noteriety didn't last for long as reaching the bottom of that first trap

and the last Moth, the Clifden was consigned to the back-burner!

Little to compare with the 'rarity' that is

 SLENDER BURNISHED BRASS

a Moth which most of the fraternity have never seen let alone caught, including myself!

Photographing was a nightmare inasmuch that it might escape

before being passed around the ranks.

BURNISH BRASS

 (Ordiaire)

for comparison and this is

 how the Manual describes it

Bernard Skinner

Otherwise, there were also a few things to be reported from 

Out in the Field

My closest neighbours, the

WOOD PIGEONs 

 have incubated c3 clutches already this year,

 but we never see any Squabs (young) so maybe that is why they are 'at it' again?

This

AIR AMBULANCE

is not familiar across our air-space and don't know where it is from?

The only surviving

 MOORHEN CHICK

is still being nurtured

by the

 Mother Hen

while today they had a visitor.

 The

MUTE SWAN

has been noticabley abcent from all watercourses here this year

 with a pair on the Main Pond having built c4 nests, laid c4 clutches

and in short time abandoned them all??

 Butterflies collectively have been at their lowest ebb ever during 2020

so welcoming to find the first of c3 species for the day at the

Gravel Pit

PEACOCK

followed by an impromptue

REED WARBLER

at great distance

 and no time to extend the zoom fully.

 This being what it should look like.

Next was a rather battered

 MEADOW BROWN

while on the Heath there was a close encounter with the lovely

Brown and White - Rare Breed

 SHETLAND

and even closer to an obliging

RED ADMIRAL

A lone

MOORHEN

on the Moors River seemed somehow worthy of a click while arrival at the

Solar Panel Compound

met with what looked like an overnight 'fall' of

MEADOW PIPIT

and a lone but a little better marked

WHEATEAR

than the others of late.

Finally, and not usually given to being confiding we did hone in on a

 far more confiding

 STOCK DOVE

 than is the norm!

THERE'S ANOTHER DAY JUST WAITING FOR US TO

GET OURSELF INTO GEAR!