Pictures At An Exhibition - Emerson, Lake & Palmer

In a nutshell, the weather forecaster's message yesterday evening was "if you think conditions have been 'fine' thus far, you ain't seen nothing yet"! Even at 06-30 as I wandered through the cemetery the sun was shining brightly, the wind had dropped to nothing and the sky remained totally cloudless. In addition, Goldcrest, Blackcap and Coal Tit were in full voice and on a roadside verge this clump of

White Bluebells were well worth a second look. The first Common Tern in Weymouth's Inner Harbour this year were active as I boarded the bus, but from Ferrybridge there was absolutely nothing to report.

The conundrum concerning the Union Flag atop the Coast Guard Station at the Bill was that it was being flown upside down, which at sea is a signal for a vessel in distress or difficulty.

This morning as I crossed the brow of the hill, there was no flag flying at all, that is until the watch-stander appeared and hoisted a 'brand new' flag this time the correct way up!

I approached him on the subject, and felt his reaction was perfect as he showed concern that things were not correct, but then we lightened the situation with a few jokes. In fact I'd say it was a great pleasure to meet the Coast Guard! By now the day could only be described as 'HOT', and everywhere people were out enjoying the moment.

This lady horse rider was galloping up the 'Slopes' at such a pace that her dog was having trouble keeping up

while these Canoe-dlers were busy canoodling. Thus far all that was on the bird list were singles of Whimbrel and Yellow Wagtail, while the Wheatear count only ever reached 5 with the thin trickle of Swallows making up the bulk of sightings.

Below the cliffs both Razorbill and

Guillemot were on the sea in good numbers with a few more

Guillemots on the ledges. At the Bird Observatory things were also very quiet on the bird front, but my first Dragonfly of the year

a Broad-bodied Chaser perched long enough for a shot or two. That's when the call "Red Kite at Southwell" went up, with all but a couple racing for nearby cars. Duncan Walbridge obliged me with a lift and as we reached Bill Hill we saw the Warden pointing his camera in a northerly direction. An excellent sign that it was to be seen, and although it was at some distance a Red Kite (particularly on Portland) is a Red Kite!

Regular readers will remember this image of Brigadier General Othman Bin H. J. Jamal, Malaysian Defence Attache to the UK, presenting my friend Roy Henderson with his Malaya Medal.

On my way home today, I met other friends Ann and Dave Rashley who had seen the photograph above and told me that Dave had been at the same ceremony to receive the same award. Congratulations again to both you and Roy, and as always good to see you again today.

At the bus stop in Southwell this probable recent arrival Swallow posed for a shot, but after

such a long journey I can understand the need for an extended preen.

Goldfinch on the same wire.

Back in Weymouth it was always worth a look at the beach, where swarms of holiday makers were enjoying the gorgeous weather and equally gorgeous town.

Just a passer-by, but this dude looked the bizz in full Goth regalia,

I'd like to get the address of his tailor!

and finally, I received this E-mail and attachments from Karen Toleman daughter of my old Chief Engineer and great friend Clarance (Gunner) Toleman and thought them worth sharing with you.

Hello Paul,

Hope you are well and recovered from your Scottish adventures. Sorry I have not emailed before but have had some serious computer problems - hate it when this thing doesn't work! It was lovely to meet you and Lesley at the Bill the other day - Mum and I are really enjoying your blog and Mum was really pleased to see the kestrel on their hut in such detail.

Have attached a few of my pictures - the 'Morning sun' one is in acrylic and the Bird obs one is in oil. The back-lit screen makes the green look much brighter than in real life but you get the idea. I am trying to do 'Morning sun' again but in oil this time as it blends better than acrylic - it's very slow progress though because the weather is so good I can't stay indoors at the moment. The little owl is in pen and ink - they are one of my favourite birds - they seem to have such attitude! I was lucky enough to see a barn owl fly slowly over my garden the other night, the first one I have seen on Portland and close up, it was stunning.

Have forwarded your link to my friend in Wales; she used to live on Portland and is enjoying keeping up with the news and seeing the photos. There have been quite a few changes since she left.

The pictures of the Little Terns today were incredible - keep blogging!

All the best

Karen

Thank you so much Karen for the kind words and these real gems - the Little Owl is my favourite as it is 'alive'! Please pass on love and best wishes to your Mum & Dad (Madge & Gunner), Micheal and of course yourself - I will also contact Leslie!

Of Migrants & Moths

Yesterday ended on a real high note as Roy, Joy and I visited fellow neighbour Shelagh (left) for a 'home cooked' Chinese meal. Shelagh had spent a number of years in both Singapore and Hong Kong as a Naval wife and as we all found out she certainly honed her skills in the groceries department. Thank You for a lovely evening Shelagh!

There were a couple of slight changes in the weather today, with a little more cloud, a knot or two added to the wind speed which in turn made for a chillier feel to the morning. Good Friday, the first day of the Bank Holiday, brings with it no restriction on the 'bus pass' so it was directly to Portland for me. First stop Ferrybridge coincided with 'low tide' where a number of Terns were enjoying the usual abundance of small fish.

There were just 2 Sandwich Terns

both of which spent the entire period on the wing, while

a single Common Tern interspersed short flights with rest periods on the small mooring buoys.

However, the real stars of the show were the Little Terns numbers of which, by my counts, have reached 8 individuals. As in previous years, these early birds seem to favour the shallow margins close to the bridge which provides a great vantage point to watch 'hovering',

'diving' and then

'pulling out' after leaving the water, mostly with a fish,

before wheeling round for another run.

A little patience provided the chance

of these shots

at all angles.

Up on Barleycrates the 'feel' was not at all good as there were no migrants, but no less photogenic this

male Linnet provided an excellent subject, followed by a trickle of Swallows, only my third House Martin and a second Whimbrel. Reaching the brow of the hill

the Coast Guard Watch Station became visible, but "wait a minute somethings wrong" (Jimi Hendrix) can anyone see what is amiss here? Not meant as a clue, but this is the second time I've encountered the same situation this week!

Close to the Bill, 'sea-watchers' were amassed and were enjoying a degree of success with Black Tern, Arctic Skua and Velvet Scoter being the highlights. There was also a continuous movement of Auks, like these Guillemots along with Razorbills and a couple of Puffins amounting to several 'hundred' birds.

The Trinity House (the department responsible for navigation marks and lights around our coasts) Coat of Arms, on the 'active' lighthouse, was thought worthy of a shot, while at the Observatory birds were as thin on the ground as elsewhere. With another 'however' the overnight catches in various Moth Traps had proved pleasing

with this Currant Pug (by kind permission of Martin Cade - Warden PBO) being an unusual find on the Island, and Ricky Lambert allowing me the following three shot of insects from his 'traps' set in Preston on the eastern outskirts of Weymouth.

Pine Beauty (the name says it all).

Poplar Grey and

Rustic Shoulder-knot. Don't you just love the names of these fascinating creatures? My personal favourite being 'Setaceous Hebrew Character'.

and finally this Arachnid which remains nameless due to my lack of knowledge.

Footnote:- I ran Moth Traps at Wyke Regis and the East Weares of Portland for a number of years, but after becoming divorced became known as the Unmarried Moth-er - get it?

Cast Not A Clout etc!

With the summery weather continuing, and warm mornings tempting us out even earlier, today I thought it apt to 'cast a clout'. The adage suggests, "cast not a clout 'til May is out" which by my reckoning refers to may blossom (the flower of the Hawthorn) and not the end of the month of May. Already there have been signs of the blossoms forming but thus far no proper opened flowers?

This Cetti's Warbler was first to greet me at Radipole, and as Daragh and I now seem to be firmly 'antlers locked' as to who has produced the best photograph of this elusive little bird so far, I feel at least I need to get into the race. There were also decent numbers of the other more common Warblers such as Sedge, Willow, Reed plus Blackcap and Chiffchaff but there was precious little else to report from here.

I own a mobile phone for one reason only, and that is to keep in touch with any rare or uncommon birds that may stray into our area, so it may be understood the feeling of bewilderment as reaching Lodmoor I discovered my battery was flat! Daragh did manage to get one text through alerting me to a Ring Ouzel on the Moor but I didn't see it.

However, there was a single Bar-tailed Godwit in company with

2 Black-tailed Godwit.

In addition there was a second opportunity to photograph a Cetti's Warbler but I doubt this is going to win me the tussle with my mate?

A 'calling' male Blackbird seemed worthy of a shot perched in a non-flowering fruit tree but next to this

was a Hawthorn Bush in full flower.

As I got a closer shot stood in bright, warm sunshine, I was glad that I had casted a clout or two!

On Portland there was little in the way of bird-life, so decided to snap this shot of an (adult?) male Bristle-chinned Curlew, now in 'summer plumage, and after a coffee at the Observatory it was time to return to Weymouth to meet up with some mates.

I had already arranged to meet up with Val and Leslie (second and third from left) as they had a gift for me, but what a huge bonus to meet Jeff, one of Leslie's sons, his wife Lou (left) and their 2 daughters Chloe and Hannah, next to dad.

Regular readers will remember my recent encounter with photographer Leslie Godfrey and he husband Simon at the end of March and reference to a drink called 'Jeremiah Weed'. I particularly liked the 'handled' jam jar glass that it was served in and had simply mentioned it to these 2 lovely friends in passing, only to find they had managed to get one for me. I could only counter this by inviting them to my 'garden party' next week, which doubtless you will read about through these pages. Thank you both very much for the thought, but have to close now as another party awaits this evening - we'll talk again tomorrow!