Good-Good-Good, Good Migration - The Beach Boys

Think it might be 'VIBRATIONS' really?

Still the night time temperatures are low, still the sky is clear, still the Moon is best part full and still there are very few Moths - Moan, Moan, Moan, Moan, Moan - feel much better now! Bit of a joke really as we are still pulling in one or two interesting items such as

CYPRESS PUG*
 which was an addition to the PCF List

 with

OAK HOOK-TIP
and
BARRED HOOK-TIP* (top)
which must have slipped through my net as it also is an addition to the
PCF List

another
YELLOW BELLE

a return of the long time absent
SMALL RUFOUS
while in my view best of all was this

SCORPION FLY
identified for me by who else but
John Gifford

While we ain't talking Wildebeest stampeding across the Veldt, we have been a little remiss in recent days bringing you up to date with what few Birds we have seen heading south on migration. After the Pied Flycatcher and Tree Sparrow, several days ago now, we have had a sprinkling of less familiar garden birds. Over the weekend my attention was drawn to a well known sound but one that is not at all usual throughout the south section of PCF. A

 MISTLE THRUSH

 among a throng of Starlings in the garden Pine Trees

 was in fact in company with

c3 others. A common breeding bird in the northern half of the property, it would seem by the c11 seen together the week before that there has been a good degree of success this year. Not alone in that there was also the plaintive zi-zi-zi of

 GOLDCREST

from the same trees.

 A 'hunting'

 SPOTTED FLYCATCHER

was found close by, but interest in that was short lived as

a bright little Warbler was also spotted.

 Like the above

 WOOD WARBLER

was an addition to the PCF List.

 Like the proverbial Bus another

 Spot-Fly was soon in the lens but it was a foggy early Saturday morning

that brought the next arrivals.

While not seen through the low visibility both

 TREE PIPIT

and

 YELLOW WAGTAIL

betrayed their presence by 'call'.

Along with the Osprey on Sunday and Tuesday, c2 high-flying and Fly-catching

MEDITERRANEAN GULLs

traversed PCF airspace.

Note:- some of the Bird images above are from the archive.
Other than that a suspected Hedgehog has been leaving small deposits on the Harbins lawn, and when returning next morning to check the traps I found not only the bread and milk bait missing but the container as well. Maybe its entertaining this weekend.

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Strangers in the Night - Francis Albert Sinatra

While overnight temperatures remain at mid-single figures, trap totals dwindle correspondingly. Last night's Macro count amounted to 210 Insects of just 24 species but over the past few days there have been some highlights.

An addition to the PCF List was this

PEACH BLOSSOM*

BLOOD-VEIN alongside SMALL BLOOD-VEIN
just for comparison and a bit of fun.

VESTAL

has been daily for a week or more now and not just as singles.
These 3, showing just some of the variations of shade and colour
were plucked from the same trap yesterday.
Some that could be considered a little late for their 'flight period'
include

COMMON MARBLED CARPET

SHORT-CLOAKED MOTH

CREAM-BORDERED GREEN PEA
and

BEAUTIFUL HOOK-TIP

LARGE WAINSCOT
was an addition to the Year List,

HEDGE RUSTIC
was just Hedge Rustic while

FEATHERED GOTHIC*,
also yesterday was another addition to the List.
The 'Strangers' included

WATER BOATMAN

which would have 'flown' into the trap

Anyone for Cumberland Sausage?
but how on earth does an

EARTHWORM
gain access??
Strolling around, mainly the northern end of the property, threw up

the tiniest of
COMMON PUFFBALL FUNGI

quite a bit of 'fruiting'
HOP

in various hedgerows along with plenty of

SNOWBERRY
On Merritown Heath there has still been no sighting of the Cattle
which I have been asked to keep an eye on but the

FERAL APPLE TREE
at the gateway between the two properties

is now absolutely laden with fruit.

There was some suggestion earlier in the year that we try our hand at
Cider Pressing,
and while there is never a shortage of Apples hereabouts those above
may just put a bit of a zing into any brew that is decided upon?
Why it should have been a surprise to find

 GREYLING BUTTERFLY
up there I carn't imaging, being a heathland species, but it was!

Notorious for perching with their wings tightly closed, this image has
been 'borrowed' from Wiki.

Considered the best find of the day (although very common) this pristine
SHAGGY INK-CAP
was found on the Harbins driveway along with a couple of less mature specimens.
It was 16:30 when the OSPREY showed itself again briefly
prospecting the same beat of the River Stour directly outside
of the Harbins lounge window. 

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At the End of the Day - Mike Rutherford

Disaster manifested itself very early this morning as arriving Harbins at 06:00, as well as the temperature having fallen to 6°C, there had also been an 'all night' power-cut at the Farm Yard rendering 2 Moth Traps out of action. Despite that there were still 39 species returned from the other 3 and as will be seen some of them notable. Even at that hour the local

SPARROWHAWK

was already harassing local and migrant SWALLOWs alike, but to the traps.

SMALL DUSTY WAVE

SINGLE-DOTTED WAVE

WILLOW BEAUTY
have been daily fare of late

and we also caught our 6th
OLD LADY
(not including my private life)
of the season. A bit of a favourite to make sure the count of this species
is accurate a small white mark is placed on the upper wing to distinguish

any that are re-traps.

Then the Good Stuff

SALLOW

was quickly followed by a rather scruffy

CENTRE-BARRED SALLOW

and then, because lightning never strikes the same place twice
a third of the family

PINK-BARRED SALLOW

all were additions to the Property List and while 3 new species in

one day is not unusual, they being all of the same family group is!

HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD

along with a total of 15

WORKER HORNETS
These 2 seemed to be having a fine old time

with a little kissing and cuddling along with some mutual preening

and not to mention a spell of
Soixante-Neuf

I told you not to mention that!

Returning to the Farm House to discuss the mornings findings and enjoy a coffee with Lynn, the House Keeper in the absence of Hugh and Janet,a large bird flew along the bund which separate the garden from  the River Stour. My first reaction was Bittern but, dashing for the door, binoculars and camera, in that order, an

OSPREY
was seen flying along the watercourse. It was seen again very briefly
over the next 3 hours, but your 'sluggish' correspondent was unable
to capture an image.

Never mind! Good reason then to re-visit the 2012 Australia Photo File

to bring to you an idea of what an

OSPREY
looks like.
A couple of shots, taken before Hugh and Janet's departure, and overlooked

show the arrival at PCF of the
CH12CKS- MOBILE
carrying a precious cargo.

c14 CHUCKLETS, saved from the Soup Kitchen, to replace those
killed by Reynard.
"that was a Base Pedal Solo by Michael Rutherford
this is"

 At the End of the Day 
from Rutherford's first solo album (1980)
click the link for a musical treat.

 SMALLCREEP'S DAY
feat. the incredible voice of Noel McCalla.

 MIKE RUTHERFORD
 Oh Man! or is it OMAN

The view from Hugh and Janet's Hotel Room

INDIAN SILVERBILL

EGYPTIAN VULTURE

Grasshopper Sp????
and from our Mate Willie Wine, another series of images showing
Now and Then scenes of various locations in Great Britain and France
during World War II in comparison to the present day.
First out of the hat was a place familiar to me from a Past Life

 Weymouth Sea Front just before D-Day

and the same area now!

Thanks Willie, most interesting.

so Finally a Wildlife Wow!

 Peter Simon Pallas
(22 September 1741 – 8 September 1811)
was a German zoologist and botanist who worked in Russia
and is familiar to most Bird Watchers if only for lending his name to the dainty
Pallas's Warbler, but how many have encountered
Pallas's Cat
I do believe this link was first brought to our attention by James Lidster.

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