SNAIL - Smashing Pumpkins

With a barely noticeable increase in the dawn temperature expectations were not exactly brimming, but plucking a most attractive and by and large pristine

 MAIDEN'S BLUSH
from the collar of the first trap things looked to be on the up.
There followed 

 CLOUDED SILVER

 OAK NYCTEOLINE
along with

HEART and DART
plus a few other
Strangers from the Night. 

TIGER CRANEFLIES
and including a trio of SNAILS, just how do they get into the Moth Traps?

Unfortunately a blurred image of this most attractive and tiny

ROCK SNAIL
Pyramidula pusilla

WHITE-LIPPED SNAIL
 Cepaea hortensis

and the Best of the Bunch for me

LARGE AMBER SNAIL
Succinea putris 

ORANGE-BANDED ARION SLUG
Arion fasciatus 
Up at the Irrigation Pond the original Coot nest, built on the Island,
remains a few days abandoned but fear not

as the same 'pair' have started all over again

and thus far appear to have 5 eggs.

APPLE TREE
in the wild but not known if a cultivar or not?

Works started yesterday on building a bund along the eastern edge
of the ground behind the
Eco Recycling Plant.

We are reliably informed this is to reduce the

Noise Level

transmitted across this open space

seemingly to the annoyance

of the neighbouring farmer - here a number of ???????? should follow!
From then on the day was more or less given over to
WILDFOWL
with the first ever May Record of

TUFTED DUCK
as these 2 males with a female seemed to have settled in.
At the Moors River there was once again activity by

EGYPTIAN GEESE
absent here since the new arrivals appeared from the
Oak Tree Nest Hole

and the first
GREYLAG GEESE
in over a month.

We are still uncertain as to whether it is good or bad news that a

COMMON BUZZARD

persists in using the Trail Camera, mounted on a tripod,

as a perching post? We thought that setting the other Trail Cam pointing

at this one might be a good idea.

Before leaving the Moor this morning we recorded another new addition

to the Moth List

COMMON HEATH

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China	32
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Poland	18
Brazil	14
Canada	11
Australia	7

Holy Diver - Dio (Ronnie James Dio)

With Hugh and Janet having gallivanted off to the South of France, leaving me in sole charge as Lord Lieutenant of the Chicken Coup, there were also other responsibilities to undertake! With heavily pregnant

 BELTED GALLOWAY # 18

 due any day now, other duties in the immediate future involve

Daytime Maternity Watch

and when the waters break Midwife Number Two!

Otherwise, with overnight temperatures hardly increasing at all, we consider

ourselves very lucky to get any Moths at all let alone

 our first 'Hawk' of the year

LIME HAWK-MOTH

This was followed by just one other addition to the Year List

BRIGHT-LINE BROWN-EYE

 with a couple of decent size other Insects of interest.

GREAT DIVING BEETLE

 and the 'first' but unlikely the last

COCKCHAFER
or May Bug if you prefer.

The Moth Traps completed it was decided on just a mini-rounds of our
Recording Area
before scooting off a little further afield.
Our New Neighbours, right outside of
Slight Return II
and joining the likes of Goldfinch, House Sparrow and Greenfinch
nesting right outside the door.

 WOOD PIGEON
and

BLACKBIRD

A quick look from Chapel Lane to note developments at the soon to be
Aircraft Black Box Recorder Factory
they are doing very well!

Unusual for the Irrigation Pond which has never been proven to hold any Fish

a virtually static

GREY HERON
never was able to resist the song of a 

ROBIN
and now having moved in mob-handed

c45

JACKDAW

followed by something of a marathon drive for me, the
full 15 minutes over to
Longham Lake where after passing the

GREYLAG GEESE

 a 'first for the year'

 in fact a probable 4

 but both flighty and rangy it was difficult to tell.

 COMMON SANDPIPER

CONTENTED CATTLE

 LITTLE EGRET

If for no other reason, as we have never recorded

 GREAT CRESTED GREBE
on our patch, worth the visit for this bird alone.
Getting a little overborne with

GREY HERON
we just couldn't resist the pose.

 COMMON SWIFT

also an addition.

Last, but not least, this aberrant looking

CANADA GOOSE

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United States	472
United Kingdom	361
Germany	131
Russia	109
Estonia	33
China	22
Brazil	16
Poland	15
Canada	11
France	5