Blackberry Way - The Move

With the mercury just qualifying for a minus figure at dawn on Saturday it was considered good fortune that we had a few Moth images from the previous couple of days. Additionally, it was Western on the Quite Front with still no signs of a Yellow-browed Warbler, Shelduck or even a more expected troop of Northern Thrushes, unless of course you count a lone Feildfare crossing the mid-morning sky yesterday? However, we recouped in other directions so all was not lost!

 A migrant
GEM

 DEEP-BROWN DART

 and maybe the last we will see of
WILLOW BEAUTY
until next year?

 While shaping up for an altogether different shot,

 from out of nowhere appeared this

 STOAT
 which also disappeared as quickly as it had arrived and fortunately the

 ROOKS

held station on the overhead wires.

The first of what were to be c5
GREY SQUIRREL
on the day before a little bit of 'catch-up'.

Driving up to the Common we had intended photographing this
SILVER BIRCH
 for a couple of days now and before it loses its colour.

At the Irrigation Pond there was something to catch our attention

 if only half a dozen

 EURASIAN TEAL

with this single 'male' getting close to full adult plumage.

EURASIAN TEAL

females.

While it is of no surprise to find

BLACKBERRIES
on the brier at this time of year, it did seem a little strange to find

BLOSSOM

as well on the very same bush.

One of the other
GREY SQUIRRELS

we didn't get all 5 but surely 2 is enough!

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Heart of Oak - William Boyce

As turmoil continues right across Laptop-ville, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with things leading us to fall further behind by the day. These images and others that follow on subsequent days are not necessarily those of yesterday, or the day before, in fact we have lost touch with dates altogether and have no ambition to go searching the 'properties' of each image. Suffice to say that all will be of recent history and exact date of little importance to our Readership, save in the event of something unusually out of season, when we will append the date.

This was Thursday in fact when at dawn the temperature had plummeted

to a chilly +1°C which led to the first outing this end of the year for the

'keffiyeh' (Arab scarf) and the continuation of transforming into winter plumage,

check the facial fur!

The Strange Rover lay frozen

complete with embellishments while the

collars on all of the traps had a Vermeer of ice on them too, "no missus

not veneer as Johannes himself popped over and slapped on a coat"!

As the
HOUSE SPARROWS
looked down from above we plucked yet

another good Moth from a trap which is also an addition to the Year List.

OAK RUSTIC

and despite the northerly airflow and accompanying
decline in overnight temperatures we are still catching

BRICK

CYPRESS CARPET

We haven't posted a Micro Moth for a while now but there
are a few

RUSTY-DOT PEARL
on the move, and just like the proverbial No56 bus
'once one arrives'

RUSH VENEER
none of which are unusual for the time of year.

Another example of the very varied

HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD,
there is a small plague of them here across Dorset at the moment,

 and only slightly larger than the above a tiny
GARDEN SNAIL

On the Heath still at least one

SLOW WORM
not gone into hibernation.
Those of you of a more squeamish nature might like to look away now
as we show just a few of the results from the Trail Cameras.

It was thought a waste just to leave the
ROE DEER
carcass to rot when it can produce sustenance for Birds,

OK only Corvides

but we've all got to live

CARRION CROW

MAGPIES

and we do rather like to show nature in the raw.

and with a similar end to our last post
this time it's a clip of c3 together

GREEN WOODPECKER

feeding just outside of
Slight Return II.

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Tony Chestnut - Children's Game

Before last nights freeze, the first of the Autumn, overnight temperatures had continued to hold in double figures as we again reaped the benefits from the Moth Traps. Only a few short days since the last addition to our Recording Area List with ANOMALOUS, 

lightning struck for a second time  with the arrival of

=

 SOUTHERN CHESTNUT

We say 'new addition', but in fact this creature has been proved to

exist on our 'patch' since last year when Dave Foot, on one of his occasional visits,

did seek and find the Larvae (Caterpillar) on the Heath.

 As can be seen from this extract from British Moths by

Chris Manley Southern Chestnut is only a relatively new addition

to the British List and extremely 'local', gracing just our section of the

South Coast of England for now at least.

 The good fortune continued as

 -
 FEATHERED THORN

and then

 GREY SHOULDER-KNOT

were added to the Year List and adequately backed up by a

VINE'S RUSTIC

 also in a couple of the traps the Beetle

 APHODIUS RUFIPES

 Not much in the way of fame and glory for me while 

Hugh and Janet 

have been away in Borneo for 2 weeks, reduced in rank from

Almighty Master of all He Surveys

to

Chicken George - Second Lieutenant of the Coop

a bag of corn has been kept handy to give the birds a quick early morning feed.

 It didn't take long for this

 WOOD MOUSE

 to move in and also dig itself a

 HOME

 More 'poultry' awaiting at Parley Pond as this male

PHEASANT

 was looking resplendent in the early morning sunshine.

Overhead, there was another new and also shining arrival a

 BOMBARDIER GLOBAL 6000

not an aircraft we can remember seeing hereabouts before.

The most welcome Sun had also seemingly encouraged the

HOVERFLY

 Syrphus ribesil

and a tardy

SPECKLED WOOD

 onto the wing but no 'flying' for this

FOX DROPPING

 the image taken as much for the Moss

POLITRICHUM FORMOSUM

as for the turd.

The Wildlife Day ended by watching this

WOOD PIGEON

feeding directly outside of

Slight Return II

bon appétit!
We once again THANK John Gifford for help with some ID's.

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