If I Could Turn Back Time - Cher

In July away I fly, in August away I must!

As says the Cuckoo but it is also in this month that we see a noticeable

fall in most of our bird species and other Wildlife alike.

It is along the coastal fringes, with their promontories, such as

Portland Bill or Hengistbury Head (both Dorset) that we now start to see

small gatherings of early returning migrants and of course the odd

RARITY!

Unfortunately, and while only 5 miles from the coast, there are no (or few)

such luxuries here which is all leading to breaking to you gently the

fact that we might not have enough ammunition for the usual and local

Wildlife Posts!

However, what we do have are volumes of stories and at least double

that amount of images / vids in the archive so hopefully our

Valued Readership

will not go without - if you pass the link on to your friends and families that is! THANKS!

For the first of these we wander back to the early Spring of 1982 when much sabre-rattling quickly
esculated into a conflict which was known as the Falkland War, but never designated to that status! It also involved the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia, which we may well cover in another post, but for now we might reflect on how many people on both sides have to die before such a qualification as WAR is decided??

At that time my post was as the Second Mate on the 

Ocean Salvage Tug Typhoon

stationed at Portland Naval Base, Dorset and with not a clue as to what was to come,

2 weeks leave was applied for, granted as we wandered down to Cornwall for a break. 

On my return it was directly to the jetty where the Ol' Girl usually laid, only to find her GONE,

as the 'very first' vessel to be deployed from Great Britain to the Southern Oceans!

Beyond disaster for me, it was one, if not the, greatest miss of my maritime careers in either the

Royal or Merchant Navies!

It was as late as 2007 before the ballance was redressed when alnog with my then ladyfriend

Susan Hallam

we embarked on a mutually agreed

ADVENTURE of a LIFETIME!

Again it had been Sue who found the carrier in the first place and made all the arrangement

which started with a flight to LA and a ***** hotel including caviar on the breakfast buffet, then onto Buenous Aires (ditto) with 2 days Bird Watching and finally to embark the ship

 MV DISCOVERY

at the most southerly Argentinian town of

SUE

Patagonia

 Joy of Joy's the 'birding' could not have started better when more or less

 our

First Bird

was the magnificent

DOLPHIN GULL

which in those days was a 'magical' addition as still trying to record every 

Gull species in the World!

Additionally, it would be impossible to attach all the bird images but here are a few,

along with scenes, including:-

CHIMANGO CARACARA

 Never did discover whether this was an Airport or Museum?

ANTARCTIC TERN

KELP GULL 

which have sub-species right across the Continents that border the

Southern Oceans

and which one day (stranger things have happened) through DNA sampling could achive 

'Single Species Status'?

Bring it on, we are well prepared as having seen them all!

Ah Yes - One of My Old Commands
thought they might have towed her off the 'putty' by now!

 UPLAND GOOSE
(male)

 with female and Goslings
and finally before setting sail a

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER
a widespread American Wader which does pay the very occassional visit
to our own shores.
CHUGGING OUT INTO THE

BEAGLE CHANNEL

 reputed to be the most furious

Seaway in the World!
We didn't see so much as a ripple outward bound or inward,
unless of course you include our Hendrick's and Fever Tree!

To be continued........

Bus Stop - The Hollies

With the pun intended it was a 'charming' start to the day
as early doors a decent size

 'charm' of

 GOLDFINCH
graced the lawn and moments later a small 'pod' of

 MEDITERRANEAN GULLs

 flew purposefully to the north.

An example of a fine looking adult just for recognition purposes.
 A welcome take from all traps did leave us in something of a quandry after adding

 a 'second generation'
FLOUNCED RUSTIC
(somehow the first wave managed to avoid us)

 BARRED RED
which brings with it the complication of there being a

 Green Form
that is said to be uncommon?

 and
DOTTED CLAY
to the Year List - Most Welcome!
It was a toss up, hence the £2 coin, (which was borrowed as never having owned such a thing)
as to whether the 'first for year'

 DARK CRIMSON UNDERWING

 a little ragged around the edges

 or the

magnificent and large

Thought to be a

CHURCHYARD BEETLE
(species but a 'big lad for all that)

 BEST in SHOW
but either way we are on the cusp of giving up on the Moths
in favour of Shieldbugs as at least they are visiting the traps in numbers.
A little caddish given the previous!
Two species in one day inculded the colouful

 HAWTHORN SHIELDBUG

 which although prolific was outnumbered by

 FOREST
or

 RED-LEGGED SHIELD BUG
10 to 1.

 Either way we were tucked up against the persistant drizzel

Bus stop, wet day she's there, I say,
please share my umbrella.
Bus stops, bus goes she stays, love grows
under my umbrella.

All that summer we enjoyed it
wind and rain and shine.
That umbrella we employed it
by August she was mine!

 Best gift and act of kindness I've had for years!

Yet anouther juvenile 
STONECHAT

but then joined by a

WILLOW WARBLER

nice combination!
With Children and Cattle alike there should not be a favourite,
but with the occassional 'exception to the rule' our brown and white

 SHETLAND
just stood there at the gate waiting for me, walks away with it!

BEEHIVE
which will be the last of it for the near future at least!

Another Day - Paul McCartney

The air temperature at ‘lighting up time' on Saturday (21:30), yes we’ve fallen behind a little, 

was a whacking +28°C and as dawn cracked, it still hadn’t dropped below +18°C. Anticipation of the Moth Traps rounds was heavy in the air but didn’t result in the expected glut!

 The resultant First for Year Moths included

 GOLD SPOT

 always 'great' to see the first iof these little beauties.

TWIN-SPOTTED WAINSCOT

a little duller while duller still is

 CURRENT PUG

but they all count!

 Additionally,

 DEVIL'S COACH

 HORSE BEETLE

serenaded by the only 'vocal'

 COAL TIT

 to have been heard in the garden.

Pleasant enough just watching this

 GREENFINCH

catching the first rays of the new day while just a little further north

the first

 REED BUNTING

which is the firt one noted since the small influx

of early Spring which could well be the next usually

Breeding Species

to abandon the Recording Area?

 HEATHER

is starting to look good even though a little backward by comparison woth 2019

but still some way to go and as far as other plant-life is concerned

 The Fern is as high as a Galloway's eye and

it looks like its climbing clear up to the sky!

All we need now is a catchy tune and we may well go speeding up the charts??

Both species of

 BANDED DEMOISELLE

(female) and

 (male)

along with

 male

 BEAUTIFUL DEMEOSELLE 

female

were on the wing and looks every bit like the latest to meet its

Waterloo is

WOOD PIGEON

Black-winged Stilts breed in Somerset

A pair of Black-winged Stilts has successfully hatched two chicks at WWT Steart Marshes for the very first time – the only known breeding of the species in Britain this summer. The waders have settled in a secluded area of the wetlands, building their nest on a small island of mud within the freshwater area to deter predators. The chicks hatched yesterday [Thursday 9 July] and will be attended to by their parents until they fledge.

This is the only known pair of stilts to have staged in the UK this year. Previous breeding efforts have generally only taken place in south-east England - indeed, it is thought that this is the furthest west Black-winged Stilt have ever nested.

Alys Laver, Site Manager at WWT Steart, welcomed the news. She said: "We were thrilled to discover a pair of rare Black-winged Stilts nesting by the muddy areas in the freshwater marsh. They are very unusual visitors to this side of the country and it shows how valuable this developing marsh is to waders.

"By acutely managing water levels throughout the year, we can make sure that the mud is moist and teeming with juicy invertebrates for the birds to feast on with those large, pointy beaks, as well as help to protect the nest. It's all about getting the swamp community just right.

"The Steart Marshes are just six years old, and it goes to show how quickly new wetlands can support amazing wildlife. If you create it, they will come!"

The birds have picked a sheltered part of the reserve which is fenced off, surrounded by deep water with plenty of cover overhead from wetland plants. Reserve staff have also covered posts with bird deterrents close to the nest to help stop predators potentially targeting their young. In 2014, a clutch hatched in North Kent, 30 years after the previous British breeding attempt. Then, in 2017, 13 stilts are known to have fledged in southern England.

Alys continued: "It's early days and we don't want to get ahead of ourselves. However these birds are faithful to their breeding sites, so who knows, one day we might have a small population at Steart. In the meantime we’ll be doing all we can to make sure Steart is an attractive a home as possible for this striking water-bird as well as other wetland animals.                                                    

 We thank John Gifford for passing on this intersting document.