Bird on a Wire - M Gibson, G Hawn et al

 Only a short while after the last vestiges of what looked to be a

SUNNY DAY
did the rain, once agan, start in earnest, but whatever the weather it seems not to bother the local

WOOD PIGEONs

Still displaying, crest errect and occassionally atop the
Strange Rover

right outside Slight Return

also Billing and Cooing with these vids and image having been taken through the window of the homestead.

Later in the day one was found back at the nest and if they do make another attempt
it will be the 6th this year!
Otherwise the day was mostly a wet 'none event' with the local male

KESTREL

on the lookout for an easy

BREAKFAST

making but one plunge in our presence

without success.
Otherwise, it was left to a few more

MEADOW PIPITs

to bulk up what otherwise might have been a completely poor day until some of a minor
Record Breaker
late afternoon with the largest flock of

HERRING GULLs
ever recorded here - estimate 2 - 300?
and ended much as it had started,

Dull, Overcast and Wet - with hopes of better to come but highly unlikely.

KIcking Around on a Piece of Ground in Your Hometown

 With the local

TAWNY OWL
continuing to kick each day off at about 04:00 in fine fashion and then having the desire to catch more Moths before Years End being slaked by another wayward

DARK CHESTNUT
it was thought time to get a closer look at the now swollen

RIVER STOUR
(looking west)

(just looking)

(looking east)
with the course of the river to the right of image, as c2 of the now c8 local

CORMORANTS
performed a mini fly by.
Still dank but clearing the local

ROOKs

didn't paint a particularly promising picture

but it was certainly 'trying' to brighten up?
Under such circumstances anything becomes fodder for the Post so why should the humble

MOORHEN
get away with it!
At the Irrigation Pond there was naught but a single

GREY WAGTAIL

but what a little gem looking as still dressed in 'spring plumage'.
Just around the corner there were no surprises at the
Gravel Pit
where these days it has become commonplace for only the c3

LITTLE GREBES
to be seen

with the huge bonus (fluke) on the day being

capturing all 3 in the same frame of still and video.
(the only 2 surviving juveniles from this years breeding attempts)

adult, presumed parent bird.

Juvenile Preening
All else Wild, with the exception of yours truely, was this most obliging

COMMON BUZZARD

looking to be of the

2020 Vintage

A pulse of late sunshine certainly brightened up the

trees along the river while at dusk also left a

Small Tower of Colour in its Wake.

Waiting For Something or Someone to show You the Way 

Pink Floyd - Time

Wot a Cracker!

 We don't even utter the C word let alone celebrate it except maybe later to imbibe a thimble full of Wincarnis after chewing on the other half of that Cream Cracker we gobbled down on the same day last year - but wish all who do partake a Wonderful Time with just a little help from our friends:-

WHITE-THROATED SEIRRA-FINCH

Tierra del Fuego

RUFOUS TURTLE DOVE
India

ANDEAN EMERALD
Ecuador

HARLEQUIN DUCK
Northern Japan

WILD TURKEY
Navada U.S.A.

RUFESCENT TIGER HERON
Panama

CRIMSON-MANTLED WOODPECKER
Belize

MACARONI PENGUIN
Antarctica

BLYTHE'S REED WARBLER
Estonia

LLAMA
widespread Andean foothills

WHITE-BRESTED WATERHEN

Sri Lanka

BARROW'S GOLDENEYE
Yukon, Canada

ANDEAN COCK-of-the-ROCK
French Guiana

VICUNA
as for the larger Llama but less numerous

ROCK THRUSH
and

TREE FROG Sp
both Romania along with the diminutive

SNOW PETREL
Antarctica

and while we have been here before and will undoubtedly

be so again

the outrageously beautiful, bizzare and irresistible

 

INCA TERN
Southern Peru - Thousands of Them!

PS 

No sooner had we mentioned a wish to see our Senior Apprentis

CHLOE
as well she turned up on the doorstep yesterday afternoon - there just has to be a

FATHER CHRISMAS!

The Kid's Are Alright - The Who

 A promising start to another day dogged by heavy showers but when

MISTER BLUE SKY
(Electric Light Orchestra)

shows his hand then it cannot be all bad especially when arriving at the c2 Moth Traps and being met unexpectedly by my 3 younger Wildlife Apprentices

Oliver, Sophie and Josh
Enough is usually Sufficient but when there were also a couple or 3 Socially Distanced Moths as well it was equal to holding a Prial in Cribbage! Gently tossing the potted Insects to each other they were able to study

WINTER MOTH

YELLOW-LINE QUAKER
and

SILVER Y

The Seed having Already been Sown - just need to see Chloe now.

Next came a timely reminder of that fantastic trilogy which is

Tolkien's - Lord of the Rings at the

Sign of the Prancing Pony
"short cuts lead to long delays Mr Bilbo", "yes Pippin, and Inns lead to longer one"!

we watched the 

MUTE SWANs 

fly in to the main pond from the south, absent for over a month now,

but not knowing if they were our regulars but were soon tucking into the groceries.
No action on either of the more northerly ponds but along the course of the

Moors River / Water Meadows both

CORMORANT
and

GREY HERON
had found a common perch.

The other 'common' factor along this stretch is the

TREE-LINE

between the Mobile Bird Hide and the Subject Matter

which more often than not grabs the attention of the focus.

We were happy'ish

with the outcome.
On the Heath nothing more than a broken down generator, a lone

STONECHAT
along with a totally unfamiliar and very distant

HELICOPTER
while there were some difficulties clicking

and videoing

this lone

MISTLE THRUSH
in the Solar Panel Compound

but not quite the same problems

with the dozens of

far more obliging

MEADOW PIPITs

but the weather still was not calming down!
"Gale Warnings for Thames - Dover - Wight - Portland - Plymouth" you have been advised!