Sunday Shining - Finley Quaye

 Sun is shining the weather is sweet yeah
Makes you wanna move your dancing feet
To the rescue, here I am
I want you to know y'all, here I stand
As the morning gathers a rainbow
I want you to know y'all, that I'm a rainbow with you

Amazing what a little sunshine can do! A different picture all around, starting with

Weymouth Outer Harbour where the commercial fishermen were preparing for the days haul having been 'layed up' for about a week now.

While at the other side of the Town Bridge the Charter Skippers were doing similarly - not a bad view to start your day is it? The first bus of the day to Southwell, free pratique for bus-pass holders at week-ends, so no waiting 'til 09:30 today.

 

 

Along Bill Road dozens of LINNETs were twittering away

and the view from the top of Culverwell towards the Bird Observatory, the 'active' Lighthouse and

a little further north the Higher Light were all bathed in early morning sunlight - MAGIC!

On the walk down to the Obs it was only common breeding birds to be seen on the way such as this DUNNOCK,

a fair number of COMMON WHITETHROAT mostly feeding your

with juicy, fat BUSH CRICKETs and

MEADOW PIPITs some still

continuing display flights. Many more stayed clear of the camera but more that made up for that with the 'vocals', especially Skylark, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Blackbird and a pair of Ravens feeding young along the East Cliff. Seems in addition to this another pair of Raven have also brought off c2 youngsters over the West Side.

At the Bird Observatory, even the VALERIAN, a common plant probably synonymous with Portland, took on a new and brighter hue, attracting a few insects that have been mostly absent during the wet weather.

First of these was a LARGE YELLOW UNDERWING Moth, captured by fellow Obs member John Lucas seemingly saved awaiting my arrival.

Getting towards noon more and more insects were arriving to feed on the abundance of blossoms in the garden, Hoverflies, represented by what I believe to be Conops quadrifusciata, but only as a result of a quick look at the Field Guide.

 There, once it starts getting into "the anal cell almost reaching the wing margin" that's when I give up and so if it looks like the picture, that's what it is??

SPECKLED WOOD and

MEADOW BROWN BUTTERFLIES are a good deal easier, but even

 

 BROAD-BODIED CHASER Dragonfly and

LARGE SKIPPER Butterfly I qualify with the Warden.

A 'change of tack' saw the 72 foot Sail Trainer CHALLENGE WALES past the Bill http://www.challengewales.org/

while on the way home I encountered Local Farmer, Coastguard Office and Portland Stone Worker Curtis Gould and his wife, mowing grass, and stopped for a longish chat.

Finally, stepping off the bus back in Weymouth there was one of the dozens of antique buses driving around the town as part of the annual festival. As it was now getting late there wasn't, unfortunately, time to look for more.