Sleeping Beauty - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Having used the small 'replacement' camera, bought in Suriname when the old one went AWOL, while on Portland it was stuffed back into the bag and forgotten about until today. On that day I looked across from Ferry Bridge and saw, mid-Portland Harbour, an interesting looking Jack-Up Crane Barge which had me scurrying to almost the highest point on the Island,

the VERNE PRISON, to investigate.

 The Vessel was in fact 'underway, making way' powered by

the Small Tug on her starboard quarter.

From this vantage point the whole of the Harbour and what used

to be the Naval Base can be viewed, a pastime I never tire of.

The ships alongside that day included

 RESOLUTE

 Royal Fleet Auxiliary ORANGELEAF

 SARINE (inboard) and SELEINA

with the MULBERRY UNITS (left).

As reduced temperature and scattered showers, sometimes heavy, persist Moths remain in short supply, over the last 3 days there has been only a total of 87 Macros released from the trap, with today being no exception (32 in the trap) save for a single specimen clinging to the outside of the 'bin'. This was the

 VAPOURER

which escaped before there was time to temporarily confine it to a pot. This is an Insect caught many times before but new to the Property List here. By coincidence my friend Sheila Edwards caught one in her garden recently and showed me a photograph during my visit last week. The 'best of the rest' amounted to

THE GOTHIC

 an always nice to see

 BURNISHED BRASS

along with this interesting looking Micro (Tortrix Sp I believe)

OLD LADY

Before leaving the subject and again touching on my all too brief visit to Portland, I met Dave Foot one of the most accomplished Amateur Naturalist I have the pleasure to know. He introduced me to a new word, 'aestivation', its meaning and relevance to the c21 Old Lady Moths caught over a 4 days period here at Parley in recent days. A short period of hibernation soon after emergence from the cocoon, the adults fly to a 'collective' roost, usually in a derelict building, where they 'sleep' for a short period before once again taking to the wing and getting about the business of procreation. That would explain then the reason for so many visiting the trap during that short period and maybe why there were no 're-traps'. The latter is known as a very tiny white mark was added to the upper wing of each Moth!

O.B.E.

The Other Bu**ers Efforts File

 From deepest Wales, St David's Head to be more accurate,

my dear friends Paul and Tess 'found' this splendid adult

ROSE-COLOURED STARLING

while from a little further afield, Tokyo, Japan in fact, another friend

Chris Cook sends me this equally dramatic photo of a

ROCK PTARMIGAN

along with the attached message.

Dear Cap'n Bagsy -- Good to hear all is well with you and that you are enjoying life in Parley.  Here is a pic of a Rock Ptarmigan that I took on Wednesday -- one of 29 birds seen during this week's hike!

and lastly but by no means leastly a fine offering from Paul Harris.

CYDIA SPLENDADA

he tells me is not a 'rare' or 'uncommon' Micro Moth but the image
is an indication of the value of a Raynox Converter on his camera.

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