America - The Nice

OK, it is a little cooler and there was something of a frost but what a dawn with Green and Great Spotted Woodpeckers both vocal, Redwings also calling from above and Jackdaws now forming 'hunting parties' of 3 figures.

 Given the forecast, all 3 traps were run last night and as can be seen not switched off yet (centre shot).

 PHOEBE, a neighbours dog, and FLIPPER, the love of Janet's

life seemed to be enjoying the 'crunchy' sensation as they dashed 

across the lawns and I set about clearing the traps.

The River STOUR was also a picture shrouded in fine mist.
Stepping in the moist silence, with a warm breeze he's gently kissed.
Thinking he is quite alone, he enters the room as if it were his own
But ripples on the sweet pink water reveal some company unthought of.
Rael stands astonished doubting his sight, struck by beauty, gripped in fright;
Three vermilion snakes of female face, the smallest motion, filled with grace.
Muted melodies fill the echoing hall, but there is no sign of warning in the siren's call: 

"Rael, welcome! We are the Lamia of the pool.
We have been waiting for our waters to bring you cool.”

 The Lamia - Genesis

Clearing the traps was simplicity itself, only 3 Insects

RED-LINE QUAKER

our 'third'

NOVEMBER MOTH

and yet another FEATHERED THORN

Job done, next on the agenda was to visit

family friend JEN, down in the paddock with usual mount HONEY,

and to meet new arrival, miniature Cart Horse
ALFIE.
After the traps and the photo calls I was off to

about 15 miles from the farm and on the mainland bank of the
SOLENT
the stretch of sea separating the Isle of Wight from the mainland.

In the shadow of HURST LIGHTHOUSE and

HURST CASTLE
I was once again in search of another 'rare' bird.

Some people's behaviour just sometimes completely baffles me!

Just on the left of the bridge is a 'HUGE' sign saying simply
ROAD CLOSED
with still a few hours of rising tide to go.

Are you fed up with photographs of

The NEEDLES ROCKS and LIGHTHOUSE yet?
There seem to have been a few of late.

Before commencing the search I was lucky to meet a couple of local 'birders', but unlucky to find that the 'target' bird had not been seen. They did however direct me to Sturt Pond, a pool of water behind a huge shingle bank fed by the sea, where there is also a large field of lush grass ideal for feeding Geese.

LAPWING
were obviously taking advantage of the food supply close by, but
there was only one Goose in the field afore mentioned.

That's when the BRENT GEESE started flying in from seaward

increasing the chance of location the bird.

While about 100 of them dropped into the area I was still at a loss. Walking the bank back to the car, I noted another 'raft' of Geese some way off-shore and decided to collect the telescope and give them a looking at.

Rounding a bend just before the bridge more came into view

much closer to the shore. A short wander along the coastal path was thought to be a better Plan B, without the 'scope, bringing the desired result. There, no more than 30 feet away, was the resplendent

 
RED-BREASTED GOOSE
 

A 'rare vagrant' to Great Britain that breeds in Arctic Siberia, mainly on the Taymyr Peninsula, with most wintering along the northwestern shores of the Black Sea in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine (occasionally moving further southwest to Greece), and some winter in Azerbaijan.

Being a common and favourite species in captive wildfowl collections, escapees outside its usual range are fairly frequent raising some conjecture as to the provenance of this individual..

It is said to bear a 'ring' which was not seen by myself, which could conclusively prove its origin but until that is disclosed there is one other reasonable argument for it as a truly 'wild' bird. It has left this area with the flocks of Brent Geese for a number of years now and returned, again in company, to over-winter. Until the conundrum is resolved, I for one will consider it as 'wild'. On my return to the farm there was still much interest from 'above' as this

SPITFIRE

took off and landed at Bournemouth International Airport
a number of times.

HOUSE SPARROW

at the feeders, just to keep my hand in.

It would seem that the recent dramatic rise in readership lies with our friends in the United States of America. It seems obvious that being base here in England that the UK would always field the largest number of readers, but I have often wondered if the US might catch up one day. As will be seen there is only a very small 130 difference on today's count, so who knows our cousins across The Pond may just be in the overtaking lane. FANTASTIC to greet you wherever you are from!

 America - The Nice 

(later to be known as Emerson, Lake and Palmer)

Nice were probably one of the first bands to bring 'theatre into Rock as we found out at the 1969 Bath Blues Festival. Carl Palmer was quite content sat on hid Drums stool hammering away, while his mate Greg Lake knocked out some impressive Bass lines. Not so the slightly eccentric Keith Emerson who would stab a huge Bowie knife between the keys of his electric piano, keeping the note continuous, then race to the other side of the stage and throw the rest of the collection of cutlery into the back of his wall of keyboards, Them wuz the days!!

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