The Bagsy Blog: April 2014

Wednesday, 30 April 2014

Young Girl - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap

Referring to yesterdays Post, I am in no way suggesting that my return to England a year ago was a 'Life Changing Experience', but today's events certainly are! I have been waiting 'expectantly', if you'll excuse the expression, for news of the arrival of my first and what will be only Granddaughter:- this text was received at 16:15 - "We have a little baby girl! She's so cute and having a nice feed. We've called her Elizabeth Louise. She weighs 6lb 8oz". That is not only 'Life Changing' but also 'Life Beginning' and as well as meeting Elizabeth Louise, hopefully in the near future, I'm simply dying to see the reaction of her 3 brothers Frederick, Alexander and Benjamin. I also look forward to sharing the photographs, as and when they arrive, with this very special 'readership'. Things are really happening here now and it's a promise that this won't be the last 'bombshell' of the week - WATCH THIS SPACE!

Since last Friday very little time has been spent 'in the field' but the Moth Traps have been active every night and we haven't been walking around with our eyes closed either! From the traps over the weekend we have logged a few Insects 'new for the year' (#) and one 'new to the property (*).

DARK-BARRED TWIN-SPOT CARPET#

SPRUCE CARPET#

GREEN CARPET#

SCORCHED CARPET#

I have been 'on the carpet' a few time during the years at sea, so

this is a nice change.

PEPPERED MOTH*

additionally we have seen

BLACK SEXTON BEETLE

and

COCKCHAFER

(or May Bug our first of the year)

Of note? I once sailed in a small cargo vessel of the same name.

On Saturday, amid a small influx of common migrant birds, there

was a single

YELLOW WAGTAIL

flying over the farm as it went.

COOT

a nest with 9 eggs close to the road at Parley Pond.

The Carrion Crows seem to be keeping a 24 hour watch!

BEECH

and all other trees are now reaching their best.

BULLFINCH

are showing daily at the north end of the property,

we are looking for signs of breeding,

while LINNET already have.

Unusually close to the pathway a photograph was possible

just in passing with neither parent 'sitting'.
Another Thank You should be extended to John Gifford for assistance with identifications.

Unfortunately, there has been no sight or sound of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker but we live in hope that this is because they are incubating eggs and have fallen silent during that period. If indeed they do breed there will certainly be a cacophony from the young jostling for food.

I doubt if the re-appearance of Australia in the Top Ten is anything of a coincidence, given THE HAPPENING of the day. If you are reading this our Very Best Wishes go to ALL the York's, the Australian division of our ever expanding family!

Entry	Pageviews
United States	670
United Kingdom	598
Germany	76
Estonia	63
Russia	58
India	19
Canada	15
Greece	11
France	8
Australia	7

Tuesday, 29 April 2014

The Shape of Things to Come - Part III

Maybe hard to believe, but today is the first anniversary of my return to England after a magical 5 months tour of numerous parts of the Americas. Met at Portsmouth Docks by my dear friends Paul and Tess, I stayed with them for a couple of nights and enjoyed the very best of home comings!
If there is any consolation to facing the mundane then I feel lucky to have chosen 3 days of the most foul weather. The wall to wall heavy rain of Sunday followed closely that of Saturday, which was only surpassed by yesterday's deluge conditions, including heavy hail, accompanied by the most ferocious of thunder and lightening storms. So having been confined to barracks for that period it was not much of a hardship having got so much done. A couple more days and most things will be completed, a few more milestones will have been reached? and maybe we'll get back to Live Posts, but for now the third and final visit to Estonia.