The Tender Trap - Frank Sinatra

Another morning at Parley Court Farm and already a 'weather front' occupying the air-space above, but with clearer conditions seemingly heading from the west! The Moth Traps weren't exactly overflowing but even at first glance there was more to recon with than on the previous few days.

First tray out held (from top clockwise)

Pebble Hook-tip, Lesser Broad-boardered Yellow Underwing,

Angle Shades and Blood-vein while in the very next a new species

for the property.

FROSTED ORANGE*

lovely looking thing!

In addition

OAK NYCTEOLINE

the most pristine

DARK SPECTACLE

I have ever clapped eyes on,

SMALL BLOOD-VEIN

is not an everyday event while

BLACK ARCHES

according to the manual, is bordering on being a little late.

One of the very few Micro Moths that I can readily identify
GARDEN PEBBLE
are  now becoming daily,

as are various flavours of 

HARLEQUIN LADYBIRD.

On that subject, this is without a doubt the tiniest of the Species

ever encountered

11-SPOT LADYBIRD

and finally, from the 'inside' of the traps at least,

DEADHEAD HOVERFLY

On the other hand the usual 'opportunist' Birds were laying in wait

including

 

HOUSE SPARROW

BLACKBIRD

ROBIN

and 

GREAT TIT
while overhead yet another small skein of Geese,

these believed to be Canada's passed through.

Later in the day I was to bump into one of my favourite characters here on the Farm, Mousey the Gamekeeper. Apart from keeping us well stocked with (any Portlander's reading please avert your gaze now) Rabbit and Wood Pigeon, he is a mine of information on Wildlife and always has a great yarn to spin! At our meeting he informed me that there were over 30 Greylag Geese on the Barley stubble on 16 Acre Field, so with hope in my heart I beat a hasty retreat. As is usual farming practise, soon after 'harvest' the fields are once again ploughed for the next crop. The Geese hadn't bothered hanging around!!

While the traps occupy at least 2 hours every morning the 2 new ponds at the north end of the Farm are now  also taking up a great deal of my time. In respect of what Bird Watches often call their 'Patch', I have nearly always been extremely lucky, since taking up the hobby at the beginning of the 70's, to have sole access to so many places and sites. It is intended to compose a Post on this subject in the future. This area, mostly covered in Solar Panels and rarely being visited by any other humans, is rapidly becoming my new 'Patch'. c2 Mallard have already been recorded at the Irrigation Pond

but today there were c4, in addition the c2

COLLARED DOVE

were a new sighting while a

GREEN SANDPIPER

has also been seen here before.

today there were c2 here

and a further c3 at the

North Pond.

In addtion at that site

 SCARCE CHASER

COMMON DARTER
and

COMMON BLUE DAMSELFLY

were representative of the Dragonflies

while

 BRIMSTONE

and

CLOUDED YELLOW

BUTTERFLIES

were also 'on the wing'.

Before moving onto some of the Plant life, it should be mentioned that much of the compost produced at the 'in house' ECO Recycling Plant which, among others, processes all of the 'Garden Waste' over 3 Counties, has been used throughout the property and often produces a number of 'cultivars' and non-local stuff.

CURLED DOCK Sp

FAT HEN

EVENING PRIMROSE

which was once grown in this area as a 'cash crop'.

HEDGE BINDWEED

likely a cultivar of the SALVIA family??

Another

ROBIN

Unidentified FUNGI (where's the Fungal Punk when you need him??)

The surrounding woodland here is predominantly OAK

with this being the only example of 

SILVER BIRCH

near the Pond.

Luckily it is 'host' to Honeysuckle a great attractant for some Moths.

A giant SLUG

as yet without ID.

The North Pond is seperated from one of the main Bournemouth

Sewerage Works by just a Bridleway where already Grey Wagtail and Reed Bunting

along with ever present

BLACK-HEADED GULL

I have already entered into discussions with Trelawney, the senior Dampney brother and Lord of the Manor as to the future of the ponds. He assures me that the Irrigation Pond is safe and will not be back-filled, while the other is subject to Planning Permission with fate yet to be decided - Fingers Crossed!

REED TUSSOCK
Now extinct in Great Britain but nurtured by one of my Mothing friends.
Clancy states:- Once occurred in just a handful of fenland sites in
Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire during the 19th century.
It was last recorded at Wicken Fenn, Cambs in 1879.

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