Come Fly With Me - Frank Sinatra

if you ask me Francis Albert is getting just a little

too much Blog Time! 

Thought we'd slip in a quick 'extra' Post while things are still fresh in my mind! A day when I thought getting down to cleaning the caravan carpets and emptying the grey waste bucket might be in order but I was soon distracted. At the traps things remain much the same except to say that quality and quantity were today replaced by a little colour. Bordering on 'late' but a welcome return of the delicate and aptly named

 BORDERED BEAUTY

and while shades remained Orange and Ochre

this pristine

 SALLOW

made for a fine shot.

 Add that to 4 varying shades of 

COMMON WAINSCOT

then we left the traps with something most pleasing to the eye.

 Also lurking within was this

Unidentified Larvae

which we feel sure someone will put us right about.

For some it would seem, Moth Traps are simply a waste of time

as this

 CONVOLVULOUS HAWK-MOTH

was found perch on a friends bath tap yesterday morning.

 GEESE

of one description or the other (Greylag or Canada) are now a daily

feature of the early morning sky-scape, likely heading for the nearest

stubble field to 'top-up'.

 Not quite sure what this

COMMON BUZZARD

had lashed to its leg this morning but thought unlikely to be jesses?

So, onward to the ponds in the northern half of the property before

the chores began which, not surprisingly held a couple of

 GREY WAGTAIL

Less expected was a small party of 'young'

 LINNET

using all of the available facilities bathing, feeding and drinking.

Pulling up to the 5-bar gate at the North Pond this napping

 WOOD PIGEON

 paid scant attention to me even when I got out of the car.

Content sleeping and dusting in the little bowl it had excavated,

 it eventually walked away rather that flew.

Merritown Heath 

was the next 'port of call' to see if I could locate my New Charges.

After fencing of most of the wooded areas here it was decided to graze cattle, and as I am probably the most frequent visitor to the site was asked, via Phil Sterling, by the farmer to keep a 'weather-eye' on the stock. With no idea of breed or numbers I climbed the gate only to disturb c13 Mistle Thrush and c2 Blackbirds from this

 ALDER BUCKTHORN

 previously feasting on the ripe and sweet black berries.

How do I know they were 'sweet', well like the Apple Tree just 20 yards behind me I just had to try one. If they ain't killing the Blackbirds then they................ However, it was discovered later that they are a serious PURGATIVE so feel glad I didn't linger or I might have been Running! It was a movement in the trees that first caught my eye with a first sight

not dissimilar to one witness by 3 Dutch friends and I

in the Malaysian Rain Forests at Taman Nerara when waking early

one morning to find a small herd of

 MALAYAN TAPIR

foraging close to our huts. Photo taken there in 2011.

 Closer inspection showed them to be

 

 c4 BELTED GALLOWAY COWS

 PEDIGREES

 I am told by their owner Gary Clarke

 with one recently having been Artificially Inseminated with

success rate as yet unknown.

 Back on PCF Territory no visit here is complete without a wander

through the Oak and Birch Woodland where already this year

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Woodcock and Nightjar

have been seen. Unfortunately today the birds were of the more common variety.

 RAZOR STROP FUNGUS

on

 BIRCH

 LONG-TAILED TIT

 JAY

 another

LONG-TAILED TIT

before returning for a last look at the 

Irrigation Pond.

 Mussing at the beauty, once again, of

GREY WAGTAIL

the silence was

SHATTERED

by a passing aircraft, so much so that before I knew it 

"Up Periscope" had been ordered and all 6 foreward

Torpedo Tubes loaded! 

 It was recognised as a

HAWKER HUNTER

Fighter Aircraft

 which was quickly followed by a second,

and as if that were not enough racket for one day, they were joined by

 a single

English Electric 'CANBERRA' Light Bomber.

Phheeeeewwww!

 At the road junction between the Eco Recycling Unit and Bournemouth International Airport (BIA), a favoured vantage point for Aircraft Spotters, the crowd was already growing, so there was a need to investigate. The cameraman at the Parley Pond looked a likely contender, who informed me that additionally both the Canadian and British

 LANCASTER BOMBERS

were about to land at BIA.

His reward was a lift to the best 'spotting spot' on the farm were he was

left to his own devices. For me it was Post Haste for the bund on the west

side of Harbins lawn just in time to see the 2 Bombers approaching over

Parley Court Manor

 At this point there was no knowing which was which

 but it looked every bit as though they were making to land.

 The one bearing the Pennant Letters

 V(ictor) R(omeo) A(lpha)

is the Canuck

 while

K(ilo) L(ima A(lpha)

is the Brit.

 They didn't land on that occasion

 taking a wide sweep to the north

 before realising the

 Kettle was Boiling

 Both safely on the ground they were followed by their pals

 in the slightly more powerful

 HAWKER HUNTERs

 and the

 CANBERRA

Have to admit this made for an awesome sight while our

Dear Friend Janet Read tell us

Hi

They arrived today and will hopefully fly Saturday and Sunday.

Janet

Lancaster Bombers BOTH at Bournemouth

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Taiwan	5   -   By coincidence an E-mail, complete with Video Link. was received from my friends in Taiwan this morning. We will make best efforts to get this 'excellent' footage to you after the week-end.