The Bagsy Blog: High Hopes

Monday, 16 March 2015

High Hopes - Pink Floyd

A relatively mild and not too damp Winter allowed me at least to escape the ravages of piblokto, and now we can all enjoy at least 12 hour each day of uninterupted daylight. That means monitoring the Moth Traps can start as early as 06:30 unless of cause there is a Calling From Above.The familiar sound of at least one

DUNLIN

was enough reason to abandon the traps until later, and although
it was highly unlikey that this 'over-flying' bird(s) was going to pitch
a short effort was made to prove it.

This is the first known of the species to be recorded at PCF so an
Excellent Start to the Day!
(photos from the archive as illustration)

Other moments of excitement of the last couple of days has been the deployment of an Actinic Moth Trap on Merritown Heath. With heavy rain predicted, and duely showing up, expectations were not high but 'keep the sunny side up' and look what we got. All 'firsts' for the year, and clinging to the outside of the unit a beautiful

YELLOW HORNED
just to start thing off,

this being just a ¼ of the total within.

As if that were not enough, for that speccies at least, there was also a

Copulating Pair

found with the others clinging to an egg tray.

('click' on the image to better see the colour variation between the 2)

Luck indeed, as it might take a couple of lifetimes to ever 'capture' such a situation.

SMALL QUAKER

HORSE CHESTNUT

and just singularly, the

CHESTNUT

Unidentified LARVAE likely of a Micro Moth
we carn't do the Moths let alone the Larvae!

Good numbers of common birds around over the past couple

of days and something of a Renaissance for the likes of

GOLDFINCH

GREENFINCH

remain numerous and healthy as do

DUNNOCK

Now here a thought.

This gravelled area, with associate puddles, used to be a stowage area for recently cut Turf. Latterly, it was the base for machinary and stores used for the construction of Phase II Solar Panel Farm. It was also the home, last year, of at least one Little Ringed Plover which given the Hurn Gravel Pit has now been back-filled, might just decided to settle here with its mates later on?