Sunday Girl - Blondie

Sunday Girl - Blondie (Link)

Someone once said of me "you have a Childlike (not to be confused with Child-ISH) enthusiasm for Wildlife" which was taken as a huge compliment. That hasn't changed one IOTA Martin, save for perhaps even more enthusiasm. My firm belief is that neither Life nor Luck will fall into ones lap, both are to be chased vigorously, grabbed by the scruff of the neck then milked for all they are worth. With the metaphoric wooden stool under my arm yesterday morning the mission was both Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Woodlark, the chances being minimal, but 'faint heart never won fair lady' - something known very well! Collecting 2 of the Moth Traps from the wooded area beyond the Farm Yard, it was noted that the 

BARLEY
was just about ready for mowing but the Moths were priority, so no time to linger.
Among them were

CRESCENT
not seen personally since the 80's was a great start as an addition to the
Parley Court Farm Moth List.
Next came

MARBLED GREEN

and

SMALL RUFOUS
which were both additions to the Year List and followed by more
usual fare such as

SINGLE-DOTTED WAVE

MAGPIE
and

DUN-BAR
It is unfortunate that a small proportion of our catch fall to waiting predators,
but this Cheeky Little Git a

juvenile
ROBIN

was deep 'inside' one trap securing this hapless
BROAD-BORDERED YELLOW UNDERWING.
As an aside, we have been sent this image by Dave Foot who at his
last visit here took h with him the eggs of a

LOBSTER MOTH
which he nurtured and brought to Larval form.
What a Bizarre looking Creature!

During monitoring of the traps a young

SONG THRUSH

looked as if it were crossing the railway lines,
while further on at the Northern part of the property the first returning

REED BUNTING
of the year was discovered.
There has been no evidence that breeding has taken place here, in fact
the banks of the River Stour seem to have been devoid of this species
all season.

A very close encounter with a

COMMON BUZZARD

was the next treat, usually so jittery that they fly off at the 

first sign of human activity.

A short clip before checking both ponds where there was no more than
c2 Green Sandpiper followed by yet another encounter with a (the) Cuckoo, thought
to be the same as of recent days, before being blessed with excellent close
views of a daytime flying Nightjar, but without photographic evidence.
Checking the various sheets of corrugated metal and squares of roofing felt
c4 Slow Worms were added to the log by which time it was plainly apparent
that 'second broods' of both

STONECHAT

and

DARTFORD WARBLER

were on the wing.
The last record of Lesser Spot here was just outside of our Recording Area
to the north, so thought a good site to check. There was no need to
consult my calendar to confirm the day

as the continuous retorts of small arms fire was enough to confirm it was Sunday.

At the second to last gate before leaving the Heath there were signs of someone trying to gain access which turned out to be Gary Clarke the Herdsman who has small pockets of 'Rare Breeds' Cattle scattered across the County. A most amiable and interesting fella, our all too infrequent encounters are most enjoyable to say the least, so no problem for me to report his c4 Belted Galloways by text each time they are seen. This meet was also very short as he was preparing the Cattle for a Veterinary Inspection, and you know what I was after! A full 30 minute (slow) walk to the bridge spanning the Moors River, where at least Cetti's Warbler was hoped for, but not seen or heard, but there were some interesting way-side Plants to occupy my time.

HEMP AGRIMONY

WATER MINT

There having been no ACORN crop at all here last year a watchful
eye has been kept on the OAK TREES for signs of life this year.

It couldn't have been imagines the feeling when discovering an abundance
of Fruits, it is unlikely that the quarry would have made me feel any better?
Little Things etc, etc!

Also adding to the Autumnal feel
BLACKBERRIES
too are ripening as are the berries of the

GUELDER ROSE
On my return Gary was met again and this time someone was noticed sat in his
Land Rover. Ever inquisitive  (an anagram of 'nosy') I asked who it was and
was quickly introduced to the charming

Reiko Shimada
from Shizuoka, Japan - seen here in company with Gary and his trusty
Airedale Terrier 'Gordon'.

Hands together and offering a shallow bow, I uttered the Japanese word
'sayonara' in greeting and the dear lady must have thought I was leaving
as it was remembered later that means 'Goodbye'.
There followed a short period of reminiscing covering her homeland from

 YAKUSHIMA MACAQUE

 and the DEER that allow the Primates to ride on their backs, the

 GEISHA
and

CHERRY BLOSSOM
of  Hiroshima
Do you remember the Cherry Blossom in the market square
Do you remember I thought it was confetti in our hair

Kayleigh - Marillion

a series of
BULLET TRAINS
from
FUKUOKA in the south to the most northerly town of WAKKANAI

SHINTO SHRINES
A 'deadly encounter' with the

 

 and a far less menacing one with our dear friend

CHRIS COOK
at his office with the Tokyo Times where he is Fashion Editor.
plus much, much more.

STELLA'S SEA EAGLE
now where have we seen that before?
By the time we parted company my head was in the clouds, a
heady, heady day. In fact as I wandered back across the Heath
I skipped a light fandango and occasionally 
turned cartwheels across the floor.
I was also feeling kinda seasick but as ever
the crowd called out for more.
By then the room was humming harder and believe it or not
the ceiling moved away,
so I called out for another drink and yes you've guessed!
the Waiter brought a tray

With eternal thanks to Procol Harum

The day was by no means over, in fact there were still a couple of Goodies left to see!

GOLD-RINGED DRAGONFLY
landed directly in front of the Strange Rover
and a second visit to the Irrigation Pond produced an all too brief

COMMON SANDPIPER

Photo and Video from the archive.
Returning to replace the Moth Traps the Barley had gone.

The Changing Face of Farming

Youngest son Gavin tells me that the 'grain yield' was not high but
but the by-product straw was plentiful.
Neon on my naked skin, passing silhouettes 
of strange illuminated mannequins. 
Shall I stay here at the zoo 
or should I go and change my point of view 
for other ugly scenes. 
You did what you did to me 
now it's history I see 
here's my comeback on the road again. 
Things will happen while they can 
I will wait here for my man tonight 
it's easy when you're big in Japan 
Aah when you're big in Japan-tonight
Big in Japan - Alphaville (Link)

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