Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) - Jimi Hendrix

Three days of blustery wind and frequent heavy rain has prevented us getting as much time in the field as we would like but, the Silver Lining has been huge progress on the Memoir front. Although edited and now complete up to the end of 2001(a year which took us to Portugal, Cyprus, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Mongolia, Iceland, Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece) there is still no light at the end of the tunnel, but we soldier on. 

THE ONE THAT NEARLY GOT AWAY

The frost at Harbins on Monday 23rd Inst.
Over the past few days Parley Pond has produced

Our regular

GREY HERON

and still c8 or more

MOORHEN

which were at first thought to be 'windblown' but were surely

'displaying'.

Again we have c3 GADWALL there which are, at least in part,
different to the similar c3 reported on the 21st of the month.

This time the combination includes a single male in company with 2
female which is the opposite of the last lot.

Bournemouth International Airport
and a look-see how the cladding on the new building is coming along.
The latest reference its use is for the construction of seating for the new Airbus??
It'll be something else next week!
Here also we found something of a conundrum.

While further away from being a Civil Engineer than Attila the Hun
it is baffling to know why the tributary to the Moors River has been
dammed (above centre) for the 3rd time, while there has been a need to

rig this run of pipework for the 5th time since works began on the
Balancing Pond? This time a twin pipe has been put in place and once
again the pumps are clattering away at both ends.

 At the most easterly end this fairly large expanse of water is looking
set fair for Wader or Wildfowl alike!

An obliging Cobham Jet lands close by.

Talking to this young lady Ecologist, across the expanse of the tributary,
she tells me there is a need to run more permanent pipes across this
area of undisturbed ground, hence her presence looking for Reptiles.

The only bird seen on the ground throughout the visit to
Merritown Heath was this female
PHEASANT
unless you count the 'stranger in the camp' over on the tarmac.

It was thought that British Midland no longer exists as an Airline and
certainly don't fly from BIA.

In fact we are told that all their aircraft have been sold to British Airways
which may be the reason for its being here, for a change of livery?

Initially this image was sent to scare the Grandchildren but

don't see why the Readership should get away with it.
With our
VERY BEST WISHES to ALL of YOU!

from Slight Return II

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Eve of Construction (sic) - Barry McGuire

Yes, we know it's DESTRUCTION but that doesn't fit!

After featuring an Insect of one type or another on just about every Post over the past 8½ months,suddenly it seems very strange to be without them. There are still one or two candidates about, mainly Bumblebees, but our 'doorstep' Dronefly is still putting in the occasional appearance. Otherwise, and by comparison to recent weeks, it has been very quiet with Construction rather than Wildlife being the prominent activity. 

This preening

 KESTREL

was seen on Merritown Heath a couple of days ago 

while on the way back there was just a single 

STONECHAT 

We won't describe the long absent

 LITTLE GREBE

at the Gravel Pit as a 'returning' bird as suspicions are that it has just 

been keeping a low profile rather than having been on an

Away Day. 

It was fairly grim going inspecting the Reptile covers with just these

EARTHWORMS

to show for our efforts, but then Bingo under the final sheet c2

SMOOTH SNAKE

which make up numbers 32 and 33 for the year.

 Despite the quagmire, construction continues apace on

 Phase Three of the Solar Panel Farm

but we don't envy them there task this week when 'trenching' and 

'cable laying' commence in the very wet conditions.

 At the Parley side of Bournemouth International Airport

another area of Heath has been cleared to make way for what we

are told is going to be a Store for Aviation Spares?

 Walking what used to be open meadows, but have now become the
extended banks of the Moors River, the recent high winds have taken
their toll of the less deeply rooted
SILVER BIRCH

 while the river remains just partly swollen,

 it's going to get a lot worse before it gets any better?
and while in Arboreal Mode both the

ASPENS
and the

APPLE TREE
at Merritown Gate are looking a little forlorn!

More construction, the new pedestrian pathways leading through the
Parley Court Farm Gateway.
Finally, we are still enjoying the daily visit of the

GREEN WOODPECKER
to the now disused (until next season) Tennis Court.

Coincidental that Singapore should appear on the Stat Counter Radar today as the Memoir has just seen me leaving that country after a most pleasant weeks stay back in 2001. There, 'Little India' was selected as a base where much of the time was spent among the

 Hindu Community with a few Sikhs thrown in for good measure.

 SENTOSA ISLAND

and what would Singapore be without a
SINGAPORE SLING
in
RAFFLES

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The Tender Trap - Frank Sinatra

There had been adequate notice about its arrival and right on cue, Sunday morning, there it was laying deep and crisp and even, the

First Frost of the Season

On the strength of that warning we dedicated Saturday to gathering in the Moth Traps from far and wide, giving all the equipment a sailor's dhobie before stowing then under the bunk. That space is just about bespoke for the job!

THE TRAPS HAVE SERVED US WELL THIS YEAR!

Within the 5 traps, apart from a couple of Micros, there was just

a single

RED-LINE QUAKER

which, unless anything else is found around the bazaars, will

qualify as the final Macro of the Year.

c2 BUFF-TAILED BUMBLEBEE

COELICHNEUMON DELIRATORIUS

One of the Ichneumon Wasp complex 

 DRONEFLY

 ERISTATIS TENAX
we spent the whole of Sunday morning on the Heath at Merritown
to a total of very few birds, no Reptiles or mammals bu a fantastic
show of Fungi.

 Thought to be

PIPLOPRUS BETULINUS

SMOKEY BRACKET
BERKANDERA ADUSTA

SPLENDID WAXCAP
 HYGROCYBE SPLENDIDISSIMA

 a few of these unidentified heaps found across the Heath

 BRACKET or RAZOR STROP
PIPTOPORUS BETULINUS

 a Species of
HEBELOMS

DUSKY PUFFBALL
 LYCOPERDON NIGRESCENS

 PHELLINUS Species

 STERIUM Species

 STERIUM Species again but with a

JELLY TREMELLA Species

 Thought to be a Species of

PEZIZA

WHITE CHEESE POLYPORE
 TYROMYCES CHIONEUS

CANDLESNUFF FUNGUS
XYLARIA HYPOXYLON

Thought to be a 'ripe'
DUSKY PUFFBALL

PSILOCYBE SUBFIMENTANIA
THANKS TO JOHN GIFFORD and DAVE FOOT
the LEARNING CURVE on this SUBJECT CONTINUES!

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