The overnight temperature remained low and took some time to build as the morning wore on, so combined with a light but chill breeze and total cloud cover it was considered to be AUTUMN! Species count and total numbers from the Moth Traps remained quite low, but there was some diversity and a splash of colour but nothing to swell the ranks of newcomers.
VESTAL
and
DARK SWORD-GRASS
were representative of the 'migrants' while others included
a long awaited return of
CHINESE CHARACTER
BLOOD-VEIN
our 'seventh'
OLD LADY
in as many days
SPECTACLE
(wonder why it's called that)
BORDERED BEAUTY
and
PALE MOTTLED WILLOW
which can occur in just about any month but more particularly between
July and September.
A short search for the Little Owls today was in vain but in that
neck of the woods (or horse paddocks) decent sized
FIELD MUSHROOMS
are springing up all over the place.
It was similar on the associate dung heaps but as yet we are unable to
put a name to this Fungi.
The news from Parley Pond (and elsewhere) is not good
as for over a week now c3 of the original 6
MUTE SWAN CYGNETS
have remained missing.
None of these young birds have yet been seen to fly , so the loss cannot
be attributed to 'overhead cables', as was the case last year, so their
whereabouts and condition both remain a mystery.
On leaving for the north end of the Farm and Merritown Heath
a good number of
SWALLOWs
(mostly young birds)
were seen gathering on telegraph wires while on the Heath
c8 juvenile
STONECHAT
were far more obliging
than those shown on images
published earlier in the week.
SEEDPODS of MULLEIN
and another
SLOW WORM
while at the airport 'strange happenings'.
It would seem that after excavating the Balancing Pond they are now
back-filling it, which is baffling as no cable or pipework has been laid.
Will have to look out for the 'very civil' Civil Engineer to find out what is going on.
Staying with the subject briefly, an omission from yesterdays Post,
during the recent evening visit with Lyn, we did record the first Birds to use
the Pond as c3 Mallard splashed down looking as though they might roost there?
The only other activity there this morning was the arrival of the first load
of pre-mixed concrete presumably for the foundation of the planned
Electrical Appliances Factory.
At the Solar Panel Compound it was all action as on arrival a most unexpected
MERLIN
(without photographic evidence)
(these old images from the archive for illustration)
put a flock of about 100 Goldfinches to flight, but didn't appear to stop,
and then Alex the Shepherd turned up.
His plan was to move the 200 'suckling' Lambs to pasture, to ween them
off mother's milk, and during our conversation a
HOBBY
flew directly overhead and remained visible, albeit at great distance
for a full 5 minutes.
Along with Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel this made
for a 'five raptor' day a record we don't remember happening before?
and finally, it was magical to see
IAN ANDERSON
(or likely more familiar
in this guise)
front-man of seminal Rock Band
JETHRO TULL
The Witchs Promise LINK
on the Local Television New last night
having visited
St. Bartholomew’s Church in Lower Basildon, in Berkshire
to pay homage to the man who's name they took
JETHRO TULL (SENIOR)
which brought joy to millions, myself included,
while making them £Millions!
and finally, it was magical to see
(or likely more familiar
front-man of seminal Rock Band
The Witchs Promise LINK
on the Local Television New last night
having visited
St. Bartholomew’s Church in Lower Basildon, in Berkshire
to pay homage to the man who's name they took
which brought joy to millions, myself included,
while making them £Millions!
