The Bagsy Blog: Kind Hearts and Coronets

Tuesday, 31 May 2016

Kind Hearts and Coronets - Alec Guinness (et al)

The overnight temperatures continue to hover in the lower teens, but not helped at all by the persistent breeze which remains prominently in the northern quadrant. A few more Macro Moths have been added to the Year List which have included

CORONET

another little crack which the image belies its size

FOXGLOVE PUG

COMMON SWIFT

OAK HOOK-TIP

ORANGE FOOTMAN

and we are never shy of posting any of the Hawk-moths, so here once again is

LIME HAWK-MOTH

which obligingly showed us its underparts,

while this

LUNAR MARBLED BROWN

started laying eggs so was quickly returned to the nearby grassland.

For reasons that as yet have not become apparent, a huge BUND is being

built around 2 sides of the area we refer to as 'Behind Eco. On the face of it

a tract of waste-ground which, mainly because of lack of human disturbance,

becomes home for a good number of bird species here at Parley Court Farm.

Works have been ongoing for nearly 2 weeks now

and are thought to be nearing completion.

If nothing else all this disturbed soil has provided a

Welcome Bounty

for the hundreds of bird, and other creatures, now feeding young.

When we find out more we will bring the information to you.

Before leaving this usually productive area we did find yet another
family party of

MALLARD
along with a Plant we had never even heard of let alone noted.

Thanks to John Gifford we find it is

LESSER HAWBIT
and additionally a few, now becoming endangered,

SMALL HEATH BUTTERFLY
on the wing.
It was also encouraging to see that for the 'third' time this year the

COOT
at the Irrigation Pond have now completed nest building and one or
other of the adult birds are 'sitting'. Unfortunately, we have been here
twice before so are not raising our hopes just yet.

MALLARD
looking a little mottled as a good few of them are now, approaching moult.
A year ago now, when the

BALANCING POND
was being excavated within the bounds of
Bournemouth International Airport

hopes were high that one day something special might visit the area?
Small beer yet, but already we are seeing signs of
Aquatic Plants
taking hold and who knows it might be Spotted Crake next!