At the End of the Day - Mike Rutherford

With HOT weather having rampaged through the third week of June,

we have seen some dramatic increases in numbers from the

Moth Traps

but still we have not taken 100 species of Macro Moth in a single night.
IT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN RAINING CONTINUOUSLYY EVER SINCE!

 The delicate and beautiful

 BLUE-BORDERED CARPET

 showed up in two 'forms' that with only half a wing-bar

and that with an 'archipelego' of small dots almost joining the two sides.

There are examples with complete central wing-bars which we still yet have to catch.

 CYPRESS CARPET

a relatively new moth to our shores the quite numerous

COMMON EMERALD

 and

 

BIRD'S WING

We have also been enjoying a variety of other Insects which have included

 ORANGE LADYBIRD

 the diminutive

 PILL BEETLE

a a rather large

 

HORNET

and 

On the Panel Tonight

STOCK DOVE

along with

CARRION CROW

 KEELED SKIMMER DRAGONFLY
being serenaded by a Whitethroat.

While Dartford Warblers seem to be 'out in the cold' on the Heath

 STONECHAT

continue to capitalise on recent years of

 Breeding Success.

Difficult to judge numbers but by our estimations there have to be

 2 to 3 dozen juvenile Birds across the 400 acres?

It was getting close to heading back to the range but always alert

 to the next wildlife sighting.

Now, if it's Action Movies you are looking for then best not open these video clips!

 A 'second very close encounter' with another

 NIGHTJAR

 was, given our past experiences, assimilated to

 Lightning Striking Twice.

There was now absolutely no rush to get back, whichever the

coffee would still be there on our return!

It was at the beginning of the warm spell that along with Hugh and Janet

we had our first BBQ of the year in the Harbins Farmhouse Garden which just seemed

alive with Birds. In the event we recorded 29 Species while just sitting enjoying the food, wine
and convivial conversation.

including a

First for the Year

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER

At the End of the Day - Mike Rutherford (Genesis)

The day is nearly ended hurry home to your bed

My nights are oh so lonely come and lay down your head

The eyes of all our children growing heavy with sleep

And with one final flicker into a world full of dreams.

Thanks to those who have been promoting us in recent days,

one person in particular, the UK is back in Pole Position on the

'Hits' Parade.

It has been many, many months since we have seen this!

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Kid A - Radio Head

With any rain that there has been being short lived, it is the wind that has
dominated the weather picture in recent days. However, since the 'hot snap'
overnight temperatures have continued to hug the low teens and produce
A Few Good Moths!

 A most welcome start to proceedings at the First (Pond-side) Trap

and First for the Year

 SCARCE SILVER-LINES

and while we have recorded c3 already for the year this

BORDERED PUG

 is by far the best mark so far, in fact the 'best' we have ever seen.

Moving on to Harbins Farmhouse Garden it was the cavorting

WOOD PIGEONs

that stole the first attention, likely thinking about a 'second brood'?

 Also added to the Annual Tally what is considered to be a rather 'early'

 DUN-BAR

It's by no means all drudgery, as during these rounds we occasionally take a leaf from

 Welsh Poet W. H. Davies' work Leisure

 What is this life if, full of care,

we have no time to stand and stare.

 

 today it was the turn of the now beautiful blooms of

 

 OPIUM POPPIES

Continuing through a moderate haul of 173 Macro Moths of 71 Species

next to be added to the same list was the extremely delicate 'migrant'

VESTAL

 a tiny Insect of no more than 12mm will have at least flown across the

English Channel.

(for my dear friend Jean-Francois [and Roong of course] Le Sleeve)

 This induced me to search through the archive for the image of a 

sharply contrasting Vestal caught last year.

Of this, Manley (British Moths) tells " it can breed in summer in UK

producing extreme pink forms".

By this time thinking to myself, 

"I'll be glad when I've had enough"

 we reached the 5th and final trap, which was just like history repeating itself with the

'rare' Shoulder-striped Clover of recent days being almost the last critter to be pulled from captivity.

Depending on your view of 'rarity' yesterday's find, unlike the Vestal, no longer breeds in the UK

as becoming extinct here in 1951. There are said to be breeding colonies on the Channel Islands and

it is common across much of mainland Europe and Asia, but those found on our shores these day

are considered of the 'migrant only' variety!

'The Stunningly Handsome' 

and 

First for our Recording Area

 ORACHE MOTH

and finally on the subject of 'flying things' we instantly point out that this

most unusual 'propellers facing backwards' 

 PIAGGIO P180 AVANTI

 was not heading for the traps!

Changing the subject completely, stand up the boy at the back who shouted Hooray!

 We have maintained throughout most of our life that

ADVICE IS ONLY FOR 'GIVING'

but we are prepared to break with that tradition just this once and to say,

"if you want any peace and quiet, time to yourself, a chance to do all those things you

spent your life dreaming about, or for that matter just sitting down and having a quiet cuppa then" 

 'DO NOT RETIRE'

 We say that particularly now as for a couple of weeks we have intended 

bringing you up-to-date with the

Rare Breeds Old English and Bagot Goats.

Of the latter, it was always considered that on arrival all 3 were pregnant

and in recent days, with udder extended, Goat C has looked every bit as if she was

Kidding. She wasn't and last week broke away from the others, as Deer often do, to

find a sheltered spot to give birth. Two days later she reappeared minus the paunch but

with no Kid and was considered to have aborted. A lack lustre search was made of quite a large 

area but no foetus was found and over the following days a look-out has been kept for Corvid

activity to maybe indicate the position - still nothing found! 

So, it wasn't Alright for that Kid,
but there's more.

Following our usual track up to Parley Common the very quickly vanishing

 Flash of White

did eventually manifest itself into a 'juvenile'

 LITTLE EGRET

something we do not remember ever having seen in our homeland

but many hundreds must have been encountered during our extensive travels
Far and Wide.

Our next Port of Call was to be the Gravel Pit but we were delayed on route

by a snippet of Nature in its rawest state a male

BLACKCAP

tackling what was thought to have been a
Hairy Dragonfly.

Another

HAIRY DRAGONFLY

having not yet fallen into the clutches of the
Silva Warbler.

We were met at the watercourse by the now well established family of

CANADA GEESE

The 3 youngsters in for a bathe, and while there we took the opportunity to check the

 LITTLE GREBE FAMILY

with the female

'sitting' for a 6th day

on the new nest, while the duties of the male bird diminish by the hour

as the youngster becomes more self sufficient.

On the way to the Heath we picked up on a juvenile

DUNNOCK

and a smashed

SONG THRUSH EGG

and once at the Goat Enclosure there was great delight to see

 BAGOT 'TWINS'
 

 GATHERING of the CLAN

These Kids Are Alright - Link

On our way back we witnessed the

BELTED GALLOWAY CATTLE
engaging in a little
Mutual Preening

before deciding on such a warm, sunny and dry day to pay one of our
Quarterly Visits to Bournemouth International Airport.
Once inside we found a delightful area of

 EVENING PRIMROSE

 which was being patrolled by a wayward juvenile

HERRING GULL

 doubtless having fallen from one of the roofs of the tall buildings.

With no chance of getting back to the nest

the 'wise money' is on it not lasting the night!

 Accessible only from the Airport, this area of Grassland (looking west)
bounded by a cattle fence and the Tributary (right)
often referred to through these pages, has been given over to nature.

(looking east)
Here, we have permission to inspect the 100 or so
Reptile Covers
which we do about 4 times a year.

 (looking back into the Airport and the Jumbo Jet Hanger)

A time consuming exercise but well worth it as our finds included singles of

COMMON LIZARD

 A 'MOULTED' SNAKE SKIN

SLOW WORM

and a

SAND LIZARD

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