That Was the Week That Was

After that magical ramble around Poole Harbour on Sunday with Chloe

it was thought that the rest of the week would be an anticlimax!

Not far short but "every cloud has at least a couple of new Moths".

 Monday night was the first when the new

 Light Emiting Diode (strip) Moth Trap

was flashed up in anger, outside of Slight Return, and among the c3 Insects within was a

 'first for year'

DOTTED BORDER

plus this rather nifty little

CLEARWING

with the other Moth being a rather dark

 HEBREW CHARACTER

The upshot of course was the fact that it was at least working.

Otherwise, during daylight hours all the rest of what might be called action was centred on the Heath

to where the

 RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE

 do very occassionally stray.

Not unexpectedly there were also a 'pair' of most obliging

 STONECHAT

which quite honestly we could sit and

 Click / Vid 

all day long.

 Finally, and while the rain was holding off an attempt was made to see the

Garganey mostly hiding just a couple of miles away at

Cowards Marsh

and that is where it stayed - hidden!

TUESDAY

started with a bit of a bang as the LED Trap held not one but two 'firsts for the year'

and not

 one but two

 YELLOW HORNED

which completely evaded us last year.

 the second being a

SMALL QUAKER

and with news from elsewhere in the county of

REPTILES

starting to show their hand it was thought to be a good idea

to turn the Herps covers also for the first time this year.

 No Snakes or Lizards but any small Mammal is just as welcome as this

COMMON SHREW

 

 A bit nippy and almost as fast as me at times,

so lucky to get a 'still' never mind a 'clip'!

 The first signs of nest building were also witnessed as the Magpies return to exactly the same spot as last year, using what remains of the last nest as a foundation, while the Irrigation Pond Coots are feverishly dragging lengths of Common Reed to the desired platform.

Not quite that far into the game

 CHAFFINCH

 have become far more numerous

 as well as

 vocal

 while at the second time of asking the 

 GARGANEY

was seen but nowhere close to what these archive images depict.

 So sculking, had this been a NEW bird to me it would have been difficult,

if not down ringht impossible to add it to any list.

However,

 the 2 pairs of

 GOOSANDER

(male)

 (female)

performed a good deal better, with the day closing with a

'Wintery Shower'

Heavy, persistant rain was forecast from 06:00 onwards for Wednesday

but did hold off until both traps were cleared, but with nothing to report.

However, there was something of a 'mega rarity' awaiting as there stood on the pan was a

VIRGIN

you don't see many of them in the Bournemouth area!

With little on the ground during daylight hours it was left to the
Dusk Double Header
to provide the entertainment.
With the new LED Moth Trap still in an embrionic stage and with 'light sensor' attatched it would have been foolish not to check the function on Wednesday evening.
This in turn, having to visit the Heath, brought up the hopes of a 

WOODCOCK

or two. In the event this enigmatic nocturnal feeder showed as just a single and as we have never been lucky to get that close we have 'borrowed an image from you know where!

Quickly on to the Thursday report and then even more quickly OFF,
the heavy rain started at 04:30 and persisted throughout all daylight hours.
We didn't move from the
Sanctuary of Slight Return!

FRIDAY, and after the perpetual and heavy rain of the previous day bright sunshine, little wind and a chance to get out. Good job really as would have been champing at the bit with the new Canon Power Shot SX 70 HS all ready to go! Here are just a few snaps and Vids from the first day's play. Something of a surprise in the first instance as c2 

 GREYLAG GEESE

were found on the Gravel Pit

not a site where they have been recorded before,

but soon departed at my approach

 CANADA GOOSE

on the Gravel Pit

 Teal 

female on the Moors River with several others

before joining the male bird for a preen

A small party of recently arrived 

LINNET

was added to the County List and by definition the Recording area before zooming off to

Longham Lakes

Some decent if not common fare to try the New Toy out on not least

of which were the ever photogentic

POCHARD

 (seen here with a female Tufted Duck above)

 before being videoed whilst preening

 Next up was a persistantly vocal male

 REED BUNTING

doubtlesly

 trying to attract

 The Female of the Species - Space

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1NBpVKWh_c

 a few more 

TUFTED DUCKs

floated by before our final and luckiest encounter as the diving

 GREAT CRESTED GREBE

 surfaced with a Fish

 considered to be a

 ROACH

 SATIATED
and finally Saturday which didn't turn out to be a too shabby end to the week,
although it did begin with just a single 
Hebrew Character 
in the traps.
It was extrodinary to see how far the

 COOT'S
had got with nest building as it was only a couple of days ago that we noticed
what looked like the first blade of dead reed being put into place,
now there's this great hillock about 4 Coots high.
Again most of the day's action was confined to the Heath where both

COAL TIT
and

MISTLE THRUSH
had noticably increased in numbers and were letting the world know about it vocally.
When you ply the same track day after day you do tend to notice even the smallest 
of changes which was the way as we returned to base.

A small blob of white some distance away on the far bank of the 
Moors River
was enough to investigate further which, employing the telescope,
turned out to be a good call indeed!

 A first of the Year

COMMON SANDPIPER

sewed the week up perfectly!