Garden - Groundhogs

 True to the Forecasters word again we saw a warm night with the

temperature falling no lower than +14°C

with our rewards including........

 PALE EGGAR

 GARDEN CARPET

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdI2aRDEBZ4

Featuring the fabulous Lead Guitar, Vocals and some of the finest Lyrics of

Tony TS (Top Stratocaster) McPhee

(another gentleman of the Blues Genre it has been my pleasure to meet)

BIRD'S WING

all first's for the year with a number of other interesting Insects besides.

 BROWN CHAFER

 CARDINAL BEETLE

and half a dozen

CLICK BEETLES

not only do they 'click' but also propel themselves forward with the effort.

Again, no 'ground-breaking stuff' but enough to keep the interest level at least

A-Midships 

starting again in the garden where the 

 SONG THRUSH

 have started to become showy

 as now feeding young within the

Corkscrew Hazel

 At the Irrigation Pond what remains of the depleted

 MALLARD FAMILY

continue to thrive but where there is a 'roundabout'

 there is usually a 'swing'!

In this instance it is the nest of the

LITTLE GREBEs

from where there has been no sign of eith eggs or chicks making this the

"poorest breeding year" for the species here since records began in 2013.

Again, there have been c2

 SAND MARTIN

'hawking' Insects over this watercourse but not even a glimmer of breeding!

Again, there have been a number of flights out of

Bournemouth International

but mostly out and back very quickly or what might be 

'Radar Calibrations'

for both fixed wing and helicopters - the Police Chopper never seems to be on the deck!

As we started with the 

THRUSH FAMILY 

so we will end and opposite to what has gone before the

MISTLE THRUSHES

(adults above juvenile below)

have, as usual, had

Great Success

across the breeding season.

Finally, a Blast from the Past

which may prove of interest?

the ⅔ white albino

BLACKBIRD

Found on 21 April 2019 on the Heath.

Young At Heart - Francis A Sinatra

Given to last, again the overnight temperature stuck doggedly in 
double figures bringing with it even more
First for the Year Moths

BRIGHT-LINE BROWN-EYE

 SHARK

 DARK ARCHES

 SERAPHIM
along with one of the more bizzare

 denizens of the night

BLACK-SPOTTED PLIERS SUPPORT BEETLE
Sticking close to home in the first instance spotting
Harry Carpenter - Boxing Commetator 
on the lawn we presumed that there was about to be a fight

 and a colourful one at that.

Gentle sparring would be a better description

 but all in the name of

winning the 'claw' of a

Lovely Lady
The first of the juvenile

ROOKs
was also chancing its arm lingering only long enough for this shot,
but the feeling is it or they may well be back!

We have also been keeping a careful eye on the 
HONEYSUCKLE
at the gateway to the Heath and found it blooming now with the hopes that a
Hummingbird Hawk-moth
might happen along.
QUIET
isn't quite the word we would choose in an open forum to describe
the activity within, but this being a family publication we'll leave it at that!

All on offer was the first of the juvenile

 MEADOW PIPITs

 to break cover, a first flush of

 ELDER FLOWER

 along with a none too obliging

 Family Party
of

 GREAT TITs

 still being fed by the parent birds.
Otherwise, and Finally more Invertibrates overlooked from the previous day

 COMMON POLLEN BEETLES
and 

PILL WOODLOUSE and WHITE-LEGGED MILIPEDE
feeding on what is thought to be a
COMMON NEWT
given where they were found.

They Call Me Toadstool as being Some Kind of Fun-gi

Another warm night attracted another batch of
First's for the Year Moths
in the shape of

PINE HAWK-MOTH

 one of the 'big boys'

 WILLOW BEAUTY

SCORCHED WING

 with abdomen raised, a usual stance

SNOUT

For no other reason than we have been saying let's get down to the

CARP LAKES

and take a look at the Otter Fence which has been errected for
a full nine months now this was where we commenced today's wander.

FOXGLOVE
first to be noticed this year beneath my favourite

OAK TREE
on the property.

Met by this handsome

GRASSHOPPER
at the gateway to the Heath it was only a few minutes before we stumbled across

yet another pair of

WOODLARK

obviously feeding young but a long way from the others previously
reported some weks ago.

Wether they are 'new arrivals' or 'second brooders'

will never be known

but simply gracing our patch

is a wonderment in itself!

Next up was the first

SMALL HEATH
of 2020
and although seen before this year it is always welcome to see such as

SMALL COPPER BUTTERFLIES

in the process of procreating! From there it was to the Airport perimeter fence where loading and

UNLOADING

a number of 
AIRBUS AIRLINERS
carries on almost continuously, maybe we should have a
Clap Evening
for these fine teams?

No great shakes but it was pleasing to get this close to a

RABBIT

seemingly unaware of our presence as was the same for our first of year

BLACK-TAILED SKIMMER

On the return journey the Solar Panel Compound

seemed to be bursting the boundries with

STARLING

with many, in this state of plumage, as
Eye Catching

as any bird you would wish to see!
Oil on Water
springs to mind.
2 other suprises within were firstly this huge and considered long time dead

PUFFBALL
type Fungi and this young bird which took some deliberation

 having a 'yellow' tinged belly

but surely a juvenile

WHITETHROAT

and we can already hear, pre-publication the
"oh no's,not again"
but this year alone we have fallen head over heals with  the humble

ROOK

this one right outside our door!
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