Alright Me Duck

Returning to Sunday for just the briefest of moments,

by the time we got back to base it looked as if there were at least a couple more hours

of dry weather left before the predicted 'wet afternoon' kicked in'?

Oh how wrong you can be!

The reasoning was another rare vagrant Duck on 

Longham Lakes

which had been giving most of its would be viewers a right old run around,including myself.

However, having been reported sheltering on the largest island of the southern watercourse

that was surely as good a strating point as any.

It could have been amazing had it not been for the now 35 knot wind and some light drizzel,

but as that increased to a full blow deluge, that was the very moment the bird was spotted!

Deja Vous????

Consigned to the note book and personnally "wet as a Cormorant" these

Clicks and Clips

bear no resemblace of what was witnessed on the day, in fact they were secured on

April Fool's Day 2017 at Pitlochry, Perthshire, Bonny Scotland

as part of an extended weekend's Wildlifing in the company of Dave Foot.

 RING-NECKED DUCK

The 'ring' to which the name referes can be clearly seen at the base of the neck 

on the last 2 images.

Additionally and as an aside, our first landlady kindly allowed us to run a

Moth Trap

in which we caught a number of

RANNOCH SPRAWLER

a Moth  not seen by myself before.
 Monday satrted as usual with a visit to both
Moth Traps
and finding among just c6 Insects c2 whch were new for the year.

 OAK BEAUTY

 and the far less glamerous

 COMMON QUAKER
but they all count.

While the situation regarding the virus is serious enough

my stance is the philosophical one and take heed of a quip uttered by

Dairyman Dick in the fantastic Thomas Hardy novel

Tess of the d’Urbervilles

'Tis comfortable enough here for rough folk; but we don't live in a cowcumber frame.”

Dairyman Dick
All the week:
On Sundays Mister Richard Crick.

So, the rest of the day was taken up mostly with a re-visit to what was once my hometown
WEYMOUTH
 but before visiting friends there the pull was too strong to drive past

 MAIDEN CASTLE

 one of Europe's largest and most complex
Hill Forts
 There, before Prince Charles came along and built his carbunkle of a 'squat'
there were once many hundreds of Golden Plover decent numbers of Yellowhammer,
Grey Partridge etc, All that was found on the day were a few
Mediterranean Gulls and singles of

 SKYLARK
(first in Dorset for me)

and

 CORN BUNTING
(first for 2020)

with both being vocal despite being a little in the gloom.
At my destination it was found to be both warm enough and

sunny enough to enjoy out coffee in the garden, but that was not all!

In very quick succession c3 species of

BUTTERFLY

graced the already blooming flower beds including

 PEACOCK

 BRIMSTONE

and

 COMMA

 all 'first for the year' as a family group and as individual species.