Yesterday Once More - The Carpenters

It was always going to be a warm and sunny day but the

Dawn Pea Soup'er

didn't make it feel or look like that and it also seemed to have affected the

Moth Traps

again!

Among the half dozen or so that have now become the 'usuals' was a bit of a battered single

ENGRAILED

 which was duely added to the Year List, but that didn't mean it was the end of the

Moth Trail for the day!

At the Ponds both Coot and Little Grebe appear to be thriving, with hopes of proof winging your way in the near future, but the Moorhen's seem to have no lust for procreation at all??

Along the Bridleway more good news as both

 (Common) WHITETHROAT

and

 LESSER WHITETHROAT

were in good voice with the latter not falling to the video fuction

but both added to the 2020 List

Yes, we realise we have featured 

MISTLE THRUSH

a couple of times already this year but when you capture a nifty little clip

it is difficult (nea impossible) not to include such.

It would seem that some trees are one day brown and the next shrouded in green

which was the case with the

Mighty Oak

at the gate to the Heath, but there's a thing - where was the gate????

Off its hinges and lying prostrate on the ground

 with the old wooden one, left on the ground where it fell over a year ago,
tossed over the barbed wire fence like a rag doll 
(The Four Seasons)
That was the Herdsman quickly oyked out of his bunk - well done Richard
The largest of the c5 Rare Breeds Cattle is the beefy
Old English White
which surely could not have been responsible for this so maybe we can attribute it to
VANDALS? 

"Give Me Your Answer Do"
With having been a bit of a dull Spring thus far we were not quite ready for the
Mini Bonanza 
to come as first out of the woodwork (or shold that be Heather) were a couple of daytime flyers

COMMON HEATH MOTH
and induced to follow suit by a wiff of pheromone a brace of 
far more gaudy and colourful male

EMPEROR MOTHs

 along with a female for  comparison

and only likely to be caught by netting or in a light trap

2 additions to 2020 in quick succession and

with the video clips just to give some idea of the response

It may also be of interest that these

EMPEROR MOTH EGGS
were found in one of our traps last year and taken into captivity by our friend
who has seen them emerge into adulthood this year
 Sticking with Insect kind just for a moment more, we also noted

COMMON BLUE BUTTERFLY
(male)

 and
(female)
on the wing in close proximity
Considering by recent standards that we had already done very well, we tarried a while 
by the Rare Breed Goat Compound to listen to the Blackcaps and Willow Warblers singing from cover and high perches appropriately but then to hear some unusual
Gutteral Sounds
No doubt about it a

NIGHTINGALE

only our 3rd since 2013 in usual form only showing its bill and forehead,
the image is 'borrowed'!
Not many get excited about the humble

FERAL PIGEON
but when your local and long lost bird suddenly shows up after more that 6 month, well there ain't going to be no Champagne corks popping , but nevertheless nice to see!
Fianally, and on another upbeat note, there is little dobt that

 WOODLARK

 are once again breeding on the Heath
BRILLIANT!!