By comparison with recent days, or maybe even weeks, yesterday
saw a little light shining from the end of the tunnel,
but let's make it quite clear we ain't talking Serengeti
In fact the day started at 05:00 when as usual all attentions were being paid
skywards with full cloud cover and a sniff of rain on the breeze.
With no backlight all that could be seen across the black was a narrow pale band of an estimated one to two miles in lenghth. Had it been at any other time it may well have been past off as
the remains of a jet aircraft vapour trail but with none flying further investigation was made.
During my 18 years in the North Sea Oil business and serving on the
Buchan Alpha Floating Oil Production Platform, a recognised Weather Station,
it was one of my nightly duties to take current weather readings for transmission to the
Meteorlogical Office and or Ocean Routes
who provided a manual of photographs and descriptions of all the types of cloud formation that maybe encountered. Having thumbed through that book thousands of times it was a surprise to find that what I was looking at was a
SHELF CLOUD
(image best viewed away from any light source)
something not even heard of let alone seen
It is said we all learn something new every day, which was certainly the case in this instance!
Such things are of great interest to me and jogged my memory of the
Solar Halo
of
16 May 2019
What followed was also something new but down a few degrees as only
New For the Year
First out of the Moth Trap and on the very first tray was one of my firm favourites
MAIDEN'S BLUSH
with perched right next door
the almost prehistoric
PALE PROMINENT
with both considered to be 'on the wing' about 2 to 3 weeks early
From there we found that all c7 Coot chicks are still on the Irrigation Pond along with incubating Canada's, while a new arrival
a lone
GREYLAG GOOSE
with attendant Little Grebe and Canada Geese
was of some interest as 'common across much of the County
but only an occassional visitor to our neck of the woods
On the way to the Heath this
BLUE TIT
took some craning of both arms and neck
to obtain these shots
while seeming to be struggling similarly to collect nesting material
It was at this point that it seemed the Heath had been transformed overnight
as the
ERICA
starts to show tinges of purple contrasting sharply with the green of the trees and
the yellow of the Gorse beyond
(it was at this point we heard our first new 'migrant' for the day / year,
we would need to get closer to the Moors River)
while the late leafing
ASPENs
still stand naked, but not too long now we feel
On the way to check the Goats
PHATHER FEASANT
was found escorting c3 quite well matured youngsters
with the Rare Breeds craning their necks too to be 'clicked'
FRENCH ALPINE
OLD ENGLISH
CUCKOO
"Please Sir, may I have some more"
MORE BOY?
