From Mighty Oaks - Ray Thomas

A mightily (no pun intended) competent solo offering from Ray Thomas,

 erstwhile flautist with the Moody Blues, but much more than that 

Thomas was a celebrated multi-instrumentalist of some renown!

Ray Thomas
While the New Moon was still in sight as we moved to flash up the traps,
we were more interested in getting
New Subject Matter
such as this jet airliner cutting across a clear sky

with the setting Sun, now below the horizon,

highlighting the vapour trail.
(they don't half chuck out some stuff don't they?)
Glad I wasn't up there as he / she seemed to be a bit of a jerky pilot????

The first joy of the early morning was the local

SONG THRUSH

on the lawn which seemed to have beaten me to it by a 'royal mile'
as continuing to provide for the brood, but on to the traps
where from those at home there was nothing new!  while at the main pond

 CANADA GOSLINGs 
are now half the size of the parent birds
having survived in total those first couple of dodgy weeks.
If we are allowed to mention
Little Grebe
again so soon, the news continues to be good as far as the nest and adults are concerned

 but danger is lurking nearby

 with the arrival of this 
GREY HERON

which would make short work of any youngsters
 just like you or I eating a marshmallow!
Additionally, we found what looked every bit like a 'juvenile' Wader

taking a nap but seemingly alert to the danger metioned above 
and maybe taking advice from the lyric of
Enter Sandman by Metallica........

Sleep with one eye open, gripping your pillow tight

Exit light, Enter night,
take my hand
we're off to Never-Never Land
with identification proving difficult until it was flushed by a young Moorhen
with the white rump enough to confirm
GREEN SANDPIPER 
with

PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE
now adorning the banks.
From the 53 species in the remaining traps there was but a single addition to the
Year List

 WORMWOOD PUG
with the also-ran's including this pristine but poorly photographed

PURPLE BAR

along with a

PRIVATE HAWK-MOTH
seen here warming up prior to take-off.

HORNET
taking a wander.
All of this time and directly above my head a male

 BLACKBIRD

 had been shipping berries from this

ROWAN

to a presumed hungry brood?
And while still in the midst of the wood our mindset turned to

 "From Tiny Acorns

Mighty Oaks do Grow"!
although the sentiment is usually utter in the reverse of this
Mighty Oaks from Tiny Acorns do grow!
but we don't like putting the horse before the cart!
Additionally, we did capture a couple of sub-standard clips of firstly a

CARRION CROW
preening along with a

COMMON BUZZARD
circling,
but before signing off we'll return to the seemingly over-substantial gate
which we featured a couple or more posts ago.

We still have no clue as to the intent but coincidently, close to the same time, we 
did recieve this rather intersting documet from our valued informant John Gifford.

Bison to be Re-introduced to England

A small herd of European Bison will be released in Kent in spring 2022, Kent Wildlife Trust has confirmed, representing a major landmark in Britain's short rewilding history.

The Wilder Blean project will take place at Blean Woods, near Canterbury, famed for its ancient woodland, and is estimated to cost £1m. Steppe Bison were last found in Britain some 6,000 years ago and the descendant of this species – European Bison – is listed as Vulnerable, meaning the Kent project will help secure the future of an endangered species. 

Furthermore, they will naturally regenerate a former pine wood plantation by killing off trees, creating a healthy mix of woodland, scrub and glades, boosting insect, bird and plant life – it is hoped Common Nightingale and European Turtle Dove will both benefit. During the initial phase, one male and three females will be released. Natural breeding will increase the size of the herd, with one calf per year the norm for each female.

The bison will come from The Netherlands or Poland, where releases have been successful and safe. Paul Hadaway, from Kent Wildlife Trust, said: "The Wilder Blean project will prove that a wilder, nature-based solution is the right one to tackle the climate and nature crisis we now face. Using missing keystone species like bison to restore natural processes to habitats is the key to creating bio-abundance in our landscape."

The project, funded by the People's Postcode Lottery Dream Fund, will cover 500 hectares (1,236 acres), with the bison first placed in a 150-hectare area where there are no right-of-way footpaths. This will provide plenty of space for them, even as the herd grows, according to Smith, and normal cattle fencing is sufficient to stop them wandering further afield.

Once the bison are settled, the public will be able to visit the area with rangers and watch the animals from viewing platforms. In The Netherlands, where bison projects have been running for 15 years, people walk through the areas without incident. Free-living longhorn cattle, "iron age" pigs, and Exmoor ponies will also live alongside the bison and assist in restoring the woodland.

"The partners in the Kent project have long dreamed of restoring the true wild woodlands that have been missing from England for too long," said Paul Whitfield, of Wildwood Trust, the native species conservation charity that will ensure the welfare of the bison. "People will be able to experience nature in a way they haven't before, connecting them back to the natural world around them in a deeper way."

The bison will not be given any food or artificial shelters, though their health will be monitored by observing their coats and examining their dung. "We need to keep them as wild as possible," said Smith, who added there was no intention to introduce predators such as wolves. As the herd grows in size, the plan is to move some animals to other sites in the UK. But, he said, "if we absolutely had to, we would cull animals as a last resort".

WE HOPE TO BE WITH YOU ONCE MORE ON THE MORROW!