It would seem gone are the days of Michael Fish and the blooper of the
an eye-catching
FROSTED ORANGE
interupted only by the now daily and varying sized skein of
GREYLAG GEESE
while on the Heath there was a most welcome
ARCHER'S DART
annual but seemingly scarce, plus a
BARRED HOOK-TIP
as the
LIGHT EMERALDs
continued there contribution to procreation, on my coat of all places!
Additionally, there was also furtherance of the 'extremely early' and 'putative'
SPARROWHAWK
on one of the garden bird tables
LITTLE GREBE NEST
as anything else and was found with the presumed 'she' bird still sitting - YES!
A fleeting moment to check the new growth
COMMON TOADFLAX
Turning back, there HE? was and still patroling rather than lending a hand!
COMMON SANDPIPER
far more obliging
CHICORY
and again the ever present
GREY HERON
and the invasive
MALLARD and GADWALL
and
5th October 1987
when he announced "earlier on today,
apparently, a woman rang the
BBC and said she had heard there was
a hurricane on the way”?
“Well, if you're watching, don't worry, there
isn't!".
The rest is history!
Weather forecasting has come a long way since those days with it now
being
something of a rarity when they get it wrong, even the ‘bad stuff’.
As we cruise rapidly
towards the end of the month, and by definition the end of the Season, the
Autumnal weather has already taken hold! For a full night and part of the day
there has been perpetual and heavy rain, adequately egged on by a stiff south-westerly
breeze, confining
even us hardiest of souls to barracks!
We say, ‘bring back Michael’!
On the bright-side, it was pleasing that Summer fell on a Sunday this year
allowing both the Workforce and us Idle Petioners to enjoy it in equal measure!
On the bright-side, it was pleasing that Summer fell on a Sunday this year
allowing both the Workforce and us Idle Petioners to enjoy it in equal measure!
However, all is not lost as we almost always have a surfeit of images
from recent days in the locker as not having been able to squeeze them all onto
a post yet!
Backlog First for Year Moths include from the garden
interupted only by the now daily and varying sized skein of
while on the Heath there was a most welcome
continued there contribution to procreation, on my coat of all places!
Additionally, there was also furtherance of the 'extremely early' and 'putative'
AUTUMNAL / NOVEMBER
via a note from Paul Harris:-
Morning Sire, well the chaps agreed that it is indeed a very
early Epirrita sp (November /
Autumnal Moth type). Phil (Doctor Sterling, Managing Director of Butterfly World et al) says that it is not identifiable even by ‘gen
det’ as it's a female. However, of great note as it's such an early record, I
cannot ever remember an August record!
PS - and just for clarity, ‘gen det’ is the fine art,
akin to Faberge Eggs, of disection and examination of Moth genitalia - messy job
but somebody’s got to do it!
Only ever an occassional sight of a
brought back reminisces of another, some time ago now,
taking and devouring a hapless
MOORHEN
on the bank of the main pond.
Monday,
a most pleasant day, was as much about checking up on the
as anything else and was found with the presumed 'she' bird still sitting - YES!
A fleeting moment to check the new growth
but maybe we spoke too soon as there was a
Change of the Watch.
Also welcome was the continued presence of the
than on the previous day.
More plant life came in the form of
and again the ever present
HIMALAYAN BALSAM
We know not if this plant attracts any of the Moth species,
as does its equally invassive close cousin, which has brought to our shores with it the
BALSAM CARPET
once caught here in small numbers but with this year producing only a single specimen.
The 'also rans' included the remaining
and
COMMON BUZZARD
"hasta la vista"!
