Under Cover - Selina Gomez

 PS - Our friend John Gifford has kindly identified the Hawk-moth and Grasshopper on yesterday's Post for all interested parties - with Thanks!

After the "No Alarms and No Surprises" of Saturday there we none of the former

but a couple or 3 of the later yesterday as we kicked off before dawn with

the distinctive vocals of one or more

 CETTI'S WARBLER (s) 

which require a great deal of patcience to clap eyes on.
Not what we would commit to the catagory of surprises but it has been a fair few days since we recorded the first Autumnal Bird.

Combining all c5 Moth Traps to one report we start with a "we don't do Micros" but make a small exception when the likes of the bizarre and almost prehistoric

COMMON PLUME MOTH
shows its hand while the 'first surprise' was not far behind.

A sort after Insect by many Moth'ers we are blessed with

SOUTHERN CHESTNUT
hereabouts which only comes to light sparingly but annually.
Otherwise, and maybe as a bit of padding we also secured yet another

L-ALBUM WAINSCOT
We have been anticipating the arrival of any of the more common Wildfowl,

but to record c6

EURASIAN TEAL
(never in a tight group)

in one pod was not only a 'surprise' but also a recordbreaker!
On the Heath it looked rather as if Johnny the Fox

had hit the hammock with a full belly had he taken the rest of this
RABBIT
but on the brighter side the

DOG ROSEHIPS

looked Ripe and Resplendent
Being Sunday, it is usual to turn the Reptile Covers but given the
time of year and the chill would it be worth it? Wot else were we going to do........

SURPRISINGLY

there were no fewer than

THREE

SMOOTH SNAKES
recorded with the minor bonus of a 

BROWN-LIPPED SNAIL
but the

VICTOR LUDORUM

fell to a SURPRISE

LONG-TAILED FIELD MOUSE 

With no Alarms and no Surprises, no Alarms and no Surprises, no Alarms and no Surprises

PLEASE!

 Creep - Radiohead